Does the world owe a debt of gratitude to all the Lord’s prophets throughout history? Of course.
Most recently, the prophet Joseph Smith. He was the prophet of the restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church.
This question may be too difficult for you to answer, but here goes: How many High Priests held the office of High Priest at any one given time in Judaism? And an ancillary query: What ended a High Priest’s hold on the office?
“Hinckley bells, Hinckley bells, Hinckley all the way....”
BTW, the Mormon Santa has no sleigh, just a handcart.
;^)
(Which, of course, assumes that the original church of Jesus Christ was totally "lost..." ...to apostasy.)
How did the Mormon "restoration" come to be so closely linked with so-called complete Christian apostasy?
(1) No "restoration" can occur minus the complete loss of the original church. (The Mormon founder needed to take a scorched-earth approach to Christians, otherwise he -- and his restoration -- was 100% superflous. Either he was unnecessary, or the Christian church was...so Smith chose the Christian church to be! He essentially tossed all Christians into one gigantic graveyard, and tried to erect a new religion on top of it.
(2) Let's face it, if Smith's "diagnosis" of Christians was wrong, that all did NOT commit apostasy, then no need existed for him or his restoration-from-scratch.
[Even all the Lds Bible verses they come up with on the apostasy...
(a) proves it wasn't to be "universal";
and (b) actually contradicts it...verses like Eph. 3:21 and 1 Tim. 4:1]
Joseph Smith's 'Graveyard' Narrative About the Historic Christian Church
The LDS church long ago dug a gigantic graveyard for Christianity and told us, "Jump in!"
(Hey, Jim Jones used "koolaid" for over 700 bodies...Joseph Smith tried a "vision" for billions of Christians who have lived since the 2nd century)
How many of you all have played the game Jenga @ Christmas? (You have to remove a block without the whole structure crashing)
Well, in Mormonism, if you remove the 100% apostasy of the Christian church for say, 15-17 centuries, then guess what? There's absolutely no need for a restoration! (The very existence as a "restoration" church would be 100% pointless).
That's why Mormons are 100% invested in the 100% downfall of the historic Christian church!
* Their very purpose for existence is built upon the foundation that Christendom went 100% AWOL.
* Their very door-to-door & written-word foundation is erected upon convincing the world that we're all apostates.
So how is that anything different than Muslims accusing Christians of being "infidels?"
Maybe, just maybe if Mormons could cite any Biblical verse which talks about a total apostasy…they could let the authority ride upon that verse and let that verse speak for itself & that would be that. But, no…LDS leaders have to try, by hook and by crook, to piece together a tangled web to try to reach a conclusion the Bible itself never reaches. LDS introduce its grand straw man.
Mormons seem to have HUGE problems delineating between the qualifiers of...
...“Partial” and “complete”—
...Between “localized” and “universal.”
(What? When your Mom told you that you could have a “piece” of pie, you ate the whole thing because you thought "piece" = devouring its entirety?)
Why do LDS have to conclude that apostasy is ALWAYS an all-or-nothing interpretation?
Well, again, see above: LDS, knowing their weakest foundation is to build a grave for all of Christianity and then have the utter gall to try to build its church on a tombstone it’s created for us is the ultimate “Scripture snipping” job I’ve ever seen.
But “we” understand. Hey, as the LDS leader overwhelmingly elected by Utah Mormon voters but who got booted from Congress before serving (Brigham Roberts) said: "Nothing less than a complete apostasy from the Christian religion would warrant the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Introduction to the History of the Church 1:XL).
So...we all see the sheer desperation of the Mormon church:
No total apostasy, no need for a “restoration.”
No graveyard of Christianity, no “restoration.”
Hence, note the grand “straw men” of Lds "apostle" James Talmage:
2. Evidence that the apostasy occurred as had been predicted is found in the sacred scriptures and in the records of history other than scriptural. From certain utterances of the early-day apostles it is made plain to us that the great "falling away" had begun even while those apostles were living.
(Oh, yeah, we “get it.” LDS believe & teach the following judgmentalism upon all souls living in the following centuries: 5th century: No REAL Christians in an authorityless Christian Church 6th century: No REAL Christians in the authorityless Christian Church 7th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 8th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 9th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 10th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 11th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 12th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 13th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 14th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 15th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 16th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 17th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 18th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church 19th century: No REAL Christians in the Christian Church...
--at least, not until 14 year old glass looker, treasure-seeker Joe Smith came along.)
Lynn is a wife, mother, grandmother, scholar, and author with a doctorate in education. In her 11 years as a professor and researcher, and 20 years as a teacher, she has mentored thousands of students and has produced more than 50 scholarly publications. Her sphere of research is how to advance the academic and social-emotional success of “marginalized” students. Indeed, this very interest led her to question Mormonism. Once tenured faculty at BYU, Dr. Wilder left in 2008 when she experienced a crisis of faith.
http://www.exmormonscholarstestify.org/lynn-wilder.html
Does the world owe a debt of gratitude to all the Lord’s prophets throughout history?
______________________________________
Of course not...
all they were doing was obeying God like good servants...
The one we are to be thankful to is the LORD Jesus Christ...
the One who died on the Cross to save us...
God come in the flesh...
It got 'restored' AGAIN???
9And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.