The rejection of the Messiah and the consequent dispersion of the people are traced to the existence of priestcrafts and iniquities. The meaning of the first of these words is not merely such subtlety as is ascribed to the serpent in the Garden (2 Ne. 26:29, the practice of religion for worldly gain and the praise of men. The Lord says: "Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world."
To preach for pay,
For gold to pray
is to turn religion into an industrial craft, and that is "priestcraft."