Elsie, I don’t see Protestants around here attempting to their beliefs either. I have asked some very simple questions about the need for the Reformation and the use of the phrase “Great Apostasy” in Protestant writings and so far, nobody has attempted to respond to these simple questions, though some have attempted to distract one and all’s attention away from those simple questions.
Maybe you can help Elsie. You have shown to be knowledgeable in the gospel. Was the Reformation necessary and why was or wasn’t it?
If I can jump in, the answer to your question is very simple. Yes, there was a widespread general apostasy, no doubt partially based in the fact that access to the scriptures was much more limited than it is now, so there was a huge dependence on those who possessed copies and, presumably, the learning associated with them. Where teachers were corrupted, the impact was exponsntial. The apostasy was widespread and general, but never universal. The scriptures were twisted, abused, and ignored in many places. But they never vanished, and the world was never without authentic followers of Christ. This is the fundamental difference between the need for a Reformation vs. a Restoration.
And if I may address the notion of praying to God whether or not the Book of Mormon is true... This concept is an abuse of James 1:5 on two counts. First, it overlooks the first portion of the scripture: “If any of you lacks wisdom...” Notice how this is conditional and not universal. It conditions it upon whether or not someone lacks wisdom. I’ve personally gained much wisdom from the scriptures. Enough to recognize the Book of Mormon as a sham.
Secondly, if you ask God to tell you whether the Book of Mormon is true, you’re not following the second part of James 1:5. Wisdom is the ability to make wise decisions. It is not the decision itself. Solomon didn’t ask God which woman he should give the baby to. Because he had already asked God for wisdom, and received it, he was able to make the wise judgment that he did.
We are warned multiple times in the New Testament about false gospels, false christs and lying spirits. What makes you think that a lying spirit is incapable of giving you a “burning in the bosom” if you’re seeking one? In Vegas, this would be called a “rigged game.”
Nowhere does the Bible promise an internal feeling as a determination of truth. The fact that another verse is shanghaied from its context and applied that way does not trump all the other ways God has indicated that we can determine the truthfulness of something. You can’t categorically state with any honesty that the feeling you received when you prayed about the Book of Mormon is any different than the feeling a Nicheren Shoshu Buddhist feels after chanting for a half hour. You can’t climb into them and compare feelings. Feelings aren’t without value, and wonderful feelings certainly come from interaction with God, but the significance of our feelings is subject to scripture, not the other way around. Otherwise, any drunken binge would be prospectively a religious experience. Thankfully, God hasn’t left us to that.
The flip side of this is that, the moment you base your evaluation of truth on something you feel inside, you have just eliminated a portion of the greatest commandment, which includes loving God with all of our minds.
Sorry; but WE are NOT the ones playing defense here!
OUR 'church' was not started by an ignorant, 14 yo farmboy who listened to two PERSONAGES - creatures that fit PERFECTLY the Bibles description of Angels of Light.
IF you can get MORMONism over THAT hurdle; then get back to me.