Editing Book of Helaman (section)

===War and contention===
The short preface to the Book of Helaman is written by Mormon, the editor of the books following Omni according to the Book of Mormon narrative. Mormon describes the book of Helaman as being about "wars and contentions". According to Brant Gardner, author of a six-volume commentary that grew out of his work for the [[Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies]], the goal of Mormon's compilation is theological, not historical. "Contentions" refers to internal conflicts, while "wars" refers to external ones. Mormon may have chosen to focus on contentions to fulfill Nephi's vision when Nephi sees "wars, and rumors of wars" as well as "wars and contentions in the land". For Gardner, Mormon isn't just trying to fulfill Nephi's vision, but also to show that Christ's coming is a [[Typology (theology)|type]], and that it was and will be preceded by war and contention.<ref>{{harvnb|Gardner|2007|pp=7–10}}; {{Cite Q|Q123118485|page=39}}</ref>

In Helaman, the [[Gadianton robbers]] are mentioned for the first time in the text of the Book of Mormon, a recurring instance of Nephite [[Secret combination (Latter Day Saints)|secret combinations]] important to the rest of the Book of Mormon narrative.{{sfn|Gardner|2007|p=6}} According to [[Maxwell Institute]] scholar Kim Matheson, Helaman's contrasts show how the Nephites are constantly noticing the wrong things. Instead of noticing their own spiritual decay, they increase their wealth and military power. Important aspects of the plot are covert, like the secret combinations, assassins, and spiritual alignment with God.{{sfn|Matheson|2020|pp=10-11}}

Former dean of religious education at Brigham Young University, Robert J. Matthews, noticed that within the Nephite culture, because the majority of the people chose evil, the government became corrupt, even though it was a form of free government. People in government started to ignore the poor and there was a general disdain of the law.{{sfn|Matthews|1992}} In the ''Book of Mormon Reference Companion'', published by LDS Church publisher Deseret Book, John Tanner also highlights the passage in Helaman about how "they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good."{{sfn|Tanner|2003|p=1250}}