Alma 31:20-25

20  For behold, every man did go forth and offer up these same prayers.

21  Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.

22  Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about.

23  Now, after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner.

24  Now when Alma saw this his heart was grieved; for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people; yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods.

25  Yea, and he also saw that their hearts were lifted up unto great boasting, in their pride.

Alma 31:20-25 (Emphasis mine)

What Alma(2) saw was an arrogant and proud people.  Their hearts were not on their religion.  For the Zoramites, religion was a one-day affair.  They’d get on their Rameumptom, recite their rote prayer, go home, and forget about their “faith” until the next week. 

Meanwhile, they were more concerned with making money and wearing fine clothes.  They wanted to show off their wealth. 

6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Matthew 6:6-8 (Emphasis mine)

22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

James 1:22-24 (Emphasis mine)

Hugh Nibley wrote about the Rameumptom.

“The most prominent fixture of their ceremonial center was a praying-stand at the top of a stairway—suggesting, of course, the standard appointment of the ancient American ceremonial centers: the tall towers with their steep stairways (Alma 31:13). The stair-tower went by the very alien name of Rameumptom (Alma 31:21). Alma, who never accuses these people of immorality, is shocked that their prayers are accompanied with a great showing off of costly and ornate vestments. Heavily adorned—in striking contrast to the garments of the Mosaic priesthood, they paraded around in gorgeous attire while they prayed (Alma 31:27—28).” [1]          (Emphasis mine)

Richard Williams compares the Zoramites and Korihor.  He also explains why Alma(2) would teach his great sermon of faith.

“Interestingly, chapter 31 introduces us to the Zoramites, who espoused religious doctrines similar to Korihor's. They, too, believed that the words of the prophets were foolish traditions, and they were proud ‘that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about’ (Alma 31:22).

“Korihor and the Zoramites so persuasively presented their view of faith, knowledge, and truth that Alma, as well as Moroni, sensed that it needed a powerful response. It is no coincidence, then, that what follows in chapter 32 is perhaps the most profound exposition on faith in all of scripture.“ [2] (Emphasis mine)

Lindon Robinson explains how the Zoramites were a divided society, a society that was divided by wealth.  The poor suffered discrimination by the rest of society.

“The apostate Zoramites first separated themselves spiritually from Christ by denying his existence and then created social and religious divisions among themselves based on riches. Upon their exclusive place of worship, the Rameumptom, the upper class prayed, ‘Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren’ and ‘We thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people’ (Alma 31:16, 18). Alma, sickened at the spectacle, ‘saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods’ (Alma 31:24). Exclusion and separations among the Zoramites created a large group who were poor (see Alma 32:2). Even though these had ‘labored abundantly’ to build synagogues, they were despised because of their poverty and were excluded from places of worship (Alma 32:5).” [3] (Emphasis mine)

How did Zoramite society get to this point?  Sherrie Mills Johnson explains:

“The Zoramites met once a week, offered up a rote prayer, and then ‘returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand; (Alma 31:23). In addition, Alma saw that the hearts of the Zoramites were ‘set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods’ (Alma 31:24). Yet most dissenting religious groups eschew materialism. This fact, combined with the Zoramites' limited religious life, suggests that religion was not the main motivation for the Zoramite separation…

“The most likely reason for their separation, then, entailed politico-economic considerations. Discontented because of their economic and social position within the Nephite culture, they gathered others of similar circumstances and banded together to establish a government and economy that favored them. In this case we would expect to find a new society that disavowed the old culture (including its religious and political systems) while disengaging or distancing itself in any way possible in order to create a distinct identity of its own—which is what we find in the account of the Zoramites.” [4] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] The Book of Mormon: Forty Years After, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 25, 2011.

[2] Faith, Reason, Knowledge, and Truth, Richard N. Williams, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 25, 2011.

[3] "No Poor Among Them"  Lindon J. Robison, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 25, 2011.

[4] The Zoramite Separation: A Sociological Perspective, Sherrie Mills Johnson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 25, 2011.