Culture: These verses are a clear expression of Mormon’s displeasure. It is his conclusion that the people labor to “support iniquity.” Tellingly, it was not only Noah and his court that were “in… idolatry,” but also the people. This issue is a critical one. Possibly Israel’s most distinctive characteristic was its firm stance against idols in a world filled of religious idols. An idol, in the thought of ancient Israel, is not simply a cultural artifact or an alternative (false) religion, but an alteration in the fabric of religious thought. In a word, Noah has changed religions and caused his people to also adopt a different religion. Not only has Noah overthrown his father’s political world, but also his religious world.
This factor explains the litany of transgressions Mormon records. These activities were not simply things the people decided to do, but rather a set of practices that came with the new religion/political order they had adopted.