Since Korihor denies the obvious “fruits” of Nephite doctrine, Alma probes more deeply, posing virtually the same question that Zeezrom had asked Alma himself: “Thou sayest there is a true and living God?” (Alma 11:26). For obvious reasons, this question is crucial. One’s definition of God largely defines the gospel one believes. However, Korihor, unlike Zeezrom, does not believe in any form of the Nephite God.
Modern readers should not understand Korihor’s answer as a declaration of atheism. People at that time lived in a world defined by its gods and their control of the elements. Events occur because of the gods. Korihor is not a secularist. Alma is not asking him if he believes in any god, but rather if he believes in the Nephite God. The plate text may well have contained a more specific designation than simply “God,” perhaps using whatever form “Yahweh” took in their language. Although our long history with Christian and Jewish monotheism has shaped our interpretation of “Do you believe that there is a God?” in the ancient world it would be better rendered, “Do you believe that Yahweh exists?”