Twenty-Three (1828)corrupt the people. Not much is said about what happened to Lehi and his family and
friends just after they got to the Americas; but it does relate how quickly the people become
corrupt, even with a completely new set of priesthood leaders and authority. This is pointed
out in the relation of the people of Zeniff and the wicked King Noah. Again, the narrative
mirrors the beginning of the book of Nephi. A prophet (Abinadi) is sent to the people of the
church to tell them of their “wickedness and abominations.”^28
Throughout the Book of Mormon, there is another profound statement made that
modern LDS/Mormons find hard to accept: a true messenger is never chosen from within
the ranks of any church priesthood or leadership. The final story before Christ personally
comes to America is that of Samuel the Lamanite, who did not come from within the church.
He was chosen to preach repentance to the church,^29 which was under the leadership of
their “prophet, seer, and revelator,”^30 Nephi;^31 thus showing again the proper protocol of
choosing a true messenger.
Many Choose “Bad,” Erroneously Thinking it is “Good”
The Book of Mormon was specifically organized in its presentation to provide many
examples of the problems that religion, race, and inequality create in human society. The
many wars told throughout the storyline reflect the modern-day American patriotic sense of
war and duty to serve one’s country in pride and separatism. This gives Americans a self-
concept that they are better than every other nation upon the earth^32 —similar to many
descriptions given of the Book of Mormon characters.
The Book of Mormon was precisely meant for a newly freed and revolutionized
American audience. What would the people who read the Book of Mormon choose when
faced with two different aspects of their human nature? Would they choose the good (that
they knew was good) or the bad (thinking it was good)? The advanced authors gave subtle
warnings for the reader to be careful not to “judge that which is evil to be of God, or that
which is good and of God to be of the devil.”^33
Would the American LDS/Mormons become like the Anti-Nephi-Lehi^34 characters,
rejecting war in all its forms and sacrificing their lives instead of defending themselves? Or
would they make Captains^35 Moroni and Helaman, the stripling warriors, and many other
Book of Mormon characters—who directly violated the eternal code of humanity—their
emulated heroes? The people needed to be given the choice. And generally, those who have
read the Book of Mormon and accept it as they do the Bible, use their free will exactly as our
advanced monitors expected them to: they choose the bad over the good. Thereby, they
prove once again that in all aspects of human nature they cannot govern themselves and
thus require a Christ (an Overseer) to govern them.
People Want Religion
The message of the Book of Mormon culminates with the visit of Christ personally to
the people to teach them from his own mouth everything that they needed to do to comply
with the code of humanity. The storyline was constructed to show another aspect of our
human world—that religious belief, tradition, and all other aspects of mortal emotions are
much more powerful to human nature than actually seeing an advanced human face-to-face
and listening to what the “God” has to say.