The idea of a Great Apostasy happening is central to every aspect of Mormonism. This is because Mormonism is seen as a restoration of what was originally instituted by Christ, and what was lost by the widespread apostasy. However, the very idea of this Great Apostasy is against the teachings of Christ himself. There is also nowhere in scripture that speaks of a Great Apostasy, except in the scriptures which the LDS church conveniently interprets in their favor.
Apostasy
In the teachings of the LDS church, apostasy is when someone turns away from the gospel. This is fairly normal, for small groups of people, in the natural ebbs and flows of human nature. However, the LDS church teaches that when many people did it for many generations, after the death of Christ, then the apostasy was so widespread that there was essentially no turning back. In an article on apostasy, the LDS church mentions:
One example is the Great Apostasy, which occurred after the Savior established His Church. After the deaths of the Savior and His Apostles, men corrupted the principles of the gospel and made unauthorized changes in Church organization and priesthood ordinances. Because of this widespread apostasy, the Lord withdrew the authority of the priesthood from the earth.
Apostasy, Topics and Questions
In the bubble of Mormonism this makes perfect sense. Things were bad, things did change, and the apostles were heavily persecuted. It would seem natural then to conclude that something was lost, and in the eyes of the LDS church, this was the true authority to act in God’s name. This is the very reason that Joseph said he went into the grove according to his 1838 account. He knew all the churches were corrupt and he wanted to know what to do about it.
According to LDS doctrine, Joseph was eventually instructed to start the LDS church and was given priesthood authority by angels. This authority had been lost since the death of the apostles and was now restored again. It was a grand and glorious time to be alive in the eyes of the early members. As I have previously shown, there are a number of key concerns with the First Vision, and with the idea of the priesthood restoration. I would strongly encourage you to study both topics separately to get a better idea of what actually happened.
In support of the idea of the Great Apostasy though, the LDS church does use several scriptures, which directly have nothing to do with the idea of a great apostasy yet are collectively used to show that there was a large scale falling away from the truth. In general, the idea of the priesthood leaving the earth and returning again through Joseph, is frankly unfalsifiable and therefore impossible to reason about. It is strictly a matter of faith.
If one were to show that the truth of God and the priesthood didn’t leave the earth, then the LDS church could just claim they had a unique priesthood beyond that, and this special priesthood was needed for their operations. This is what many groups do, they simply redefine when things are no longer favorable for their viewpoint.
Scriptures
In support of the idea of a great apostasy, the LDS church uses several scriptures. As mentioned, none of them directly describe a permanent state of apostasy. Some of them, when read in context, even support the idea that a widespread apostasy actually never happened.
Isaiah 24:5
The first scripture used as support is Isaiah 24:5 which speaks of the people of God breaking their covenant with him. The immediate fulfillment of this was in approximately 700 BC when it was written, however it certainly can also pertain in a more general context since God has made a covenant with all of humanity. The text reads:
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Isaiah 24:5
Israel was constantly violating the covenant that God had made with them and changing the ordinances as they saw fit. However, God was always ready and waiting for their return. There is a not a single case, in all of scripture, when Israel repented that God didn’t accept them back. He never said that they were so far gone, that they had to wait for a restoration like the Great Apostasy presupposes. They already had the law, and they just needed to repent and follow it. That was all they had to do to be counted as God’s people again. This is exactly the same with us. We have God’s word, and he just expects us to follow it.
Amos 8:11-12
The next commonly used scriptural support is Amos 8:11-12. On my mission, I used this scripture numerous times as support for the concept of a Great Apostasy. However, I never really understood it and was just taking that verse out of context to try and convince people to listen to the missionary discussions I wanted to teach them. The text reads:
“Behold, the days come,” saith the Lord GOD,“ that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD; and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Amos 8:11-12
This scripture is similar to the previous one in Isaiah, in that it also is directed at Israel and their immediate situation. Approximately 40 years after Amos wrote this, Israel was invaded by the Assyrians, and they no longer had prophets to guide them. After this though, there was some repentance and acknowledgement of their situation, and they were given prophets again to guide them. They didn’t have to do anything except to repent and return to God. If we really want to be specific though, then a famine means little food not a complete absence of it. God has never completely abandoned his people.
Today we also have a famine of hearing the word of God. We can search all over the earth, and get many messages that people claim are from God. However, very little of it actually is. There are false prophets everywhere. In many ways we are in a greater state of apostasy today, than Joseph was when he said he received the First Vision. There are numerous people that will tell us that all is well in Zion, however this couldn’t be further from the truth. This doesn’t mean though, that no one is receiving truth from God. It just means that it is difficult to find since our perspective needs to be realigned to God first.
Matthew 24:4-14
Another very commonly used scripture is Matthew 24:4-14 which speaks of false prophets coming among the people, and many turning away from the truth. The entire chapter itself seems to apply to the last days, with many things still in the future. However, the chapter itself actually says that false prophets will abound, yet the truth will still be available for those that seek it. The text reads:
And Jesus answered and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, “I am Christ;” and shall deceive many. … Many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Matthew 24:4-14
It is important to note that Christ speaks of many false prophets, yet he also notes that those that don’t listen to these false prophets will be saved since the gospel will be preached in all the world. This means that the true gospel will be mixed with a false gospel. It doesn’t mean that the true gospel will not exist at all, like many use it to mean. Therefore, this scripture actually refutes the idea of a widespread global apostasy.
All throughout human history there has always been a faithful remnant that has kept the gospel. This is also the case with the commonly cited scriptures like 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Just because some, or even many people, fall away from the truth this doesn’t mean that everyone did. We are always in a state of apostasy as we are constantly battling our inherent desire to turn away from God. Many people today have turned away from the truth, however that doesn’t mean that everyone everywhere has.
Continuing with Matthew 24, Christ directly warns us later in the chapter to beware of false prophets that claim to have seen him. Some of these false prophets will even perform miracles that we should also be aware of. The text reads:
If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matthew 24:23-24
In the eyes of the LDS church this chapter is describing the Great Apostasy, which was before 1830. If this is true, then wouldn’t this be applying to that time as well? Joseph claimed to have seen Christ during the First Vision. However, this chapter is specifically warning us against those that will claim they are prophets and have seen Christ. These false prophets will deceive many since they are so convincing. It seems though, that this entire chapter has a future fulfillment and has nothing to do with the idea of a Great Apostasy.
1 Nephi 13:24–29
The next commonly used scripture is 1 Nephi 13:24-29 which describes the corruption of the scriptures. This may be the greatest support for the idea of a Great Apostasy, however even this doesn’t say anything about a complete perversion of the scriptures. Historically we also know that this isn’t even completely true, as many claim it to be. The text reads:
Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord … And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb … thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church … they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious
1 Nephi 13:24-29
From a historical perspective, the Bible is remarkably consistent. We don’t have much insight into the history of the Old Testament. However, we do know a lot about the New Testament and have manuscripts dating back to the first century when the gospels were written. In addition, we have the Didache which was written, in the first century, before the Jewish and Christian churches theologically separated. This means that we can trace all these teachings back almost to the very beginning.
Of course, we don’t have the direct words of Christ or the original manuscripts from the apostles, however we have manuscripts from well before Christianity was organized into any kind of discernable form. This also means that anyone that had access to these records, had access to the same scriptures, and teachings of Christ, that we have. If we are not in a state of scriptural apostasy because of this, then they shouldn’t have been either.
Mormon 1:13–14
The last scriptural support that is commonly used is Mormon 1:13–14. In this case, the text describes the people being so rebellious that the three Nephites, which had been among the people, were removed. On the surface this really sounds like it could describe something like a Great Apostasy. However, this is only the case when it is taken out of context. The text reads:
But wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land, insomuch that the Lord did take away his beloved disciples, and the work of miracles and of healing did cease because of the iniquity of the people. And there were no gifts from the Lord, and the Holy Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness and unbelief.
Mormon 1:13–14
It is important to keep in mind that this scripture is describing the time of wickedness before the Nephites complete destruction. This would be about 300 AD. It is also important to keep in mind that Mormon and others remained faithful, so this wasn’t a complete apostasy for the Nephites at all. Certainly, many and maybe even most turned away from God.
However, not everyone turn away as is described by the LDS church. The scripture also frankly has very little to do with us and only pertains if we completely ignore the context. Even in the teachings of the LDS church, it is believed that Mormon held the full priesthood authority of God. This would mean there was no loss of authority until his death and consequently the death of all the Nephites. If he gave the priesthood to another faithful person, then the authority would have never left the Nephites at all.
The Holy Ghost was also still active for Mormon and those that were faithful, including Ammaron who told Mormon about the plates. Therefore, it appears this scripture is only describing a state of apostasy for those that turned away from God. If they had turned back to God, then the Holy Ghost would have returned to continue guiding them along correct principles. This seems to always be the case for the people of God. They can return to God and continue to receive all the blessings which he has promised them.
Arguments
Aside from scriptural arguments for a widespread apostasy, there are other commonly used arguments to support the idea that a great apostasy happened, and truth was lost from the earth. Everyone naturally considers truth to mean different things, so it is difficult to really pin down what was lost. In Mormonism though, truth has had numerous stages of evolution. A believer at an earlier stage, such as Kirtland, wouldn’t recognize the doctrines of a later stage, like Nauvoo, as truth, yet they are claimed to be so. This is the difficulty anyone experiences when speaking about lost truth. It can mean anything they want it to mean.
Persecution
A major argument used in support of a Great Apostasy is that the early church experienced widespread persecution which caused a loss of people and the truth. This would certainly have been a challenge to the early church and would have caused some to abandon Christianity in fear. However, historically we can see that Christianity continued spreading far and wide. In addition, this widespread persecution was not constant. There were in fact long periods of relative peace between the government and Christians.
Christianity had also spread so far and wide that it was virtually impossible to eliminate it. For this persecution to be the driving force behind the Great Apostasy, then we would have to assume that the truth or the valid priesthood authority of God was lost from everywhere completely which would have been incredibly difficult to accomplish.
In addition, during persecution, those that don’t abandon their beliefs actually get stronger in their faith. This would be no different in the past. There is always a small group of faithful believers that continue to remain steadfast. This means that Christianity would have gotten stronger in the face of persecution, not weaker as many have claimed. The scriptures do speak of a future state of persecution for the righteous. This is going to be used to purify and refine the righteous, not to eliminate them completely in a state of apostasy.
Idolatry
Another often cited argument in favor of a Great Apostasy is the overall idolatry that Christianity went through during various points in history. This is evident in the very early history of the Catholic church along with the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire. These events certainly changed Christianity for many people, however there is no evidence that they changed Christianity entirely.
They also didn’t change the scriptures themselves and didn’t change Christianity for everyone everywhere. There were many groups of people that continued to practice Christianity in a way that they personally determined to be more correct. In addition, the existence of falsehoods in the church can’t possibly mean that the church, as a whole, is in a state of permanent apostasy. At various times throughout history, Israel was actively worshipping idols, believing in incorrect doctrines, and corrupting the simplicity of the law they were given.
To correct this, all they had to do was to eliminate these religious perversions and return to God. They didn’t need a new prophet like Moses to give them a new law since they already had the law in the scriptures. This is exactly what King Josiah did when he found the Book of the Law during renovations of the Temple. The people realized how far they had diverted from God, corrected their mistakes, and were accepted by God again. It really is that simple.
Conclusion
In looking at whether a Great Apostasy happened, then there are in fact many reasons to think that it did not happen like the LDS church claims. This doesn’t mean Christianity has been pristine since the time of Jesus. However, it does mean that the truth of God has been available, since that time, to anyone that was willing to look. At various times, through history, this was more difficult than at other times. However, the truth was always available if you wanted it.
This is also the purpose of the Holy Ghost which has continuously been available to all of us based on our willingness to follow God’s laws. We don’t need to be a member of a certain church to be guided by God. Another reason to doubt in the idea of a Great Apostasy, is the words of Christ himself when he was speaking to Peter. Jesus asked Peter who he was, Peter responded, and then Jesus told Peter that the church he was building would not be overcome. The text reads:
I say also unto thee that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
In this verse, Jesus is telling Peter that Satan would not conquer his church. The word church can be confusing because we often associate that with a denomination or a building, however the Greek word itself just means assembly of people. Jesus is simply saying that those that follow him collectively will not be overcome and destroyed. If, however, we are to believe in the Great Apostasy, then this has to be false. The church was overcome and destroyed and needed to be rebuilt again. This is true even if someone were to believe that Mormonism is the same church that Christ established. Christ’s church was destroyed by Satan, and Christ needed to intervene to correct that.
Lastly, if Mormonism is the same church that Christ established anciently then we would expect to see evidence of this in the early writings. However, we don’t. Of course, a simple explanation is that we lost all the ideas from Christianity that makes Mormonism unique. This is an easy answer, however this honestly seems a little too convenient to be plausible.
This is also because we have early church writings from the 1st century, such as the Didache, which speak of nothing in Christianity that would resemble Mormonism at all. Are we to believe that all the Mormonism specific ideas were immediately lost and no one noticed, or documented it? This would include temple marriages, eternal families, baptisms for the dead, the three degrees of glory, God was once a man, and many more. If these concepts were all true, then it would make sense that someone, somewhere, would have preserved them in some form. However, we see none of this even though we have extensive records from many different groups during the very early history of the church.
Historically, apostasies happened all the time. The only thing the people of God needed to do to correct this mistake was to repent and return to true principles. They never needed to wait for a prophet to give them a new law to follow. They already had the law and just needed to obey it. Mormonism should be no different. Through the mission of Christ, God has never been more available to us. Christ’s life, and entire doctrine, was to show us that God is available to us right now if we want him to be. This is counter to the entire concept of the Great Apostasy as the LDS church teaches.
