Alma the Younger

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According to the Book of Mormon, Alma the Younger is the son of Alma the Elder, a Nephite prophet. The appellations ("the Younger" and "the Elder") are not used in the Book of Mormon but are used when speaking of these two people. Both Almas are prominent at the same time period in the Book of Mormon for doing similar work, so such a distinction is useful.

[edit] Summary of his life

Alma the Younger lived in Zarahemla during the end of the reign of the Nephite King Mosiah. As a young man, he, the four sons of Mosiah, and others wanted to destroy the church and actively persecuted its members. After they were visited personally by an angel, he received confirmation that his sins were forgiven. He and those who persecuted church members with him abdicated their role as persecutor and became followers of Christ. (See Mosiah 27.)

Alma the Younger subsequently became the first elected chief judge of the Nephites and their religious leader. After deciding that the Nephites were becoming more wicked, he resigned his post as chief judge and began travelling from city to city to preach to the Nephites. He began in Zarahemla, moving onto Gideon and finally Melek. His next stop was Ammonihah, whose inhabitants were much more hardened than those of the previous three cities. (See Alma 1-8.)

In Ammonihah the people were very wicked. Because Satan had them under his control, they would not listen to Alma. While trying to speak to them he was thrown out of the city, and eventually decided on a different route to the south. There he met Amulek, who fed him and housed him for a time. In the city streets, the two of them join up and preach to the people, being countered by a lawyer named Zeezrom. After Amulek had silenced Zeezrom through his teaching and aroused his conscience, Alma took his turn, preaching to the people with similar results. When finished, Alma and Amulek were cast into prison and delivered by a miracle. (See Alma 9-14.)

Several years later, he met up with a man named Korihor, who was anti-Christ. This Korihor tried to lead the Nephites astray, but failed miserably once Alma had confronted him, and he also took away Korihor's power of speech. Korihor himself eventually went among a group of Nephite dissenters called Zoramites while begging, and was run over and killed in the streets. (See Alma 30.)

These same Zoramites, were found to practice things that perverted the ways of the Lord. This led Alma to more continue his missionary work, this time among these people. While amongst them he was most successful among the poor. (See Alma 51:31-33.)

Alma's final instruction was to his sons, Helaman, Shiblon, and Corianton. He gave each separate lessons, and finally gave the records of the church to Helaman. He then departed, in the 19th year of the reign of the judges (or 73 B.C.) as if to go to Melek, but was never heard from again. Both Mormon and Helaman believed that he was taken like up Moses of old, and buried by the Lord. (See Alma 36-42, 45.)

[edit] External links

• Alma the Younger by Robert L. Millet

Preceded by Mosiah II, son of Benjamin, as the last king of the Nephites	Chief Judge of the Nephites the 1st-9th years of the reign of the judges, or 92-83 B.C.	Succeeded by Nephihah
Preceded by King Mosiah II, son of Benjamin, as one of his royal duties	Nephite military leader the 5th-? years of the reign of the judges, or 87-? BC	Succeeded by Zoram
Preceded by Mosiah II, son of Benjamin	Nephite record keeper the 1st-19th years of the reign of the judges, or 91-73 BC	Succeeded by Helaman