By being presented before the land’s chief judge, Korihor is put on trial. With the law stating that one might believe as they wished, on what charge could he be brought to trial? John W. Welch suggests that it is for violating the prohibition against lying. In Alma 1:17 it was noted: “Nevertheless, they durst not lie, if it were known, for fear of the law, for liars were punished; therefore they pretended to preach according to their belief; and now the law could have no power on any man for his belief.” Thus, Korihor is not on trial for what he believes, but for what he preaches.
In that context Giddonah asks “why do ye speak against all the prophecies of the holy prophets?” For Giddonah, the scriptures declare truth, and if Korihor speaks against the scriptures, he is therefore lying.
In his defense, Korihor sidesteps the entire issue by declaring that he doesn’t teach those scriptures, because the scriptures are lying. He states that they were “laid down by the ancient priests”, rather than prophets, and that the scriptures keep people in ignorance, rather than teaching them truths.
This conflict is no longer about Korihor, but it is about the source and nature of truth. That point makes Korihor’s case important. Mormon wants his readers to know from the beginning what the outcome will be, and so he makes certain that Korihor has a Jaredite name (see the reference to the name Corihor, in Ether 7:3–4). Most people with Jaredite names in Mormon’s writings are dangerous to the Nephite way of life.