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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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+ | {{Resource Title|Was the priesthood on earth during the apostasy?}} | ||
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Critics argue that the LDS doctrine of the apostasy is incoherent, since the apostasy teaches that God's authority was lost. Critics then ask about John the Revelator, or the Three Nephites, and ask whether ''they'' had the priesthood. | Critics argue that the LDS doctrine of the apostasy is incoherent, since the apostasy teaches that God's authority was lost. Critics then ask about John the Revelator, or the Three Nephites, and ask whether ''they'' had the priesthood. | ||
{{CriticalSources}} | {{CriticalSources}} | ||
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Critics fail to distinguish between someone ''holding'' the priesthood, and someone being authorized to ''exercise'' the priesthood in forming the Church, conferring blessings, ordinantions, and spiritual gifts. | Critics fail to distinguish between someone ''holding'' the priesthood, and someone being authorized to ''exercise'' the priesthood in forming the Church, conferring blessings, ordinantions, and spiritual gifts. |
Answers portal |
Early Christianity & Apostasy |
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Apostasy Authority: and Priesthood
Doctrinal shift:
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Critics argue that the LDS doctrine of the apostasy is incoherent, since the apostasy teaches that God's authority was lost. Critics then ask about John the Revelator, or the Three Nephites, and ask whether they had the priesthood.
To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, click here
Critics fail to distinguish between someone holding the priesthood, and someone being authorized to exercise the priesthood in forming the Church, conferring blessings, ordinantions, and spiritual gifts.
The apostasy refers to a lack of the latter, not the former.
The apostasy refers to the absence of the kingdom (i.e, Church) of Jesus Christ on the earth. This is not to say that there may not be some who hold the priesthood, but they have no authority or authorization to establish the Church or perform its ordinances.
Presidents J. Reuben Clark, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee went so far as to teach that the presence of such priesthood holders during periods of apostasy were, in their opinion, a necessity:
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