THE APOSTASY OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF …

THE APOSTASY OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST

OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

By: Curtis R. Porritt



"If I said what's on my mind, You'd turn and walk away, Disappearing way back in your dreams. It's so hard to be unkind,

So easy just to say That everything is just the way it seems."

From the song, "A Man I'll ever Be" by Boston

Curtis R. Porritt

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOME COUNSEL TO THE READER .......................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 1 THE PROBLEM ............................................................................................................................. 4 THE APOSTASY OF THE LDS CHURCH ................................................................................ 10

Acknowledgments Of Apostasy Within The LDS Church ....................................................... 10 Becoming Popular ..................................................................................................................... 17 Prophecies About Salt Lake City .............................................................................................. 20 Scriptural Prophecies About The Latter-Day Apostasy............................................................ 21 Changes To The Temple Ordinances ........................................................................................ 25 Celestial Marriage ..................................................................................................................... 29 The Leadership Of The Church................................................................................................. 36 Holy Men That Ye Know Not Of.............................................................................................. 43 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 46 IS THE LDS CHURCH STILL TRUE? ....................................................................................... 49 What Does "Apostasy" Mean?.................................................................................................. 49 The Four Main Areas Of Apostasy ........................................................................................... 52 The Calamities Will Begin Upon The Lord's House................................................................ 61 John Taylor's Vision ................................................................................................................. 63 The Church Will Be Set In Order ............................................................................................. 65 The Priesthood Restored For The Last Time ............................................................................ 67 What About President Benson?................................................................................................. 74 What Constitutes A Prophet? .................................................................................................... 76 WHAT SHOULD WE DO?.......................................................................................................... 88 Dealing With Local Leaders ..................................................................................................... 89 They Who Sit In Moses' Seat ................................................................................................... 93 To Whom Shall We Go? ........................................................................................................... 96 Who Are The Real Apostates? .................................................................................................. 99 Rules Of Thumb For Ultra-Mormons ..................................................................................... 104 A Plea For More Revelation.................................................................................................... 106 FINAL THOUGHTS AND TESTIMONY................................................................................. 110 Spiritual Experiences............................................................................................................... 112 Rational Explanations ............................................................................................................. 113 Moral Principles ...................................................................................................................... 114

Curtis R. Porritt

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SOME COUNSEL TO THE READER

This manuscript discusses some very difficult issues. It is not intended for non-Mormons. Nor is it intended for those who's faith is weak or who are not well versed in the doctrines, history, and/or practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I feel it is important that a foundation of faith and knowledge exists before a person attempts a study such as this one. Without such a foundation, the discussion which follows may do more damage than good to a person as far as building faith and promoting righteousness are concerned. I encourage all who receive a copy of this manuscript to use wisdom before sharing it with others - always keeping in mind the welfare and best interests of those with whom you share it.

Joseph Smith once said,

I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen. (TPJS Pg.331)

It has been my experience that even among the most active and faithful Mormons, we will find those who have great difficulty with some of the issues that follow. Please know that it is my intent to learn truth and to promote Zion, not to deceive or destroy. If there are false teachings found within these pages, which there probably are, I would encourage the reader to judge the teachings, rather than the author. If there are offensive but true teachings found within this manuscript, I would encourage the reader to prayerfully judge themselves in relation to those teachings, rather than judging God, his gospel, or his servants. I feel this is important to keep in mind as we proceed.

INTRODUCTION

There are at least three types of "Mormons." I refer to these three types as anti-Mormons, social Mormons, and ultra-Mormons.

Everybody is familiar with anti-Mormons. These are people who claim to know more about Mormonism than most others. Some tend to pride themselves on knowing the "deep dark secrets" of LDS history and doctrine. Yet, for whatever reason, they have come to view it all from a rather negative perspective. Other anti-Mormons don't know much at all about LDS history or doctrine. They have simply had a bad experience with the church or it's leaders. Most anti-Mormons have one thing in common: seldom do they say anything positive about the LDS church or its doctrine. They tend to view the whole of it as negative, hypocritical, and false. They often believe that no good thing could ever come from any part of Mormonism. They have

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the uncanny ability to find something wrong with aspects of the church that are obviously praiseworthy and tend to criticize even the most innocent and positive remarks made by leaders of the church. Anti-Mormons generally claim that both social Mormons and ultra-Mormons are misled, naive, and uninformed. Yet, for some reason, many anti-Mormons find it difficult to leave Mormonism alone. They often refuse to leave quietly or let well enough alone. It is not enough for some anti-Mormons to simply reject Mormonism and leave it behind. For some reason, they feel they must attack it. They often seem to feel somewhat "duty bound" to correct others or justify their own views and conclusions regarding Mormonism.

The social Mormons, on the other hand, are those who are basically the rank and file members of the church. They are, in some ways, the opposite of the anti-Mormons. These are the devout church goers who tend to doubt no portion of the restored gospel or the church itself, whether they understand it or not. In word, social Mormons accept literally all of the leaders of the church, both past and present, without question or debate. Yet, in common study, conversation, and practice, social Mormons tend to appreciate the modern leaders of the church more than the early leaders, especially Brigham Young. Social Mormons are generally unable to successfully combat anti-Mormons. For the most part, social Mormons don't have the knowledge, or even the interest, to do so. They all but ignore the anti-Mormons and are usually content to remain active in the church without ever really gaining an understanding of the higher doctrines or difficult issues involved with Mormonism. Social Mormons usually have testimonies of the restored gospel, but may not fully understand or appreciate the source or content of their testimonies. Often, social Mormons can be accurately described as having "zeal without knowledge" or as accepting without question or understanding. Social Mormons may also include those who are simply inactive in the church - not because they know something, but more often because they don't.

Ultra-Mormons are a unique group of people whose numbers seem to have grown dramatically in recent years. Because of their diversity, they are a little more difficult to define. In general, ultra-Mormons are those who have spent a good deal of time thinking about the hard questions of Mormonism but who continue to have a strong testimony of Joseph Smith and the restored gospel. They've dealt with most of the difficult issues and are generally aware of the arguments of the anti-Mormons, both historical and doctrinal. In fact, ultra-Mormons even view some of the anti-Mormon arguments as further evidence that the restored gospel is true. Much of what is considered to be a negative by both the antis and the socials, such as plural marriage, Adam-God, or the united order, is often sweet to the taste of an ultra-Mormon. Ultra-Mormons also tend to have more appreciation for the early leaders of the church, especially Brigham Young, than they do for the modern leaders. Often frustrated by "modern Mormonism" in general, ultra-Mormons are not always active members of the LDS church. Some are even members of various LDS fundamentalist groups, while others have either been excommunicated for "apostasy" or have drifted away from the church on their own accord. Yet, there are numerous, active, church-going ultra-Mormons, many of whom are unknown to the general population of the church. This is often by design because of fear that they will be kicked out if their views are ever discovered. Some of these active ultra-Mormons are viewed as trouble-makers by the social Mormons because they continually bring up difficult issues or "off the wall" comments in Sunday School, Relief Society, and/or Priesthood meeting. Due to their love for and knowledge of the restored

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