In 1 Nephi 4 (1 Nephi 4), Nephi is forced to debate and acknowledge that it's better that one man should be killed off than that the rest of his people should dwindle in unbelief.

Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.

I've written about my discomfort about this section of the scriptures before (1 Nephi - Compiled Previous Notes). It feels like a very slippery slope to be killing people that are totally defenseless (in this case drunken and fallen to the earth (1 Nephi 4)). How is this different - on principle - from waging an offesive war (Mormon - Compiled Previous Notes)? How can we think like God when his principles keep changing?

Anyway, looking for precedent, this is similar to the fluxing niches (Two views on survival in complex systems) found in gardening and other complex systems. Laban is a non-useful pest or disease, and Nephi is removing the diseased part so the rest of the garden can thrive.

Citations

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