The Book of Mormon’s story of Korihor, the antichrist who leads people astray by his teachings but who finally meets an unhappy end, is sometimes used as a warning to intellectuals about the dangers of dissension. But the Book of Mormon also contains stories of dissenters who were clearly good guys, prophets such as Lehi and Abinadi. What does the Book of Mormon say about the nature of dissent and how it affects the community? Does dissent strengthen or weaken the Church? How should the community respond to dissension? How can we distinguish good dissension from bad dissension? I will explore possible Book of Mormon contributions to answering these questions and interpreting the meaning of its dichotomy of good guys and bad guys.

Janice Allred, J. Frederick (Toby) Pingree