Whenever a nation is united in its faith in God, it will have more strength, prosperity, peace, and protection. The same goes for other social units whether they are states, towns, or families. There is a power in righteousness that I think we are losing sight of in this day and age. Part of this is because we have become so big as a nation so diverse. With size and prosperity comes liberal attitudes and laziness. We become lazy not only in terms of religious belief and moral principles and standards, but lazy regarding our concern and respect for others. I think this is why our nation is becoming more divided this is what happened to the Nephites in this chapter. One Nephite group, led by a wicked man named Morianton, felt they should have more land and sought to take it from the neighboring city. When they couldn't have it, rather than face the military consequences, they decided to migrate, resulting in their abandoning a key area of defense against the Lamanites. An army, led by Teancum is dispatched by Moroni to stop them. A battle results in which Teancum slays Morianton. The people return to their land and peace is restored.
It's interesting to me that the chief judge, Nephihah, refused to receive the plates and other sacred items from Alma. He isn't criticized for this and it says he was perfectly upright before God. I think this shows that God does not condemn us when we use our free agency and make decisions like this. Unfortunately in the church, if someone refused something, say a calling, there would be others who would raise their eyebrows in doubt concerning the dedication or righteousness of that person. Nephihah's righteousness is not questioned and that's a good lesson for us. Alma gave the plates to his son Helaman. Nephihah passed away and the judgement seat went to his son Pahoran.
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