In Alma
39:5, we read of sins that are next to murder:
Know ye not, my son, that these things are an
abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save
it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?
While most
LDS interpreters believe this to be sexual sin(*), Michael Ash has proposed an alternative interpretation (i.e., it refers to Corianton being the means of
spiritually destroying people):
Michael R. Ash, The Sin "Next to Murder": An Alternative Interpretation
(*), lest there be any question, Ash (in the article) and myself, do not downplay the seriousness of sexual sin--speaking for myself, sexual sin (e.g., homosexuality; pre-marital sex, etc) are intrinsic evils.
