Having organized their army, consisting of thousands, the
Lamanites and Zoramites entered into the land of Antionum. “Now the Zoramites had gathered themselves
together in a land which they called Antionum, which was east of the land of
Zarahemla, which lay nearly bordering upon the seashore, which was south of the
land of Jershon, which also bordered upon the wilderness south, which
wilderness was full of the Lamanites” (Alma 31:3). Their leader was a man named Zerahemnah.
Part of the army consisted of the Amalekites. “And it came
to pass that Aaron came to the city of Jerusalem, and first began to preach to
the Amalekites. And he began to preach
to them in their synagogues, for they had built synagogues after the order of
the Nehors; for many of the Amalekites and the Amulonites were after the order
of the Nehors” (Alma 21:4). They were a
wicked and blood thirsty people.
Zerahemnah organized their army. “And thus he did appoint chief
captains of the Zoramites, they being the most acquainted with the strength of
the Nephites, and their places of resort, and the weakest parts of their
cities; therefore he appointed them to be chief captains over his armies” (Alma
48:5)
He was already dealing with a people who hated the
Nephites. He wanted to keep this hatred
a live and use it as a motivation to destroy the Nephites. “And now, as Moroni knew the intention of the
Lamanites, that it was their intention to destroy their brethren, or to subject
them and bring them into bondage that they might establish a kingdom unto
themselves over all the land” (Alma 43:29).
He did all he could to stir up the Lamanites so they would
desire to destroy the Nephites. We saw
this hatred towards Christians among them. “Get [the Anti-Nephi-Lehis] people out
of this land, that they perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of
the Amalekites, who do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to
slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in
this generation, for I will preserve them” (Alma 27:12).
Zerahemnah’s ultimate goal was to bring them into bondage. “Behold,
we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for
power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have
come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion” (Alma 44:2).
I believe one of the reasons Mormon included the war
chapters is Alma is to give us a guide as to when war is justifiable. The Lord abhors war, yet there are times when
it is justified. Captain Moroni begins
to establish the Lord’s rule of war.
It is here where we see the beginnings of what would become
the title of liberty. The Nephites were
fighting “to support their lands, and their house, and their wives, and their
children, that they might preserved them from the hands of their enemies and also that they might preserve their rights
and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God
according to their desires” (Alma 43:9). Moroni will continue to use this as a reason
to fight during the upcoming wars.
“And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that
all–powerful God, who has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over
you, by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our
church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children,
by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by
the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness;
and by all that is most dear unto us” (Alma 44:5).
“And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a
piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and
freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the
end of a pole” (Alma 46:12).
“And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their
lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might
live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was
called by their enemies the cause of Christians … Nevertheless, they could not
suffer to lay down their lives, that their wives and their children should be massacred
by the barbarous cruelty of those who were once their brethren, yea, and had dissented
from their church, and had left them and had gone to destroy them by joining
the Lamanites” (Alma 48:10, 24).
Moroni knew the ultimate goal of Zerahemnah was to place the
Nephites into bondage, denying of their rights and liberties. Throughout the scriptures, we read where
government is not inherently evil, but both sides have certain responsibilities.
“And they sent out unto him their disciples with the
Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of
God in truth, neither carest thou for any man:
for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest
thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto
Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their
wickedness, and said, Why tempt [GR are you testing] ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute
money. And they brought unto him a
penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is
this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore
unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's”
(Matthew 22:16-21).
“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and
powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1).
“And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the
land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I
command them. And that law of the land
which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining
rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me” (D&C
98:4-5).
“And again I say unto you, those who have been scattered by
their enemies, it is my will that they should continue to importune for
redress, and redemption, by the hands of those who are placed as rulers and are
in authority over you—According to the laws and constitution of the people,
which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights
and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles” (D&C 101:76-77).
“We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the
respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent
and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion
are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished
accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in
their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the
same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience” (D&C 134:5).
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
(John 8:32).
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
“Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall
bring. And if it so be that they shall
serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land
of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into
captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound
cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be
blessed forever” (2 Nephi 1:7).
“And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles,
and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles”
(2 Nephi 10:11).
The tension between counterreligious systems in Nephite Book
of Mormon culture is quite clearly shown in the account of the Zoramite war in
which the Nephites were forced to fight the Lamanites led by Nehorite
Amalekites and Zoramites. Mormon indicates that the Nephites understood the war
to be a conflict between religious systems as well as political ideologies. “The
design of the Nephites,” according to Mormon, was to “preserve their rights and
their privileges, yea and also their liberty, that they might worship God
according to their desires” (Alma 43:9). The Nephites were fighting, among
other things, for “their rites of worship and their church” (Alma 43:45) … [M]ost
of the Lamanite captains were professing Nehors and religious Zoramites, many
of whom had apostatized from the Nephite church…[1]
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