Author's Note: Dallin H. Oaks writes: "For purposes of church discipline, the Church currently defines apostasy as (1) repeatedly acting in clear, open, and deliberate public opposition to the Church or its leaders; (2) persisting in teaching as church doctrine information that is not church doctrine, after being corrected by one's bishop or higher authority; or (3) continuing to follow the teachings of apostate cults (such as those that advocate plural marriage) after being corrected by one's bishop or higher authority. Total inactivity in the Church or merely attending another church does not constitute apostasy." (The Lord's Way, p. 247)
028. Apostasy involves teaching or practicing false doctrine; having an apostate opinion, and either practicing or preaching it (after being corrected by one's bishop or higher authority) is apostasy.
A man who does not believe in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ . . . who denies that truth and who persists in his unbelief is not worthy of membership in the Church. He may be considered harmless and of no great danger to others, particularly, as long as he keeps his mouth shut and does not advocate his pernicious doctrines, and be permitted to remain a member of the Church; but the moment you find him trying to poison the minds of somebody else—the innocent, the unsuspecting, the unwary—trying to sow the seeds of death and apostasy and unbelief and infidelity in the minds of innocent people, that moment it becomes the duty of the bishop of the ward where the man resides to take him up and try him. . . . Let him be cut off; let him go his way; but let it be understood that it is because of his unbelief, his unrepentance, his unwillingness to hearken to the law of God and to the right of the presidency in the Holy Priesthood of the Church. (To Saints of Parowan Stake, Sept. 13, 1917) MOFP5:83; IE1917Nov:7,11
Every man that teaches holds a great responsibility, and he that teaches error and leads men from the path of truth is committing one of the greatest crimes that it is possible for man to commit. If he, through his teachings, is presenting false doctrine, and leading men astray from that which is eternal truth, away from the kingdom of God, he is taking upon himself a grave responsibility for which he will have to answer at the judgment seat of God.
The Lord said in one of the early revelations before the organization of the Church that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. Then he said if a man should labor all his days and convert but one soul, he should have great joy in the kingdom of our Father, and if he should convert many souls, then much greater would be that joy. Reversing the picture, he who blinds one soul, he who spreads error, he who destroys, through his teachings, divine truth, truth that would lead a man to the kingdom of God and to its fulness, how great shall be his condemnation and his punishment in eternity. For the destruction of a soul is the destruction of the greatest thing that has ever been created. . . .
No matter what you teach, if it is not of God, it is darkness. And eventually, no matter how well it may be received, it must come to an end. (Take Heed to Yourselves pp. 190-91) TLDP:668
Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.
10. And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.
11. Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted. . . .
15. O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell (Nephi foretells of the last days and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 28:9-11,15
For any Latter-day Saint psychologist, chemist, physicist, geologist, archeologist, or any other scientist to explain away, or misinterpret, or evade or elude, or most of all, to repudiate or to deny, the great fundamental doctrines of the Church in which he professes to believe, is to give the lie to his intellect, to lose his self-respect, to bring sorrow to his friends, to break the hearts and bring shame to his parents, to besmirch the Church and its members, and to forfeit the respect and honor of those whom he has sought, by his course, to win as friends and helpers.
I prayerfully hope there may not be any such among the teachers of the Church school system, but if there are any such, high or low, they must travel the same route as the teacher without the testimony. Shame and pretext and evasion and hypocrisy have, and can have, no place in the Church school system, or in the character building and spiritual growth of our youth.
Another thing which must be watched in our Church institutions is this: It must not be possible for men to keep positions of spiritual trust who, not being converted themselves, being really unbelievers, seek to turn aside the beliefs, education, and activities of our youth, and our aged also, from the ways they should follow, into other paths of education, beliefs, and activities, which (though leading where the unbeliever would go) do not bring us to the places where the Gospel would take us. That this works as a conscience-balm to the unbeliever who directs it is of no importance. This is the grossest betrayal of trust. . . . (Speaking in behalf of First Presidency [see letter of First Presidency, MOFP6:208-09] to seminary, institute, and Church school teachers at Aspen Grove) (Entire speech published in Deseret News, Church Section, Aug. 13, 1938 and in IE1938Sep:520ff; copied in MOFP6:44-58. The speech was extracted for use as Lesson 18 of the Melchizedek Priesthood Course of Study 1969-70, p. 129ff) MOFP6:53; TLDP:669-70
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But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (Peter to members of the Church, about A.D. 60 to 64) 2 Peter 2:1-2
No man, before the judgment bar, will be excused for believing false doctrines or doing evil acts on the excuse that he followed a minister, who he supposed taught true principles and gave good counsel, but who in fact declared false doctrine and wrought evil works. No matter that, in showy piety, we bear grievous burdens in the name of religion (as all the Jews did), or win great theological conflicts (as the Rabbis and scribes were wont to do), or display a superabundance of supposed good works (as some modern religionists suppose they do); no matter what else we may do in a false hope of gaining salvation—all that will matter in the day of judgment will be whether we have kept, truly and faithfully, the commandments of God. Let false ministers be damned, if such is the judgment they deserve; the members of their congregations must nonetheless work out their salvation by conforming to true principles of religion. (The Mortal Messiah, 3:391) TLDP:322
029. A person who falls away after having been enlightened by the Spirit of God becomes more hardened—worse than if that person had never known the things of God.
And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things. (The Amalekites and Amulonites, after the order of the Nehors, slay the peaceful Anti-Nephi-Lehies, 90 to 77 B.C.) Alma 24:30
Strange as it may appear at first thought, yet it is no less strange than true, that notwithstanding all the professed determination to live godly, apostates after turning from the faith of Christ, unless they have speedily repented, have sooner or later fallen into the snares of the wicked one, and have been left destitute of the Spirit of God, to manifest their wickedness in the eyes of multitudes. From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions. Judas was rebuked and immediately betrayed his Lord into the hands of His enemies, because Satan entered into him. There is a superior intelligence bestowed upon such as obeyed the Gospel with full purpose of heart, which, if sinned against, the apostate is left naked and destitute of the Spirit of God, and he is, in truth, nigh unto cursing, and his end is to be burned. When once that light which was in them is taken from them they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened, and then, no marvel, if all their power should be enlisted against the truth, and they, Judas like, seek the destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors. What nearer friend on earth, or in heaven, had Judas than the Savior? And his first object was to destroy Him. . . . From what source emanated the principle which has ever been manifested by apostates from the true Church to persecute with double diligence, and seek with double perseverance, to destroy those whom they once professed to love, with whom they once communed, and with whom they once covenanted to strive with every power in righteousness to obtain the rest of God? Perhaps our brethren will say the same that caused Satan to seek to overthrow the kingdom of God, because he himself was evil, and God's kingdom is holy. (Written message to the elders of the Church in Kirtland and elsewhere, Jan. 1834) HC2:23
When a man who was once enlightened loses the Spirit of truth, the darkness which takes its place is overwhelming. Alma gives us a good example of this in teaching Zeezrom. (Alma 12:9-11CHMR2:125
It seems a curious thing that in all dispensations, our worst enemies have been those within—who have betrayed the works of the Lord. There were the sons of Mosiah and the younger Alma before their miraculous conversions. It was so in the days of the Master, who said of his betrayer, Judas, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70) Likewise did Joseph Smith have his betrayers.
We may well expect to find our Judases among those professing membership, but, unfortunately for them, they are laboring under some kind of evil influences or have devious motives. CR1968Oct:61
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quoted by Mormon
And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma contends with the lawyer Zeezrom, about 82 B.C.) Alma 12:10-11
