Alma 43

It's obvious that Corianton changes his ways and becomes a strong teacher and missionary. At the beginning of this chapter, and three times later in Alma, the sons of Alma are mentioned as going forth to teach the gospel. They are held up as examples for the people and Corianton is mentioned by name in two of the four passages. With this chapter we begin the war chapters and the one thing that impresses me is how hard the leaders of the Lamanites work to preserve the people's hatred for the Nephites. They appoint Amalakites to be the chief captains because the Amalakites have the greatest hatred for the Nephites. Mormon says this about them in chapter 47: "Now these dissenters, having the same instruction and the same information of the Nephites, yea, having been instructed in the same knowledge of the Lord, nevertheless, it is strange to relate, not long after their dissensions they became more hardened and impenitent, and more wild, wicked and ferocious than the Lamanites..." So to infect the people and the armies with as great as hatred for the Nephites as possible, the Amalakites are appointed the military leaders.

To me, this hatred of the Nephites and fostering the desire among the people to destroy them is very similar to our situation today. The radical Islamists raise and educate their children to hate western society. It is their religious belief that all non-believers of Islam should be slain and to slay someone who does not believe is a righteous act that preserves a place of glory for them after this life. The only way for the Nephites to defeat them, and the only way we can ultimately win is in verses 45-49 where it states that the Nephites were fighting for righteous reasons, to defend their families, their liberty, their rites of worship, and their church. Most importantly, they relied on God to help them which he did with the Nephites defeating an amy of the Lamanites that was twice their size. Like the Nephites, we would be wise to be wary and to be prepared.