Having studied politics and public administration extensively, I'm fascinated by the Gadianton Robbers in The Book of Mormon. Dr. Daniel Peterson wrote a recent piece for Mormon Times entitled, "Gadianton robbers and historical parallels." There are some intriguing points. However, a very basic one he makes is crucial:
(In Joseph Smith's day, the word "combination" was essentially a synonym for "conspiracy.")
It is always important to understand what a word meant to the person writing it. Old dictionaries have value for this reason. This is why librarians keep hordes of them even though individuals only need one current one.

I'm not one of those people who see "Commies behind every tree" as one of my political science profs put it. Yes, conspiracies are concerning but I'd hate to get preoccupied with conspiracy theory when there are so many direct frontal assaults like the deterioration of the family.

Conspiracy theory advocates are at the heart of what is alarming, in my opinion. I've often wondered if Satan uses them to deflect attention away from his most important efforts.



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