9/11 and the Gadianton Robbers

Following the events of 9/11, Gordon B. Hinckley made reference to the Gadianton robbers in his October 2001 general conference talk.¹  Here is an excerpt of his comments:

Now we are at war. Great forces have been mobilized and will continue to be. Political alliances are being forged. We do not know how long this conflict will last. We do not know what it will cost in lives and treasure. We do not know the manner in which it will be carried out. It could impact the work of the Church in various ways.

Our national economy has been made to suffer. It was already in trouble, and this has compounded the problem. Many are losing their employment. Among our own people, this could affect welfare needs and also the tithing of the Church. It could affect our missionary program.

We are now a global organization. We have members in more than 150 nations. Administering this vast worldwide program could conceivably become more difficult.

Those of us who are American citizens stand solidly with the president of our nation. The terrible forces of evil must be confronted and held accountable for their actions. This is not a matter of Christian against Muslim. I am pleased that food is being dropped to the hungry people of a targeted nation. We value our Muslim neighbors across the world and hope that those who live by the tenets of their faith will not suffer. I ask particularly that our own people do not become a party in any way to the persecution of the innocent. Rather, let us be friendly and helpful, protective and supportive. It is the terrorist organizations that must be ferreted out and brought down.

We of this Church know something of such groups. The Book of Mormon speaks of the Gadianton robbers, a vicious, oath-bound, and secret organization bent on evil and destruction. In their day they did all in their power, by whatever means available, to bring down the Church, to woo the people with sophistry, and to take control of the society. We see the same thing in the present situation.

We are people of peace. We are followers of the Christ who was and is the Prince of Peace. But there are times when we must stand up for right and decency, for freedom and civilization, just as Moroni rallied his people in his day to the defense of their wives, their children, and the cause of liberty (see Alma 48:10).

The Gadianton Robbers & Critics of the Church

The Gadianton Robbers play a prominent role in the Book of Mormon. According to Moroni, the editor and compiler of the Book of Mormon:

And behold, in the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi. (Helaman 2:13).

President Hinckley noted that the Gadianton robbers sought to “bring down the Church” in the Book of Mormon and “we see the same thing in the present situation.” In the April 1997 general conference, he talked openly about the critics of the Church:

We have been reminded that ours is a great inheritance. The past is behind us. It is the future with which we must be concerned. We face great opportunities and great challenges. Our critics at home and abroad are watching us. In an effort to find fault, they listen to every word we say, hoping to entrap us. We may stumble now and again. But the work will not be materially hindered. We will stand up where we fell and go forward.²

Then in April 2001 – some five months previous to the events of 9/11 – he reminded us again of these critics. He said:

We are not without critics, some of whom are mean and vicious. We have always had them, and I suppose we will have them all through the future. But we shall go forward, returning good for evil, being helpful and kind and generous. I remind you of the teachings of our Lord concerning these matters. You are all acquainted with them. Let us be good people. Let us be friendly people. Let us be neighborly people. Let us be what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ought to be.³

In October of the same year, President Hinckley noted that the Gadianton robbers seek to:

1. Bring down the Church.
2. Woo the people with sophistry.
3. Take control of society.

In this talk, he made it very clear that, “this is not a matter of Christian against Muslim.”

Subsequent to 9/11

Since 9/11, U.S. military action has been directed against the predominantly Muslim nations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Certainly, the events of 9/11 were acts of “consummate evil.” But it is unlikely that Muslim terrorists acting in behalf of Al Qaeda had it as their intent to destroy the Church, embark on a campaign to deceive the American public, or gain control of society.

Since September 11, U.S. citizens have seen the creation of two massive federal “security” agencies and an abrogation of rights. Additionally, Andrew J. Bacevich recently suggested President George W. Bush may have been a “true believer” in “Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, while Donald H. Rumsfield and Dick Cheney may have had other plans for U.S. involvement in the Middle East.⁴

Subsequent events would seem to indicate that there are other forces at play and that the Muslim terrorists alone are not the Gadianton robbers to which President Hinckley made reference.⁵ Perhaps his remarks should be viewed in a “prophetic context” of the words and statements of past Prophets, Seers and Revelators of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sources:

1. Hinckley, Gordon B. “The Times in Which We Live“. November 2001. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 9 November 2008.↩
2. Hinckley, Gordon B. “Our Testimony to the World.”May 1997. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 9 November 2008.↩
3. Hinckley, Gordon B. “The Work Goes On.” May 2001. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 9 November 2008.↩
4. See Bacevich on U.S. Foreign Policy After Iraq. See the full series of videos for this specific reference.↩
5. This sentence was updated on 10 Nov 2008 with the qualifier “alone” to convey the thought that the terrorists – and more specifically the group backing the terrorists – do not fit the full definition of Gadianton robbers per President Hinckley’s description.↩

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