Alma 46:6 - 46:10

Alma 46: 6 Thus they were led away by Amalickiah to dissensions, notwithstanding the preaching of Helaman and his brethren, yea, notwithstanding their exceedingly great care over the church, for they were high priests over the church.

All this happened in spite of the efforts of Helaman and his brethren to strengthen the church and raise the spiritual level of the Nephites. Amalickiah was still able to cause dissentions and conflict among the people.

This condition was an indication of the real problem. It was not Amalickiah that was the problem. The people were the problem. If they had been a righteous people, people like Amalickiah would be dismissed without any consideration by the people. The only way the various leaders over time, good or bad, have gained power is because the people allow it. If seem to me that whenever an evil person gets into power, the people allow it. After they get into power, it is only a matter of time before the people realize that they have made a bad mistake and remove them often by bloodshed. Sometimes this might take a generation or two, but it always happens. But again my impression is that the evil things that happen to the people is their own fault. If people are righteous, then their leaders will be righteous. If their leaders are evil, they allowed it and they will pay the price for allowing them to be in control. Men like Amalickiah are only an indication of the condition of the people. We can look at our problems in society and blame ourselves. It is not our leaders, it is us.

Alma 46: 7 And there were many in the church who believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah, therefore they dissented even from the church; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi exceedingly precarious and dangerous, notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the Lamanites, and their great rejoicings which they had had because of their deliverance by the hand of the Lord.

The poor spiritual condition among the members of the church was evidence by the number of people that were buying the message of Amalickiah. And this was in spite of the recent experience of the Nephites of the help that God could give the Nephites in battle with the Lamanites and by the prosperity that followed.

Again the people might have given thanks for the help but now there were say: “leave us alone so we can pursue what we really want to do, that is, have power and control over the people so we can elevation ourselves to our deserved place in society because we are better than the average.”

Alma 46: 8 Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one.

The ease of Amalickiah to rise in influence among the people was the true indication of their spiritual condition. So it sometimes does not matter what God does for people, the people can choose to give it the proper regard or ignore it. It is the ultimate evidence that people are easily led by the devil rather than by God.

Alma 46: 9 Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men.

It is also evidence that one man can become the instrument to manifest the true condition of the people.

Alma 46: 10 Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous’ sake.

So with the people ripe for rejecting the gospel and accepting a man like Amalickiah, they were ready to destroy the church and nullify all the blessings given to them by God and to cut off blessings in the future.