I came across the above video in which Jeff Durbin, of Apologia Studios, finds fault with comments made by Jacob Hansen, of Thoughtful Faith channel, regarding the LDS doctrine of the Apostasy of the early Christian church; which resulted eventually in the restoration of the gospel, the restoration of God’s true Church, through the prophet Joseph Smith in 1830, known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jacob Hansen’s argument is that the LDS doctrine of the Apostasy does not mean that all Christians lost their faith, and that there were no more true, faithful, believing Christians left in the world who had a saving faith in Jesus Christ. It relates to the loss of the priesthood, prophetic, and Apostolic authority of the original church, which was lost, and needed to be restored. That is his point, with which Jeff Durbin (anti-Mormon), and David Alexander (LDS) disagree! Their main argument starts at around 17:33 minutes into the video, starting with Jeff Durbin’s remarks; followed by his quotes from David Alexander, agreeing with Jeff Durbin on those points.
I am not a fan of Jacob Hansen, nor of David Alexander (and certainly not of Jeff Durbin!). But I am going to have to agree with Jacob Hansen on this point. The LDS doctrine of the Apostasy of the early Christian Church does not mean that all Christians lost their faith, and there were no more true, faithful, believing Christians left in the world who had a saving faith in Jesus Christ. That is not what LDS scripture teaches, neither did Joseph Smith teach such a doctrine, nor is it the official position of the LDS Church. The Book of Mormon teaches that in the last days, God is going to restore his true Church and religion among the Gentiles, rather than among the house of Israel, because the Gentiles believe in him, and the house of Israel don’t:
3 Nephi 16:
6 And blessed are the Gentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which witnesses unto them of me and of the Father.
7 Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the latter day shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fulness of these things shall be made known unto them.
8 But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;
Doctrine and Covenants 10:
53 And for this cause have I said: If this generation [of Gentiles] harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them.
54 Now I do not say this to destroy my church [which already exists among the Gentiles]; but I say this to build up my church [which already exists among the Gentiles];
55 Therefore, whosoever belongeth to my church [which already exists among the Gentiles] need not fear, for such shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.
56 But it is they who do not fear me, neither keep my commandments but build up churches unto themselves to get gain [e.g. Jeff Durbin and the like], yea, and all those that do wickedly and build up the kingdom of the devil—yea, verily, verily I say unto you, that it is they that I will disturb, and cause to tremble, and shake to the center.
57 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not.
58 I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.
59 I am he who said—Other sheep have I which are not of this fold—unto my disciples, and many there were that understood me not.
60 And I will show unto this people that I had other sheep [i.e. the people of the Book of Mormon], and that they were a branch of the house of Jacob;
61 And I will bring to light their marvelous works, which they did in my name;
62 Yea, and I will also bring to light my gospel which was ministered unto them, and, behold, they shall not deny that which you have received [i.e. the gospel which already existed among the Gentiles], but they shall build it up [i.e. the gospel which already existed among the Gentiles], and shall bring to light the true points of my doctrine, yea, and the only doctrine which is in me.
We also have this interesting quote from another revelation received by the prophet Joseph Smith:
Doctrine and Covenants 137:
7 Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.
10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.
The only thing that needs to be added here is that when young Joseph Smith went into the woods to ask God which church was right, and which one to join, he was referring specifically to the churches belonging to those Protestant teachers and preachers who had created the “religious excitement” in the region where he lived, that he speaks of, who had excited his interest and inquiry; he was not referring to every single Christian church or religion on the planet, as it is often portrayed. Similarly, when God condemns the teachers, preachers, and ministers of religion that he speaks of in that vision, he was referring to the same phenomenon. He was referring specifically to the Protestant teachers, preachers, and ministers of religion that Joseph Smith had encountered, who had created the “religious excitement” that he speaks of, in the region where he lived at the time; he was not referring to every Christian teacher, preacher, and minister of religion on the planet, as it is often portrayed. Here is the quote of what God actually said to Joseph Smith:
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors [of religion] were all corrupt; that they “draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
And likewise when the “creeds” of the churches are condemned in the same vision, it is referring specifically to the Protestant creeds and confessions of those teachers, preachers, and ministers of religion. It is not referring to every creed in Christendom, such as the early Christian creeds of Nicaea and Contantinople for example. After the Protestant Reformation, the Protestant churches had created for themselves a wide range of creeds and confessions to distinguish themselves from the Catholic, as well as other Protestant churches; and that is what God was referring to.
