“Of course, apart from that, there is a great deal about us that is contrary to our Lord God and justly displeases him—things like anger, impatience, greed, belly-serving, sexual voyeurism, evil lusts, fornication, hatred, and other vices which are nothing other than abominable mortal sins—rampant everywhere in the world. But such sins are nothing compared to the terrible disdain of the divine Word, disdain that is so deep and so pervasive, that in truth, greed, stealing, adultery, whoremongering, and so forth, cannot even compare; yes, these sins would be as nothing if people would only love and esteem God’s Word… But worse still is the fact that this disregard for God’s Word is now so commonplace that this truly terrible, hellish, devilish sin is not even regarded as being sin at all, like other sins. Everyone simply dismisses it as a trifling matter that people fail to listen diligently to preaching; yes, the majority hold that opinion, believing that wine and beer taste as good when listening to the preaching of the Word as at any other time. Nobody is bothered by this, much less does anyone make it a matter of conscience for having such little regard for the beloved Word. This does not happen in connection with other sins, like murder, adultery, and robbery; for with them there is remorse, if not sooner then later, because the heart is horrified and wished it had never happened. For no one can regard these things as right. But for inattention to God’s Word, yes, for despising and ridiculing it, for this no one has conscience scruples.—HP III:93, 94.
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