Commenting on Korihor, Reynolds and Sjodahl commented that
He denied the coming of the
Messiah, and ridiculed prophecy and revelation. He asserted that it was
impossible for men to know the future. Korihor also inveighed against
the Atonement of the Redeemer as a foolish superstition, and taught, instead of
the unchanging truths of the Everlasting Gospel, the theory that every man
fared in this life according to the judicious use of the means at the
"creature's" hands; a man, he said, prospered according to his
genius, and conquered according to his strength. Further, he announced that
whatsoever a man did was no crime, for that when a man was dead, there was an
end thereof.
It is almost needless to say that
those who accepted such dogmas gave way to all manner of evil doing.
They became overbearing to others, exceedingly keen in business transactions,
were full of covetousness, duplicity, and lasciviousness, and indulged in
various wanton practices and pleasures. Their motto might be said to have been:
"Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and what we do here
will not be brought against us hereafter." (George Reynolds and Janne M.
Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 7 vols. [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Company, 1977], 4:65)
Proving the Book of Mormon speaks to our day, note the following
from a “Ted Talk” by an ex-Mormon:
Then 6 years ago our 22 year old son
came out to us as gay. In my Church the only valid paths for him would be to
live a completely celibate life, painfully absent comprehensive love, or to
live in a mixed-orientation marriage, also without full capacity for
comprehensive love for him or his wife. Deep in my heart, the God that I knew
wouldn't want my son to live a life painfully absent the kinds of comprehensive
love that my wife and I shared. I couldn’t metaphorically shelf that depth of
cruelty as coming from that God I knew. (Anthony Miller)
