Dennis Gaunt - Bad Guys of the Book of Mormon

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gaunt, Dennis C., author.

Bad guys of the Book of Mormon / Dennis C. Gaunt.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60908-058-7 (paperbound)

1. Book of MormonBiography. 2. Book of MormonCriticism, interpretation, etc. 3. Villains in the Book of Mormon. I. Title.

BX8627.3.G38 2011

289.3'22dc22 2010045203

Printed in the United States of America

Worzalla Publishing Co., Stevens Point, WI

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Natalie Cause youre cute

What People Are Saying about Bad Guys of the Book of Mormon

These guys have earned their place on the wall of the Zarahemla police station. I highly recommend it.John Bytheway, author of Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon

One of the key purposes of the Book of Mormon is to expose the enemies of Christ. This book will help you do just that! Funny, engaging and informative. A great read!John Hilton III, coauthor of Why? and How?

Dennis Gaunt has written a book that no Book of Mormon bad guy would ever want you to read because your life will be blessed if you do. It is full of great insights, spiritual truths, hilarious commentary, and applicable life-lessons to help us face the bad guys of our day.Anthony Sweat, coauthor of Why? and How?

I loved this book! I never thought that Id like a gospel book, but this one was fun and actually written for young people. I read it in one sitting! I loved the humor (Hello, Moroni. My name is Ammoron. You killed my brother. Prepare to die!) as well as the questions to ponder.Amy, age 15

The content was amazing. Brother Gaunts take on all of the bad guys was very entertaining; Id turn around and read it again. It was funny and informative.Rachel, age 18

Brother Gaunt has a brilliant wit and a strong, captivating voice that makes reading time fly by. This book is in-depth and yet easy to follow. The wrap-up lines from the bad guys at the end of each chapter make me laugh, and the questions to ponder make me want to give a family home evening lesson because Id actually feel like I knew what I was doing for once.Liz, age 17

I really liked this book! I especially liked that the Bad Guys could teach us what not to do. I think the chapters would make for good family home evening lessonsespecially for families with older kids.Cheryl, mother of five

A great book for the whole family!Janna, editor and mother of four

Bad Guys of the Book of Mormon provides a wonderful new approach to understanding the Book of Mormon. Insightful and fun to read, it gave me things to think about even after I finished. I wont be able to read the Book of Mormon the same way again.Cindi, returned missionary, Brazil Rio de Janeiro North mission, 20032005

Acknowledgments

One Sunday morning in May 2010on my birthday, in factI was watching BYUTV where four religion professors were having a roundtable discussion about Korihor. As I watched, an idea popped into my head, a rather vague idea at best. It was, simply, I wonder if anyone has ever written a book that focused on the bad guys of the Book of Mormon? That idea stewed in my brain all during church that day and wouldnt leave me alone. I kept seeing in my mind the layout of the book, the different chapters and topics, and the different lessons that could be learned from the various bad guys. The next day I started an outline and, exactly three months later, I had completed the first draft.

What started as the tiniest of ideas turned into one of the best birthday presents Ive ever been fortunate enough to receive.

This book would quite literally not exist were it not for the encouragement and support of my immediate and extended family: the Gaunts and the Herbsts. Special thanks to the following:

My parents, David and LaRene Gaunt, who were excellent resources and sounding boards for ideas, and who began preparing me at a very young age to write this book by instilling a love of the scriptures within me.

My sister, Lisa Mangum, whose unparalleled editing skills and ironclad deadlines kept the book focused and on track, who taught me the beauty of a properly cited source, and who is still trying to convince me that commas are very serious things.

My brother-in-law, Tracy Mangum, who always stood nearby with an encouraging word, a diversionary movie or lunch, or a brace of much-needed jokes at the ready.

Thanks, too, to Amy Cyr, Stacie Edman, and Phillip Hilton, for reading the first draft and giving excellent feedback.

Id also like to thank the folks at Deseret Book for their belief in me and my book. It has been a pleasure to work with such professionals: Chris Schoebinger, Heidi Taylor, Shauna Gibby, and Tonya Facemyer.

Of course, I wouldnt be anywhere without the constant love and support of my eternal sweetheart, Natalie. For years she has told me that I ought to write a book, and she has been nothing but supportive, even when I felt like I was failing miserably. She was always there to talk me off various ledges, to be my toughestbut cutest!critic, and to keep urging me on, in spite of myself. She has had to endure long hours of my being hidden away in the office while I wrote in the evenings, on the weekends, and during every spare moment in between, and she has done it without raising a single syllable of concern. She is loyalty and strength personified, and I am who I am today because of her.

Introduction

I love a good bad guy.

Dont get me wrongI like a good hero as much as the next person. I like seeing the hero find the treasure, get the girl, and ride off into the sunset. But where would the hero be without a really good bad guy to oppose him? A hero needs big obstacles to overcome and thats what a good bad guy provides. Thats also why we cheer so loudly when the hero finally defeats the bad guy. A great bad guy can make or break a great story. Where would Batman be without the Joker? Where would Indiana Jones be without Ren Belloq and the Nazis? Where would Luke Skywalker be without Darth Vader?

Ah, Darth Vader. Now theres a great bad guy. Ever since I first saw the original Star Wars movies as a kid, Ive liked Darth Vader. None of my friends at the time could understand why I liked Darth Vader so much, but I knew why. Hes just so... bad. Its the black mask, the red lightsaber, the mechanical breathing, and the deep voice. Its the way he calmly says, I find your lack of faith disturbing as hes choking some guy from across the room with the Force. Now, I never wanted to actually