King Mosiah was getting old, and he was ready to pass the kingdom on to his oldest son. However, his son wanted to be a missionary, and he refused the throne. After learning about King Noah’s people, Mosiah knew that an unrighteous king could cause terrible problems and wickedness. He proposed a new form of government. The people would choose judges to enforce the laws, and by the voice of the people the laws would be established. The people chose Alma the Younger to be their first chief judge.

During Alma’s time as chief judge, he had many issues to deal with. One man began preaching false doctrines for money, leading many people astray. Another man wanted to become king, and even though the people voted against him becoming king, he gathered many followers who ended up joining with the Lamanites and going to war with the Nephites. Even some of the church members became prideful and began to do things that were wrong. However, many of the people remained faithful, humble followers of God. Those people took care of the poor and needy, kept the commandments, and put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

The voices that we listen to are very powerful. They can help us to be happy and lead us to eternal life, or they can lead us to be miserable and bring us to captivity. We must carefully listen to those that will help us follow the Lord and keep our covenants. We can make our voices heard in our communities by participating in elections where possible and exercising our freedoms.