By: John Bytheway
From the book: What I Wish I’d Known in High School
Originally, there was the church of Jesus Christ. But, as prophesied, the church was taken from the earth. People were left to interpret the scriptures without the aid of a prophet. The philosophies of men corrupted the pure doctrines of Christ, and the church fell into apostasy and into the Dark Ages. At the close of the Dark Ages, “the spirit of inspiration rested upon [the reformers],” said Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “causing them to rebel against the religious evils of the day and seek to make the Bible and other truth available to all who would receive such.” 21 The Reformation resulted in many different churches all trying to return to the pure doctrine of Christ. However, none of them had the proper authority, and most of them retained ideas and philosophies from the Roman church, which had been corrupted centuries earlier.
Why Are There So Many Churches?
By: John Bytheway
From the book: What I Wish I’d Known in High School
Originally, there was the church of Jesus Christ. But, as prophesied, the church was taken from the earth. People were left to interpret the scriptures without the aid of a prophet. The philosophies of men corrupted the pure doctrines of Christ, and the church fell into apostasy and into the Dark Ages. At the close of the Dark Ages, “the spirit of inspiration rested upon [the reformers],” said Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “causing them to rebel against the religious evils of the day and seek to make the Bible and other truth available to all who would receive such.” 21 The Reformation resulted in many different churches all trying to return to the pure doctrine of Christ. However, none of them had the proper authority, and most of them retained ideas and philosophies from the Roman church, which had been corrupted centuries earlier.