Alma 31

Alma Hears About the Zoramites

After the episode with Korihor, Alma received troubling news: the Zoramites were abandoning the Lord’s ways. Their leader, Zoram, was leading the people to worship worthless idols. Alma’s heart sank at the thought of such wickedness spreading among his people. Nothing grieved Alma more than seeing his people turn to evil. It broke his heart to know the Zoramites had split away from the Nephites.

The Zoramites had settled in a land they called Antionum, east of Zarahemla, near the seashore. It bordered the land of Jershon to the north and the southern wilderness to the south—a wilderness full of Lamanites. The Nephites were deeply worried that the Zoramites might form an alliance with the Lamanites. That could mean disaster for their people.

Alma knew that preaching God’s word had always been more effective at changing hearts than anything else—more powerful than the sword or any other force. So he decided they should put the power of God’s word to work again. He gathered his team: Ammon, Aaron, and Omner. Himni he left behind to oversee the church in Zarahemla. He also brought Amulek and Zeezrom from Melek, along with two of his own sons. His oldest son, Helaman, stayed behind. The two who came with him were Shiblon and Corianton. These were the men who would go preach to the Zoramites.

The Zoramites were dissenters from the Nephites, but they had been taught God’s word before. Now they had fallen into serious error. They refused to keep God’s commandments or follow the Law of Moses. They had abandoned the practice of daily prayer and worship, no longer asking God to keep them from temptation. In countless ways, they had twisted the Lord’s teachings. That’s why Alma and his companions went to preach to them.

The Rameumptom: A Strange Worship

When they arrived in Zoramite territory, they were shocked by what they found. The Zoramites had built synagogues and gathered for worship once a week on what they called 'the day of the Lord.' But their form of worship was unlike anything Alma and his team had ever seen. In the center of each synagogue stood a tall platform—so high you had to look up to see the top. And the platform was only big enough for one person at a time. When someone wanted to worship, they climbed up to the top of this platform, stretched their hands toward heaven, and shouted out a prayer:

'Holy, holy God! We believe you are God, and we believe you are holy. You were a spirit, you are a spirit, and you will be a spirit forever. Holy God, we believe you’ve set us apart from other people. We don’t believe the foolish traditions our relatives cling to—traditions passed down from their ignorant ancestors. We believe you’ve chosen us to be your holy children. And you’ve revealed to us that there is no Christ. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You’ve chosen us to be saved, while everyone around us is destined for your wrath and hell. For this holiness, O God, we thank you. We thank you for choosing us, so we won’t be led astray by the foolish traditions of our relatives—traditions that make them believe in Christ, which only leads their hearts away from you, our God. And again, we thank you, O God, that we are a chosen and holy people. Amen.'

When Alma and his team heard these prayers, they were utterly stunned. Every single person who climbed the platform said the exact same prayer. The Zoramites called this platform the Rameumptom, which means 'the Holy Stand.' From this stand, every person offered up the identical prayer, thanking their God for choosing them and for not leading them to believe in foolish traditions about the future—things they claimed to know nothing about. After everyone had offered their thanks this way, they went home. They wouldn’t speak of God again until they gathered at the Holy Stand the following week to repeat the same ritual.

Alma’s Broken Heart

When Alma saw all this, his heart sank. These were wicked, twisted people. Their hearts were obsessed with gold, silver, and luxurious possessions. He could see how their hearts swelled with arrogant boasting and pride.

He lifted his voice to heaven and cried out: 'O Lord, how long must your servants live in this world and witness such terrible evil among your children? Look at them, God! They cry out to you, but their hearts are drowning in pride. They call on you with their mouths while they’re puffed up with the empty treasures of this world. Look at their expensive clothes, their jewelry, their bracelets, their gold ornaments, all their precious possessions they’ve decorated themselves with. Their hearts are devoted to these things, yet they cry out to you and say, 'Thank you, O God, for making us your chosen people while others perish.' And they claim you’ve revealed to them that there is no Christ! O Lord God, how long will you allow such wickedness and evil to continue among these people? Lord, will you give me strength to bear my own weakness? I am weak, and the wickedness of these people tears at my soul. O Lord, my heart is crushed with grief. Will you comfort my soul through Christ? Will you grant me strength to endure patiently the suffering that will come because of these people’s wickedness? Lord, will you comfort my soul and give me success—and my fellow workers too: Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Amulek, Zeezrom, and my two sons? Will you comfort all of them, Lord? Will you comfort their souls through Christ? Will you grant them strength to bear the suffering that will come because of this people’s evil? O Lord, will you grant us success in bringing them back to you through Christ? Lord, their souls are precious. Many of them are our close relatives. Give us, O Lord, the power and wisdom to bring our brothers and sisters back to you.'

The Spirit Empowers the Mission

After Alma finished praying, he placed his hands on everyone with him. As he did, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then they split up and went their separate ways, not worrying about what they would eat, drink, or wear. The Lord provided for them so they didn’t go hungry or thirsty. He gave them strength so that any suffering they experienced was swallowed up in the joy of Christ. All this happened according to Alma’s prayer, because he prayed in faith.