Fictional Story: Alma 31: 21-23

Corianton watched the Zoramite climb down from the high tower, his robe, ornamented with golden thread, shimmered as he moved. The sun sparkled on the man's jangling ringlets and bracelets.

"Wow, that's quite an outfit," Shiblon, Corianton's brother whispered to him.

"Yeah, the man can dress, but he sure is dumb." Corianton replied. "How can he think that he is saved yet in the same breath deny the Redeemer."

Shiblon looked to his father, Alma. "Father, where do they get these strange ideas?"

"Satan is very cunning. These people want to believe that they can be saved without any effort on their part. They want to justify their sins rather than forsake them." Alma's glance fell briefly on Corianton with his last words.

Corianton rolled his eyes. "How stupid. Won't they be surprised come judgement day!"

Alma looked again toward the Rameumptom. The first man had reached the bottom and a second man now ascended the tall ladder that lead to the top of the tower. His clothing was as elaborate as his fellow Zoramite's. When he reached the platform, the man stretched his hands up, as if reaching for heaven and began reciting the same prayer as the previous man.

Corianton snorted. "Not very creative are they?"

"Corianton," Alma chastised, "What have we been commanded concerning judging others?"

"I'm not judging them," Corianton protested, shaking his head. "They're condemning themselves with their blasphemy."

"I see the contempt in your eyes when you speak. You see these Zoramites as being less than you, sinners that deserve to feel the wrath of the Almighty." Alma paused to watch and listen as another Zoramite began his prayer. "When you condemn them, are you not ascending your own Rameumptom and thanking the Lord that you're saved and they are not?"

"Well, we do have the true gospel, don't we?"

"We do have the true gospel, yes. But we are only following it when we are humble and show charity to those around us. Corianton, these are precious souls, many of them are our brethren. We cannot merely mark them as lost and move on without even trying to bring them back to Christ."

Corianton took a deep breath. "Look at them, Father!" He gestured toward the tower and the people gathered around. "Do you really think they'll listen?"

"We all have our weaknesses, my son." Alma's blue eyes caught his son's gaze and held it. "We are all sinners in need of the Lord's redeeming love to save us. It matters not if they will listen, it only matters that we try, for their sake and our own."

Corianton looked away and said nothing.

"Come my son; climb down from your lofty thoughts, humble yourself. We have a mission to fulfill."

Scripture Squiggle: Alma 31:21-23

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

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.

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."


I find it impossible not to judge the Zoramites, their high tower, and their ridiculous prayer, along with their once-a-week worship habits. They were so obviously wrong! But while it is easy for us to see the incorrectness of their tower and their prayer, how often do we climb upon a spiritual Rameumptom and look down at others, grateful that we have the truth and we'll be saved? In my mind I climb that tower as I sit in my car in the pick-up line at the school and see the man in front of me smoking his cigarette with a toddler in the backseat. Thanks, Lord that I can be better than this man that I don't know, because I have thy Gospel, and I don't smoke. And I ascend again at the store when I see that teenage boy with the spike through his ear, walking and complaining and cussing so that the entire world can hear. Again, thank thee Father that my son has the Gospel and that I don't let him go out and annoy other people with inappropriate dress and language.

Okay, so I don't actually say such prayers, but my attitude towards the people I see speaks the words just as effectively. Don't we all feel better when we see someone who falls short of the marks that we are able to conquer (just as we all feel rotten when we see someone who does well, that which we cannot)? So maybe the next time we feel ourselves scaling that ladder to the Rameumptom, we should make an effort to climb back down and remember that we have shortcomings as well.