Transcription
I recently read about an upcoming book called Goliath's Curse that has me intrigued. In it, the author Luke Kemp, a professor and researcher at Cambridge University, explores the rise and downfall of over 400 societies over the past 5,000 years. Kemp thinks he's found a common thread that weaves through all of these societal collapses. And it is this: That at the time of their collapse, each of the societies was led by a Goliath, a leader or system or institution that caused them to become grossly unequal. Wow. So, inequality within societies lead directly to their downfall.
In a recent interview about the book, Kemp explains that Goliaths fall into races for resources, arms, and status. That they often do this by creating "a monopoly on resources through the use of violence over a certain territory and population." However, as they "extract more wealth from the people in the land, they make societies more fragile, leading to infighting, corruption, emiseration of the masses, less healthy people, overexpansion, environmental degradation, and poor decision-making by a small oligarchy. The hollowed out shell of a society is eventually cracked us under by shocks such as disease, war, or famine."
Again, that's pretty powerful. When I read that, light bulbs start turning on in my brain because it sounds exactly like what I believe to be the central message and pattern of the Book of Mormon. And here, a man who has dedicated his life to studying history and archaeology has discovered the exact same thing. I remember when I first made the discovery about the word "iniquity," which is used 220 times in the Book of Mormon, or about once every other page, is the etymological root for the word "inequality." In other words, that they are the same word.
Over and over in the Book of Mormon, it warns against iniquity and shows the pattern of peoples being destroyed when Goliaths led them to become unequal. It happened to Jerusalem in Lehi's day, to the early Nephites after Jacob's warning about inequality, to the people of King Noah, to the city of Ammoniah, the people of Amalachiah, the Nephites at the time of Christ's death, Geredites, and the Nephites in the end of the Book of Mormon. Every single one of those destructions has one thing in common: They were caused by Goliaths, leaders or systems or institutions that led the people into iniquity or gross inequality. And now this Cambridge author has discovered that in inequality or iniquity has been the cause of every societal collapse throughout history. Why are we not shouting this from the rooftops?
Something I find fascinating is that Kemp describes the Goliaths as leaders or institutions who are "walking versions for the dark triad." The dark triad is a recent discovery that links the traits of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. And so I took a look at each one of these dark triad traits. And here's what I found.
First, narcissism. It's defined as an inflated sense of self-importance and an excessive need for recognition. Narcissists see themselves as exceptional and often expect special treatment even at the expense of others. Narcissists have the core traits of grandiosity, entitlement, need for adoration, and a lack of empathy.
Second, sociopathy. It's defined as a disregard for societal rules and the rights of others. Sociopaths may be charming or persuasive, but their lack of remorse and impulse control often leads to harmful or reckless actions. So their core traits are defined as the lack of remorse, manipulativeness, impulsivity, and disregard for others' rights.
And third, Machiavellianism. It's defined as a calculating, strategic approach to life centered on personal gain. Wow. Pretty much our capitalist society today. Those high in Machiavellianism view others as tools to be used, often employing deception, flattery, or manipulation to maintain control or achieve their ends. That's pretty much every business environment that I've been in throughout my lifetime. Their core traits are manipulativeness, strategic exploitation, cynicism about human nature. Huh?
So, my question is, is it possible that certain people or institutions who possess these dark triad traits cause gross inequality among people and lead to societies becoming fragile and ripe for collapse? Well, let's take a look at a couple of examples.
First, one of the saddest examples of all time, I think, is King David. He was the OG Goliath slayer, a young shepherd who goes out on a battlefield with nothing but a few rocks and a sling. And he slays the powerful giant, and he saves the people. But then something incredible happened. His new fame and importance morphed and transformed him into the very Goliath he had killed: a powerful, brutal king who amassed hordes of gold and hundreds, maybe thousands of wives and concubines through intrigue and bloodshed.
As just one example, the Bible gives us the story of his terrible seduction of Bathsheba, which illustrates David's dark triad traits. First, narcissism: "And it came to pass David sent and inquired after the woman Bathsheba and took her." He believed his position as the king entitled him to take another man's wife. Machiavellianism: He schemed to cover up his impregnation of Bathsheba, manipulate circumstances to make it look like Uriah was the father. And psychopathy: When that deceit failed, David sent Uriah to the front lines to be killed and then took Bathsheba as his own wife. So he follows the Goliath pattern. His self-indulgence, his manipulation, and disregard for life established a society among the Jews of war, inequality, and the captivity of women, as the Book of Mormon described it, which eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem in Lehi's time.
Second example, Amalachiah. Of the many clear examples of the Goliath-type leaders in the Book of Mormon, one glaring one is Amalachiah. Like David, he wanted to become king to have power, riches, and women. And he also, like David, accomplished his desires by using intrigue and bloodshed. The Book of Mormon illustrates his dark triad tendencies clearly. Narcissism: "And Amalachiah was desirous to be a king, and those people who were wroth with were also desirous that he should be their king. And they were the greater part of them, the lower judges of the land. And they were seeking for power. And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalachiah, that if they would support him and establish him to be their king, that he would make them rulers over the people." Next, psychopathy: "Behold, he did not care for the blood of his people." He sent them off to war and to be killed to achieve his unrighteous desires. And third, Machiavellianism: "Amalachiah sought the favor of the queen and took her unto him to wife, and thus by his fraud and by the assistance of his cunning servants, he obtained the kingdom. Yay, he was acknowledged king throughout all the land." So he followed the Goliath pattern. His ambition, his cruelty, and his deceit led directly to war and to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, his own and the Nephites, before his kingdom eventually crumbled.
How about today? Are there Goliaths among us seeking power, wealth, women, status? Are there elite men or institutions that create gross inequality in our society, which, if the pattern of the last 5,000 years of history holds true, will cause our society to collapse? I think there are, especially in the areas of politics, business, and religion. So, let's take a look.
First, politics. As I look at the body of our politicians today, I see narcissism: constant self-promotion, campaigning year-round instead of governing, framing every policy in terms of personal credit. Machiavellianism: gerrymandering districts, voter suppression tactics, manipulating information to control their public perception. How about psychopathy? They show a willingness to harm constituents through neglect or cutting programs or inflaming division if it benefits their career or their party's power. So their Goliath pattern is that everywhere in politics, power is hoarded. The public is treated as a means to an end, and the party is valued much more than equality and humanity. I see that everywhere.
How about business? All around in the business world, which I've seen a lot of today, I see narcissism: CEOs, management, and stockholders reap the lion's share of effort and money, while the workers become increasingly unseen, unheard, very much underpaid, and disposable. That's kind of the trait of right now, 2025, is the gig work economy and the disposableness of the workers. Machiavellianism: Businesses lobby to rewrite laws, and in fact, they meet behind closed doors in Washington routinely to write the laws. They outsource risk while keeping profits private. That's the theme song of the whole 2008 financial collapse and takeover by the financial district. And they get special treatment and special rules. That is nowhere more apparent than in my own valley. Psychopathy: Business is definitely indifferent to human suffering. That is the nature of capitalism. There's routine mass layoffs, monopolization of land and resources. Their Goliath pattern is profit, power, and status. They're pursued without conscience. Businesses do not have consciences; they're created specifically so that they aren't a human soul. Those at the bottom of the pyramid, therefore, suffer.
Let's look at religion. Are there Goliaths in religion? Well, in the LDS church especially, but also in the wider world of organized religion, I definitely see narcissism: leaders who claim exclusive access to authority and truth, placing themselves as intermediaries between God and the people. As President Nelson so memorably taught, "What is a prophet? He speaks for God." How about Machiavellianism? Using guilt, shame, fear of damnation, and promises of eternal blessings to secure complete obedience from the members and financial gain. Psychopathy: Covering up abuse and scandal in order to protect their institutional reputation, regardless of Christ's teachings and the harm to the individuals that it causes. So the Goliath pattern of religion is their good name and survival are more important than the truth, and their financial status is more important than the well-being of humankind and the poor.
Man, when I step back and look at these powerful institutions that sit at the head of our society today—religion, politics, or government, and business—and at the powerful elites that control them, I feel afraid. I'm ashamed that we let these Goliaths take power over us. They control every aspect of our modern life today: where we can live, what we can eat, even what we can put on. From garments to face masks, from FDA regulations to OSHA, from the TSA to the CIA, the Goliaths reign supreme and unchallengeable in our society today. If you don't believe me, speak up to any one of them.
The more I see of these Goliaths, the more I realize that Christ was trying to say when he said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." I realize when I really study what he was trying to say and the society that he set up in Fourth Nephi, he was giving us a warning and a pattern: a warning against Goliaths and a pattern for a peaceful and equal society. I think we need the Book of Mormon now more than ever. And I believe it will become increasingly important as the days go by, and the Goliaths amass ever more power over our lives. And here's why.
First, the Book of Mormon teaches the only way to avoid Goliaths. And this is found nowhere else. It says, "Thus sayeth the Lord, ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another. Therefore, I say unto you, it is not expedient that you should have a king." And I can put in there a Goliath of any kind: a business, a political, or a religious leader. If our society were simply to listen to this one direct commandment from the Lord, there would not be a single political, business, or religious Goliath among us. Period.
Two, the Book of Mormon teaches us the pattern Luke Kemp found and pointed out in his book. "How much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed? Yea, and what great destruction." And thus we see how quick the children of men do to forget the Lord their God. Yea, how quick to do iniquity and to be led away by an evil one. Yea. And we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men. Wow.
Third, Moroni clearly spells out why the Book of Mormon has been saved for us Gentiles today. He says, "Wherefore, oh ye Gentiles," he's talking right to us, "it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations, these Goliaths, shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain." Holy cow, he nailed it. "And the work, yea, the work of destruction." That's what happens to every society that lets a Goliath get in power over them. "The destruction shall come upon you. Yea, even the sword of justice of the eternal God shall fall upon you to your overthrow and destruction, if ye shall suffer these things to be." It's as if this Kemp guy was reading the Book of Mormon and reading the words of Moroni. Here, it's the exact same pattern. Every time in history when a society lets a Goliath get above them and they accept gross inequality, then they are ripe for destruction.
I'm sad that we've allowed our society to be hijacked by these powerful Goliaths of church, business, and state. We have all of history before us. We have the scriptures, the terrible examples of David and Amalachiah and Noah and King Noah. We should know better. And so I'm sad that so many of us have been led by our Goliath leaders to believe that the powerful are noble, but the humble are pathetic. That to profit is fair, but to share is unfair. That safety is essential, but freedom is dangerous. That iniquity is prosperity, but equality is impossible. Wow.
If history, if the Book of Mormon, if Christ's own teachings tell us anything, they tell us the exact opposite. Humility, sharing, freedom, equality. These are the only things that really matter. These are the true virtues. But tragically, they are the exact opposite of what our Christian USA society values today. The exact opposite. We value powerful, profitable, safe iniquity. And yet these things—humility, sharing, freedom, equality—they might be the only keys to prevent the destruction of our gentile society in these last days.
I think I'll close with this inspiration that I had yesterday. The great probation of life is not simply to endure pain or resist temptation, but to choose, when power lies in my hands, whether I will lift everyone around me up to my level or raise myself above them. To introduce or embrace inequality is to fail the test of this life. To promote and cherish the equality of every soul is to bear good fruit and be found worthy of Christ's kingdom.
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