"Moroni, Being A Man": Responding to Attacks on The "Foundation of Liberty" (Phase One)

Alma 46 shows one man's prompt answer to a driven and gifted politician seeking to destroy "the foundation of liberty." To capture both the response and the character and dynamism of the champion, we need only follow the verbs in the swift yet dense narrative, a verbal outpouring without parallel in the Book of Mormon. And amid the swirl of events, and the escalating anger, there's one verbal action that hits me at the heart: "Moroni prayed."


"When Moroni"
"had heard"
"he was angry"
"he rent"
"he took"
"and wrote"
"and fastened"
"fastened on"
"girded on"
"he took"
"called"
"bowed himself"
"he prayed mightily"

"Moroni prayed"

"he had poured out his soul"
"he named"
"Moroni had said"
"he went forth"
"waving"
"he had written"
"crying with a loud voice, saying"
"Moroni had proclaimed"
"Moroni said"
"when Moroni had said"
"he went forth"
"he sent forth"
"and gathering together. . . to stand against"


At this point, the enemy flees!

But Moroni is not finished with him.


"Now Moroni thought"
"he thought to cut off"
"to take them and bring them back"
"and put Amalickiah to death"
"for he knew"
"this he knew"
"Therefore Moroni thought"
"that he should take"
"he took"
"and marched"
"to cut off"
"he did"
"marched forth"
"headed"


The politician now flees again!


"Moroni, being a man, who was appointed"
"he had power"
"to establish"
"to exercise authority"
"he caused to be put to death"
"he caused the title of liberty to be hoisted"
"Moroni planted the standard of liberty"