Chapter 30
Korihor, the antichrist, ridicules Christ, the atonement, and the spirit of prophecy—He teaches that there is no God, no fall of man, no penalty for sin, and no Christ—Alma testifies that Christ shall come and that all things denote there is a God—Korihor demands a sign and is struck dumb—The devil had appeared to Korihor as an angel and taught him what to say—He is trodden down and dies. About 76–74 B.C.
1 BEHOLD, now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, yea, and also after the Lamanites were driven out of the land, and their dead were buried by the people of the land—
2 Now their dead were not numbered because of the greatness of their numbers; neither were the dead of the Nephites numbered—but it came to pass after they had buried their dead, and also after the days of fasting, and mourning, and prayer, (and it was in the sixteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi) there began to be continual peace throughout all the land.
3 Yea, and the people did observe to keep the commandments of the Lord; and they were strict in observing the ordinances of God, according to the law of Moses; for they were taught to keep the law of Moses until it should be fulfilled.
4 And thus the people did have no disturbance in all the sixteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
5 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the seventeenth year of the reign of the judges, there was continual peace.
Alma 30:1-5 (Emphasis mine)
War has ended. The dead were not numbered because there were so many. They were buried and the people spent days of fasting, prayer, and mourning.
The people lived in peace because they obeyed the laws of God. We are told by Mormon that they kept the law of Moses. They had been taught to keep the law of Moses until it was fulfilled.
John Sorenson comments:
“When the record says that the Nephites did ‘keep the law of Moses’ (for example, Alma 25:15), that no doubt means that the official cult of sacrifices, offerings, and festivals was being visibly maintained at the temples and that the resources received as offerings were sufficient to enable the priests to carry out ‘the ordinances of God, according to the law of Moses’ (Alma 30:3), in a timely manner and on a respectable scale. The record keepers of the Nephites, all of whom lived at the Nephite capital (Zarahemla in this period), seem likely to have used the degree of public support for these rituals as their key data for interpreting the religious faithfulness of the populace. We are given no hint of a reporting structure through which other sorts of information on the spiritual condition of the people at large would have reached the high priest.” [1] (Emphasis mine)
6 But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year [74 B.C.], there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was Anti–Christ, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ.
7 Now there was no law against a man's belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds.
8 For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.
9 Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him there was no law to punish him.
10 But if he murdered he was punished unto death; and if he robbed he was also punished; and if he stole he was also punished; and if he committed adultery he was also punished; yea, for all this wickedness they were punished.
11 For there was a law that men should be judged according to their crimes. Nevertheless, there was no law against a man's belief; therefore, a man was punished only for the crimes which he had done; therefore all men were on equal grounds.
Alma 30:6-11 (Emphasis mine)
One day, a man appeared in Zarahemla. He was an Anti-Christ. He preached to the people that there would be no Christ. The prophecies and prophets were wrong.
What is meant by Anti-Christ? Here is a good definition.
“The word ‘antichrist’ in the Book of Mormon is also a translation. In the oldest definition of the word, Polycarp writes, ‘For any one who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is Antichrist.’ Such a title fits Korihor perfectly, since the whole burden of his teaching was that the Messiah, being nothing but a myth, would not and could not come in the flesh (Alma 30:6).” [2] (Emphasis mine)
While they had a law that deal with crimes, they enjoyed religious freedom. A man had a choice. He could choose to serve God if he so desired. If he desired, he could choose not to believe. As long as no crimes were committed, he enjoyed freedom of belief.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15 (Emphasis mine)
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:22 (Emphasis mine)
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1 John 4:3 (Emphasis mine)
Some closing observations.
“By contrast, among the righteous Nephites, Korihor was allowed to speak out freely against the religion and practices of the people, and though he was an embarrassment to local authorities, he was never kept in prison nor tried nor sentenced for his preaching, for ‘there was no law against a man's belief’ (Alma 30:6, 11). One could be punished only for specific crimes, and wrong belief was not a crime punishable by man: ‘If a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege, not a duty imposed by law, and if he was an atheist ‘there was no law to punish him’ (Alma 30:9). This was more than a sense of fair play, the Nephites being convinced that ‘it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there should be a law which should bring men onto unequal grounds’ (Alma 30:7). This explains why Korihor was not only free to believe what he wanted, but to teach wherever he chose, for to muzzle him would put him ‘onto unequal grounds’ with other preachers, right or wrong.” [3] (Emphasis mine)
[1] Religious Groups and Movements among the Nephites, 200–1 B.C., John L. Sorenson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 14, 2011.
[2] Strange Things Strangely Told, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 14, 2011.
[3] Good People and Bad People, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 14, 2011.
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