Amalickiah versus Moroni

In Alma there is a contrast between good and evil. In verse Alma 46:10, a description of Amalickiah states, "a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly...."

In contrast, when Moroni saw the wickedness of Amalickiah, and saw the people turning away from their beliefs, he hoisted a title of liberty reminding the people of their God, their families, and their religion. He proclaimed it throughout the country, rallying the people to the cause of righteousness.

And then in chapter 48 it says, "Yea, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

In previous verses of that same chapter it described Moroni as a "strong and might man:...a man of perfect understanding...", "a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God...", and "a man who was firm in the faith of Christ...".

Two lessons keep coming to mind: first, it is important that we surround ourselves with good friends. Our friends can influence our pathways in this life. If we are surrounded by the Amalickiah's of this world, we will find ourselves on a pathway that will only bring us misery; however, if surround ourselves with the Moroni's of this world, we will be facing God, and we will find joy and happiness. We truly become what we surround ourselves with. My mother-in-law has always taught her children that you can't "sleep with the pigs and not get dirty". And so it is with life, we can't assume that we are stronger than the influences around us. If we want to remain clean, we must surround ourselves with the good.

The second lesson is that not Moroni was able to fight against evil, because he had sacrificed himself to knowing God. He did the things that were required to be acquainted with the things of God. We can't merely hope to be like Moroni--this isn't going to happen without action on our part.