Those Wacky Lawyers

Latter-day Saints are taught that the Book of Mormon is an inspired translation of an ancient record, an inspired compilation of, for the most part, about a thousand years’ worth of sacred and historical documents.  Furthermore, we are taught that Mormon, the prophet-historian who compiled the ancient records into a single book that would later bear his name, chose the contents by inspiration from Heaven.  He selected those things that would be of the greatest worth not to his own generation, but those living in the generations preceding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The more I read the Book of Mormon, the more I know this to be true.

I found an interesting incident in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Alma.  We get a glimpse into the Nephites’ legal system under the reign of the judges:

“Now it was in the law of Mosiah that every man who was a judge of the law, or those who were appointed to be judges, should receive wages according to the time which they labored to judge those who were brought before them to be judged….And the judge received for his wages according to his time”. (Alma 11:1, 3)

Seems like a fair system to me.  If you spend more time at work, especially working in a profession that’s in the public interest, it only makes sense you would be paid more for your time.

So after briefly explaining the Nephites’ monetary system, Mormon includes these words in verse 20:

“Now, it was for the sole purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore, they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might get money according to the suits which were brought before them;”  (Alma 11:20)

In other words, the lawyers of the time actually encouraged contention, conflict, and civil unrest in their society.  Why?  Because it would create more lawsuits, and that would result in bigger paychecks.

One has to wonder why Mormon thought that little tidbit would be useful for our day….