Alma 30 - The Devil Hath Deceived Me; For He Appeared Unto Me in the Form of an Angel

Alma chapter 30 recounts the exchange between Alma and Korihor, an anti-Christ who sought to persuade the people not to believe in God. Reading this account of their conversation and thinking about the arguments used for and against the existence of God, I noticed four themes emerge in the tactics Korihor used to undermine faith. He sought to:

• frame commandments as confining;
• characterize faith as foolish and vain;
• illegitimate feelings of the Spirit as a way of knowing; and
• allege that the church's intent was to oppress and usurp power.

These tactics were not unique to ancient America, nor the anti-Christ Korihor. They abound in the world today, and I regularly experience a version of these in my professional and social life. In researching the idea of secularism for this blog post, however, I was surprised and encouraged to learn that secularism is not anti-religious, but simply a "separation of church and state." I was particularly impressed by the mission of the National Secular Society of the U.K., which holds "that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it." While I do not endorse the NSS, and would surely disagree with them on any number of policy positions, I was heartened by this reminder that secularism is not synonymous with atheism. In fact, the society in which Alma and Korihor lived was a decidedly secular one, and the establishment of a secular society was based on the commandments of God. "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" (Alma 30:7). With an understanding of the essence of secularism, it becomes clear that Korihor was not only taking an anti-religious stance, but anti-secular stance in his attacks on Christianity. 


Frame commandments as confining
Korihor dissuaded the would-be faithful from observing the Law of Moses by claiming these observances and commandments would "bind" them and "yoke" them as if in "bondage." Korihor boasted, "I do not teach this people to bind themselves down under the foolish ordinances and performances (Alma 30:23) and questioned "O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? (Alma 30:13). He also challenged Alma saying, "Ye say that this people is a free people. Behold, I say they are in bondage" (Alma 30:24). The Savior himself also used the analogy of a yoke to describe obedience to His commandments, but explained that adherence to commandments brings rest, not restriction. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meekand lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"(Matthew 11:28-30). 

Characterize faith as foolish and vain
Korihor viewed Alma's faith with contempt and described the religious traditions of the people as "the foolish traditions of your fathers" (Alma 30:23). He had similar skepticism for prophesies and revelations of the church, saying "these things which ye call prophecies ... behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers" (Alma 30:13-14). Not only did he see faith in the gospel as "foolish," he characterized the hope of the people as a vain hope. He said, "O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? (Alma 30:13). If something is vain it is ineffectual and unable to produce work or a desired results. Because Korihor did not believe in the truth of the gospel, he claimed the hope it apparently brings was useless, or, in vain. 

Illegitimize feelings of the Spirit as a way of knowing
One of the most devious of Korihor's devices was to undermine the legitimacy of spiritual knowledge. When he challenged the people's faith in Christ, he did not outright deny the existence of Christ, but sewed doubt in our ability to know for certain. He questioned, "Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come" (Alma 30:13). He used the same approach to undermine a belief in the prophets, "Ye say that those ancient prophecies are true. Behold, I say that ye do not know that they are true" (Alma 30:24). He did not say the prophets were not true, only that there is no way for us to know. On the contrary, we can be certain of the gifts of the Spirit--among them the gift of prophesy and revelation. As a church and as individuals, we can seek God to learn of future events and will receive inspiration according to our faith and the fill of God. Korihor claimed, however, to believe in such prophesies was delusional. He challenged Alma, "How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ ... it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so" (Alma 30:15-16). Korihor did not purport a different, better truth, but drew into question our ability to be certain about what we know and demanded evidence."And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only. (Alma 30:40).

Evidence of the reality of God and the truthfulness of His gospel abound. In order to see, recognize, and accept this evidence, however, we must look with spiritual eyes, and embrace spiritual knowledge as a valid way of knowing. Alma replied to Korihor by saying, "behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things as a testimony unto you that they are true; and will ye deny them (Alma 30:41)?" Alma continued, "ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30:44). Because Korihor rejected spiritual knowledge as valid evidence, he sought a sign: "If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words ... I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe" (Alma 30:42, 48).

Allege the church's intent is to oppress and usurp power
Lastly Korihor cast aspersions upon the intent of the church and its leaders by claiming that they were motivated by obtaining authority and control over others. He claimed, "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" (Alma 30:23). This undercurrent is strong in anti-religious bias today that perceives ill-intent. Regrettably, there are religious leaders and religious organizations that have abused positions of trust and been more focused on their self-agrandizement that the kingdom of God. Notably, various religions have been appropriated to justify all sort of atrocities throughout history. Korihor specifically accused the contemporary church of Alma with using the church for financial gain: "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" (Alma 30:27). 

While there will always be those who abuse power, the church employs a lay clergy with no financial incentive to serve in the church. Policies and safeguards are put in place and can be revised and improved as necessary when they fall short. At these times, Satan will press us to extrapolate the bad behavior of a few to denigrate the truthfulness of the entire church organization. He would use their sins and mistakes to depletes faith. We could apply a similar disclaimer to the church that Joseph Smith applied to the title page of the Book of Mormon, "And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ" (Title Page, Book of Mormon). We can and should condemn the faults of men, including our own. This process of personal and institutional repentance should strengthen, not diminish, our faith in God and His organization on earth. God has taught those would misuse priesthood authority do so at their own demise, and abandon access to His priesthood power. "No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—" (D&C 121:41). 

Teachings of Korihor
After being struck dumb, Korihor retracts his criticism and admits the truth of Alma's words. He explains, "behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel" (Alma 30:53). In all of the lies that Korihor proliferated, there seems to be a seed of truth. Korihor taught that: 

• every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature (Alma 30:17); 
• every man prospered according to his genius (Alma 30:17); 
• every man conquered according to his strength (Alma 30:17); 
• whatsoever a man did was no crime (Alma 30:17); and 
• when a man was dead, that was the end thereof (Alma 30:18).

If viewed in the narrow context of our mortal existence, these assertions seem impossible to deny. We routinely see conniving and unethical people press their privilege to lift themselves and suppress others. The prospect of holding offenders accountable for this behavior seems overwhelming. But the truth is that this life is not the end, and we will all be called upon to account for our actions in this life.  


Application Questions

What beliefs and influences are most likely/able to undermine your faith? 

How can you reconcile the complexities of your mortal experience with what you know to be true about God and his church?

What can you do to counter anti-religious bias from without, and bad behavior from within to protect and purity the Church?


Image Credit: Niklas Hamann