Since the Book of Mormon's initial publication in 1830, critics have argued that the locution, "secret combinations" as a veiled reference to Masons in a very negative sense, reflecting, they argue, the anti-Masonic sentiment in the 1820s. One of the earliest critics of the Church, Alexander Campbell, forwarded this argument in his 1831 review, "Delusions." The leading proponent of this thesis in recent years is Dan Vogel.
There have been many cogent responses to the thesis of Vogel et al. One recent example is the article by Gregory L. Smith, "Cracking the Book of Mormon's 'Secret Combinations'?" which is available online here. This article disproves the claim forwarded by Vogel that there are no instances of the locution in a non-Masonic context.
There have been many cogent responses to the thesis of Vogel et al. One recent example is the article by Gregory L. Smith, "Cracking the Book of Mormon's 'Secret Combinations'?" which is available online here. This article disproves the claim forwarded by Vogel that there are no instances of the locution in a non-Masonic context.
