21 And it came to pass
that he caused that he should be carried out of the land. And he came over into the land of Gideon, and
began to preach unto them also; and here he did not have much success, for he
was taken and bound and carried before the high priest, and also the chief
judge over the land.
22 And it came to pass
that the high priest said unto him: Why do ye go about perverting the ways of
the Lord? Why do ye teach this people
that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings? Why do ye speak against all the prophecies of
the holy prophets?
23 Now the high
priest's name was Giddonah. And Korihor
said unto him: Because I do not teach the foolish traditions of your fathers,
and because I do not teach this people to bind themselves down under the
foolish ordinances and performances which are laid down by ancient priests, to
usurp power and authority over them, to keep them in ignorance, that they may
not lift up their heads, but be brought down according to thy words.
24 Ye say that this
people is a free people. Behold, I say
they are in bondage. Ye say that those
ancient prophecies are true. Behold, I
say that ye do not know that they are true.
25 Ye say that this
people is a guilty and a fallen people, because of the transgression of a
parent. Behold, I say that a child is
not guilty because of its parents.
26 And ye also say
that Christ shall come. But behold, I
say that ye do not know that there shall be a Christ. And ye say also that he shall be slain for
the sins of the world—
27 And thus ye lead
away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to
your own desires; and ye keep them down, even as it were in bondage, that ye
may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they durst not look up
with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges.
28 Yea, they durst not
make use of that which is their own lest they should offend their priests, who
do yoke them according to their desires, and have brought them to believe, by their
traditions and their dreams and their whims and their visions and their
pretended mysteries, that they should, if they did not do according to their
words, offend some unknown being, who they say is God—a being who never has
been seen or known, who never was nor ever will be.
29 Now when the high
priest and the chief judge saw the hardness of his heart, yea, when they saw
that he would revile even against God, they would not make any reply to his
words; but they caused that he should be bound; and they delivered him up into
the hands of the officers, and sent him to the land of Zarahemla, that he might
be brought before Alma, and the chief judge who was governor over all the land.
Alma 30:21-30
Korihor went before Ammon and he ordered he be removed to
the land. He traveled next to the land
of Gideon to preach to the people. He
had little success here as well. He was
bound by the people and taken before the high priest and chief judge over the
land.
Here is a list of charges Korihor made before the high
priests against the church and its leaders.
- They teach the foolish traditions of their fathers (v 23).
- They bind the people under foolish ordinances and performance (v23).
- They usurp power and authority over the people (v 23).
- They keep the people ignorant and bring them down according to their words (v 23).
- They keep the people in bondage (v 24).
- They claim the ancient prophesies are true when they don’t know they’re true (v 24).
- They say this is a guilty and fallen people because of the transgression of a parent (Adam) (v 25).
- They say Christ will come when they can’t know there is a Christ (v 26).
- They “glut” themselves with the labors of the people (v 27).
- They dare not use their possessions for fear they will offend the priests (v 28).
- They teach the people they should follow their teachings so as to not offend God (v 28).
- This God is a being who never has been seen, known,[1] and never will be[2] (v 28).
“Korihor goes through the spectrum from atheist to believer.
In Alma 30:28 Korihor takes an atheistic position; but when pressed by Alma in
verse 37, he reverts to an agnostic position. Then in verse 52 he claims that
he had always known there was a God.”[3]
Korihor’s abusive criticism continued. Seeing they had no choices, Giddonah and the
chief judge decided he must go before the chief judge[4] and
Alma, the high priest.
Many of the claims Korihor made are made by people
today. Elder D. Todd Christofferson
tells us:
"As in the days of
Nehor and Korihor, we live in a time not long before the advent of Jesus
Christ—in our case, the time of preparation for His Second Coming. And
similarly, the message of repentance is often not welcomed. Some profess that
if there is a God, He makes no real demands upon us (see Alma 18:5). Others
maintain that a loving God forgives all sin based on simple confession, or if
there actually is a punishment for sin, “God will beat us with a few stripes,
and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 28:8). Others,
with Korihor, deny the very existence of Christ and any such thing as sin.
Their doctrine is that values, standards, and even truth are all relative.
Thus, whatever one feels is right for him or her cannot be judged by others to
be wrong or sinful.
"On the surface
such philosophies seem appealing because they give us license to indulge any
appetite or desire without concern for consequences. By using the teachings of
Nehor and Korihor, we can rationalize and justify anything. When prophets come
crying repentance, it “throws cold water on the party.” But in reality the
prophetic call should be received with joy. Without repentance, there is no
real progress or improvement in life. Pretending there is no sin does not
lessen its burden and pain. Suffering for sin does not by itself change
anything for the better. Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a
better life. And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the
atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation. Repentance is a divine gift, and
there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to
freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the
gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration."[5]
[1] “And
they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the
people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God
today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his
power unto men” (2 Nephi 28:5).
[2] “But
behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an
angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone
astray after an unknown God. And he said
unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them
because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until
I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and
for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great
curse upon me” (Alma 30:53).
[3] Quetzalcoatl,
the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ, Diane E. Wirth, Journal of Book of
Mormon Study, Vol 11, 2002, pg. 108.
[4] “Now
this man's name was Nephihah, and he was appointed chief judge; and he sat in
the judgment–seat to judge and to govern the people” (Alma 4:17).
[5] The
Divine Gift of Repentance, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, October 2011
General Conference.
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