Finally, we know from the ending of Moroni 8, in verse 28, that the people were rejecting all religious power and authority: “They are also seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God.” This condition was terminal, as is also clearly reflected in Mormon 3, when the people were reported as refusing to listen to Mormon’s leadership. In Mormon 3:3, Mormon had similarly written:
And I did cry unto this people, but it was in vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts against the Lord their God.