Despite missionary efforts to reclaim the apostate Zoramites, their defection proved to be a major catalyst for the seven years of armed conflicts often referred to as the war chapters in the book of Alma. Geographic clues within the Book of Mormon can help readers understand why this turn of events was so disastrous. The episode also demonstrates the relationship between a society’s political well-being and the degree of heed it gives to the words of the prophets. These events should serve as a strong word of caution to modern societies fraught with their own competing social interests and political intrigues.