In their missionary journey to the Zoramites, after Alma had preached to the people on the hill Onidah, Amulek admonished them to "contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ . . . and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth" (Alma 34:38). If we view the Zoramites as being descendants of the tribe of Judah, then perhaps a significant parallel to a biblical story can be seen here in the situation of the poor people ("Zoramites"?) in the land of Antionum being "cast out" of the Zoramite synagogues where they were not permitted to worship because they were "esteemed as filthiness" (Alma 32:3). For we find that a similar scenario unfolded at the beginning of Jesus' missionary efforts. The reader should note that the manner of worshipping "in spirit and in truth" is a key part of both stories. (See illustration below)
There happened a most famous biblical event in Sychar, which was near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph on the northern border of the lands of Ephraim and Manasseh in the kingdom of Israel. There Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. The woman's question was about worshiping god in their local mountain (Gerazim) rather than at the temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans, a nation established through the intermarriage or grafting of Gentiles and Israelites (2 Kings 17:24), had been forbidden to worship at the temple in Jerusalem by the Jews in authority. The Jews claimed that the Samaritans had polluted their heritage by marrying Gentiles. Jesus answered her question on the manner of true worship by saying that all who worship must do so "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23). The Jews had much of the truth but apparently were not worshipping with the spirit. On the other hand, the Samaritans had the spirit of worship (the woman declared" "I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ") but lacked much of the truth ("when he is come, he will tell us all things"--v. 25). [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]