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3 In the Beginning...

4  “In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God. The same was in the beginning with God.” (JST John 1:1-2)  “Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation– The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men. (D&C 93:8-9.)  “In him was the gospel, and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men;” (JST John 1:4)

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6 The “Great Apostasy” followed the pattern that had ended each previous dispensation. The very first was in the time of Adam. Then came dispensations of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others. Each prophet had a divine commission to teach of the divinity and the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. In each age these teachings were meant to help the people. But their disobedience resulted in apostasy. Thus, all previous dispensations were limited in time and location. They were limited in time because each ended in apostasy. They were limited in location to a relatively small segment of planet earth. (Nelson, Russell M., The Gathering of Scattered Israel, CR October 2006.)

7 © 1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

8 Adam “went to Adam-ondi-Ahman to offer sacrifice.” Upon offering the sacrifice: “an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why doest thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me. And the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son for evermore.” (Moses 5:7-8.)

9 “And He called upon our father Adam by His own voice saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh. And He also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized even in water in the name of mine Only Begotten Son who is full of grace and truth which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in His name and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.” (Moses 6:51-52.)

10 “Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time. “Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:

11 “That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;... “And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.” (Moses 6:57-59, 62.)

12 “Adam also received the keys of the holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God directly from Jesus Christ, and he in turn bestowed it upon his posterity. Priesthood is probably the most important single item in the Gospel. Without it the ordinances could not be performed; neither could the true Church be established. Therefore, in the very beginning all the principles and ordinances of the Gospel were administered through the power of the Priesthood.”

13 Regarding this important subject, Joseph Smith proclaimed: “ The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed.... He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel; he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in this day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth and then in heaven.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 157.)

14 Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all High Priests, with the residue of his posterity, who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing: “And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael the Prince, the Archangel. “And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him, I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee; and thou art a prince over them for ever. “And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation, and notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation. “These things were all written in the Book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time. (D&C 107:53-57.)

15 © 1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

16  Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam. (JST Jude 1:14.) Enoch’s father, Jared, “taught Enoch in all the ways of God.” (JST Gen 6:22.)  “Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty-five and Adam blessed him.” (D&C 107:48.)  “And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them--Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off;” (Moses 6:27; JST Gen 6:26.)

17 “And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence. And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe. Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God. But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent. And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh. And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.” (Moses 6:47-52.)

18  “And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.” (Moses 7:13.)  “And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even ZION.” (Moses 7:19.)  “And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, ZION IS FLED.” (Moses 7:69.)

19 © 1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

20  And it came to pass that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins.” (Moses 8:2; JST Gen 7:79.)  Enoch was sixty-five when his son Methuselah was born. [“And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah.” (Moses 6:25.)]  “Methuselah was one hundred years old when he was ordained [to the Priesthood] under the hand of Adam. (D&C 107:50.) “Noah was ten years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah.” (D&C 107:52.)

21  “And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch.” (Moses 8:19.)  “And it came to pass, that Noah prophesied, and taught the things of God, even as it was in the beginning.” (JST Gen 8:4.)

22 “And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying: Hearken, and give heed unto my words; Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you; nevertheless they hearkened not.” (Moses 8:23-24)

23 © 1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

24 “I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.” (Abr 1:2)

25 “Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah; And from Noah till Enoch, through the lineage of their fathers; And from Enoch to Abel, who was slain by the conspiracy of his brother, who received the priesthood by the commandments of God, by the hand of his father Adam, who was the first man.” (D&C 84:14-16.)

26 Abraham was taught about the Savior and His mission:  “Abraham was a great prophet who desired righteousness and was obedient to all of the commandments he received from God, including the command to offer as a sacrifice his precious son, Isaac. Because of his steadfastness and obedience, Abraham is often referred to as the father of the faithful, and Heavenly Father established a covenant with and promised great blessings to Abraham and his posterity.” ( David A. Bednar, “Becoming a Missionary,” CR October 2005.)  The Book of Mormon Prophet Jacob tells us that the command received by Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac was “a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son.” (Jacob 4:5.)

27 As descendants of Abraham, the tribes of ancient Israel had access to priesthood authority and blessings of the gospel, but eventually the people rebelled. They killed the prophets and were punished by the Lord. Ten tribes were carried captive into Assyria. From there they became lost to the records of mankind.” (Nelson, Russell M., The Gathering of Scattered Israel, CR October 2006)

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29 “[T]he Lord took Moses up on a high mountain and there revealed to him how the earth came into existence, and also told him about our father Adam in the garden of Eden, how he fell from grace, and furthermore that the gospel that we are preaching here today, and in which we rejoice at the present time, was preached to Adam in the beginning, and did not come into existence in the meridian of time. John was not the first man who baptized, but Adam was taught the principle of baptism. The gospel, as we receive it now, and as we understand it, was revealed to father Adam, was revealed to Enoch and Noah, was preached to Abraham, and was known in part in the days of Moses.” (Elder Andrew Jenson, Conference Report, April 1924, Third Day-Morning Session, p.130.)

30 “Moses... received the higher Priesthood, which holds the keys of receiving revelations from God for the government of His affairs among the children of men, and without which Priesthood, the Lord has said the power of Godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh. But Moses honored this Priesthood, and he sought to sanctify all his people... that they might come to a higher standard in the enjoyment of the Gospel, and the authority and power of the holy Priesthood. He sought to sanctify them that they might have the manifestations of the glory of God, and he sought to promote them to that standard,

31 but when he went up to commune with the Lord on Mount Sinai, he had to draw a boundary line, and say to them that they should not pass over it because of their unworthiness; and he went up and communed with the Lord, and he received the mind and will of the Lord; and when he came down to communicate it to the House of Israel, they could not look upon his countenance, because it shone with the Spirit of God it shone with that power of Godliness which was reflected through the Priesthood which the Prophet Moses held; but they could not be sanctified, for the reason that they rejected the higher law of the Gospel, which had been delivered to the Prophet Moses and through which he sought to sanctify them. As they were unworthy to continue in these higher blessings the Lord decreed that they should continue in the ordinances of the Lesser Priesthood the administration of sacrifices, symbolical of the sacrifice of the Son of God for the redemption of mankind. He was called to do that work; to stand at the head of the House of Israel; a man that was called of God by revelation a man that had been faithful. (Elder Matthias F. Cowley, Conference Report, October 1898, First Day-Morning Session.)

32 “Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory. Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also; And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel; Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb.” (D&C 84:23-27)

33 “These great prophets taught the gospel of Jesus Christ as plainly as did Jesus himself. But in the Meridian of Time Jesus came. He came not only to teach the gospel, but also to be the Redeemer of the world.” (Elder Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, April 1955, Morning Session, p. 32.)

34 “And the same word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John [the Baptist] bear witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake; He who cometh after me, is preferred before me; for he was before me. For in the beginning was the Word, even the Son, who is made flesh, and sent unto us by the will of the Father. And as many as believe on his name shall receive of his fullness. And of his fullness have all we received, even immortality and eternal life, through his grace.” (JST John 1:14-16.)

35 “ With deep solemnity, and as a soul-searching test for which the Twelve had been in unconscious preparation through many months of close and privileged companionship with their Lord, Jesus asked of them: ‘But whom say ye that I am?’ Answering for all, but more particularly testifying as to his own conviction, Peter, with all the fervor of his soul, voiced the great confession: ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ This was no avowal of mere belief, no expression of a result at which he had arrived by mental process, no solution of a problem laboriously worked out, no verdict based on the weighing of evidence; he spoke in the sure knowledge that knows no question and from which doubt and reservations are as far removed as is the sky from the ground.... [James E. Talmage ]

36 “‘And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.’ Peter’s knowledge, which was also that of his brethren, was of a kind apart from all that man may find out for himself; it was a divine bestowal, in comparison with which human wisdom is foolishness and the treasure of earth but dross. Addressing Himself further to the first of the apostles, Jesus continued: ‘And 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. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’... [James E. Talmage]

37 “Through direct revelation from God Peter knew that Jesus was the Christ; and upon revelation, as a rock of secure foundation, the Church of Christ was to be built. ( James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ (1981), pp. 361-362.)

38 Elder James E. Talmage (Jesus the Christ (1981), pp. 370-372): “Jesus took Peter, James, and John and with them ascended a high mountain, where they would be reasonably safe from human intrusion. There the three apostles witnessed a heavenly manifestation, which stands without parallel in history; in our Bible captions it is known as the Transfiguration of Christ.

39 “One purpose of the Lord’s retirement was that of prayer, and a transcendent investiture of glory came upon Him as He prayed. The apostles had fallen asleep, but were awakened by the surpassing splendor of the scene, and gazed with reverent awe upon their glorified Lord. ‘The fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.’ His garments, though made of earth- woven fabric, ‘became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them’; ‘and his face did shine as the sun.’ Thus was Jesus transfigured before the three privileged witnesses. “With Him were two other personages, who also were in a state of glorified radiance, and who conversed with the Lord. These, as the apostles learned... were Moses and Elias, or more literally to us, Elijah;...

40 “The sublime and awful solemnity of the occasion had not yet reached its climax. Even as Peter spake, ‘behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.’ It was Elohim, the Eternal Father, who spake; and at the sound of that voice of supreme Majesty, the apostles fell prostrate. Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Arise, and be not afraid.’ When they looked they saw that again they were alone with Him....

41 Aside from the proclamation of the Son’s divine nature, the Father’s words were otherwise decisive and portentous. Moses, the promulgator of the law, and Elijah the representative of the prophets and especially distinguished among them as the one who had not died, had been seen ministering unto Jesus and subservient to Him. The fulfillment of the law and the superseding of the prophets by the Messiah was attested in the command-Hear ye Him. A new dispensation had been established, that of the gospel, for which the law and the prophets had been but preparatory. The apostles were to be guided neither by Moses nor Elijah, but by Him, their Lord, Jesus the Christ....

42 It becomes clear to us from nonbiblical sources that the ordinances of exaltation were available to the Lord’s disciples in the meridian of time. President Heber C. Kimball taught that the temple endowment available to us in our present dispensation is the same, in principle, as was available in the ancient Church of Jesus Christ. He also said that Jesus “was the one that inducted his Apostles into these ordinances”... President Joseph Fielding Smith and Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated their belief that Peter, James, and John received the endowment on the Mount of Transfiguration. (Pace, “What It Means to Know Christ,” p. 51.)

43 Heber C. Kimball: Think of your holy endowments and what you have been anointed to become, and reflect upon the blessings which have been placed upon you, for they are the same in part that were placed upon Jesus; he was the one that inducted his Apostles into these ordinances;...” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 241.)

44 Joseph Fielding Smith : “There could be no baptisms or endowments or any other work for the dead before the death of Jesus Christ. He it was who carried the message of the gospel to the dead and bridged the gulf spoken of in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. He it was who, in fulfillment of the prophets, opened the door of the prison house and permitted the prisoners to come free. Until that time the dead were waiting for their salvation or redemption, which should come through the blood of Christ. “The disciples in that day did have the keys for this work. These keys were given to Peter, James, and John on the mount when they received this power from Elias and Moses, the latter conferring the keys of the gathering of Israel. Christ told these three men, who I believe received their endowments on the mount, that they were not to mention this vision and what had taken place until after he was resurrected. Therefore, the exercise of this authority had to wait until Christ had prepared the way.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, edited by Bruce R. McConkie, Vol. 2, pp. 164-165.)

45 “Prior to His Crucifixion, the Lord Jesus Christ had established His Church. It included apostles, prophets, seventies, teachers, and so forth. And the Master sent His disciples into the world to preach His gospel. After a time the Church as established by the Lord fell into spiritual decay. His teachings were altered; His ordinances were changed. The Great Apostasy came as had been foretold by Paul, who knew that the Lord would not come again ‘except there come a falling away first.’” (Nelson, Russell M., The Gathering of Scattered Israel, CR October 2006)

46 “The period of apostolic ministry continued until near the close of the first century of our era, approximately sixty to seventy years from the time of the Lord’s ascension.... The final ministry of John [the Revelator] marked the close of the apostolic administration in the Primitive Church. His fellow apostles had gone to their rest, most of them having entered through the gates of martyrdom,.... Even while many of the apostles lived and labored, the seed of apostasy had taken root in the Church and had grown with the rankness of pernicious weeds.” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ (1981), pp. 716-717.)

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48 “When Constantine the Great came to the throne in the first quarter of the fourth century, a radical change was inaugurated in the attitude of the state toward the church. The emperor straightway made the so-called Christianity of the time the religion of his realm; and zealous devotion to the church became the surest recommendation to imperial favor. But the church was already in great measure an apostate institution and even in crude outline of organization and service bore but remote resemblance to the Church of Jesus Christ, founded by the Savior and builded through the instrumentality of the apostles. Whatever vestiges of genuine Christianity may have possibly survived in the church before, were buried beyond the sight of man by the abuses that followed the elevation of the churchly organization to secular favor through the decree of Constantine.

49 The emperor, even though unbaptized, made himself the head of the church, and priestly office was more sought after than military rank or state preferment. The spirit of apostasy, by which the church had become permeated before Constantine threw about it the mantle of imperial protection and emblazoned it with the insignia of state, now was roused to increased activity as the leaven of Satan’s own culture flourished under the conditions most favorable for such fungoid growth.” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ (1981), p. 746.)

50 The Roman pontiff exercised secular as well as spiritual authority; and in the eleventh century arrogated to himself the title of Pope, signifying Father, in the sense of paternal ruler in all things. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the temporal authority of the pope was superior to that of kings and emperors; and the Roman church became the despotic potentate of nations, and an autocrat above all secular states. Yet this church, reeking with the stench of worldly ambition and lust of dominance, audaciously claimed to be the Church established by Him who affirmed: ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ (1981), p. 747.)

51 “In her unrestrained abandon to the license of arrogated authority, the Church of Rome hesitated not to transgress the law of God, change the ordinances essential to salvation, and ruthlessly break the everlasting covenant, thereby defiling the earth even as Isaiah had foretold. She altered the ordinance of baptism, destroying its symbolism and associating with it imitations of pagan rites; she corrupted the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and befouled the doctrine thereof by the vagary of transubstantiation; she assumed to apply the merits of the righteous to the forgiveness of the sinner in the unscriptural and wholly repellent dogma of supererogation; she promoted idolatry in most seductive and pernicious forms; she penalized the study of the holy scriptures by the people at large;

52 she enjoined an unnatural state of celibacy upon her clergy; she revelled in unholy union with the theories and sophistries of men, and so adulterated the simple doctrines of the gospel of Christ as to produce a creed rank with superstition and heresy; she promulgated such perverted doctrines regarding the human body as to make the divinely formed tabernacle of flesh appear as a thing fit only to be tortured and condemned; she proclaimed it an act of virtue insuring rich reward to lie and deceive if thereby her own interests might be subserved; and she so thoroughly departed from the original plan of Church organization as to make of herself a spectacle of ornate display, fabricated by the caprice of man.” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ (1981), p. 748.)

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55 “In the early Church, baptism was administered on profession of faith and evidence of repentance, and was performed by immersion at the hands of one invested with the requisite authority of priesthood.... “In the second century, however, priestly mandate had restricted the baptismal ordinance to the times of the two Church festivals, Easter and Whitsuntide, the first being the anniversary of Christ’s resurrection, and the second the time of Pentecostal celebration. A long and tedious course of preparation was required of the candidate before his eligibility was admitted; during this time he was known as a catechumen, or novice in training. According to some authorities a three years’ course of preparation was required in all but exceptional cases.

56 “During the second century the baptismal symbolism of a new birth was emphasized by many additions to the ordinance; thus the newly baptized were treated as infants and were fed milk and honey in token of their immaturity. As baptism was construed to be a ceremony of liberation from the slavery of Satan, certain formulas used in the freeing of slaves were added. Anointing with oil was also made a part of the ceremony. In the third century the simple ordinance of baptism was further encumbered and perverted by the ministrations of an exorcist. This official indulged in ‘menacing and formidable shouts and declamation’ whereby the demons or evil spirits with which the candidate was supposed to be afflicted were to be driven away. ‘The driving out this demon was now considered as an essential preparation for baptism, after the administration of which the candidates returned home, adorned with crowns, and arrayed in white garments, as sacred emblems,-the former of their victory over sin and the world; the latter of their inward purity and innocence.’ It is not difficult to see in this superstitious ceremony the evidence of pagan adulteration of the Christian religion....(James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p.117-119.)

57 Blessing the water in the baptismal font: “May this holy and innocent creature (the water) be free from all the assaults of the enemy, and purified by the destruction of all his malice. May it be a living fountain, a regenerating water, a purifying stream: that all those who are to be washed in this saving bath may obtain, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, the grace of a perfect purification. Therefore I bless thee, O creature of water, by the living God, by the true God, by the holy God, by that God who in the beginning separated thee by his word from the dry land, whose Spirit moved over thee... Do thou with my mouth bless thee clear waters: that besides their natural virtue of cleansing the body, they may also be effectual for the purifying of the soul.” (Paul Matthews, “Basic Errors of Catholicism,” (1952), p. 75.)

58  “The form or mode of baptism also underwent a radical change during the first half of the third century,-a change whereby its essential symbolism was destroyed. Immersion, typifying death followed by resurrection, was no longer deemed an essential feature, and sprinkling with water was allowed in place thereof. No less an authority than Cyprian, the learned bishop of Carthage, advocated the propriety of sprinkling in lieu of immersion in cases of physical weakness; and the practice thus started, later became general.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p. 119.)  The Catholic church performs baptisms by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. (Cardinal James Gibbons, “The Faith of our Fathers,” (1917), p. 228.) In addition, “infant baptism originated in the Catholic dogma of original sin.” (Paul Matthews, “Basic Errors of Catholicism,” (1952), p. 73.)

59 “You can buy anything in this world for money.”

60 In illustration of the indulgences as sold in Germany in the sixteenth century, we have the record of the doings of John Tetzel, agent of the pope, who traveled about selling forgiveness of sins.... The people believed that the moment any person had paid the money for the indulgence he became certain of his salvation; and that the souls for whom the indulgences were bought, were instantly released out of purgatory. John Tetzel boasted that he had saved more souls from hell by his indulgences than St. Peter had converted to Christianity by his preaching. He assured the purchasers of them, their crimes, however enormous, would be forgiven.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p. 137.)

61 While indulgences had been used for centuries to raise money for the church, Pope Urban II raised them to a new level when he issued the first Crusade Indulgence: “‘If any man sets out to free the Church of God at Jerusalem out of pure devotion and not out of love for glory or gain, the journey shall be accounted as compete penance on his part.” The pope “granted an indulgence, or free pardon from the punishment due to sin, to all Crusaders, which was equivalent to a lifetime of hard penance. For hard-boiled and violent men in a world much preoccupied with sin and its consequences, this was a powerful incentive.” (Eamon Duffy, Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes (2 nd ed., 2001), p. 136-137.)

62 © 1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

63 “The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper has been regarded as an essential ordinance from the time of its establishment in the Church of Jesus Christ. Yet in spite of its sanctity it has undergone radical alteration both as to its symbolism and its accepted purpose. The sacrament, as instituted by the Savior and as administered during the days of the apostolic ministry, was as simple as it was sacred and solemn. Accompanied by the true spirit of the gospel its simplicity was sanctifying;...

64 “as interpreted by the spirit of apostasy its simplicity became a reproach. Hence we find that in the third century, long sacramental prayers were prescribed, and much pomp was introduced. Vessels of gold and silver were used by such congregations as could afford them, and this with ostentatious display. Non- members and members “who were in a penitential state” were excluded from the sacramental service-in imitation of the exclusiveness accompanying heathen mysteries. Disputation and dissension arose as to the proper time of administering the sacrament- morning, noon, or evening; and as to the frequency with which the ordinance should be celebrated.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p.120.)

65 “At a later date the doctrine of Transubstantiation was established as an essential tenet of the Roman Church. This briefly summarized, is to the effect that the species, i.e., the bread and wine used in the sacrament, lose their character as mere bread and wine, and become in fact the flesh and blood of the crucified Christ. The transmutation is assumed to take place in such a mystical way as to delude the sense; and so, though actual flesh and actual blood, the elements still appear to be bread and wine.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p.120.)

66 The consecrated emblems, or ‘host,’ being regarded as the actual flesh and blood of Christ, were adored as of themselves divine. Thus, ‘a very pernicious practice of idolatry was connected with the reception of this doctrine. Men fell down before the consecrated host, and worshiped it as God; and the novelty, absurdity, and impiety of this abomination very much struck the minds of all men who were not dead to a sense of true religion.’... The celebration of the mass is taught to be an actual though mystic sacrifice, in which the Son of God is daily offered up anew as a constantly recurring atonement for the present sins of the assembled worshipers.... The perversion of the sacrament is evidence of departure from the spirit of the gospel of Christ, and when made an essential dogma of a church is proof of the apostate condition of that church.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p.122.)

67 By the twelfth century in the Western Church, “the laity dared approach the Lord’s table only very infrequently, perhaps once a year at Easter, otherwise leaving their priest to take the bread and wine while they watched in reverence. Even when laypeople did come up to the altar, they received only the bread and not the wine...” (Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History (2003), p. 11.)

68 The ordinances of baptism, confirmation, the sacrament, etc., are referred to as Sacraments in the Catholic Church. As such, the ordinance of the Sacrament is distinguished as The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. It is now encompassed by four dogmas:

69  Real Presence: The bread and water are the literal flesh and the literal blood of Jesus Christ  Transubstantiation: The transformation from merely bread and water occurs when the priest consecrates the emblems of the bread and water.  The Sacrifice of the Mass: Because of the transubstantiation, at each “mass” or sacrament, Christ is offered again very much as He was on the cross.

70  Communion Under One Kind: “The [Catholic] church teaches that Christ is contained whole and entire under each species; so that whoever communicates under the form of bread or wine receives not a mutilated Sacrament or a divided Savior, but shares in the whole Sacrament as fully as if he participated in both forms. Hence, the layman who receives the “consecrated Bread partakes as copiously of the body and blood of Christ as the officiating Priest, who receives both consecrated elements.” (Cardinal James Gibbons, “The Faith of our Fathers,” (1917), p. 245.) (Paul Matthews, “Basic Errors of Catholicism,” (1952), pp. 82- 90.)

71 © 1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

72  “The use of olive oil for the anointing of the sick was in vogue in the Church of Jesus Christ of former days. James says: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, edited by Bruce R. McConkie, Vol. 3:, p. 182.)  This practice was changed to the Sacrament of the Extreme Unction, which was given “preparation to death.” (Paul Matthews, “Basic Errors of Catholicism,” (1952), p. 102.)

73 © 1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

74  The “monastic celibacy rule was extended to the rest of the non-monastic secular priesthood. Celibacy became officially universal in the West for secular as well as regular clergy after the second general Church Council... in 1139.” (Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History (2003), p. 28.)  Any concept of eternal marriage was abandoned and any male who received the “priesthood” was forbidden to marry.

75 “I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors.” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 327.)

76 “ And the angel of the Lord said unto me: 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, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.... And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. (1 Ne 13:24-27.)

77 “We neither need to nor should look later than the second century for these changes. By the early second century, Christianity had fragmented into dozens of splinter groups with each group charging that the other possessed both forged and corrupted texts.” (John Gee, “The Corruption of Scripture in Early Christianity,” in Noel B. Reynolds (ed.), Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy, pp. 163-164.)

78 “Tertullian was a lawyer who lived at the end of the second century. He was a prolific author and the first Christian father to write in Latin. Tertullian wrote against many of the Christian sects in his day.... He claimed there was ‘proof of the Gospel... having become meanwhile adulterated.’ Tertullian notes that a Christian sect of his day ‘does not receive certain Scriptures; and whichever of them it does receive, it perverts by means of additions and diminutions, for the accomplishment of it[s] own purpose; and such as it does receive, it receives not in their entirety; but even when it does receive any up to a certain point as entire, it nevertheless perverts even these by the contrivance of diverse interpretations.’ One of the sects that Tertullian deals with is that of Marcion, a Christian leader in the early second century who accepted Paul and a modified form of Luke, but rejected all other Christian scriptures. Tertullian specifically claims that ‘Marcion expressly and openly used the knife, not the pen, since he made such an excision of the Scriptures as suited his own subject- matter,’ and that ‘Marcion seems to have singled out Luke for his mutilating process.”

79 “Another sect that Tertullian writes about is the Valentinians, named after Valentinus, a mid-second century Christian leader who almost became bishop of Rome. Tertullian also claims that although Valentinus ‘seems to use the entire volume, he has none the less laid violent hands on the truth only with a more cunning mind and skill than Marcion,’ for although he ‘abstained from such excision, because he did not invent Scriptures to square with his own subject-matter, but adapted his matter to the Scriptures; and yet he took away more, and added more, by removing the proper meaning of every particular word, and adding fantastic arrangements of things which have no real existence.’” (John Gee, “The Corruption of Scripture in Early Christianity,” in Noel B. Reynolds (ed.), Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy, pp. 170-171.)

80 “Toward the end of the second century, a text attributed to Clement of Alexandria notes that the Carpocratians changed scripture to sanction their own homosexual and other immoral practices.” (John Gee, “The Corruption of Scripture in Early Christianity,” in Noel B. Reynolds (ed.), Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy, p. 183.)

81  Some of the “mistranslations of the Old Testament were more comic than important. One of the most curious was at Exodus 34, where the Hebrew describes Moses’ face as shining when he came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Jerome [Vulgate], mistaking particles of Hebrew, had turned this into a descriptions of Moses wearing a pair of horns – and so the Lawgiver is frequently depicted in the art of the Western Church, even after humanists had gleefully removed the horns from the text of Exodus.” (Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History (2003), p. 82.)  “And when Moses came down from the mount Sinai, he held the two tablets of the testimony, and he knew not that his face was horned from the conversation of the Lord.”

82

83 “It was as hard to determine by worldly wisdom which books should be included in the Bible as it is to gain, from that same uninspired source, a sure knowledge of the verity with which any given passage is translated. Those who compiled the books of the Bible were neither prophets nor seers nor revelators. They were simply men who made their choices, not by the power of the Spirit, but by the power of the intellect. Those books in the Bible that now is ours were chosen by a process of disagreement and debate, of contention, compromise, and confusion. Various councils approved different sets of books. Every prominent bishop and theologian of renown, down through the dark and dreary apostate centuries, had his own self- selected and self-approved books....

84 As now constituted, the Bible simply contains those portions of the divine word that survived the confusion of the centuries. Other books of equal worth are not there. Providentially, that which is now published, at least in the Protestant world, does have a general stamp of divine approval; in the main, and in substance and thought content, as far as it goes, it is true. Indeed, in the light of all that has transpired historically, it is a marvelous and wondrous thing to find the Bible as accurate and sound as it is. Truly, to the degree consistent with His providence, a divine hand has been over the preservation and translation of his holy word. (Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 406.)

85 Lutheranism and Protestantism

86

87 In the Fourteenth century, “John Wickliffe of Oxford University had boldly denounced the corruption of the Roman church and clergy, and particularly the restrictions imposed by the papal hierarchy on the popular study of the scriptures. Wickliffe gave to the world a version of the Holy Bible in English. These manifestations of independent belief and action the papal church sought to repress and punish by force.... Wickliffe was the subject of severe and persistent persecution; and though he died in his bed the vindictiveness of the Roman church was unsated until she had caused his body to be exhumed and burned and the ashes scattered abroad.... Though the church had become apostate to the core, there were not lacking men brave of heart and righteous of soul, ready to give their lives to the furtherance of spiritual emancipation.” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ (1981), pp. 749-750.)

88

89 The Reformation “began in Germany about 1517 when Martin Luther, a monk of the Augustinian order and an instructor in the University of Wittenberg, publicly opposed and strongly denounced Tetzel, the shameless agent of papal indulgences. Luther was conscientious in his conviction that the whole system of church penances and indulgences was contrary to scripture, reason, and right. In line with the academic custom of the day-to challenge discussion and debate on disputed questions-Luther wrote his famous ninety-five theses against the practice of granting indulgences, and a copy of these he nailed to the door of Wittenberg church, inviting criticism thereon from all scholars. The news spread, and the theses were discussed in all scholastic centers of Europe. Luther then attacked other practices and doctrines of the Roman church, and the pope, Leo X, issued a ‘Bull’ or papal decree against him, demanding an unconditional recantation on pain of excommunication from the Church. Luther publicly burned the pope’s document, and thus declared his open revolt. The sentence of excommunication was pronounced.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p.152)

90

91  Martin Luther “was not long left to fight single- handed. Among his able supporters was Phillip Melanchthon, a professor in Wittenberg.... The religious controversy spread throughout Europe.... John, Elector of Saxony, supported Luther in his opposition to papal authority, and undertook the establishment of an independent church, the constitution and plan of which were prepared at his instance by Luther and Melanchthon. Luther died in 1546, but the work of revolution, if not in truth reformation, continued to grow. The Protestants, however, soon became divided among themselves, and broke up into many contending sects.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p. 153.)

92

93 “ In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli led in the movement toward reform. He was accused of heresy, and when placed on trial, he defended himself on the authority of the Bible as against papal edict, and was for the time successful. The contest was bitter, and in 1531 the Catholics and Protestants of the region engaged in actual battle, in the which Zwingli was slain, and his body brutally mutilated.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, pp. 153-154.)

94

95 “John Calvin next appeared as the leader of the Swiss reformers, though he was an opponent of many of Zwingli’s doctrines. He exerted great influence as a teacher, and is known as an extremist in doctrine. He advocated and vehemently defended the tenet of absolute predestination, thus denying the free agency of man. In France, Sweden, Denmark, and Holland, leaders arose and the Protestants became strong in their opposition to the Roman Church, though the several divisions were antagonistic to one another on many points of doctrine. (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p. 154.)

96 While during “the Reformation, the zeal of the reformers led to many fallacies in the doctrines they advocated,... their ministry contributed to the awakening of individual conscience, and assisted in bringing about a measure of religious freedom of which the world had long been deprived.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p. 156.)

97 “At the time of Martin Luther’s revolt against the Church of Rome, Henry VIII reigned in England. In common with all other countries of western Europe, Britain was profoundly stirred by the reformation movement. The king openly defended the Catholic Church and published a book in opposition to Luther’s claims. This so pleased the pope, Leo X, that he conferred upon King Henry the distinguishing title, “Defender of the Faith.” This took place about 1522, and from that time to the present, British sovereigns have proudly borne the title.

98 “Within a few years after his accession to this title of distinction, we find King Henry among the bitterest enemies of the Roman Church, and the change came about in this wise. Henry desired a divorce from his wife, Queen Catherine, to give him freedom to marry Anne Boleyn. The pope hesitated in the matter of granting the divorce, and Henry, becoming impatient, disregarded the pope’s authority and secretly married Anne Boleyn. The pope thereupon excommunicated the king from the Church. The English parliament, following the king’s directions, passed the celebrated Act of Supremacy in 1534. This statute declared an absolute termination of all allegiance to papal authority, and proclaimed the king as supreme head of the Church in Britain. Thus originated the Church of England, without regard for or claim of divine authority, and without even a semblance of priestly succession.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p. 156-157.)

99 “During the reigns of Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, persecutions between Catholics and Protestants were extensive and violent. Several non- conformist sects arose, among them the Puritans and the Separatists. These were so persecuted that many of them fled to Holland as exiles. From among these came the notable colony of the Pilgrim Fathers, who crossed in the Mayflower to the shores of the then recently-discovered continent, and established themselves in America.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, p. 157.)

100 “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.

101 “For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to the 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....

102 “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.” (Joseph Smith History 1:5-9.)

103 Between the Savior’s resurrection and his appearance to the Nephites, there was a great darkness in the Americas. The description of this physical darkness is useful in understanding the spiritual darkness of the world at the beginning of the nineteenth century:

104 And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all; And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land. (3 Ne 8:20-22.)


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