Posts
Since I first wrote my manuscript on just warfare in the Book of Mormon, I've been intrigued by the apparent difference between the use of a utilitarian argument that the Lord made to Nephi, and the apparent rejection of the concept by Mormon. The following is the introduction and thesis statement to a draft of a journal article on which I'm working:
Nephi’s murder of Laban in the Book of Mormon is one of the
most uncomfortable of the text as the event seemingly sets a precedent for
murder, most famously exercised by the Ron and Dan Lafferty in their murder of
Brenda Lafferty and her child. This was made famous by the book, Under the Banner of Heaven. While there are numerous implied justifications
that one can find in the text, such as Laban’s attempts to murder Nephi, or the appeals to Biblical law, the
primary defense comes from the spirit of the Lord to Nephi which said: Behold
the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better
that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in
unbelief (1 Nephi 4:13).
The command of God adds as many difficulties as it solves
because Nephi’s holy inspiration sounds like a classic case of utilitarianism,
and its related use in war, military necessity. The Lord’s explanation of the murder
seemingly contrasts with Mormon’s rejection of the concept in his treatment of war
time supply and starving widows. And relying on the word of God seems like
a classic case of deontological ethics, or decision making that is based on a
set of rules (like divine commandments written in stone.) But closely examining Nephi and Mormon’s decisions using utilitarianism
strengthens Nephi’s decision, illuminates Mormon’s decision while harmonizing
it with Nephi’s, provides guardrails for the invocation of God’s
utilitarianism, and resolves some of the tension between utilitarian and
deontological belief systems.
Its an exciting project to add to a list of many chapters of the book that have been repackaged a bit and published elsewhere. Thanks for reading!
I work as a free lance author and producing quality, ad free content takes time and effort. If you found value in this work please consider donating using the paypal button below, or buy one of the books using the link in the top left.
