Moroni became the chief captain over the armies of the Nephites when he was only twenty-five years old. He prepared his men with armor for protection against the Lamanites. He went with his army up to battle against the Lamanites despite the fact that the Lamanites were much more numerous than his men. When the Lamanites saw the Nephites they were afraid because of how well prepared they were. When Moroni was making a decision of where to position his army he sent word to Alma, the prophet, to inquire of the Lord where the best place would be. This shows his faith in the prophet of the Lord. He knew that the plan of the Lamanites was to bring the Nephites into bondage. He also knew that the Nephites' desire was only to preserve their land, their liberty, and their church so he decided it wasn't a sin to defend them with strategy by sending spies to learn the enemy's plans. When he had the Lamanites almost completely surrounded they fought very hard. "Yea, never had the Lamanites been known to fight with such exceedingly great strength and courage, no, not even from the beginning." But... "Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy or power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church." A better cause. And the Lord was on their side.
The Lamanites were terrified and Captain Moroni commanded his men to stop the shedding of blood. He spoke with the Lamanite leader, Zarahemnah, and told him that he did not desire to shed any more blood. He desired to make a covenant of peace. Zarahemnah offered up his weapons of war but said that he would not make any such covenant. Captain Moroni gave back his weapons saying that if he would not make the covenant the fighting would continue. Zarahemnah rushed forward to try to kill Moroni but right as he did ,one of Moroni's soldiers scalped him with his sword. He told the Lamanite soldiers that this was their warning: they would be killed if they did not make a covenant of peace. Some entered into the covenant and left in peace. Zarahemnah stirred up the rest of the soldiers to anger and the fighting began again. When Zarahemnah began to see that the Lamanites were about to be destroyed he cried out, promising that his people would take the oath. They took the oath and Moroni let them go in peace.
Later on, a wicked man named Amalickiah conspired to be king. He caused some of the people to dissent from the church by flattering them and telling them that when he was king he would make them rulers. Alma 46:10 says "Yea, and we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous' sake." When Moroni learned about what was going on he was angry with Amalickiah. "And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it 'In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives and our children' and he fastened it upon the end of a pole." He went about and proclaimed it to all the people and asked them to enter into a covenant that they would maintain their rights and their religion and not forsake the Lord. All the Amalickiahites who would not covenant to uphold the cause of freedom were put to death so that the people could maintain a free government. "And they began to have peace again in the land."
Captain Moroni is a hero to me because he boldly stood up for his beliefs. He was valiant and always ready to face his foes to defend the cause of liberty. He relied on God as his strength.
