The contention of the sons of Pahoran for the judgment seat is a good example of what can happen in a democracy when men refuse to accept the will of the people. The contention for the judgment seat opened the way for much evil and eventually resulted in the downfall of the Nephite nation.Note the following points found in Helaman 1:
- Capital punishment was the accepted punishment for treason (see v. 8).
- Those who sought to circumvent the law for personal power were willing to resort to murder to get their way (see v. 9).
- The contention over the judgment seat gave the attacking Lamanites an advantage against the Nephites (see vv. 18–20).
- Because the Lamanites first invaded the weaker center of the Nephite lands, Moronihah and his troops were able to surround them and compel them to surrender (see v. 31).
- As his father, Moroni, had done earlier, Moronihah “caused that the Lamanites who had been taken prisoners should depart out of the land in peace” (v. 33).
