PROPOGANDA OF AN ANTICHRIST

Several years ago, I wrote a document for my children in which I gave the history of Israel, the Book of Mormon, and how it aligns with the Bible.  Cedar Fort Book asked me to expand it to include 8 crucial themes that are found in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  This book was published in 2018.*

Two of the subjects I covered were the priesthood or the Order after the Son of God; and the antichrists with their priestcraft fashioned after the master of Lies, even Satan.  Today, I'd like to look at the theology of antichrists. Tomorrow, I will contrast the philosophy of the antichrists with the theology of Jesus Christ.

Book Review, Deseret Book

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I'd like to take a moment at the outset to look at one modern antichrist who epitomized the traits of men like Korihor and Nehor, two of the antichrists in the Book of Mormon. The man of whom I'm thinking was Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda (masquerading under the title of "Public Enlightenment.") His role was to spread the ideology of the Nazi's or National Socialist German Workers' Party. Even the name was a lie because they were not true socialists, but fascist , representing both ends of the spectrum of evil patterned after the order of Lucifer, the Father of Lies. In fact, Hitler hated Marxist socialism.

Hitler, introducing Goebbels to his ministers said, "I will provide a propagandist casus belli. It's credibility doesn't matter.  The victor will not be asked whether he told the truth. (Wikipedia)
Goebbels followed this same line of thinking.  The thing was to get the information out there, even those that were out-and-out lies.  He himself said, "If you tell a lie often enough, people believe it and it becomes the truth."**

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Let's take a look at the philosophical base of the antichrist that had such a huge impact on the people of Ammonihah: Nehor. 

Nehor was a charismatic man, large in stature, and popular.  He offered what might be called cheap or easy salvation, and he grew very rich in the process. Here are some of the key points he put forward:

• There would be no Christ because there is no need for an atonement. God created all men; therefore he will save all men in the end.  There is no need for guilt or fear.  Much like the philosophy of the 1960's "If it feels good, do it."
• People are free to do whatever they want so long as they don't break a civil law.  No man could be punished for what he said if he believed it was true.  Nehor himself stated that he was preaching God's word. Therefore, they could use their agency how ever they chose and there would be no consequences.
• He taught that clergy should be paid handsomely and that they should be popular.  Priests and teachers should not have to work, but be supported by the people. It became politically correct to bring personal and legal pressure on the Church of God and the court-appointed system of judges.

Nehor became arrogant in his pride and very wealthy. He set up several churches in the area with priests and teachers appointed by him.  His conceit was ultimately his undoing when, in a rage, he hit an old man who bore testimony against him with his sword until the man died.  He was tried for murder and executed.  Just prior to his death, he admitted to Alma that he knew the things he taught were lies, designed to gain wealth and the power of celebrity.  Like Hitler and Goebbels, it didn't matter to Nehor if what was the truth or not.  If you say it often enough and loud enough, people will believe you. By the time he realized the folly of his ways, the damage was done and the religion of the Nehors spread throughout the lands of the Nephites. 

This was the "religion" of the people of Ammonihah, to the point that they were planning to do whatever damage they could do to bring down the government and the Church of Jesus Christ. They recognized Alma when he came and threw him out of the city.  They had total disdain, recognizing that he was the high priest of the Church, but since he was no longer the chief judge, he had no power over them. These people use the techniques of the devil to attack and try to confound God's prophet.

The second time Alma returned, he was met by a good man named Amulek who became his missionary partner.  They were confronted by not only the people, but the most powerful people: the judges and attorneys.  One among them was a man named Zeezrom. Read his interchange with Amulek and with Alma in chapters 11 and 12 and see how he uses propaganda techniques that evil men and women still use today. 

The philosophies of the Nehors is alive and well in the world.  The intent is still the same: tear down God's Church and kingdom; and tear down the government.  Satan's agenda from before the beginning.  Oh, how I wish everyone could see that.

© June 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

*Words of God: 8 Crucial Bible Themes Supported by the Book of Mormon, Cedar Fort Publishing, Springville, UT. 2018
Book available from www.amazon.com and www.deseretbook.com 

** I like this definition of the word propaganda so I thought I would share it as written.  Today, we call propaganda "fake news" and the world is awash in it. I believe that it is through misleading and awfulizing information designed to provoke feat that this entire nation shutdown.  The current race riots are also being used all part of the agenda to get unseat the president. The very name, ANTIFA is an example of a lie since it supposedly stands for anti-fascist, when it is one of the most fascist terror groups in the world.  DEFINITION:
Propaganda is communication that it used primarily to influence and audience and further an agenda which may not be objective and may be presenting facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, of using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is presented. . . . 
In the 20th century, the term has often been associated with a manipulative approach. . . to spread fake or biased news using social media. . . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda