Alma 31:16 - 31:20

Alma 31:16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ.

The prayer continued by thanking God for separating them from the Nephites and making them His chosen people. Also thanking God for revealing to them just how false were the religious teaching of church leaders and that they were false traditions of past religious teachers. The most important thing was that they were thankful to know that there is no such thing as the coming of a Messiah.

Alma 31:17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God.

They were thankful that God is an unchanging God and that He has pick the Zoramites as his chosen people. Anyone who is not one of them is going to hell. They are grateful that they were not duped into the false religious traditions of the Nephites concerning the coming of a Messiah which in turn has caused the Nephitesto become apostates from the true religion.

Alma 31:18 And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.

Again they thank God for their being his chosen people.

Alma 31:19 Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure.

After witnessing these prayers on the raised platform, Alma and his companions were astounded beyond measure. This is so ridicules that they could not believe they actually heard these things.

Alma 31:20 For behold, every man did go forth and offer up these same prayers.

It appears that every man mounted this platform and offered up this prayer.