An insight paper for Book of Mormon

Ether 2:13

“Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ….”

America is a choice land. It is a land of freedom for the righteous. However, for the wicked, it is a land of destruction. The Book of Mormon tells us that the previous inhabitants of the land, the Jaredites, and the Nephites were free so long as they were righteous. When they became wicked, they were destroyed, by other wicked people. In both cases, much of the destruction was wrought by secret combinations.

If both of the previous inhabitants of the land were destroyed by the acts and wickedness of secret combinations, what does that say about the United States of America? It suggests that the United States either has or will have secret combinations made to destroy its freedoms, and to do as all secret combinations, to murder and get gain.

We have been told by Latter day prophets that there are secret combinations infesting all the nations of the world. What does this tell us about America? In the book of Helaman, the secret combinations in many areas got “sole management of the government.” We can see in our history records of this already happening. The “city bosses” of the early 20^th century had precisely what is described in Helaman, the sole management of the government. Through various corrupt acts, these men obtained the government of New York City, and Chicago, among other places. If we use the Book of Mormon as a model of what happens in America, this suggests that our government is more corrupt today, because the secret combinations never lost strength except when they were converted. I see no evidence of this widespread conversion, and therefore must assume such.

These secret combinations desire to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and countries. If freedom is granted by God, and it is given to all those who serve him, then any attempt to remove the ability of the people of this land to serve him will eventually lead to their binding and enslavement. The United States has, in the past century, moved away from the worship of God, to the worship of Mankind. This shift has, to a degree, enslaved the people. Prayer is forbidden in state schools, and God is removed from the public forum. We are no longer allowed to worship as we will, “according to the dictates of our conscience,” but now must worship in a way that won’t offend anyone.