When Alma and his fellow missionaries enter the land, they are not so much surprised that there are synagogues, but rather the way in which they were built. The Zoramite synagogues were designed for a very un-Nephite type of worship. When the Zoramites gathered for worship, their devotions were centered on “a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person.” This is an important description because it allows us to understand more of what Zoramite worship was about.
Most important was that the prayer might be repetitive, and different people might give it, but only one at a time. One person had to stand above all others and loudly recite the prayer. This practice focuses the attention of the entire congregation on one person at a time, and places them in a very public place where they are the only one to be seen at one time. It is a very literal rejection of Nephite principles that did not exalt one person above another.