Consider Parhorans letter to Moroni. He states “We’ve been punished because of our own warring between ourselves caused by the kingmen, which resulted in so much slaughter of ourselves. We were fighting among ourselves instead of uniting our strength as we had before. We were divided by the ambitions of the kingmen for power and authority to control us. Instead of being true to the cause of our freedom and joining with us to fight against our enemies, they took up their swords to fight against us.” What if instead of swords our people are using words?

Earlier the account says this of the king men.

“When the men who were called Kingmen learned the Lamanites were coming down to battle against them, they were pleased.”

Are we pleased when we see someone we disagree with come upon hard times? Are we pleased at the possibility of the destruction of our infant society because we disagree and have had contention unto anger and disputations which eventually lead to war?

Among those who arrived here from the land of Jerusalem Anciently the false doctrines evolved from wicked priests who used office to satisfy carnal desires and slothfulness to Nehors who wanted preachers to be set up for a light to get gain and praise of man, to king men who wanted popular people to be set in power to Gadianton robbers who sought all of those things and to plunder and steal without putting in the work. All to satisfy the carnal lusts of the flesh. Unless we repent we will only devolve into more and more iniquity while justifying it all along the way. 

Repentance and humility are the keys to overcoming the world. Not adopting its philosophies. 

We will surely learn by very sad experiences if we keep warring among ourselves. The evil or as I tell my kids d’evil and his cause will permeate until we excise it from our own selves first.