“If Ye Do Not Any of These Things, Behold, Your Prayer Is Vain”

Brant Gardner

Rhetoric: Members of a community are required to live by the rules of that community. Amulek describes this people as a part of the community of the coming king/Messiah. The relationship is not simply vertical (a supplicant to the king) but horizontal (with other community members). These rules are the egalitarian ideals of Nephite society, emphasizing class leveling and care for others. This relationship is the opposite of Zoramite social stratification and segregation in which caring for the afflicted and poor does not cross class boundaries. Amulek is urging this people to enter a new society with a new king.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 4

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