Kingship, Democracy, and the Message of the Book of Mormon

Authors

Gregory Steven Dundas

Keywords

Mormon studies, monarchy, democracy, Book of Mormon

Abstract

Chapter 29 of the book of Mosiah, in which the people of Zarahemla transform their government from a monarchy to a rule of judges, is a crucial—indeed, pivotal—chapter in the Book of Mormon. Modern readers of the book, particularly those of us raised in Western nations, are prone to react very positively to this story, viewing it as the creation of a free, democratic system, and we are inclined to read this account with something of the same thrill with which we observed the freedom-loving, democratic urges of peoples worldwide, most notably in Eastern Europe in 1989 and in more recent years during the so-called Arab Spring.

Recommended Citation

Dundas, Gregory Steven (2017) "Kingship, Democracy, and the Message of the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 56: Iss. 2, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol56/iss2/3