All these things are done in parables:
that seeing they may see, and not perceive;
and hearing they may hear, and not understand.
Mark 4:11-12

In the Book of Alma, we encounter the story of Amalickiah—a cunning and ambitious man who sought to make himself ruler over the Nephite nation by force. When his bid for power was rejected by the voice of the people, he turned to darker means. With persuasive rhetoric, he flattered not only the politically disaffected but, surprisingly, even some of the Church of God—leading them to justify insurrection, betrayal, and, in time, bloodshed.

Though bound by covenant to Christ’s gospel of peace, these Nephites were swept up in the flattery of power, the seduction of grievance, and the promise of victory over imagined enemies. Though the people had spoken by their lawful voice, they rejected that voice in favor of chaos—choosing anarchy over agency, force over persuasion, and autocracy over democracy.
Captain Moroni—a man of both military strength and spiritual conviction—opposed Amalickiah and drove him into exile among the Lamanites, the Nephites’ traditional enemies.

What followed was a masterclass in manipulation. Once among the Lamanites, Amalickiah used lies, intrigue, and murder to rise rapidly to power. He ultimately became king—a staggering feat, given he was a foreigner. From that position, he launched a campaign of division and falsehood to destroy the Nephites. But there was a problem. the Lamanites were weary of war, having suffered defeat after defeat under Moroni’s leadership. Amalickiah knew this. So he turned to indoctrination.

The record tells us:
As soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom he began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites.
(Alma 48:1)

Those towers were his media channels. Day after day, his appointed voices fanned the flames of resentment and fear. The people, once reluctant to fight, were told their freedoms had been stolen, their leaders corrupted, their nation betrayed. And so they rose—not in defense of truth, but in loyalty to a lie.

A deeply corrupt man, consumed with the desire to rule, cannot rise without followers willing to suspend memory, law, and conscience. This was possible for those in the church of God and for the Lamanites because Amalickiah fed them a steady stream of propaganda, burnished in addictive contention—contention that quenches the Spirit and disables the ability to discern good from evil. In doing so, he echoed an older rebellion: one that began when the father of contention sought to take agency by force after his plan was rejected—only to be cast down by Michael and his angels (you and me).

The outcome was inevitable: slaughter, captivity, and loss. Not just for the Nephites, but for the very people Amalickiah claimed to defend.

Coda, January 6th, 2025
Today we remember Brian Sicknick and those who gave their lives defending the voice of another people, four years ago. As we step into a new sobering chapter in our nation’s history, we honor our Maker—who inspired Mormon to preserve the account of Amalickiah not merely as history, but as
prophecy.