Alma 32: 7–13 Summary

Although the discussion ranged over a variety of topics, I found that many of the comments centered around one of two themes: language and action. I will highlight what I found to be the most pertinent thoughts associated with each theme.

Language: The tension between narrative and dialogue brought to the foreground as Alma begins to speak; the possibility for reading Alma’s words as poetry as he begins his address; the contrast between conditional and unconditional rhetoric leading to Alma’s establishment of his words as “steadfast talk.”

Action: Alma’s desire to move the Zoramites into a different world, a new world where the act of worship can take place; reworking the Zoramite question in terms of sin, where sin leaves one unable to act and the question thus becomes how can the Zoramites again be capable of action; the acknowledgment that one cannot work to save oneself; regarding the act of enduring and its relationship to mercy, two possible actions were discussed: that we must somehow endure mercy itself, or that we are only able to endure through the lightness brought to us by mercy.

I would now like to examine how these insights and themes address our key questions.

(1) What does Alma 32 teach us about exercising faith?
Conceptually, the thoughts concerning action (and inaction) seem pertinent here. Of course, part of this is due to the way the question is framed, with “exercising” appearing to be a form of “action.” However, if we find our ability to act is stopped by sin, and that we cannot work to save ourselves, what does this imply about our ability to exercise faith? Is exercising faith somehow not an action we take, but rather one we receive? In the face of sin, it seems that I cannot exercise my faith to my own salvation; does it rather, as Alma describes in verse 13, depend on my choice to seek repentance? If so, it’s interesting that to exercise faith would then be akin to looking, or casting one’s eyes, toward repentance, especially as looking often can be accomplished without any bodily action (other than shifting one’s eyes). Might this be one way to understand having faith unto repentance—the only course of action opened to us by exercising faith is one in which we are forced to face our own inadequacy and incompleteness so that we may then receive the atonement and be healed.

(2) What does Alma mean by “the word” and why is it so central to faith?
While Alma does not specifically discuss “the word” here, the emphasis on the importance and power of language throughout these verses present us with an Alma who is linguistically aware and textually centered. His use of poetic structures and rhetoric, whether original to the oral discourse or added in his written record, signal an understanding of words as powerful, crafted, and creative. The very fact that Alma repeatedly begins to adjust the Zoramites’ world view—he literally wants to shift them into another world where the possibility for true worship exists—through his words indicates Alma’s trust and faith in words to provide or promote the conditions that will lead to spiritual change an growth.

(3) What is meant by the use of the term “experiment” in Alma 32.27?
Verse 27 presents the experiment in terms of a conscious choice to act: “if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words….” The conditional “if” allows for the choice not to awake, and not to arouse one’s faculties; it is an individual choice one is invited to participate in. Thematically, verse 13 prepares the reader for verse 27 in that verse 13 also centers around an individual choice to act: “a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance….” Again, the conditional “sometimes” and “if” make it clear that seeking repentance is an individual choice. The surety of mercy resulting from the choice to repent may also be useful for understanding Alma’s description of the experiment in terms “let[ting] desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words” in that Alma seems to be saying that a similar surety exists in the experiment: those who choose to act, to take the experiment, may be assured of reaching the point where they will believe in a manner that allows them to give place to his words.

(4) How might paying close attention to the textual, historical, and political contexts of Alma 32 (re)shape our understanding of Alma’s treatment of faith?
While this question was addressed most broadly throughout the discussion, I found that perhaps the more useful comments centered around the textual contexts found in these verses. For example, the question of tension between narrative and dialogue here brings up the question of understanding Alma’s discourse on faith and perhaps Mormon’s understanding (or appropriation?) of that discourse. Are there ways in which the narrative text reflects a faith in a Christ who has already come and risen versus a faith in the promise of the Messiah? I don’t know; I haven’t looked for that specifically. But the very complex textual nuances in this section—poetry, rhetoric, themes of the Garden/Fall, autobiographical imagery—suggest a carefully crafted text that demands equally careful reading. Something we all agree on, I’m sure.