Mormon’s history is probably less accurate than his editorial intent. Righteousness leads to peace and prosperity, unrighteousness to war and destruction. That black and white dichotomy is repeated in the lives of individuals. The righteous are “delivered at all times” and only the wicked are “consigned to bondage, or… perish by the sword.” Such a sharp distinction is, of course, historically improbable. But Mormon’s intent is moral clarity, not historical accuracy.