There are those who enter the Church through baptism, receive the Holy Ghost, and know for a time that joy and peace associated with being clean through partaking of the blessings of the Atonement, as well as the satisfaction attached to the sociality among the Saints. Then, for one reason or another, they allow themselves to be shaken from the faith by those who read by the lamp of their own conceit and who have given themselves over to the wisdom and judgments of fallen men.
Those whose eyes are single to the glory of God take little notice of this vocal assembly; those, however, who seek to maintain their positions in the secular assemblies soon leave the society of the Saints. In speaking of the condition of the world which necessitated a restoration of truth and saving power, the Lord said: “They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall” (D&C 1:16).
“They Were Ashamed”
The second group of people seen by Lehi in his dream/vision were those who obtained the path, pressed forward on that path, and held tightly to the rod of iron through the mists of darkness until they arrived at and partook of the fruit of the tree of life. This glorious occasion was followed, however, by tragedy, for those of this group were more concerned with the opinions and philosophies and acceptance of the world than with the designs of the Lord and those whom he has signified as his flock. These became “ashamed,” or self-conscious of their actions especially as they became aware of the taunts and cries of ridicule of multitudes of people in the great and spacious building. We learn from Nephi that the great and spacious building represented worldly wisdom, as well as “vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men” (1 Nephi 11:35; 1 Nephi 12:18). Those within the great and spacious buildings-a building high above the earth, a building without foundation-were from all classes of people, people old and young, both men and women, but they all had one thing in common: they prized the praise and ways of man above the praise and ways of God, and mocked and scoffed at those who attempted to live a godly and simple life.