What Is a Secret Combination as Spoken of in the Book of Mormon?

And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of … the works of darkness…

For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God works not in darkness.

He does [nothing except] for the benefit of the world; for he loves the world… (2 Nephi 26: 22-24)

 

Secret Combinations

As you study the Book of Mormon, you will notice frequent references to what were called secret combinations. What is a secret combination and why were they so dangerous? The study helps on the Latter-day Saint version of the scriptures refer to a synonymous term that we hear a lot today: conspiracy. Some people talk about conspiracy in derogatory terms, such as conspiracy theories. Don’t be fooled.  There are, in fact, actual conspiracies, conceived and directed by Satan.  Which theories are legitimate and which are mere scare tactics require great discernment through the Holy Ghost.

 

Here are some clues from the Book of Mormon: Conspiracies work in the dark; they avoid anything that brings their doings into the light; they are insidious and dangerous. Conspiracies are often fueled by a driving desire for power or financial gain or physical appetite.

• The fruits of these combinations are, at their core, the taking away of man’s agency; calling evil good and good evil; ridiculing that which is sacred and those who find it sacred.
• They destroy rather than build up and they persecute anyone who thinks differently from them.
• They invoke anger, vengeance, hatred, and malice; Human life is not sacred to them.
• They cause men to desire wickedness and they divide people rather than unify.

Rather than encouraging men to do good, they lead men away from Christ, His word, and His church. They can include oaths and covenants of secrecy, although those are the periphery may not see it. They are as old as Cain, who learned from Satan how to murder to get gain.

Taken from Cain (churchofjesuschrist.org)

Cain

A son of Adam and Eve who slew his younger brother Abel over jealousy and greed (Gen. 4:1–16). Some of his descendants were skilled in the use of the harp and organ and in working with brass and iron (Gen. 4:17–25). Due to the incompleteness of the biblical record, many have regarded Cain as the eldest son of Adam. However, latter-day revelation tells us that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters before Cain was born (Moses 5:1–3, 16–18). He married one of his brothers’ daughters (Moses 5:28).

Cain’s offering was rejected by the Lord, probably for several reasons, including the fact that it was not done in faith nor in the prescribed and revealed manner (compare Moses 5:5–8 with Gen. 4:3–5). He entered into an unholy covenant with Satan by which he became known as Master Mahan, or “master of this great secret,” and by which he could “murder and get gain” (Moses 5:29–31). A mark was set upon him by which he could be distinguished from the other children of Adam (Gen. 4:15; Moses 5:38–41). Cain and his descendants lived separately from the other descendants of Adam (Moses 7:22).

It wasn't just that Cain killed his brother.  It is that he entered into a covenant with Lucifer in order to do so.  What are some examples of secret combinations in our day?