Moroni's Preemptive, Imperialist War for Peace

You know the story. It’s about a man who sought glory and power through bloodshed, intrigue, and treachery. His name: Amalickiah, the Nephite dissenter. Amalickiah was an evil man who would do anything to obtain the throne. During his illegitimate rise to power, he used flattery, deceit, and murder to persuade both the Nephites and Lamanites. (Alma 46:5) Once in power, he “appoint[ed] men to speak from their towers, against the Nephites.” (Alma 48:1)

But it is the other side of the story that has recently impressed me. It is the story of Captain Moroni, the hero and champion of freedom. Amalickiah’s actions made Moroni angry. (Alma 46:11) Moroni gathered the freedom loving people and prepared them to “stand against Amalickiah” and the dissenters. (Verse 28) But that’s not all he did, i.e., “stand against” them. Far from it; Moroni took affirmative action.

Moroni sought to kill Amalickiah. (Verse 30). But interestingly, Moroni was not seeking the death of Amalickiah and the dissenters because of any Amalickiahite attack or physical disruption. No, in fact, Amalickiah and his people were running from Moroni at the time.

Amalickiah saw that the people of Moroni were more numerous than the Amlickiahites . . . therefore, fearing that he should not gain the point, he took those of his people who would and departed into the land of Nephi. (Verse 29).

Instead of a mere preparation for defensive struggle, Moroni “thought to cut off the people of Amlickiah . . . and put Amalickiah to death . . . .” (Verse 30) Therefore, while Amalickiah was fleeing in retreat, Moroni gathered his armies together and “marched out with his tents into the wilderness, to cut off the course of Amalickiah in the wilderness.” (Verse 31, emphasis added). And just in case you didn’t get the point, Mormon throws in some commentary here:

And it came to pass that he did according to his desires, and marched forth into the wilderness, and headed the armies of Amalickiah. (Verse 32, emphasis added)

Not only was Moroni setting out to fight an unprovoked (absence of physical attack) war, he was marching out of his homelands to do it. And Mormon makes sure we know the war took place out in the “wilderness”. What did Amalickiah do? He ran away. He “fled”. (Verse 33)

This didn’t stop Moroni. He continued with his designs to kill anyone who did not want to adhere to what he defined as “the cause of freedom”. (Verse 35). After killing those who refused to support the cause, he raised the national flag “upon every tower which was in all the land. . . .” Instead of waiting around for the Amalickiahites to attack his people, Moroni went out beyond the borders of the Nephites and fought a war; a war to kill anyone who opposed his brand of freedom. When he was done, he planted his foot in every Nephite state by raising the flag there. He made sure his brand of freedom would prevail in all the lands. But why did Moroni set out in this preemptive, imperialistic manner? It’s simple: he did it for peace. Imagine that, a preemptive, aggressive war for the purpose of establishing peace in the homelands!

And they began to have peace again in the land; and thus they did maintain peace in the land . . . . (Verse 37).

But whatever happened to Amalickiah (the coward who ran from Moroni when he sought to oppose him)? We know he “fled” or escaped into the wilderness, but what eventually happened? Amalickiah was able to evade the people of liberty for six years until “Teancum stole privily into the tent of [Amalickiah] and put a javelin to his heart; and he did cause the death of the king immediately that he did not awake his servants.” (Alma 51:34). Sounds like Teancum would make for an awesome CIA covert operative!

Matthew 13:9

1 Nephi 19:23