Christ is the Reason

Apostasy Timeline

“Many years ago a learned man, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, came to Utah and spoke from the stand of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I became well-acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great scholar, with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongue's end, he seemed to know all about theology, law, literature, science and philosophy. One day he said to me: "You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don't even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and that's all there is to it. The Protestants haven't a leg to stand on. For, if we are wrong, they are wrong with us, since they were a part of us and went out from us; while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut off long ago. If we have the apostolic succession from St. Peter, as we claim, there is no need of Joseph Smith and Mormonism; but if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism's attitude is the only consistent one. It is either the perpetuation of the gospel from ancient times, or the restoration of the gospel in latter days." (“A Catholic Utterance” As quoted in LeGrand Richards’, A Marvelous Work and A Wonder (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976)

1. Church Established

a. Why should we even concern ourselves with the idea that Christ established a church? Because there are many, both within and without Christianity, that argue that Jesus had no intention of establishing a church.

b. Mark 3:14 Sends the 12 apostles to preach the gospel

c. Luke 10, Matt. 10 Jesus calls the seventy

d. Mark 16:14-20, Matt. 28:, 19, 20 “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

e. Acts 1:21-26 Judas’ spot in the quorum filled by Mathaias

f. Ephesians 4:11-14 “…he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints…Till we all come in the unity of the faith.”

g. “Thus, then, under a celestial influence and co-operation, the doctrine of the Savior, like the rays of the sun, quickly irradiated the whole world. Presently, in accordance with divine prophecy, the sound of His inspired evangelists and apostles had gone throughout all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Throughout every city and village, like a replenished barn floor, churches were rapidly abounding and filled with members from every people. Those who, in consequence of the delusions that had descended to them from their ancestors, had been fettered by the ancient disease of idolatrous superstition, were now liberated by the power of Christ, through the teachings and miracles.” (Eusebius, “Ecclesiastical History,” Bk I, ch. 3)

h. “When we consider the rapid progress of Christianity among the Gentile nations, and the poor and feeble instruments by which this great and amazing event was immediately effected, we naturally have recourse to an omnipotent and invisible hand, as its true and proper cause.” (Mosheim, “Ecclesiastical History,” Cent. I, Part I, ch. 4:8)

2. Apostasy predicted/ seen in early Christian church

1. Isaiah 24:5 “changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant”[1]
2. Amos 8:11 “famine of hearing the words of the Lord”
3. Matt 13:25 “his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat”
4. John 6:66 “his disciples went back, and walked no more with him”
5. Acts 20:29 “shall grievous wolves enter in among you”
6. 1 Corinthians 11:1 “there be divisions among you”
7. Galatians 1:6 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him”
8. 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 “falling away first”
9. 1 Tim 1:6 “some having swerved have turned aside”
10. 1 Tim 4:1 “giving heed to seducing spirits”
11. 2 Tim 1:15 “all they which are in Asia be turned away from me”
12. 2 Tim 3:5 “having a form of godliness, but denying the power”
13. James 4:1 “From whence came wars and fighting among you”
14. 1 John 2:18 “now are there many antichrists; 4:1 many false prophets are gone out into the world”

3. A.D. 30-101 Gnosticism/ End of Apostolic Reign

1. Vacancy within the 12 apostles filled by Matthias (Acts 1:24-26) in about 30 A.D.
2. The apostles continue their ministry of going “into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)
3. Acts 8:9, 13, 18-24 A sorcerer named Simon attempts to buy the priesthood. All though he is rebuked, he apparently is allowed to remain with the church. Unfortunately he lead many away from the church into a cult described as Gnosticism. Eusebius states “These, after the manner of their founder, insinuating themselves into the Church, like pestilential and leprous disease, infected those with the greatest corruption, into whom they were able to infuse their secret, irremediable, and destructive poison.” Eusebius, “Ecclesiastical History”
4. By A.D. 101 all of the apostles had been brutally martyred with the exception of John, who was banished to the Isle of Patmos. By this time, while there still existed local priesthood leadership, there was no general church leadership. These persecutions by the Roman Empire played a key (but not the only) role in the great apostasy.
5. Emperor Trajan to provincial governor Pliny: “You have done perfectly right, my dear Pliny…If [Christians] are brought before you and convicted, let them be capitally punished, yet with this restriction, that if any one renounce Christianity…he shall obtain pardon for the future.” (As quoted in Milner’s “History of the Church of Christ”, Cent. II, ch. 1.) Compare this Roman policy with the Lamanite policy that lead to the apostasy in the Western Hemisphere: “For behold, their wars are exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ.” (Moroni 1:2 emphasis added)
6. Considered the first church historian Eusebius (A.D. 260-339), a bishop in Cesarea, wrote about this period:

The Church continued until then [close of the first century] as a pure and uncorrupt virgin, whilst if there were any at all that attempted to pervert the sound doctrine of the saving gospel, they were yet skulking in dark retreats: but when the sacred choir of Apostles became extinct and the generation of those that had been privileged to hear their inspired wisdom had passed away, then also the combinations of impious errors arose by the fraud and delusions of false teachers. These also as there were none of the apostles left, henceforth attempted without shame, to preach their false doctrines against the gospel truth. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 32; emphasis added.) (Eusebius is quoting Hegesippus)

4. A.D. 100-200 Beginning of Hellenization of the church

1. Hellenization is just a concept that refers to the embracement, or merging of Greek thought into one’s culture. Plato, perhaps the most influential of the Greek philosophers, taught that God was incomprehensible and completely unlike men in every way.
2. An anti-Christian writer of the day (A.D. 178) attacked the Christians for their teachings of a comprehensible God who had a body in the image of man’s:

The Christians say that God has hands, a mouth, and a voice; they are always proclaiming that “God said this” or “God spoke.” “The heavens declare the work of his hands,” they say. I can only comment that such a God is no God at all, for God has neither hands, mouth, or voice, nor any characteristics of which we know. And they say that God made man in his own image, failing to realize that God is not at all like a man, nor vice versa; God resembles no form known to us. They say that God has form, namely the form Logos, who became flesh in Jesus Christ. But we know that God is without shape, without color. They say that God moved above the waters he created-but we know that it is contrary to the nature of God to move. Their absurd doctrines even contain references to God walking about the garden he created for man; and they speak of him being angry, jealous, moved to repentance, sorry, sleepy-in short, as being in every respect more a man than a God. They have not read Plato, who teaches us in the Republic, that God (the Good) does not even participate in being. (Celsus, On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians, translated by R. Joseph Hoffman (New York University Press, 1987)

As you know, this has now been reversed. Latter-Day saints are now attacked by other Christians for their belief that God is comprehensible, that he loves and talks to us, and that he has body, whose image we are created. Other false doctrines crept up in this period.

5. A.D. 325 Nicene Creed

1. Between 284-305 Diocletian was the emperor of Rome and sponsored horrible persecutions that forced Christians literally underground. Scriptures were confiscated, clergy was imprisoned, tortured and forced to worship pagan gods before being put to death. Many Christians died as martyrs during this period. Milner said of this period “The era of [the Church’s] actual declension must be dated in the pacific part of Diocletian’s reign. During this whole century the work of God, in purity and power, had been tending to decay. The connection with philosophers was one of the principle causes. Outward peace and secular advantages completed the corruption….The faith of Christ itself appeared now an ordinary business; and here terminated, or nearly so, as far as appears, that first great effusion of the Spirit of God, which began the day of Pentecost.” (Milner, “Church History” Cent. III, ch. 17)
2. Elder Talmage disagrees with the philosophy that the corruption of the church can be dated from either Diocletian’s time or from the Council of Nicea. “The church was saturated with the spirit of apostasy long before Constintine…”
3. In A.D. 325 Roman emperor Constantine alleged that he had a dream of a flaming cross with the message “By this conquer”. A council of bishops was convened at the behest of Constantine at Nicaea in Bithyria, Asia Minor. At this point the doctrine of the church had become diluted and dispersed. One of the main points of the council was to settle these doctrinal disputes, the largest of which concerned the nature of God. Did Jesus really have a body? Was Jesus a separate being from the Father? This council produced the Nicene Creed, which was signed by all the bishops, some of whom strongly disagreed with the document. In it, the doctrine of the Trinity-three Gods in one-emerged, which is another product of the influence of Greek philosophy. This is the founding document of a new church, known as the universal, or Catholic church.
4. Here is the most important part of the Nicean Creed, as originally promulgated: “We believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, the maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only begotten, (that is) of the substance of the Father; God of God, Light of Light; Very God of Very God; begotten not made; of the same substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, that are in heaven and that are in earth: who for us men, and for our salvation, descended and was incarnate, and became man; suffered and rose again the third day, ascended into the heavens and will come to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit. But those who say there was a time when he [the Son] was not, and that he was not before he was begotten, and that he was made out of nothing, or affirm that he is of any other substance or essence, or that the Son of God was created, and mutable, or changeable, the Catholic Church doth pronounce accursed.”

5. Importance of the Council of Nicaea:

- It shows how the decision making process had changed with in the church. Before, doctrinal questions were decided by the Lord’s prophet through revelation.[2] The Nicene Creed was decided by debate, coercion and the reason of man.[3]

- Official acceptance of the man made doctrine of the Trinity.

- Beginning of the state controlled church, a dangerous combination which would germinate many abuses and abominable behavior in the next several centuries, as we shall see.

6. Some Other Problems with Nicea

a. “The form of public worship was so changed during the second and third centuries as to bear little resemblance to the simplicity and earnestness of that of the early congregations. Philosophic discourses took the place of fervent testimony bearing…Applause was allowed and expected as evidence of the preacher’s popularity….” Elder Talmage The Great Apostasy, pg 117

7. More Victims of Nicea: The Body

a. Elder Talmage stated that the idea of life and the body was perverted. “One of the heresies of early origin and rapid growth in the Church was the doctrine of antagonism between body and spirit, where by the former was regarded as an incubus and a curse.” This view of the body had its roots in Gnostic and Greek philosophies, which taught that the body is a decrepit entity whose bonds we must somehow escape. Historically, this where devout followers of Jesus now escape into first deserts and then later monasteries and subject themselves to beatings, castrations, and other forms of self mutilations.

8. More Victims of Nicea: Marraige

a. The Trinitarian doctrine was largely based on the Greek philosophical underpinnings (and later Gnostic teachings) of a negative view of physical things, especially the body. The body is a degraded thing (as is the rest of the world), and therefore God could not have a body. The passions and parts of the body were to be shunned. These ideas lead to ascetic teachings designed to escape the evils of the body.

b. Jesus (Mark 10:7-9) and Paul (Hebrews 13:4) both taught that marriage was honorable, it was determined that celibacy should be required for priesthood holders.

c. Paul prophesied that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry…”(1 Timothy 4:3 emphasis added)

9. A.D. 300-430 Baptism of Infants

a. It is recorded that the Bishop of Carthage in North Africa (Cyprian) baptized someone by sprinkling water instead of the traditional immersion because the person being baptized was physically impaired.

b. Saint Augustine (354-430) later preached the doctrine of original sin for the first time, or in other words, that infants are not covered by the Atonement. In order to overcome this new barrier of original sin, infant baptism began.

10. A.D. 363-397 Books of the New Testament Officially Canonized

a. Athanasius (A.D. 293-373), the bishop of Alexandria, after much debate, publicly listed as authoritative scripture the same twenty-seven books in our present New Testament.

11. A.D. 300-1000 Lots of stuff

a. By the fourth century, the Great Apostasy was in full effect. There years that followed are illustrated by many examples of this. One historian gives us an example of what was going on during this period:

It seemed impossible that things could become worse; yet Rome had still to see Benedict IX, A.D. 1033, a boy of less than twelve years, raised to the apostolic throne. Of this pontiff, one of his successors, Victor III, declared that his life was so shameful, so foul, so execrable, that he shuddered to describe it. He ruled like a captain of banditti rather than a prelate. The people at last, unable to bear his adulteries, homicides and abominations any longer, rose up against him. In despair of maintaining his position, he put up the papacy to auction. It was bought by a presbyter named John, who became Gregory VI, A.D. 1045. (John William Draper, Intellectual Development of Europe 1:378-82)

b. Another example of the Papal indulgences can be seen with John Tetzel, an official agent of the pope, traveled about selling forgiveness of sins. Milner said “Myconius assures us that he himself heard Tetzel declaim declaim with incredible effrontery concerning the unlimited power of the pope and the efficacy of indulgences. The people believed that the moment any person had paid the money for the indulgence he became certain of his salvation.” (Milner “History of the Church” Cent. XVI, ch. 2)

12. A.D. 1054 The First Major Split in the Church: Greek Orthodox Church

a. This split had almost nothing to do with the horrible behavior of the church, which included paying priests to absolve sins, murder of non-believers, and the usurpation of the church for the purposes of the state. The split was based on a centuries old argument concerning the head quarters of the church. The Roman Catholic’s headquarter remain Rome and the Greek Orthodox is now Istanbul (previously Constantinople).

13. A.D. 1079 Sacrament Changed

a. The sacrament, initially a very simple, solemn, and sacred ordinance was radically changed initially in the third and fourth centuries. “Errors concerning the sacrament, and its signification, and the manner of administering it, grew rapidly in the professed Christian churches during the early centuries of the Christian era. As soon as the power of the priesthood had departed, much disputation arose in matters of ordinance, and the observance of the sacrament became distorted.” (Elder Talmage, “Articles of Faith” Lecture 9, Note 4)

b. An example of the distortion of the sacramental ordinances is the doctrine of Transubstantiation, a term first used in 1079. From the Catholic Encyclopedia, it defines this doctrine as “according to the purpose of the Almighty, the substance of the bread and wine depart[ing] in order to make room for the Body and Blood of Christ.” In other words, the bread and wine no longer represent the Savior’s body, but quite literally the emblems become the body of Christ. (See http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05573a.htm#3 )

14. A.D. 1096-1834: The Crusades/ Inquisition

a. A.D. 1096-1204 The Crusades were military expeditions intended to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims. After some initial successes, this was a dismal failure on the part of the European Christians in nearly every regard. Muslim attitudes became very hardened against Christians, attitudes which still prevail in large part today.

b. A.D. 1129-1834: The Inquisition was a Roman Catholic tribunal whose purpose was to seek out and prosecute heretics. The accused were often tortured into confessing and then killed. The Inquisition was an example of the barbarism of the Middle Ages, and it is an embarrassment to modern Christians.

15. A.D. 1160: Waldo and the Scriptures “Nursery for the Reformation”

a. A merchant named Waldo hired a Monk to translate portions of the scriptures into his language. Waldo preached in secret and his followers were called Waldenses. George Albert Smith said: “They were severely persecuted by the Catholic Church, which anathematized them and inflicted upon them every penalty in its power—even excommunication, sword and fire. Notwithstanding all this the Waldenses progressed, and their doctrines and the work they performed was a nursery for the Reformation.” (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. 13:293-294)

16. A.D. 1200: Doctrine of Supererogation

a. This doctrine was set forth “That there actually existed an immense treasure of merit, composed of the pious deeds and virtuous actions which the saints had performed byond what was necessary for their own salvation, and which were therefore applicable to the benefit of others; that the guardian and dispenser of this precious treasure was the Roman pontiff, and that of consequence he was empowered to assign to such as he thought proper a portion of this inexhaustible source of merit, suitable to their respective guilt, and sufficient to deliver them from the punishment due to their crimes.” (Mosheim “Eccl, Hist,” Cent. XII, Part II, ch. 3:4)

17. A.D. 1380-1388: Wycliffe’s Bible

a. Wycliffe is rightly honored for his role in bringing us the first English translation of the Bible. The church was angry at Wycliffe, reserving the right of scripture reading for clergy only.

b. “A severe and intolerable law was enacted, with respect to all interpreters and expositors of the scriptures, by which they were forbidden to explain the sense of these divine books, in matters of faith and practice, in such a manner as to make them speak a different language from that of the church and the ancient doctors. The same law declared that the church alone…the holy scriptures were not composed for the use of the multitude, but only for that of their scriptural teachers; and, of consequence, ordered these divine records to be taken from the people in all places where it was allowed to execute its imperious demands.” (Mosheim, “Eccl. Hist., Cent. XVI, Part I, ch. 1:25)

c. “An epitaph written at St. Albans called Wycliffe ‘The devil’s instrument, church’s enemy, people’s confusion, heretic’s idol, hypocrite’s mirror, schism’s broacher, hatred’s sower, lies’ forger, flatteries’ sink, who, stricken by the horrible judgments of God, breathed forth his soul to the dark mansion of the black devil.’” Even after Wycliffe died, the church’s hatred towards him was unquenched. They dug up his body, burned it, and threw the ashes into a river.(Lenet Hadley Read, How We Got the Bible (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 58.)

18. A.D. (about) 1440 Printing Press Invented

a. “Few tools were more effective than printing in paving the way for the great revival of learning, for the religious reformation, and for the breaking away of peoples and nations from religious domination. Without the discovery of movable type in about 1440 A.D. the barrier of gross darkness covering the apostate world could scarce have been pierced. One of the First books published was the Gutenberg Bible in 1456 A.D.

“Perhaps no important discovery in world history ever faced such intense and bitter opposition as arose over the use and spread of printing. Civil and exxlesiatical tyrants feared the loss of their ill-held and evilly-exercised powers should knowledge and truth be made available to people generally. ‘We must root out printing,’ said the Vicar of Croydon from his pulpit, “or printing will root us out.” (Bruce R. McConkie Mormon Doctrine, 2^nd ed.)

19. A.D 1492 Christopher Columbus “discovers” America

a. What does this have to do with the “restitution of all things”?

20. A.D. 1517 Lutherans

a. Martin Luther nails his 95 theses to the door of the All Saints Church. Though the church railed against him, Luther developed a large following. However it was not Luther’s initial intention to start a new church. He said: “I have sought nothing beyond reforming the Church in conformity with the Holy Scriptures. The spiritual powers have been not only corrupted by sin, but absolutely destroyed; so that there is now nothing in them but a depraved reason and a will that is the enemy and opponent of God. I simply say that Christianity has ceased to exist among those who should have preserved it.” (The Falling Away and Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Foretold, pamphlet )

21. A.D. 1535 Church of England, aka Anglican Church, (In America: Episcopalian)

a. In 1529, Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife, Cathrine of Aragon. The pope would not grant this request, and in 1535, parliament declared Henry VIII the supreme head of the Church of England, thus enabling him to grant his own divorce. There were many who did not recognize this within England, and Henry had many of them executed.

22. A.D. 1609 Anabaptists

a. A church was founded by John Smith based on the belief that only those capable of repentance could be baptized. These people were labeled Anabaptists or re-baptizers. They were persecuted and many of them were drowned. This was the beginning of the Baptist movement.

23. A.D. 1620: Mayflower

a. Puritans seek religious freedom in the New World

b. Seven ancestors of Joseph Smith were on board.

24. A.D. 1639: Massachusetts Bay Colony

a. Puritan minister Roger Williams founded the first Baptist church in America. Williams recognized that a reformation was not enough: “There is no regularly constituted church on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking.” (Picturesque America, or the Land We live In, ed. William Bryant)

25. A.D. 1649: Presbyterians

a. John Calvin and John Knox were the forces behind Presbyterianism. The word Presbyterian refers to a representative form of church government. Calvin and Knox attempted to form a church government similar to that which was practiced in the first century.

26. A.D. 1738: Methodists

a. Brothers John and Charles Wesley attempted Oxford university in England. They were characterized on campus by their piety and methodical observance of religious observance.

b. The Wesley brothers did not intend to start their own religious sect. This is what John Wesley felt about traditional Christianity:

It does not appear that these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost 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…From this time they almost totally ceased…The Christians had no more of the Spirit of Christ than the other heathens…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 heathen again, and had only a dead form left. (Wesley’s Work’s, vol 7, Sermon 89, pp. 26-27)

27. A.D. 1776 Beginning of America

a. Declaration of Independence Author Thomas Jefferson said this about religion:

The religion builders have so distorted and deformed the doctrines of Jesus, so muffled them in mysticisms, fancies and falsehoods, have caricatured them into forms so inconceivable, as to shock reasonable thinkers….Happy in the prospect of a restoration of primitive Christianity, I must leave to younger persons to encounter and lop off the false branches which have been engrafted into it by the mythologists of the middle and modern ages.

28. A.D. 1805 Joseph Smith Born

a. Joseph Smith describes the religiously charged environment of a time:

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?”