Post by Aaron – Ammon’s Brother –
As we all left Zarahemla, we knew we were heading into hostile territory. We may not have realized how hostile, nor did we know pockets of Lamanites might be more hostile than others. We soon learned there is no central united Lamanite kingdom. Various towns, lands, and cities each had their own leaders and personalities. What became evident to me was many of the Lamanites were easily influenced by wicked leaders and promoters of unrest.
Where Ammon went to the Land of Ishmael, I took my journey toward the borders of Mormon to the land of Jerusalem, named after the land of our father’s nativity some 500 years ago. Jerusalem is a great city built by the Lamanites, the Amalekites, and the people of Amulon, one of King Noah’s wicked priests. If we were going to preach repentance to a fallen people, why not start among the worst of them. If the Lamanites were sufficiently hardened, the Amalekites and the Amulonites were still harder and their influence on the Lamanites caused even greater wickedness and abominations.
So, that’s where I started. The Amalekites build synagogues after the order of the Nehors. Permit me to remind you of Nehor and his teachings. He was as Alma taught, one who popularized priestcraft. Nehor had his own idea of God’s word. He criticized the church, not wanting to be hampered by church standards. He taught that every priest and teacher ought to become popular. Eloquence and charisma were the qualifications needed to preach. He taught that priests and teachers ought not to labor and should be supported by the people. He insisted that all mankind would be saved at the last day, so the people should not fear or tremble but could rejoice because the Lord would redeem all men. Nehor was lifted up in pride and wore costly apparel. Then on top of all this, when Gideon stood against him, he tried to enforce priestcraft with the sword. Gideon was elderly and weak, Nehor killed Gideon.
So, these were the kind of people I attempted to teach. I entered their synagogues and began to speak. Right off an Amalekite rose up and began to contend with me. The first challenge was the source of my authority to teach. He asked if it was an angel that called me. Of course, it was an angel that appeared to my brothers and me, along with Alma. He pounded me with questions that were more challenges than anything. “Why don’t angels appear unto us?” Well, that was a good question I couldn’t answer easily. I couldn’t say angels only appear to righteous people. My brothers and I certainly were not righteous. And these Amalekites needed an angel to shake things up a bit. All they got was me. He bore in demanding “Aren’t we as good as your people? You say if we don’t repent, we will perish, how do you know the thoughts of our hearts? What makes you think we are not righteous? Look around, we’ve built sanctuaries, and we assemble to worship God. We believe God will save us as well as you!”
Where to start? I started with his last statement that God will save all.
I asked, “do you believe that the Son of God will come down and redeem mankind from their sins?”
Rather than a simple yes or no, he claimed that they don’t believe we know any such thing. He then admitted they don’t believe any of what they claim are foolish traditions. He said they don’t believe we could know anything that was to come and denied that our fathers or their fathers knew what they were talking about when speaking of the future.
So I opened the scriptures and taught about the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead and that there could be no redemption for mankind without the sufferings of Christ and the atonement of His blood.
That’s when they went berserk. They got angry, mocked me, and refused to listen to what I taught. Dead end. I ceased my teaching and left them to their Nehorish delusions.
Maybe someday hearts that are hard may soften. I don’t hold out hope.
Book of Mormon, Alma 21 and Alma 22
