Tomorrow in Seminary we are going to talk about Alma 31. This is the chapter with the Rameumptom ~ the Holy Stand. As I was studying for this lesson ~ and thinking I would plan something fun for the Rameumptom, I came to understand just what this chapter is all about. I knew the story of "The Holy Stand" and how the Zoramites used it to stand upon and pray. But what I learned studying it was that the Zoramites were in a state of apostasy. They were an apostate sect of the Nephites who left Zarahemla and settled in Antionum. Alma got word that Zoram, their leader, was leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols. The Nephites feared that the Zoramites would join with the Lamanites and see them to destroy them.
So Alma took with him a great missionary force; Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Amulek, Zeezrom, and two of his sons, Shiblon and Corianton. When they arrived in Antionum they were astonished at what they found. "The Zoramites had built synagogues and they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld." (Alma 31:12)
"For they had a place built up in the center of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person" (Alma 31:13). ~ The Rameumptom ~
Now this is what I learned… (taken from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual, p 220)
In Antionum, the missionary force of Alma and his companions came across a group of Nephite dissenters known as the Zoramites. Mormon not only recorded that the Zoramites had previously had the word of God preached unto them, but he further identified the cause of their apostasy:
- they would not keep the commandments,
- they no longer petitioned the Lord daily in prayer,
- they perverted the ways of the Lord,
- and what prayers they did offer to the Lord were vain and meaningless.
They ignored the basics, such as having a daily habit of meaningful prayer and scripture study.
Today there are those who have also fallen into similar false practices. Unless we are careful to guard against it, we too could fall into some of the same traps of
- routine prayers,
- worshipping only weekly during the three-hour block and
- not thinking of God again during the week,
- only praying in a set place,
- or becoming materialistic and prideful.
Elder Donald L. Staheli of the Seventy emphasized the importance of daily consistency in the basics of the gospel:
"Daily fervent prayers seeking forgiveness and special help and direction are essential to our lives and the nourishment of our testimonies. When we become hurried, repetitive, casual, or forgetful in our prayers, we tend to lose the closeness of the Spirit, which is so essential in the continual direction we need to successfully manage the challenges of our everyday lives. Family prayer every morning and night adds additional blessings and power to our individual prayers and to our testimonies.
"Personal, sincere involvement in the scriptures produces faith, hope, and solutions to our daily challenges. Frequently reading, pondering, and applying the lessons of the scriptures, combined with prayer, become an irreplaceable part of gaining and sustaining a strong, vibrant testimony" (Ensign, Nov. 2004, 39).
I got to thinking about that and about how often I fall into the cycle of my personal prayers being somewhat repetitive, casual or forgetful. It got me thinking about the "basics". Some refer to them as the "Sunday School" answers. But they are the basic principles of the gospel, the simple way to stay close to Heavenly Father. I am and will be eternally grateful for this calling to teach Seminary and for my new found love for the scriptures and my knowledge that if I'm having a bad day or feeling a little far away from my Heavenly Father – then I've probably not spent enough time in prayer and scripture study. I love the Book of Mormon!
Now, back to the lesson for tomorrow…
After we talk about the Rameumptom and prayer and apostasy, I think we will talk about being SOM's.
Are you a SOM?
What is a SOM you might ask??
A Sunday Only Mormon.
Are you like the Zoramites who gather on one day of the week, recite a prayer, endure the 3 hour block of meetings and then return home not to think about God again until the next week when you go back and repeat the drill?
And then for fun I think we will draw a latter-day Rameumptom and come up with a teenage prayer…We'll see how it goes…I might post pictures of their pictures
