The contentions that Mormon has presaged begin to occur. There are two places where the contention is felt. One is among the members of the church (“dissensions in the church”) and the other is a division in the body politic that is not a part of the church (“also a contention among the people”). It is highly likely that the dividing line for the contentions was similar for both the dissident church members and the politically dissident.
Mormon has told us that the increasing prosperity has led to a situation where there is a desire for social differentiation, even among church members. This has been the focal point of dissention in the past, and as we have seen, is a continuous reminder of the influence of the surrounding world on the Nephite hegemony. That influence leads to the desire to imitate among some of the Nephites, and then there are dissentions between this group desiring to imitate the outside world and the Nephites who remain faithful to the gospel’s social ideal.