But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was Anti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ.
Alma chapter 30 tells the story of Korihor the Anti-Christ. Just as in our day, the law of that time could punish people for what they DID but not for what they BELIEVED.
For there was a law that men should be judged according to their crimes. Nevertheless, there was no law against a man’s belief; therefore, a man was punished only for the crimes which he had done; therefore all men were on equal grounds.
Abusing the freedom of speech
Korihor used his freedom of speech to preach falsehoods. His technique was to ask sarcastic and scornful questions to cast doubt about the Church’s teachings.
And this Anti-Christ, whose name was Korihor, (and the law could have no hold upon him) began to preach unto the people that there should be no Christ. And after this manner did he preach, saying:
O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.
Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.
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.
After casting doubt on their religious beliefs, Korihor would then mock the people who believed.
Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, 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.
A false understanding of Freedom
Alma 30:17 summarizes the doctrine of Korihor:
And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.
This doctrine should sound familiar. It is the doctrine of “laissez-faire,” (which is French for “allow to do”). It is the idea that governments (or churches) should not interfere with anything a person might want to do. That there should be no rules or regulations limiting the ability of the strong to abuse the weak. This doctrine is at the heart of modern-day capitalism.
But where did this doctrine come from? Where did Korihor get his ideas?
But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me.
The story of Korihor teaches us that the doctrine of unbridled, laissez-faire, no regulation, no consequences, capitalism is a doctrine from the devil. Capitalism promotes unmitigated selfish materialism, justifies manipulation, deception, and cheating to improve the bottom line, and champions domination and strength over fairness and equity.
This doctrine is clearly not compatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The devil’s doctrine is popular
Look closely at Alma 30:53 above. Using the words of the devil WORKED. Teaching the words of the devil brought Korihor “much success.” Korihor admits that by spreading the devil’s lies he gained so many followers that he, himself, came to believe the lies were true!
To me, the problem is not that there are people like Korihor lying and bragging and trying to deceive us. There have always been people like that. The problem is that we too often believe and follow and support those people. Why do we do this? The answer is right here in Alma 30:53. “I have taught (the devil’s) words because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind.”
Carnal means “relating to physical needs and activities.” Yes, it includes the sensual, but it also includes selfish material desires. Everyone is vulnerable to temptations that are sensual, material, and physical. We like the things of this world. In fact, used properly, the things of this world were put here to bring us joy.
But the things of this world were also put here to test our priorities. The teachers of the devil’s doctrine, like Korihor, will always put the physical world ahead of the spiritual world. We Latter-day Saints need to become much better at discerning whether those we choose to follow are teaching Jesus’ example of love and compassion for all – or whether they are encouraging us to seek power and gain for ourselves at the expense of others.
“capitalism is a doctrine from the devil”
I am a student of Karl Marx’s economics. He would disagree with you. Marx saw capitalism as a natural stage in human development, coming about due to the collapse of feudalism. Marx saw capitalism as a huge step up from feudalism. The main problem with capitalism according to Marx is capital’s treatment of labor, which I explain on my website.
This is how capitalism works in New York: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/enforcement/delinquent_taxpayers_businesses.pdf
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full” (Proverbs 19:17). “If one shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered” (Proverbs 21:13). “Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss” (Proverbs 22:16). This is not happening!