Alma 46 1-21 Analysis

The scripture block that I chose is found in Alma 46:1-21. After reading this scripture, I decided to further my understanding of the principles taught in these verses so that I could learn how to become more like Moroni in being bold and raising my own Title of Liberty.
In the previous chapters, at around 74 B.C., Moroni was made captain of the Nephites at age twenty-five and led the Nephite armies to victory over the Lamanites. At the beginning of chapter 46, Amalikiah, "a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words" (Alma 46:10), conspires to be king and works to persuade the hearts of the people to follow him. In response to Amalikiah’s evil plan, Moroni "rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it-- In memory

of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children-- and he fastened it upon the end of pole" (Alma 46:12). He continued to wave this title throughout the land to "maintain their rights, they religion, that the Lord God may bless them" (Alma 46:20).
There are two different authors and two different primary audiences in this scripture block. In Alma 46, Helaman is keeping the record, and according to the title page of the Book of Mormon, he is writing to the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Remnant of the House of Israel. Helaman is keeping this record to preserve the account of Captain Moroni’s teachings among the people of Nephi to benefit the groups of people mentioned in the title page. Because the people of Nephi were forgetting the Lord their God and turning their hearts to the unrighteous Amalikiah, Moroni knew it was necessary to teach the people of Nephi about the importance of being bold and defending their beliefs by creating and waving the Title of Liberty.
Throughout this scripture block, Helaman and Moroni use the specific rhetorical devices including to help the reader better understand the principles being taught. In Alma 46:12, Moroni’s diction should be noted when he says that he “rent his coat.” In these times, men would wear a cloak or a robe on the outside, and a shirt or a “coat” on the inside. This coat was a sleeveless piece of clothing that would reach down to the knees. By using the word “coat,” the reader can better understand and better picture Moroni’s piece of clothing that was used to create the Title of Liberty.
Both Helaman and Moroni use another rhetorical device when they carry the motif of freedom and liberty throughout these verses. In only 20 verses, these two words appear 6 times. Freedom and liberty came about from the people making covenants with God and putting on His armor to defend their beliefs and the Title of Liberty. This repetition and pattern engrains in the reader the idea that freedom comes through righteousness. This encourages the reader to apply this simple principle in their own lives.
Not only are word choice and patterns important to Alma 46:1-21, but the resonating themes that appear throughout Helaman’s writing are also important. One of the themes in the scripture block is that of taking on the armor of God and committing to being bold and defending righteousness. This theme is portrayed when “the people came running together with their armor girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God…” (Alma 46:21). The word “rend” means “to tear.” So, upon understanding Moroni’s Title of Liberty, the people tore their own clothes and made a covenant to God that they would always be willing to put on His armor and defend righteousness.
The peer- reviewed articles that I read helped me bridge the gap between history and “outstory.” Starting with the scholarly articles, Joshua Clark Bishop and Brent Taylor discuss characteristics of a righteous leader for a nation as a whole and for an individual. Taylor states that “The United States has the responsibility to teach by example and precept the principles of proper government to other nations …” (Taylor). Our nation has been foreordained to be an ensign for the world. Because of this, it is important that our generation is ready and willing to step up and be leaders in this sin-filled world. Bishop uses Moroni as an example of a righteous leader, and states, “…Moroni’s most important [gift and talent is] … his spiritual strength” (Bishop). The most important principle of a good, righteous leader is not how well he or she can fight in a battle, but how well he or she has built his or her own spiritual foundation. Moroni’s strong spiritual foundation allowed him to be bold in creating and waving the Title of Liberty to the world. We must follow his example and have the courage to be bold and raise our own Titles of Liberty. By doing this, we are becoming leaders, defending important aspects of our lives, and helping to fulfil our nation’s purpose of being an ensign to the world.
Not only did the scholarly articles help me connect Moroni’s story to our story, but the selected General Conference talks that I read also helped me bridge this gap. In Sister Larsen’s and Brother Schwitzer’s talks, they discuss the importance of raising our own Titles of Liberty and boldly sounding our clarion trumpet. In a world in which the standards of the world are drifting father apart from the standards of the church, we must be ready to defend our beliefs and raise our own Titles of Liberty. Brother Schwitzer explains that “True disciples represent the Lord when it may not be convenient to do so” (Schwitzer). It the last days, it is becoming less and less convenient to be bold and stand up for what we believe to be true. This can seem daunting to many people because they feel that their spiritual foundation is lacking compared to Moroni’s. Providing contrast to this way of thinking, Sister Larsen states, “You don’t have to be Captain Moroni to make a difference. Our Father in Heaven needs you to be who you are…” (Larsen). We do not have to be as spiritually strong as Captain Moroni in order to be bold. All we need to do is our best, and the Lord will compensate for the rest.
Just as Captain Moroni rose his Title of Liberty, for my experiment, I decided to raise my own Title of Liberty. Moroni created his banner to inspire the people of Nephi to defend their religion, freedom, peace, and families. I decided to build upon these categories and create my own Title of Liberty to raise to the world. The categories of my Title of Liberty consisted of religion, freedom, peace, family, and friends. By following Moroni’s example and raising my own Title of Liberty, I am being bold and sharing and defending the things that matter to me the most. I decided to raise my Title in Liberty through the media. On each day of the week, I posted a picture on Instagram that corresponded to one of the categories of my Title of Liberty.
I devoted Sunday to getting my ideas together. Also, during visiting teaching, I shared what I had learned about Captain Moroni from my reading. I told the girls that I visit teach that it is okay to be bold. It is great to be bold. I challenged them not to be shy of who they are and of what they believe. It is a privilege to be a follower of Christ, and we must not be ashamed or shy about the privilege we have of carrying this amazing title.
On Monday, I posted a picture that corresponds with the category of religion. It was a picture of me holding my favorite book, The Book of Mormon. I shared with my followers that I love The Book of Mormon and that I know that it is true. I explained to them how grateful I am to be able to read from this great book and to learn and grow from it every day.
On Tuesday, I defended freedom by posting a picture that depicted the colors of our country through the shoes that my roommate and I were wearing.

In the caption, I shared how grateful I am to live in a country where freedom is prevalent. I love America, and I am grateful to be an American citizen. It is in America that I can practice being a member of the church freely.
On Wednesday, I posted a picture about peace and defended its importance to me. Because nature and scenery bring peace to me, for the picture, I sat on a tree and looked out on the beautiful Utah mountains while holding up a peace sign. In the caption, I explained that peace has an important impact on a successful society. I am willing to defend the importance of peace to the people around me because I am grateful for the ability to experience so much peace in my life.
On Thursday, I posted a picture of my family. I wrote about how much I love my family and how grateful I am to know that families can be together forever. I will always defend my family members.
On Friday, I defended the importance of friends and posted a picture of my friends and me after a soccer game. Friendships are another important aspect of my life and so I thought it was necessary to defend and share this with my

followers.
On Saturday, I posted a picture to defend another aspect of religion, general conference. My post depicted both the General Conference Center and the notes I had taken from listening to the talks. Heeding and implementing the words of our church leaders is extremely important. It completely shapes the way that I live my life and motivates me to strive to improve at least a little every day.
I enjoyed doing this experiment so much. Recently, I have been trying to figure out how to be bold. I have been pondering on how I could be courageous in telling others about my religious beliefs. This was a great way for me to share with my loving friends and family, through media, specific categories in my life that are important to me. Through this experiment, I was being bold by showing that I am willing to defend religion, peace, freedom, family, and friends. I have learned that it is not just okay to be bold, but it is great to be bold. My spirit has truly been uplifted as I have rose my own Title of Liberty and made these important aspects of my life known to the world.