“Are you going to seriously suggest that Christ was asking the Father to turn all his followers into a single being of one substance having several personages?”
of course not, and context is everything.
This was Christ’s prayer that his followers be united in faith after his departure.
He was comparing the unity that the trinity shares to the unity of faith in the Church. That is why He said he would send the paraclete after he went to the Father.
If I am to believe the mormon missionaries - this prayer of Christ was denied. The apostles must have been so incompetent? So lazy? such poor instructors, that the faith didn’t even survive one century.
“Apostolic authority was gone when the apostles were gone”
This simply is not true.
“Polycarp and those that came after were not apostles and hence had no authority to lead the church or receive revelation for the church.”
Again. Not true.
The apostles selected successors. The apostles traveled extensively and founded many churches.
They converted many - gentiles and jews to the faith and their disciples proceeded in the task of spreading the gospel.
These are the brave christians who were terribly persecuted by the bloodthirsty Roman emperors.
It is a shame their martyrdom and witness to the gospel would be denied.
“We do not recognize them as authoritative sources of doctrine although what they wrote has historical interest as you can see in their writings over the centuries the gradual changes that took place as the church slowly fell into apostacy.”
I much prefer the writings of early christians as providing reliable information regarding Christ, as compared to an 18th century glass-looker with a stone in his hat.
The mormon missionaries did not say the church “slowly” fell into apostasy.
They said it was dead and gone upon the death of the last apostle.
The books of scripture were not decided upon until long after that.
I am wondering why you have any regard whatsoever for the new testament.
“of course not, and context is everything.
This was Christ’s prayer that his followers be united in faith after his departure.”
He prayed that they be one JUST AS HE AND THE FATHER ARE ONE. The context clearly demonstrates that Christ was using his oneness with the Father as the model for the oneness that he wanted to exist among his followers. Christ and the Father of of one heart, one mind, one purpose etc. etc. They are not ‘one being’.
“If I am to believe the mormon missionaries - this prayer of Christ was denied. The apostles must have been so incompetent? So lazy? such poor instructors, that the faith ddn’t even survive one century.”
People have their freedom to choose and the poor choices of one person are not the fault of anyone else. Do you take Judas’ betrayal as a sign that Christ was deficient somehow? Do you think that only bad parents have kids that go astray? How about you try praying the every Mormon in the world convert to your church, do you think that will override our freedom to choose for ourselves?
““Apostolic authority was gone when the apostles were gone”
This simply is not true.”
Someone who has apostolic authority is an apostle.
““Polycarp and those that came after were not apostles and hence had no authority to lead the church or receive revelation for the church.”
Again. Not true.”
And you base your claim on what exactly? Did Polycarp claim to be an apostle? Did he assert that he had the right to receive revelation on behalf of the whole church? Did he claim to have received any such revelation? If so why is not in the NT?
“The apostles selected successors.”
Yes, men like Paul who where then ordained as apostles.
“The mormon missionaries did not say the church “slowly” fell into apostasy.
They said it was dead and gone upon the death of the last apostle.”
They oversimplified things. The loss of apostolic authority is certainly a defining event in the apostacy and it did effectively sunder the church from God but the church began falling away before the apostles were all gone. Much of the NT records the efforts of the apostles to combat the growing apostacy taking hold, and even after they were gone the remaining organization strayed further and further away from the truth. Given what is going on in some Protestant faiths, I think it is still going on in some places.
“I am wondering why you have any regard whatsoever for the new testament.”
Because they were written by apostles and prophets of God.