I’ve been thinking of doing this post for some time, and have indeed written several thoughts on it in the past. Its rather imperative that we come up with a concrete definition, being that we throw the idea around quite a bit. We could go about it several ways, like just copy pasting the words of another man, or the ‘handbook’ of Brighams feelings, or of the general perception of the people. However, I think all of these fall short in that they are simply the musing of men, the opinions as it were of men or committees. This is dangerous, since the definition arrived at serves to put label people. In other words, it is a manner of Judgment. AS the Lord said, judge not lest ye be judged. For that reason we should be careful what our standard is, lest we judge wrongly and are thus judged ourselves. Thankfully the Lord has provided for us in the last days who like to throw the term around, a definition in the scriptures.
In scriptural terms, we have two references to apostasy.
The first is in section 85, “And also their manner of life, their faith, and works; and also of the apostates who apostatize after receiving their inheritances.” this is a reference to a person who has been given the Laws of Zion, and refused them. They have been given and inheritance in Zion and refused to consecrate and keep those covenants. They are at odds with Zion, the only society that Christ approves of. Who here is apostate under this definition?
Remarkably, the only other reference to apostate is in the very next section. Sections 85 and 86 are written as companion chapters. One describes the wheat from the tares in personal terms, the who and how and why, section 85. The next is a parable in story terms of the same event, leaving with a promise to Israel, allowing us to apply the contents, section 86. Its no wonder both sections use the term, exclusively.
the verse in 86, ” And after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the tares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness. ”
The Lord starts out telling HOW tares are sown in the church. But, before that, it is told why it is allowed to happen, the Apostles fall asleep. The apostate here is Satan, especially in reference to the culture that he created amongst us. BABYLON is the apostate. Thus, Zion is the unit of measure. Are we doing all we can to seek to bring again Zion? If not, we are in apostasy.
This people is embedded in the business practice and the seeking and earning, laboring for money. WE have our money and investments invested in babylonian businesses, in the stock market, in real estate. We put our money and backing in Babylonian Banking institutions, like the one with the name Zion on it. We build up those who wear their nice clothes and fancy apparel, we command each other to do the same. We only allow tithes and offerings to be paid in the from of BAbylonian paper currency, with no real backing besides the words of men in excess. WE thus force our people to labor in babylon for money in order to get by day to day. To blend into society and be good citizens, in order to build our ‘church’ wherever we are. We discourage the Zionistic movement of Gathering out, in favor of staying where we are to change where we are.
If a man were to labor today, in Babylon, for the welfare of others, accepting no payment, would mean financial and personal ruin. They would end up a vagabond, however enriched. A beggar on the street unable to be a “provident provider” for his family. In todays society, and under the direction of our leaders, he would become a destitute of sorts unable to support a family.
In Zion, this same man who labored for others would be exalted through inheritance, and increased in family. AS Nephi Points out; “Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.” But force them to perish we do.
thus they have not charity, forcing those who seek Zion to do the same, instructing them to seek babylonian education, that they might excel according to their genius and hard work. The tools of Babylon, Goal setting, Hard work to advance, getting gain, and Education that you might prosper. As the Anti Christ said, “every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature (goals, organize); therefore every man prospered according to his genius (get an education), and that every man conquered according to his strength(work hard)”.
Thus, IMO apostasy is only applicable in reference to Zion. Those who are embedded in Babylon and teach us how to excel in that society are thus apostate. Those who invest in babylonian infrastructure, build it and exalt it are in apostasy. Those who teach others to do the same are in apostasy. Those who teach others that they must conform ot the precepts of men, that what men are teaching is more important to our welfare than the scriptures, are in apostasy.
In section 101 the land of promise was taken away and Zion had to wait for a season, because the people continued to seek Babylon. We continue to do so, building our cities and towns were we live, being industrious and investing in our own personal welfare. By doing so we remain in apostasy as a people. Apostate from Zion, apostate from the society of Christ. Apostate from his revelations, his covenants, his laws, all of which build Zion.
and of course the sad irony about all of this is that many of the people who think they’re doing the most good for the building up of zion are actually on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Thought you might enjoy the following, from a discussion over at BCC about making money and how much a good mormon can make and still be good. i see a lot of justification, but I’ll let you judge. Here’s just one of the quotes:
“About five years ago I sold my business for several million dollars. I had more money than I had ever dreamed of and thought I should quit working for money and devote my efforts to some kind of humanitarian work. This was something I had always wanted to do. I thought it was wrong to work for money when I already had much more than I needed. However, after a lot of soul searching I came to the oppositie conclusion.
As it happens, I guess I am pretty good at making money. I concluded that if I continue working for money, I could probably make enough in a year to pay for twenty people to perform whatever humanitarian service I might have performed personally were I to try. So continue to do so, and so far, I think my decision was correct. I don’t get a lot of personal fulfillment out of my work. However, I think that if society is willing to reward me so well for doing that work, I have a moral obligation to take the reward and then to dedicate those resources to doing good.
The issue is never how much we make. The issue is how we live, and what we do with the resources we acquire. Warrren Buffet and Bill Gates will probably both do far more good by acquiring huge wealth and then dedicating that wealth to charitable causes than humanitarian workers who dedicate their lives to helping others for little remuneration. (I am not saying that makes them any better worse than anybody else. I am only referring to the amount of good that they actually accomplish. Those are very different things.)”
http://bycommonconsent.com/2010/05/23/can-a-good-mormon-make-over-100000-a%C2%A0year/
I read some in the Old testament today and the people, after serving the Lord during Joshua’s and the elders’ lives, turned away from the lord and turned towards other gods.
I think apostasy is turning away from the lord and repentance is turning towards the lord. of course when we turn away from the lord we may also be turning towards our new gods.
in reference to zion, by turning away from it we are turning our hearts away from the lord because he wants us there with him.
Dan,
it sounds like YOU are in apostasy, my friend! just kidding. we were visiting with the Hallewell’s and troy directed me to your site. I’m sure we would have an enjoyable discussion sometime if we got together. i will have to get caught up on some of your posts here. sounds like you have a lot of good stuff to say.
michael
to the jews in jerusalem, Jesus Christ was an apostate, as was lehi six centuries earlier. To the christians in New York, Joseph smith was an apostate. the list goes on.
If you look at the root of the word ‘apostate,’ it means ‘one who stands apart.’ It didn’t really have a derogatory meaning until it was used to designate those who were at odds with the holy roman church.
according to the 2006 church handbook of instruction, apostasy refers to members who “repeatedly act in clear opposition to the Church or it’s leaders; persist in teaching as Church doctrine information that is not church doctrine after they have been corrected by their bishop or higher authority”
as you can see, apostasy in the church definition means being at odds with the church leaders or Church doctrine. But what happens, as you have indicated, when the church leaders or the dogma of the church is in clear opposition with the gospel?
Spektator, if you control the definition of the word, you control the conversation.
Michael, very good to have you! Appreciate your comments here on whatever you read. also, we will get together sometime so that you can save my from the ‘edge’, very much looking forward to it. good stuff, and very glad to have made another contact. till we meet again brethren, adieu.
DAN, YOUR WORDS REMIND ME OF SOME OF THE THINGS i READ IN hUGH NIBLEY’S WONDERFUL BOOK, aPPROACHING zION, WHEREIN AT ONE POINT HE LISTED A BUNCH OF UTAH BUSINESSES WITH THE NAME “ZION” IN THEIR TITLES, BUT WHICH INDULGED IN ACTIVITIES THAT WERE PURELY BABYLONIAN IN NATURE, I.E. ZION’S BANK, ZION’S COOPERATIVE MERCANTILE INSTITUTION, ZION’S SAVINGS AND LOAN, ETC.
THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT PIECE, AND i AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENT THAT THOSE WHO CONTROL THE DEFINITION CONTROL THE CONVERSATION.
i WAS JUST RECENTLY TOLD BY AN INLAW ON MY BLOG pURE mORMONISM THAT HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MY APOSTASY, WHEN OF COURSE ON THAT BLOG i CONSTANTLY RAIL AGAINST THE ACTUAL APOSTASY i SEE TAKING PLACE IN THE CHURCH EVERY DAY. tHOSE MOST STRONGLY PUTTING THEIR ALLEGIANCE IN THE LEADERS OVER THE WORD OF gOD SEEM TO BE THE ONES MOST APT TO ACCUSE THE REST OF US OF FALLING AWAY.
btw, DO YOU HAVE SOME SETTING ON YOUR SITE HERE THAT IS NOT ALLOWING ME TO USE CAPITAL LETTERS, OR IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY KEYBOARD ALL OF A SUDDEN?
So I’m signed up as a subscriber to your site and have been for some time (months). Usually, within a day or two of a new post I’ll get an email letting me know that you’ve put something up.
So, it was rather odd that I saw an email come across letting me know that this post was up, on September 1st, given that it was written towards the end of May.
What made it all the more odd is that I had just finished a conversation with She Who Must Be Obeyed wherein I was told that I was certainly on the road to apostasy for a couple of things we’d been talking about.
My father has been quite sick lately. After a blessing he had at church a good family friend who owns a farm in the area and has some marijuana growing wildly in his field said that maybe my father should use some to alleviate some of his pain. He (being a former bishop nonetheless) said that it was likely one of those things God gifted us, but that had been abused. Another man in the room – an alternative thinking doctor – concurred with this assessment. A God given gift that’s been vilified. Michael Pollan’s book – The Botany of Desire – is what pointed me in the direction of the herb and looking a little more into it.
So yesterday, my wife mentioned (in joking, though I missed out on the joke at the time) that maybe my father should take some. I responded that it might not be a bad idea, and then went into explaining some of the history behind the way we currently (today) view the herb and how it became “evil”.
Because of this and a few other things, I was told I was likely being “deceived” and on the “road to apostasy.”
Then, this email comes across my box to remind me just what apostasy really means, which is odd because I used this definition to explain how screwed up our ideas of “apostasy” are.
Oddity, but thanks for posting it.
Tom,
I’m sorry you’re on the road to apostasy. Actually, I’m sorry that your wife said that and for the inevitable friction that such an opinion will engender. Been there, done that.
Steve
Tom, sorry for all the friction there has been too. the furnace of affliction, the refiners fire, is a matter of perspective. May the force guide you paradigm to one of peace!
By the way, where is the farm?…