Instead of doing justice to their neighbors, they carried out their own unlawful wishes. They had a plurality of wives, which was contrary to God’s wise arrangement. In the beginning, God gave to Adam one wife—showing to all who should live upon the earth, his order and law in that respect. The transgression and fall of Adam and Eve brought sin and wretchedness upon the human race, and man followed his own carnal desires, and changed God’s order. The more men multiplied wives to themselves, the more they increased in wickedness and unhappiness. If any one chose to take the wives, or cattle, or anything belonging to his neighbor, he did not regard justice or right, but if he could prevail over his neighbor by reason of strength, or by putting him to death, he did so, and exulted in his deeds of violence. They loved to destroy the lives of animals. They used them for food, and this increased their ferocity and violence, and caused them to look upon the blood of human beings with astonishing indifference. {1SP 68.1}

I stedet for at gøre ret med sine naboer, udførte de sine egne ulovlige ønsker, de havde mange hustruer, hvilket sted mod Guds vise indretning. Gud gav en hustruen til Adam i begyndelsen, og viste derved sin orden og lov i denne henseende til alle som skulle leve på jorden. Adams og Evas overtrædelse og fald bragte synd og elendighed over menneskeslægten, og menneskene fulgte sine egne kødelige begæringer og forandre Guds orden. Jo mere mændene formede antallet af sine hustruer, desto mere tiltog de i ugudelighed og ulyksalighed. Dersom nogen fik lyst til at tage sin nabos hustruer eller kvæg, eller noget som tilhørte hans nabo, så tog han ingen hensyn til ret eller retfærdighed, men dersom han ved sin styrke kunne få overhånd over sin nabo, (69) eller ved at dræbe ham, så roste han sig af sine voldsgerninger. De holdt af at dræbe dyrene, og brugte dem til spise. Dette formede deres rov gærrighed og vold, og bragte dem til at se på ugudeligheden af menneskers blod med forbavsende ligegyldighed.