A custom probably inherited by the Book of Mormon peoples through their Jewish ancestry was that a hearer of his words could interrupt the speaker with questions usually that concerned the matter being discussed. Often, Jesus or His Apostles experienced this same generally accepted convention; it was the usual course of action among the Jews to propound questions. When Jesus preached to the great multitude that followed Him to Capernaum, many of the Jews that surrounded Him plied the Savior with questions concerning His lineage. The method of question and answer brought forth many truths that otherwise might have been passed over without complete justification. From the Savior's answers, which in themselves were sermons, we obtain an understanding of God's purposes which in the orderly procedure of question and answer were clearly unfolded by Him. (John 6:24-71) Again, on the Day of Pentecost, when many devout Jews from all parts of the Earth were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover, more than 3,000 pious worshipers united in inquiry concerning the new faith about which the Apostles spoke. "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" was their concluding question as they appealed for truth. Here, again, we are indebted to this custom for the complete and forthright answer which the Apostles gave and which Luke records in the 2nd Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.
In this same manner, as Aaron was preaching the Truths of Christ's Gospel to the unbelieving Amalekites, one of them stood up and in a mocking temper of mind, possibly of strife, asked him to repeat his assertion that he had seen an angel. Aaron, no doubt, had told them that he and his companions were rebuked by an angel when together they went forth to persecute the Saints of God. How the heavenly messenger had stopped them in the wicked course they then pursued; and that only by the power of the Almighty God were they preserved from a dire and ill-boding fate of which the angel foretold if they did not return to Him who was mighty to save. Aaron told the Amalekites that unless they should repent and worship God according to the traditions of their fathers, which his questioner called foolish, they, too, would be destroyed in the like manner as that of which the angel prophesied to him and his erstwhile companions. We imagine that this brought forth the further inquiry: "If, as you say we 'have need to repent' and that our desires are not for righteousness, why do not angels appear to us and show us what is right?" "Behold, are not this people as good as thy people?" In other words, "Is God a respecter of persons?" To this question, we might answer to ourselves, "Is God not mindful of the hearts of men?"
Aaron's opponent, among the questions he asked, asserted that the Amalekites had built many holy places, or sanctuaries, in which they assembled to worship God; that they, themselves, were good and holy; that they had no cause to repent, but that God would save all men no matter what or what not they did. The old doctrine of Nehor again raised its ugly head, that notwithstanding their actions, nary a man would be lost.