Did Your Hear The oNE aBOUT kORIHOR? oPERATiON - dENIGRATE & Postulate

Following the Age of Enlightenment, many Christians converted to intellectualism and denied the divinity of Christ. God instructed Mormon to include in the record of The Book of Mormon encounters the people of God had with those spouting intellectualism as a replacement for religion. Korihor stepped up to the stage to give that example with a riveting performance.

Korihor had a talent for speaking. For whatever reason he decided to interfere with the faith of his fellow countrymen, he knew what to say and how to say it to gain acolytes.

Denigrate - Anti-Christs Insult!

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The first thing Korihor is recorded to do is to insult the religious life of the people--having the effect of casting shame. Because what he said was so pointed, his words seem to have been recorded or paraphrased for future instruction. He delivers an entire sermon based on his intellectualist knowledge. Possibly these are actual words of Korihor, 
“O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come." Alma 30:14

So then, and so now, the first key for an intellectual argument against a belief in Christ, or religion in general is to denigrate the system.
Some would say the freedom with which atheists and agnostics persecute religions is retribution for the evil things performed in the name of one god or another. However, what most do not realize is that the freedoms they enjoy exist because God inspired His followers to allow free expression of faith in American and other free societies just like the Nephite societies.
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Korihor went into a Messianic Judaism-based society, a known Christ-centered society, and began to preach against its cultural beliefs and religious practices--an anthropological nightmare to purists. Even intellectualism has missionaries.

Depiction  of Korihor

Postulate - Anti-Christs Speculate

Defining what can be known and what cannot be known is the second Key for intellectualism. Korihor follows to says, "Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ." Alma 30:15
Korihor, atheists, and agnostics, take away insights that lead to knowing things not explained by the five senses. Senses can be deceived, but it is not a point of consideration in their rationale--not in Korihor's rationale, anyway. Intellectualists claim it is impossible to know something that cannot be measured.
If by some stroke of genius proponents find a way to measure something thought previously immeasurable, then comes the next level of the "Knowledge" spouted by Korihor and the ilk. "I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God." Alma 30:48
If Intellectualists do not know something or believe it, it cannot be known or should not be believed. Usually, that statement is followed by asking for a sign or proof that what the believer holds is true. 
The only problem with this is even if the believer attempts to explain how he or she came to such a position, the atheist, agnostic, or Korihor will call it foolishness. If the Korihor-like person gives believers a glint of consideration, it is possibly full of skepticism, which is not wrong dauntless garnished with a lack of faith or desire to know the truth.
Intellectualists are not without faith. They believe in their own words and perspective. Korihor thought that he presented to the people in the land freedom from oppression to a belief system promoting the worship of a god they could not see--sacrificing fine animals to this god--not enjoying life because of offending this invisible god when they probably had perfectly fine idols in which to believe. 
Lampooning this group of believers, Korihor tenaciously attacked the institution of beliefs for telling the people that God will have a Son who will save them from their sinful and wicked selves but will happen in some far off distant time in a distant land! Korihor’s incredulity taken to another level could focus on the future god-being’s birth to a virgin! 
Faith has always cried in the face of logic. Korihor, however, was not a man of logic as he purported--just like agnostics and atheists are not truly without belief in a higher purpose or power. And only then are they such because they have no other knowledge. All are on equal footing when it comes to beliefs, though intellectualists consider believers in religion foolish.