And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity.
Apparently there are levels of abomination. Some false churches are more abominable than others, and the one that Nephi was being shown was the most abominable of all.
These abominable acts of the church of the devil may be both physical and spiritual. In the early history of Christ's church after He ascended to heaven, the apostles and believers were literally tortured and killed. In modern times, at least in Western society, the torture and murder of the saints are not so literal but nevertheless very real. The deceptions perpetrated by the great and abominable church may kill the faith even of the most elect of believers. It may cause them to torture themselves with guilt. It may bind them down with false superstitions and yoke them with heavy burdens of ritualism and tradition and make them captives of false teachings. These are the powers of darkness against Paul warned us: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). We must be aware and vigilant.
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