Talking
about apostates is difficult. I don’t like to label people, especially when the
label is such an undesirable one. But, when it comes to helping our loved ones
and friends who are doubting, it is imperative to know how to identify apostates
and elude their spiritually damaging influence. Apostates, unfortunately, lose
a great portion of the Spirit, but they retain enough intellectual prowess to practice
sophistry. Their mesmeric murmurings can generate doubt in unsuspecting members.
So we need to talk enough about apostates to recognize them and their beguiling
reasoning and to help those who doubt to avoid succumbing to the invective they
disseminate.
We have
“apostates in our midst,” said the Prophet Joseph Smith, and “from apostates
the faithful have received the severest persecutions.”[1]
On another occasion, the Prophet taught, “Those who have associated with us and
made the greatest professions of friendship, have frequently been our greatest
enemies and our most determined foes.” He further explained, “if they became
unpopular, if their interest or dignity was touched, or if they were detected
in their iniquity, they were always the first to raise the hand of persecution,
to calumniate and vilify their brethren, and to seek the downfall and
destruction of their friends.”[2]
What
astounds me perhaps the most is seeing members of the Church who give credence
to apostates. I have watched with a sorrowed heart the tragic path of some who
persist in believing the teachings of a person who was excommunicated for
apostasy. You would think that this would be a sure sign to be wary of the
influence of the person so disciplined. But for some, it is not enough. We need
to alert our loved ones and friends who are doubting to the persuasive
influence of apostates.
How
Does One Become an Apostate?
Shortly after Joseph Smith arrived in Commerce, Illinois
(the city on the Mississippi River that would eventually be named Nauvoo), two
members of the Church, Daniel Tyler and Isaac Behunin, made a visit to the
Prophet at his residence. Brother Tyler gave the following account of the
visit:
“His [Joseph
Smith’s] persecutions were the topic of conversation. He repeated many false,
inconsistent and contradictory statements made by apostates, frightened members
of the Church and outsiders. He also told how most of the officials who would
fain have taken his life, when he was arrested, turned in his favor on forming
his acquaintance. He laid the burden of the blame on false brethren. …
“When the
Prophet had ended telling how he had been treated, Brother Behunin remarked:
‘If I should leave this Church I would not do as those men have done: I would
go to some remote place where Mormonism had never been heard of, settle down,
and no one would ever learn that I knew anything about it.’
“The great
Seer immediately replied: ‘Brother Behunin, you don’t know what you would do.
No doubt these men once thought as you do. Before you joined this Church you
stood on neutral ground. When the gospel was preached, good and evil were set
before you. You could choose either or neither. There were two opposite masters
inviting you to serve them. When you joined this Church you enlisted to serve
God. When you did that you left the neutral ground, and you never can get back
on to it. Should you forsake the Master you enlisted to serve, it will be by
the instigation of the evil one, and you will follow his dictation and be his
servant.’”[3]
It is sad but true that a man or woman can be enlightened
by the Spirit of God and know of the truthfulness of the gospel and the Church and
then can turn from that enlightened experience to fight against the Church and
its members. These are apostates. They develop grievances against the Church
and they seek damaging retribution by bad-mouthing the Church and creating doubt
and the spirit of apostasy in others.
Why
Can’t They Just Leave the Church Alone?
Many of the faithful who watch the activities of
apostates wonder why they would spend their time in such adverse endeavors.
“Why don’t they just leave the Church alone,” they question, “and go do
something more positive and constructive with their lives?!” As unreasonable as
it may seem to the faithful, apostates see their actions as justifiable.
Mormon, after recounting a brief history of some who had apostatized, made this
astute observation:
“And thus we can plainly discern, that after a
people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God and have had great
knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into
sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes
worse than though they had never known these things.”[4]
Their “state” of being, or their nature, changes. Still,
while they are “more hardened” than before, they cannot forget entirely the
feelings and the positive view of the Church they once had. Of this seemingly
strange yet lingering interest, Elder Neal L. Maxwell said, “Parenthetically,
why—really why—do the disbelievers who line that spacious building watch so
intently what the believers are doing? Surely there must be other things for
the scorners to do—unless, deep within their seeming disinterest, there is
interest.”[5]
It may not make sense to the faithful, but along with
their persistent interest, apostates have a need to make others believe as they
believe and feel as they feel. Just as the faithful want to convert others to
the true gospel of Jesus Christ, so apostates desire to convert others to their
way of thinking. The apostle Paul spoke of people among the members of his day who
taught “perverse things” in an effort to “draw away disciples after them.”[6]
Incidentally, the original Greek word for “perverse” actually means to distort
or misinterpret, perfectly describing the efforts of apostates. Paul also warned
the Galatian Saints of those that would trouble them by twisting the gospel of
Jesus Christ.[7]
We cannot underestimate the influence apostates can have
on those whose testimonies are nascent, weak, or damaged. Apostate sophistry
can even influence those who are walking the disciples’ path and who have
already tasted the satisfying fruit of the Tree of Life. Apostates devote an
enormous amount of energy to making members they once associated with feel
ashamed. Lehi saw the heartbreaking effect that apostate scoffers had on those
who stayed on the path, kept hold of the rod, and tasted of the indescribable fruit
of the tree. Tragically, “after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed,
because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell way into forbidden
paths and were lost.”[8]
Think
about that. They tasted of the fruit! They received the joyful blessings of the
atonement, felt the confirming witness and oft-times comforting Spirit of the
Lord, happily obeyed the commandments, and faithfully served in the Church.
Yet, they eventually left the reassuring shade of the tree, choosing instead to
follow forbidden paths and strange roads. Catastrophically, those roads led some people
to enter the great and spacious building only to become scoffers and scorners
themselves. The influence of apostates must not be dismissed or taken lightly.
They really can and really do affect the lives of our children, grandchildren,
friends, and associates by planting the germinating seeds of doubt.
The
Effect of Losing the Spirit
The path
to becoming an apostate is usually gradual and almost imperceptible to the
individual. The apprentice apostate usually begins by discovering something they
perceive to be wrong with the Church or its leaders. Before long, they stop
reading the scriptures for divine nourishment and stop listening to the prophet
and the apostles for spiritual guidance. Their prayers become fatally few and
far between. They unwittingly remove themselves from the source of truth and
light—the Holy Ghost. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf described the result of this
steady withdrawal:
“If we remove ourselves
from the light of the gospel, our own light begins to dim—not in a day or a
week but gradually over time—until we look back and can’t quite understand why
we had ever believed the gospel was true. Our previous knowledge might even
seem foolish to us because what once was so clear has again become blurred,
hazy, and distant.”[9]
Alma
pointedly taught Zeezrom, a man with apostate notions who caused trouble among
Church members in his day, “they that will harden their hearts, to them is
given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his
mysteries.”[10]
President Joseph Fielding Smith confirmed this blurring effect of losing the
Spirit, “A man may receive manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and then he may
sin and the Spirit withdraws. He is left to himself, and he will forget, to a
very large extent, the things he learned before.”[11]
Clouded
reasoning, resulting from a loss of the Spirit, is one phenomenon that can lead
Church members into apostasy. Another one is for members to find themselves
unable to defend a doctrine or a historical event, or to sustain a prophetic
stance on contemporary moral or social issues. The lack of ability to see the
“why” behind official Church statements can make us pessimistic, and even
antagonistic. George MacDonald, the influential 19th-century
Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister concluded, “it is often incapacity for
defending the faith they love which turns men into persecutors.”[12]
Apostates
don’t usually see themselves as apostates, but rather as faithful members who
found something wrong in the kingdom. And when they try to correct that wrong
by getting others to see things as they do, they feel castigated and criticized
by the faithful. They become very much like Laman and Lemuel who were
constantly parading in public the idea that they were “wronged in the
wilderness” and deprived of their rights.[13]
Discerning
Apostates
The
Prophet Joseph Smith taught us in clear terms how to discern an apostate: “That
man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that
they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly,
that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will
apostatize, as God lives.”[14]
During
the summer of 2014, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
at least those in America, experienced first-hand what Joseph Smith described.
A group of people, many of them members of the Church, led marches and protests
against the Church to persuade its leaders to ordain women to the priesthood.
At least one was excommunicated for her actions. On June 28, 2014, the Council
of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles felt to clarify what
constituted apostasy and what did not by releasing the following statement:
“We understand that from time to time Church
members will have questions about Church doctrine, history, or practice.
Members are always free to ask such questions and earnestly seek greater understanding.
We feel special concern, however, for members who distance themselves from
Church doctrine or practice and, by advocacy, encourage others to follow them.
Simply asking questions has never constituted
apostasy. Apostasy is repeatedly acting in clear, open, and deliberate public
opposition to the Church or its faithful leaders, or persisting, after
receiving counsel, in teaching false doctrine.”[15]
Because
apostates have been relatively prevalent throughout the Church’s history,
Church leaders have found it necessary to characterize their behavior in order to
help others identify them and avoid their beguiling rhetoric. While this recent
statement may be sufficient, perhaps the most comprehensive statement on
apostates was printed in the Deseret News in 1869.[16]
A friend came to us this morning to question us
respecting our views concerning apostasy. He wished to know whether we had said
that we considered an honest difference of opinion between a member of the
Church and the authorities of the Church was apostasy, as he said, we had been
credited with having made a statement to this effect. We replied that we had
not stated that an honest difference of opinion between a member of the Church
and the authorities constituted apostasy; for we could conceive of a man
honestly differing in opinion from the authorities of the Church and yet not be
an apostate; but we could not conceive of a man publishing those differences of
opinion, and seeking by arguments, sophistry and special pleading to enforce
upon the people to produce division and strife, and to place the acts and
counsels of the authorities of the Church, if possible, in a wrong light, and
not be an apostate, for such conduct was apostasy as we understood the term. We
further said that while a man might honestly differ in opinion from the
authorities through a want of understanding, he had to be exceedingly careful
how he acted in relation to such differences, or the adversary would take
advantage of him, and he would soon become imbued with the spirit of apostasy,
and be found fighting against God and the authority which He had placed here to
govern His Church.[17]
It
is clear from this part of the statement that members can have an honest
difference of opinion with the authorities of the Church without being an
apostate. However, when we see someone publishing their contrary opinions, seeking
to persuade others to believe in their opinion, causing division and strife, or
placing Church leader’s opinion in a bad light, we can know they are in a state
of apostasy.
Apostate
behaviors diminish the influence of the Holy Ghost, making us more susceptible
to Satan’s subterfuge. Our loved ones and friends who are experiencing doubt
need to know these things so they can avoid being influenced by people who
suffer from apostasy.
Among the things that put our feet
on the path to apostasy, two are most common—immoral behavior and speaking
against Church authorities. “Experience has proved,” the 1869 article states, “that
the indulgence in whoredom, adultery and lust is fatal to faith in the Gospel.
This practice is so antagonistic to the spirit of the gospel that the two
cannot coexist in the same individual. Experience has also proved that opposing
or speaking against the priesthood or the authority which God has placed in His
Church to govern it, is inevitably followed, sooner or later, by a loss of
faith and by complete apostasy.”[18]
Another common trait to be aware of
is the tendency of apostates to claim they were severed from the Church without
any good reason—that they were and still are righteous, faithful members.
We know that there scarcely ever was a prominent
individual cut off from the Church that did not make the assertion that he was
expelled without a cause. Such persons…have always been—if there statements
were to be believed—exceedingly righteous. They were not wrong; oh, no; it was
Joseph, or it was somebody else that had erred and was in the dark and had
fallen.
Frequently they have continued to assert that
they were as strong believers in the doctrines of the Church as they ever were,
that they knew them to be true; but the authorities were wrong; the man who had
held the keys had transgressed and was in the dark.[19]
Once people apostatize, according to
the 1869 statement, they are joined and supported by like-minded individuals
who may be apostates themselves or may be sympathizers of apostate causes
against the Church.
Another evidence is that when men drink into
that spirit they immediately become very popular among the wicked. Those who
sought the overthrow of the Church and the destruction of Joseph in the
neighborhood of Kirtland, Far West and Nauvoo, rejoiced when they heard of men
apostatizing and proving false to him. While they were faithful and true the
wicked hated them as they did him; but no sooner did they commence to operate
against him, than they became the warm friends of this class and were welcomed
to their society. This is a result which has never failed in cases of apostasy.[20]
I am
grateful for descriptions like these. Apostates, though few in number, can
cause a great deal of confusion and doubt within the Church. Knowing these
kinds of details helps us clearly discern apostates. In my lifetime, I have
seen the almost constant need in the Church to be reminded of these things. We
may need to alert our doubting associates of this detailed description of
apostates if their doubt stems from apostates’ teachings and influence.
Avoid
Apostasy by Following the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
When
the First President and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles make official statements
on issues in our contemporary society, they don’t do so without careful
thought. Because they know the effect their statements can have on Church
members, and because they take great care in research, reasoning, and
revelation before they release an official Church statement, we can be more
willing to receive their statements. At a time in Church history when some
opposed the Church’s position on the Equal Rights Amendment, the First
Presidency taught:
Members who choose not to follow the counsel of
the First Presidency are completely free to do so. There is no civil or
criminal penalty for religious disagreement, but there is surely a spiritual
loss for the individual.
Recognizing the significance of its counsel to
Church members, the First Presidency is extremely careful in taking stands on
any matter affecting the lives of members.[21]
Speaking
of the prophets and apostles, Elder M. Russell Ballard declared, “We will not
and … cannot lead [you] astray…Never follow those who think they know more
about how to administer the affairs of the Church than … Heavenly Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ do” through the priesthood leaders who have the keys to
preside. I have discovered in my ministry that those who have become lost [and]
confused are typically those who have most often … forgotten that when the
First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve speak with a united voice, it is
the voice of the Lord for that time.[22]
Besides
the fact that they will never lead us astray, Elder Ballard offered another
reason to readily accept the counsels and admonitions of prophets, seers, and
revelators:
I have heard that some people think the Church
leaders live in a “bubble.” What they forget is that we are men and women of
experience, and we have lived our lives in so many places and worked with many
people from different backgrounds. Our current assignments literally take us
around the globe, where we meet the political, religious, business, and
humanitarian leaders of the world. Although we have visited [leaders in] the
White House in Washington, D.C., and leaders of nations [and religions]
throughout the world, we have also visited the most humble [families and
people] on earth.
…When you thoughtfully consider our lives and
ministry, you will most likely agree that we see and experience the world in
ways few others do. You will realize that we live less in a ‘bubble’ than most
people.
…There is something about the individual and
combined wisdom of the [Church leaders] that should provide some comfort. We
have experienced it all, including the consequences of different public laws
and policies, disappointments, tragedies, and deaths in our own families. We
are not out of touch with your lives.[23]
Following
the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is always a good thing.
Not only do they have an impressive cumulative resume, but they also possess
the keys to spiritual knowledge and salvation. They won’t lead us astray and
they will point out the pitfalls that beguile the world.
As
a final note of observation, I have found, generally speaking, that apostates
are most prevalent among the proud who are learned, scholarly, or educated. In
Jesus’ day, the “common people heard him gladly,”[24]
while the more educated and societally sophisticated resisted the Savior’s
teachings.
The
learned are more prone to succumb to what the Prophet Joseph Smith referred to
as “the prejudice of education.”[25]
Somehow, in the process of becoming educated, and honing the gift of intellect
given to them by God, they allow their educated intellect to supersede their
faith. They believe they have evolved to a higher, more developed way of
thinking. They bolster their pseudo-comfort by making others feel less
intellectually developed. Long, long ago, Jacob insightfully described the
prejudice of education, “O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness
of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not
unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves.”
He concluded his perceptive insight by saying, “wherefore, their wisdom is
foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.”[26]
There
are among us now a few individuals who masquerade as members of the Church but
whose thinking is apostate. They use blogs, Facebook, and other social media
outlets to make what they believe are clever comments that are derogatory toward
the Church or the Brethren. Their feigned membership vaguely hides their
apostate character. They are good at creating doubt with fallacious
intellectual argument. We would do well to abide by Paul’s counsel to the
Corinthian Saints, “Be not deceived,” for their “evil communications corrupt
good manners.”[27]
Therefore we must learn to discern apostates and help our loved ones and
friends who are doubting to do the same.
[1] Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph Smith, [2007], 317, 321; History
of the Church, 2:487–488, 223.
[2] Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph Smith [2007], 322; see also History
of the Church, 2:23.
[3] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 324;
see also Juvenile Instructor, August
15, 1892, pp. 491–492.
[4] Alma 24:30; see also Alma 47:36,
Alma 48:24, and Matthew 12:45.
[5] Neal A. Maxwell, BYU
Devotional Address, October 10, 1978.
[6] Acts 20:30.
[7] Galatians 1:6–7.
[8] 1 Nephi 8:28.
[9] “Receiving a Testimony
of Light and Truth,” Ensign, November
2014, p. 22.
[10] Alma
12:11; see also Alma 32:38–39.
[11] Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, pp. 44-45.
[12] Anthology, New York; Macmillan, 1941, p.
121; quoted by Neal A. Maxwell in “Discipleship and Scholarship,” Educating Zion, ed. John W. Welch and
Don E. Norton, 1996, pp.. 198-203.
[13]
Mosiah 10:12.
[14] Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph Smith, [2007], 318; see also History
of the Church, 3:385.
[16] Deseret News, Wednesday, November 3, 1869, p. 457 (George Q. Cannon
was the editor at the time).
[17]
Ibid.
[18]
Ibid.
[19]
Ibid.
[20]
Ibid.
[21] “The
Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue,” a pamphlet
included in the March 1980 Ensign, p.
20.
[22] “Stay
in the Boat and Hold On!” Ensign,
November 2014, p. 90.
[23] “Be Still, and Know That I Am God” (Church Educational System
devotional, May 4, 2014); lds.org/broadcasts; see also “Stay in the
Boat and Hold On!” Ensign, November
2014, p. 90.
[24] Mark
12:37.
[25]
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 155.
[26] 2
Nephi 9:28.
[27] 1 Corinthians 15:33.
