Interesting to see you swirling in the backwater of lds claims of TOTAL apostasy, not complete 10, please keep focused. I've defined TOTAL in prior post. Remember, smith also said -
AII their creeds and professors (professors of their faith evangelists/preachers) were also wrong.
Not some, not most, not many but ALL - right in line with TOTAL. Please try to stay focused 10 and not parse words or even switch them in mid stream.
"The Christian expectation is apostasy at some point and restoration. That's the story of the Bible.
In Noah's day you had universal apostasy. Josiah experienced universal apostasy among his people. Jesus encountered it as well. By dictionary definition apostasy is An abandonment of what one has voluntarily professed; a total desertion or departure from one's faith, principles, or party; esp., the renunciation of a religious faith; as, Julian's apostasy from Christianity.
These definitions are important when trying to search out the truth. The LDS definition of apostasy is slightly different. The LDS definition of Apostasy is:
Latter-day Saints believe that apostasy occurs whenever an individual or community rejects the revelations and ordinances of God, changes the gospel of Jesus Christ, or rebels against the commandments of God, thereby losing the blessings of the Holy Ghost and of divine authority.
So you have four conditions that satisfy apostasy for the LDS:
1. Rejection of revelations of God
2. Rejection of the ordinances of God
3. Changes to the gospel of Jesus Christ
4. Rebellion against the commandments of God
#4 most certainly is always happening, but is it complete? Few Christians observe the Sabbath Day who would otherwise strictly adhere to the other Ten Commandments. The Trinity is another example of changes to the gospel of Jesus Christ
Let me continue my research and reading. I haven't finished reading History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: History of Joseph Smith the Prophet By Joseph Smith, B. H. Roberts.
I hadn't known this book was available until Szonian and you put me on to it and I was thrilled to find it online. I like going to the source and not just getting the opinions of men. Interpretations get filtered and all that.
I'm not going to read the whole thing for now, but just the chapter starting on page XL called Announcement of the Universal Apostasy "
On further research #1, #2 and #3 have also occurred.
The closing of scriptures is a refutation of further revelation from God. The Christian expectation should be the opposite. There isn't any Biblical passage that indicates revelation or scripture is closed.God is sovereign, not the Bible.
#2 is true. There are no ordinances without authority and most ordinances have been abandoned by "Christians".
#3 is a function of 1 & 2.
That's what B.H. Roberts spells out here: