Mormons are Ignoramuses: The need for Authority

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, that is to say, the church found in the Old Testament and again established by Christ during His earthly ministry (See the Sixth Article of Faith). We also believe that throughout history, the truth found in that church has been lost and had a need to be restored. Such was the case when Christ visited the earth. The Law of Moses had become corrupt by the leaders of the church and the basic saving doctrines had been lost. Christ came and taught His gospel and established His church.  

After Christ’s death, He led His church through the rock of revelation (Matt 16:17-18) with Peter as its earthly leader. Over the next century, the apostles of the church spread throughout Europe to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Each met different difficulties in the regions they preached. Each apostle met a different end to his life. At first the apostles met to replace those that had passed on, such was the case after Judas hung himself. As time went on, the apostles were too spread out to meet and ordain new apostles.

Those with authority to run the church died by the end of the first century. Local leaders kept trying to follow the gospel Christ set forth, but without the authority of the apostles, the task became impossible. This is evident even before the apostles’ death as you read each of Paul’s letters in the New Testament. Nearly every letter was sent with the purpose to course correct the saints found in different lands.

Members of the Mormon Church call this loss of God’s authority, apostasy. The time period after Christ’s death is commonly known as the dark ages, and surely they were. Without the proper authority in the land, false doctrines were taught and accepted. Good intentioned men taught scripture with their own understanding, void of true inspiration or revelation.

Although everyone can find truths of the gospel in the scriptures and follow them, this is not the same as having the proper authority to preach and perform saving ordinances found in the scriptures. Authority has always been an important part of leading Christ’s church. That’s why Moses led the Israelites and not Aaron, that’s why the prophet Abraham paid tithes to the high priest Melchizedek, and that’s why Peter, not James or John led the church after Christ’s death.

This leads me to explain a quote from a Catholic Priest after having visited with leaders of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Speaking of the idea of a restoration, he said:  

 "You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don't even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and that's all there is to it. The Protestants haven't a leg to stand on. For if we are wrong, they are wrong with us, since they were a part of us and went out from us; while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut off long ago. If we have the apostolic succession from St. Peter, as we claim, there was no need of Joseph Smith and Mormonism; but if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism's attitude is the only consistent one. It is either the perpetuation of the Gospel from ancient times, or the restoration of the Gospel in latter days." (Elder LeGrand Richards 1972)

The idea is simple, authority was either passed from person to person, or it was restored again to a prophet like it always was in the Old Testament.

Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Elijah, Elias, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John, and Christ all worked with authority from God. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe it is still necessary for Christ’s church to operate with that same authority. We believe that authority was given to Joseph Smith from Christ and that it has been given to each prophet since by the laying on of hands.