Hey guys. I know I'm late posting this, but... well, this is probably the saddest story in The Book of Mormon. I wanted to make sure I got it right.
Alma and Amulek started preaching again in Ammonihah, and actually had an incredible amount of success. Except, when the righteous start having success, the wicked start to feel threatened. The leaders of the city, including Amulek's family, stoned the believers, threw the men out of the city, and burned their wives and children. They forced Alma and Amulek to watch.
After that they locked Alma and Amulek in prison and tortured them for days. Finally, Alma prayed, and the prison fell to the ground around them. It killed the men torturing them, but left them unscathed. They were able to get out of the city all right, but then it fell to them to explain what happened to the men who had been forced to leave their wives and children in the city.
Unfortunately for Ammonihah, God does not leave vengeance for long. Not long after Alma and Amulek went back to Zarahemla (Alma housed Amulek the same way Amulek had housed him), Ammonihah was destroyed by Lamanites. It was such a horrifying destruction, they didn't have time to bury all the dead, and the entire region started to smell like rotting corpses. The city couldn't be rebuilt for years.
Fare thee well, friend!
Mira
It's actually sadder than you think: Amulek's wife and children would have been burned with the other women and children, since they burned all the wives and children of the believers. My book of Mormon professor pointed that part out.
ReplyDeleteI always cringe every time I come to this story. I just cannot understand the cruelty of some people...
DeleteI know. What made them think that was a good idea? I can't fathom how wicked you'd have to be.
Delete