The one exception to the rule that the Nephite kings supported themselves with the labor of their own hands was that of the wicked king Noah. He imposed a twenty per cent income tax upon the people to support himself, his priests and their wives and concubines.

via Inspired Constitution :: The Book of Mormon and the Constitution.

The Book of Mormon confirms the fact that the secret combinations among the Nephites had the same philosophy and engaged in the same practices as the communists of today. They denied the existence of God, advocated state ownership of all property, and sought control over free governments by murder, intrigue and aggressive warfare. (3 Ne. 3:1-10; Ether 8:25-26; Hel. 2:8; 6:21-24)

via Inspired Constitution :: The Book of Mormon and the Constitution.

AGENCY

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The Lord could, I suppose, have avoided the war in Heaven over free agency. All He needed to have done was to have compromised with the Devil—but had he done so he would have ceased to be God.

While it is more difficult to live the truth, such as standing for free agency, some of us may in the not too distant future be required to die for the truth. But the best preparation for eternal life is to be prepared at all times to die—fully prepared by a valiant fight for the right.

Let us act like men, men who are sons of God, men with a sure knowledge that there will be a resurrection—and a final judgment. (Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, April, 1964)

Now, we may rest assured of this: If there is no devil, there is no God. But there is a God and there is a devil, and the bringing of peace requires the elimination of Satan’s influence. Where he is, peace can never be. Further, peaceful co-existence with him is impossible. He cannot be brought to co-operate in the maintenance of peace and harmony. He promotes nothing but the works of the flesh . . . .

As a prelude to peace, then, the influence of Satan must be completely subjugated. Even in heaven there could be no peace with him after his rebellion. There, in the world of spirits, the Father and the Son could find no ground upon which they could co-operate with him. He had to be cast out—not compromised with, but cast out. (Marion G. Romney, First Presidency Message, Ensign, October 1983, p. 5) [p. 45]

via Inspired Constitution :: The Book of Mormon and the Constitution.

PRIESTCRAFT

The Amulonites Practiced Enforced Priestcraft

As the martyred Abinadi had prophesied as he was being burned to death at the stake, king Noah was also put to death by fire. However his wicked priests who barely escaped with their lives, kidnapped some Lamanite maidens, took them to wife and started a community of their own in the wilderness. A short time later however, a Lamanite army found them and took them captive. This state of bondage did not last long. Remembering the soft life they had led as professional teachers, they induced the Lamanite king to hire them to teach the Nephite language and certain business skills to his people. Thus, once again they commenced to practice enforced priestcraft.

Their evil profession once again subjected them to the influence of Satan. When a group of Lamanites who had been converted by the sons of Mosiah refused to take up arms against an army of Lamanites who came against them, it was mainly these Amulonites and another group of apostate Nephites who practiced enforced priestcraft, who slew a thousand [p. 68] of those saints while they were kneeling defenseless on the ground. The record tells us:

Now the greatest number of those of the Lamanites who slew so many of their brethren were Amalekites and Amulonites, the greatest number of whom were after the order of the Nehors. (Alma 24:28; See also Alma 25:5-7)

There is a very important fact pointed out about the type of priestcraft practiced by the Amulonites which is that they taught no religion, but only secular subjects. The following passage carefully explains this:

And they (the Lamanites) were a people friendly one with another; nevertheless they knew not God; neither did the brethren of Amulon teach them anything concerning the Lord their God, neither the law of Moses; nor did they teach them the words of Abinadi;

But they taught them that they should keep their record, and that they might write one to another.

And thus the Lamanites began to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another and wax great, and began to be a cunning and a wise people as to the wisdom of the world, yea, a very cunning people, delighting in all manner of wickedness and plunder . . . (Mosiah 24:5-7)

Here then is a case of enforced priestcraft without religion because these Amulonites were after the order of Nehor. (Alma 24:28, 29) This being so, every government supported educational system, whether it teaches religion or not, falls under the Book of Mormon definition of enforced priestcraft. To the extent that a government controls education, the individual members of society cannot; and it matters not the nature of the subjects being taught. In every case freedom to exchange knowledge is restricted by force. Not only is tax money forcibly taken and used to teach that which the government decrees, but students are ofttimes compelled to spend their time under the supervision of government teachers. Thus they are denied their right to use that time in a different learning environment.

via Inspired Constitution :: The Book of Mormon and the Constitution.