Mosiah 25

He called an assembly, which was mostly what he did as king, call assemblies. All together the population was less than half that of the far-flung Lamanites. It was a mixture of races and cultures. Most were descendants of Mulek, an early adventurer. They were considered the real citizens of Zarahemla—Native Zarahemlans, sometimes called—while the Nephites were the (mostly legal) immigrants. The two peoples could not sit together at the assemblies. Segregation ruled in most things in Zarahemla.

At this assembly Mosiah read the people Zeniff’s book in its entirety. Then he read a complete history of Alma and his people. As I noted earlier, they were almost addicted to the power of the written word. And the people actually listened with rapt attention. They seemed not only fascinated and entranced with the stories, but quite taken with the anti-slavery message of them, as well as the miraculous liberations they described. There were tears not just of joy, but of sorrow, because the histories recounted, once again, the savage death tolls of so many ancestors. Still the message of the books was positive and people couldn’t help but thank God in response.

Their other responses: sorrow and pity for Lamanites generally. Which was a pretty generous response, considering.

Now the children of Amulon and his band of “priests” had by now decided they wanted to be listed as “Nephites” on the census, whenever the next one would be taken. Which might be a long time, given the vulnerability of the nation over time. (I should add that all Zarahemlans were technically called Nephites, because that’s how the original kingdom had been set up, genealogies of its citizens notwithstanding.)

When Mosiah finished his slightly show-offy reading fest, he turned some time over to Alma for a speech. Alma took an unusual tack, though. He got down into the audience and preached to smaller groups, one at a time. Very savvy for establishing a more intimate connection with one’s audience.

His message was a well-worn one: repent, serve God, thank him for unslaving them. He then had an altar call. Anyone who wanted to be baptized as a sign to God of renewed interest could come to him. There was enough standing water to do so, which he did for many, though we don’t have the exact count. It was, after all, a heady day, not a clerk-fest but a day for relaxing the mind to savor more important, non-numerical values.

Mosiah told Alma he could set up all the churches he wanted to, ordain whomever he wanted to, to whatever priestly offices he cared to. Given the mass conversions starting to take place, the region needed many churches. And Alma was more than happy to set them up. Every church had its own organization, though all relied on Alma’s schematics, both for governance and orthodoxy. All of the churches, in this sense, were really outposts of a single church, the church, one might say, of God and Christ through the mediation of Alma. Seven churches in Zarahemla, equaling one church in Zarahemla. A tenuous dynamic, but workable. Especially with a charismatic leader like Alma.