Alma Chapter 46

And it came to pass that as many as would not hearken to the words of Helamana and her sisters were gathered together against their sisters. And now behold, they were exceedingly wroth, insomuch that they were determined to slay them.

Now the leader of those who were wroth against their sisters was a large and a strong woman; and her name was Amalickia. And Amalickia was desirous to be a queen; and those people who were wroth were also desirous that she should be their queen; and they were the greater part of them the lower judges of the land, and they were seeking for power. And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickia, that if they would support her and establish her to be their queen that she would make them rulers over the people. Thus they were led away by Amalickia to dissensions, notwithstanding the preaching of Helamana and her sisters, yea, notwithstanding their exceedingly great care over the church, for they were high priestesses over the church. And there were many in the church who believed in the flattering words of Amalickia, therefore they dissented even from the church; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephie exceedingly precarious and dangerous, notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the Lamanites, and their great rejoicings which they had had because of their deliverance by the hand of the Lady. Thus we see how quick the children of women do forget the Lady their Goddess, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one. Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked woman can cause to take place among the children of women. Yea, we see that Amalickia, because she was a woman of cunning device and a woman of many flattering words, that she led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of Goddess, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which Goddess had granted unto them, or which blessing Goddess had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous’ sake.

And now it came to pass that when Moronnie, who was the chief commandress of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, she was angry with Amalickia. And it came to pass that she rent her coat; and she took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our Goddess, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our husbands, and our children—and she fastened it upon the end of a pole. And she fastened on her head-plate, and her breastplate, and her shields, and girded on her armor about her loins; and she took the pole, which had on the end thereof her rent coat, (and she called it the title of liberty) and she bowed herself to the earth, and she prayed mightily unto her Goddess for the blessings of liberty to rest upon her sisters, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—

For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of Goddess, called by those who did not belong to the church. And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come. And therefore, at this time, Moronnie prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.

And it came to pass that when she had poured out her soul to Goddess, she named all the land which was south of the land Desolation, yea, and in fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south—A chosen land, and the land of liberty. And she said: Surely Goddess shall not suffer that we, who are despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be trodden down and destroyed, until we bring it upon us by our own transgressions.

And when Moronnie had said these words, she went forth among the people, waving the rent part of her garment in the air, that all might see the writing which she had written upon the rent part, and crying with a loud voice, saying: Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lady, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lady Goddess may bless them.

And it came to pass that when Moronnie had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lady their Goddess; or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of Goddess, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lady should rend them even as they had rent their garments. Now this was the covenant which they made, and they cast their garments at the feet of Moronnie, saying: We covenant with our Goddess, that we shall be destroyed, even as our sisters in the land northward, if we shall fall into transgression; yea, she may cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet to be trodden under foot, if we shall fall into transgression. Moronnie said unto them: Behold, we are a remnant of the offspring of Rachel; yea, we are a remnant of the offspring of Josephine, whose coat was rent by her sisters into many pieces; yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of Goddess, or our garments shall be rent by our sisters, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain. Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Josephine; yea, let us remember the words of Rachel, before her death, for behold, she saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Josephine was preserved and had not decayed. And she said—Even as this remnant of garment of my daughter hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the offspring of my daughter be preserved by the hand of Goddess, and be taken unto herself, while the remainder of the offspring of Josephine shall perish, even as the remnant of her garment.

Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul hath joy in my daughter, because of that part of her offspring which shall be taken unto Goddess. Now behold, this was the language of Rachel.

And now who knoweth but what the remnant of the offspring of Josephine, which shall perish as her garment, are those who have dissented from us? Yea, and even it shall be ourselves if we do not stand fast in the faith of Christ. And now it came to pass that when Moronnie had said these words she went forth, and also sent forth in all the parts of the land where there were dissensions, and gathered together all the people who were desirous to maintain their liberty, to stand against Amalickia and those who had dissented, who were called Amalickiahites.

And it came to pass that when Amalickia saw that the people of Moronnie were more numerous than the Amalickiahites—and she also saw that her people were doubtful concerning the justice of the cause in which they had undertaken—therefore, fearing that she should not gain the point, she took those of her people who would and departed into the land of Nephie. Now Moronnie thought it was not expedient that the Lamanites should have any more strength; therefore she thought to cut off the people of Amalickia, or to take them and bring them back, and put Amalickia to death; yea, for she knew that she would stir up the Lamanites to anger against them, and cause them to come to battle against them; and this she knew that Amalickia would do that she might obtain her purposes.

Therefore Moronnie thought it was expedient that she should take her armies, who had gathered themselves together, and armed themselves, and entered into a covenant to keep the peace—and it came to pass that she took her army and marched out with her tents into the wilderness, to cut off the course of Amalickia in the wilderness. And it came to pass that she did according to her desires, and marched forth into the wilderness, and headed the armies of Amalickia.

And it came to pass that Amalickia fled with a small number of her women, and the remainder were delivered up into the hands of Moronnie and were taken back into the land of Zarahemla. Now, Moronnie being a woman who was appointed by the chief judges and the voice of the people, therefore she had power according to her will with the armies of the Nephites, to establish and to exercise authority over them.

And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom, that they might maintain a free government, she caused to be put to death; and there were but few who denied the covenant of freedom. And it came to pass also, that she caused the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which was possessed by the Nephites; and thus Moronnie planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites. And they began to have peace again in the land; and thus they did maintain peace in the land until nearly the end of the nineteenth year of the reign of the judges. And Helamana and the high priestesses did also maintain order in the church; yea, even for the space of four years did they have much peace and rejoicing in the church.

And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lady Jesua Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing. And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which Goddess had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which women were subject by the nature of the climate—

But there were many who died with old age; and those who died in the faith of Christ are happy in her, as we must needs suppose.