Fear and secret works

Mormon subtly connects "fear" and "secret works." Interestingly, this connection is only present in parts of the Book of Mormon authored by Mormon.  See the table below. Nephi does not seem to do this, nor Jacob, Alma-2 or Moroni, even though each of them mentions "secret works."

In the table below, the line is colored green if both "fear" and "secret works" are mentioned together and red if "secret works" is mentioned without "fear." Notice which author consistently connects these two concepts.

Reference	Author	Fear?	“Secret works”
Alma 37	Alma-2	N/A	21, 23, 25
Helaman 2	Mormon	11: “he feared lest that he should be destroyed;”	4
Helaman 8	Mormon	4: “for they feared the people lest they should cry out against them.”; 10 (x2): “those people who sought to destroy Nephi were compelled because of their fear...insomuch that the remainder of them did fear.”	4
Helaman 10	Mormon	4: “thou hast not feared them,”	3
Helaman 11	Mormon	32: “they did cause great fear to come unto the people upon all the face of the land.”	2 (secret band); 10/26 (secret plans); 25 (secret places, murder, plunder); 28 (work of destruction);
3 Nephi 3	Mormon	12: "this Lachoneus...could not be frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a robber"; 16: “the words and prophecies of Lachoneus ...did cause fear to come upon all the people”; 25: “they did fear the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus,”	7, 9
Mormon 8	Moroni	N/A	27 (secret combinations and the works of darkness)
Ether 8	Moroni	N/A	18 (secret combinations)
2 Nephi 9	Jacob	40: “The righteous fear [the words of truth] not” -- completely different context 31 verses later.	9 (secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.)
2 Nephi 10	Jacob	N/A	15 (secret works of darkness)
2 Nephi 26	Nephi	N/A	22 (works of darkness)
2 Nephi 30	Nephi	N/A	17 (work of darkness)

It is interesting to note how the concept of "fear" gets worked into the text in a variety of contexts when Mormon mentions the secret works, as if he does this on purpose to teach us to connect these secret works with fear:

In Helaman 2, Gadianton fears when Kishkumen did not return from a planned secret murder of Helaman, the chief judge.

In Helaman 8, the corrupt judges feared the people who seemed to be believing the words of Nephi. They were compelled because of their fear not to lay their hands on him.

In Helaman 10, a voice comforts Nephi as he is "much cast down" while pondering the secret works of darkness of the people. The voice tells him he is "blessed" because he "[has] not feared them."

In Helaman 11, the growing numbers of the robbers were able to "defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites."  This caused "great fear to come unto the people."

In 3 Nephi 3, the people face a serious threat from the robbers.  Their righteous leader Lachoneus "could not be frightened by ... a robber." He tells the people what they must do in order to stay safe. His "words and prophecies" caused fear to come upon the people. They feared his words. (Later in 3 Nephi 4, when the robbers come to battle against these righteous, prepared Nephites, this happens:

8 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they saw the appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to the earth, and did lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
9 And it came to pass that when the armies of Giddianhi saw this they began to shout with a loud voice, because of their joy, for they had supposed that the Nephites had fallen with fear because of the terror of their armies.
10 But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites did not fear them; but they did fear their God and did supplicate him for protection; therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they did receive them. (3 Nephi 4)

This is a very interesting spectrum of treatments of the words fear.  We learn several important lessons, right up to the most important lesson -- we should fear God, not man, and certainly not secret works of darkness.

Secret works and works of darkness

Like many covenant symbols in the Book of Mormon, "good works" (see here and here for a thorough discussion on this covenant symbol) has an opposite: "secret works." Also referred to as "works of darkness," these are described in some detail by several Book of Mormon writers.

What are they?

Alma-2 describes these works to his son Helaman as he commands him regarding the records in Alma 37. From this passage, we learn that these "secret works of darkness" include "oaths," "covenants," "agreements in their secret abominations," as well as "signs" and "wonders."

In Helaman 10:3, we learn that these secret works are associated with "murderings, plunderings, and all manner of iniquities."

Where do they come from?

Both Jacob and Mormon make it clear these works are ancient, though in very different ways. Jacob accomplishes this by teaching us who authored them in the first place: "the father of lies...that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness." (2 Nephi 9:9)

In 3 Nephi 3:9, Mormon quotes the leader of the Gadianton robbers, Giddianhi, in which he makes this assertion: "I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they have been handed down unto us."

Are they among us now?

Sadly, Moroni teaches us that the Book of Mormon would come forth "in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness." (Mormon 8:27)

Nephi prophesies that these things will be among us at the same time he reveals their author:

22 And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; (2 Nephi 26)

What becomes of those who participate in secret works?

This should come as no surprise...things don't end well for those who engage in secret works:

15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations. (2 Nephi 10)

25 I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their abominations; and except they repent I will destroy them from off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land. (Alma 37)

 

9 And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them. (3 Nephi 9)

Transitions to First Person Voice in the Book of Mormon

Grant Hardy points out 15 distinct points in the Book of Mormon where Mormon transitions from third person voice to third person (quoting someone else directly). In each case, the distinction is very clearly demarcated and the primary source is specifically referenced, usually by saying "and these are the words which he spake" or something similar.

I find this interesting since we get a pretty long list of voices in the text to keep track of.

Here is a list of these transition points and which person is being quoted:

• Zeniff in Mosiah 9:1
• King Mosiah-2 in Mosiah 29:5
• Moroni-1 in Alma 54:5 and Alma 60:1
• Ammoron in Alma 54:16
• Helaman-2 in Alma 56:2
• Pahoran in Alma 61:2
• Giddiannhi in 3 Nephi 3:2
• King Benjamin in Mosiah 2:9
• Alma 2 in Alma 5:2, Alma 7:1, Alma 9:8, Alma 36:1, Alma 38:1, Alma 39:1