Great and Abominable Church

1 Nephi 14:3

And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end.

The great and abominable church is not atheism or materialism or some variation of Christianity; it's paganism. 

Only two fundamental belief systems exist in the world. Since Adam and Eve, people have either believed in the one true God or they have not. God initiated each dispensation to restore the truth about Himself and His Son. Each dispensation kindles a light in a world of darkness. We call that darkness paganism. 

Paganism is a belief in anything other than the true God. It strips people of dignity and what Christians consider basic human rights. Under paganism, the concept of "all men are created equal" does not exist. Men are neither created nor are they equal. Paganism classifies and categorizes people. The superior class is destined to rule over the inferior class. Slavery and brutality are the result. 

Only Christ could break the bands of paganism with the faith in a living God who loves the children He creates. He sets them all equal to one another because He loves them all equally and wants them all to have an equal opportunity to return to Him. When we lose faith in Christ, turn from His teachings, and stop believing in God as our Father, the great and abominable church of paganism fills the void.

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