The declaration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a simple one: The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith to restore his church anew in these last days in preparation for His second coming. Joseph Smith restored many plain and precious truths of Christ's gospel lost to the world in the Great Christian Apostasy following the death of the original twelve apostles of Christ. As foretold by Peter: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:28-30 And Paul prophesied: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first... The Lord, even Jesus, whose coming is not until after there cometh a falling away" Thes. 2:2, 9
The Great Apostasy of the ancient Christian church has been a great stumbling block for many modern people. A clear study of history and the wickedness and atrocities done in the name of Christ by those who were held as divine emissaries of Christ, has led to many leaving the Christian faith, not able to make sense of how these things could be done in the name of God. Other Christians today simply choose to deny that there ever was a Great Apostasy, and go so far as to say that the Bible was perfectly translated and preserved by the hand of God throughout all the ages of the church regardless of the conduct and designs of the church leadership. Both positions are a serious barrier to people being willing to accept things as they are and still keep searching for God's hand to be made manifest in a full restoration of the church as Christ organized it in his ministry.
Clearly history itself is the greatest witness of the reality of the Great Apostasy. The Reformation itself is a reaction to this Apostasy. The Reformation being an important step in the Restoration of the fullness of the gospel which Paul prophesied would come in Ephesians 1:10 "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." Though the Reformation put Christianity on a more sure footing, it could not restore the authority of Christ to the earth, nor bring back the plain and precious truths lost in the corrupt translations of the Bible. Thus the Christian World was divided in doctrine, each church teaching their own interpretation of scriptures. The unity Christ and his apostles considered characteristic of the Church of God could not be restored by man.
Clearly history itself is the greatest witness of the reality of the Great Apostasy. The Reformation itself is a reaction to this Apostasy. The Reformation being an important step in the Restoration of the fullness of the gospel which Paul prophesied would come in Ephesians 1:10 "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." Though the Reformation put Christianity on a more sure footing, it could not restore the authority of Christ to the earth, nor bring back the plain and precious truths lost in the corrupt translations of the Bible. Thus the Christian World was divided in doctrine, each church teaching their own interpretation of scriptures. The unity Christ and his apostles considered characteristic of the Church of God could not be restored by man.
For Christ had given his church "apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" by way of ordination through the laying on of hands, which ordination of power was passed down to a few additional apostles through Peter after Christ's ascension. This power was claimed later by catholic Popes to have been passed from Peter to them, but Paul teaches the purpose of priesthood leadership, he taught it was "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine is exactly what the Christian world was when Joseph Smith was born in 1805, and unity of the faith is what he sought.
In Joseph Smith's own words:
"Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, “Lo, here!” and others, “Lo, there!” Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.
"For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions.
"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.
"My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.
"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?
"While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.
"So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring... After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God... I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
"Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, “Lo, here!” and others, “Lo, there!” Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.
"For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions.
"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.
"My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.
"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?
"While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.
"So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring... After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God... I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
The disunity of the Christian world is a sign of it's apostasy and the Christians of Joseph's day were aware of the deficiencies in the faith and the need for a restoration. They engaged in heated arguments over the true tenants of the Christian faith because they still believed that one interpretation or another must be the truth, and that unity of the faith was the goal. Though the more they argued these points of doctrines by appeals to the bible the further they were from unity.
In our day most Christians see no need for a restoration of Christ's church or for a unity of the faith. I have had Christian friends tell me that the bible is perfect and without translation fault or error. That not one piece of Christ's gospel is missing from it's pages, and that God being perfect and all powerful God preserved the book in perfection through the ages of Catholicism and Reformation, from translation to translation. I have found this not only ignorant of history but astonishing that they could believe this and yet have no answer for why there are so many sects of Christian teaching that interpret the same perfect verses from scripture so differently.
Most Christians I meet today are confused by any discussion of doctrine, as most I meet have done very little study of their churches creeds or doctrines, or are simply unaffiliated with organized religion and rarely study the bible on their own. In these cases the general sentiment is that we live in an imperfect world and all we need to know is Christ is our Savior and if we believe in him we are saved. There is no need for a church beyond the community of fellowship it provides.
In either case, I find that Christians today are verily detached from the histories of Christianity, the formation of its creeds and doctrines, and even the founding teachings of their preferred sect. What the vast majority of my Christian friends have in common is a belief that there is no need for a "restoration" of gospel truth, priesthood power, or church organization in our times. They are skeptical if not hostile to talk of a Great Christian Apostasy or corruption of the Bible text and creeds of Christianity. I doubt that most of them are aware that the founders of their Christians sects in large measure believed that there had been a Great Apostasy and taught that there would come a great restoration of all things.
The fact of the Great Apostasy is admitted. Many theologians who profess a belief in Christianity have declared the fact. Thus we read: "We must not expect to see the Church of Christ existing in its perfection on the earth. It is not to be found thus perfect, either in the collected fragments of Christendom or still less in any one of those fragments." (Church of England Official Declaration)
John Wesley, who lived from {ad}1703{ad} to {ad}1791{ad} A. D., and who ranks as chief among the founders of Methodism, comments as follows on the apostasy of the Christian Church as evidenced by the early decline of spiritual power and the cessation of the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God within the Church: "It does not appear that these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit were common in the Church for more than two or three centuries. We seldom hear of them after that fatal period when the Emperor Constantine called himself a Christian, and from a vain imagination of promoting the Christian cause thereby heaped riches and power and honor upon Christians in general, but in particular upon the Christian clergy. From this time they almost totally ceased, very few instances of the kind being found. The cause of this was not, as has been supposed, because there was no more occasion for them, because all the world was become Christians. This is a miserable mistake; not a twentieth part of it was then nominally Christians. The real cause of it was that the love of many, almost all Christians, so-called, was waxed cold. The Christians had no more of the spirit of Christ than the other heathens. The Son of Man, when He came to examine His Church, could hardly find faith upon earth. This was the real cause why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in the Christian church—because the Christians were turned heathens again, and only had a dead form left." (See I Cor., ch .12. John Wesley's Works, Vol. VII, 89:26-27.)
The Church of England makes official declaration of degeneracy and loss of divine authority in these words: "Laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees, have been drowned in abominable idolatry most detested by God and damnable to man for eight hundred years and more." (Church of England "Homily on Perils of Idolatry," p. 3.) The "Book of Homilies," in which occurs this declaration by the Church of England, dates from about the middle of the sixteenth century. According to this official statement, therefore, the religious world had been utterly apostate for eight centuries prior to the establishment of the Church of England. The fact of a universal apostasy was widely proclaimed, for the homilies from which the foregoing citation is taken were "appointed to be read in churches" in lieu of sermons under specified conditions.
The Church of England makes official declaration of degeneracy and loss of divine authority in these words: "Laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees, have been drowned in abominable idolatry most detested by God and damnable to man for eight hundred years and more." (Church of England "Homily on Perils of Idolatry," p. 3.) The "Book of Homilies," in which occurs this declaration by the Church of England, dates from about the middle of the sixteenth century. According to this official statement, therefore, the religious world had been utterly apostate for eight centuries prior to the establishment of the Church of England. The fact of a universal apostasy was widely proclaimed, for the homilies from which the foregoing citation is taken were "appointed to be read in churches" in lieu of sermons under specified conditions.
The early reformers could see that no matter the devotion to the work they could not bring about a full restoration, and short of divine intervention in the cares of man on earth, the Christian world would continue divided in doctrine. That Paul's descriptions of the power in Christ's church to bring to Christ "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God," could not be restored by man. For this reason the reformers and founders of protestant sects often referred to this awaited restoration. Ironically when it came in 1830 by an obscure farm boy in upstate New York it was universally rejected by the professors of religion. Joseph's experience in the grove of trees and subsequent visions were met with derision and persecution.
"Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.
"I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me.
"It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.
"However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.
"So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.
Few Christians today feel the kind of sectarian strife that prompted Joseph to ask God which church was right. The concept of seeking for the "right" church is merely a question of which is "right" for me, not which is the "only true church." This kind of animated contest between the religious sects of Joseph's day may seem foreign to the Christian experience of our day, but don't make the mistake of assuming that the absence of such heated debates is some sort of holy evolution toward great unity with Christ in our times. The Christian world has moved from one in which Christians believed in the authority of the church to expound doctrine from the divine source to our times in which most Christians believe that there is no need for Church leadership in spiritual matters and no sacred sacraments necessary for salvation. In a Christian world were belief in Christ alone secures salvation and there may be no hell anyway, there is no need to contend over points of doctrine, they are mere trifles not matters of eternal salvation.
What Mormon missionaries go forth into the world to proclaim everyday is that Christ has restored the fullness of his gospel to the earth in these last days, in the "dispensation of the fullness of times" (Ephesians 1:10). In this final restoration and organization of His Kingdom on Earth he has once again given his church "apostles; prophets; evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" by way of ordination through the laying on of hands, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (Ephesians 4:12) Within his church are found the keys and the power, and the covenants, ordinances, and sacraments of the atonement. These ancient things restored and in their fullness.
The great apostasy was divinely predicted; its accomplishment is attested by both sacred and secular writ, with that the restoration is also prophesied in ancient scriptures of the both the Old and New Testaments. To the faithful Latter-day Saint, a concluding proof of the universal apostasy and of the absolute need of a restoration of Priesthood from the heavens will be found in the divine reply to the inquiry of the boy prophet, Joseph Smith, as to which of all the contending sects was right: "I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that 'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.'” (Joseph Smith History)
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