There Are Only Two Churches

THERE ARE ONLY TWO CHURCHES.

The Prophet Nephi, the son of Lehi, in the vision an account of which is given in the Book of Mormon, pages 20-32, was shown, among Other things, “the foundation of a great church.” This is described in I. Nephi, chapter 13, 14, as “a most abominable church” and “the devil was the foundation of it.” And Nephi was told: “Behold, there are, save two churches only. The one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil. Wherefore whoso belongeth not to the Church of the Lamb of God, belongeth to that great church which is the mother of abominations.” The question is often asked as to whether the church thus described is a particular sect, or if it includes others, and the opinion is expressed by some that the remarks concerning it apply solely to the great ecclesiastical organization which is recognized as the Mother church.

In answer to these inquiries, we reply: It appears to us that this “great and abominable church” whose foundation is the devil, includes all false religions, whether “Christian” so-called, or heathen, or pagan, Jew or Gentile, of every nationality, language and constitution: for it is written, “There are save two churches only. The one is the Church of the Lamb of God and the other is denominations that are outside of the Church of the Lamb of God, the church of the devil.” This evidently comprehends all sects and and classes them together as resting upon a Satanic foundation. There cannot possibly be two opposing churches of Christ. His Church is one body, having one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Holy Spirit, one form, one substance, one purpose, one God.

It may be considered harsh and exclusive to assert this dis­tinction, but it is simply marking the line between truth and error. God is the author of truth to mankind; error comes from the Devil. People may be as sincere in error and as devoted to its support and dissemination as others are in their reception and promulgation of truth, but the essential difference between the two opposites will always exist and they cannot be united through all eternity. Divine authority, sometimes called the Priesthood, is vested solely in the Church of God. It is not found in any other institution. It is not held by any church, society, or association made by man. Therefore, all human organizations which Deity has not authorized and whose ministers He has not appointed, are not recognized of Him and their ordinances and ceremonies are void and vain, so far as heaven is concerned.

This must be so of necessity. That which God does not appoint, He does not accept. Only that which is done on earth by His authority is sealed, or recorded, or recognized on high. The truth, only, abideth. Error will pass away and be obliterated. That which is of God endureth forever. That which is of Satan will perish everlastingly. Thus the principle set forth in the vision given to Nephi may be clearly understood, and it will be readily seen that the sharp line of division drawn therein puts the Church of Christ—the Lamb of God—on one side, and classes all other churches under one head as the church of the devil on the other side. There can be no compromise on this point. One is either in the Church of Christ or out of it. He cannot be partly inside and partly outside. If he does, not belong to one, he must belong to the other. This may be unpleasant to many people to contem­plate, but the fact remains nevertheless.

The multifarious sects of Christendom, in the midst of their con­tentions have generally united in condemnation of one particular church which they have described as “The Mother of harlots,” ap­parently oblivious to the fact that, logically, if she is the mother, they are the offspring, bearing that unsavory designation. They are all under the influence of error and that confusion which arises from the power of the Adversary. They are not built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, for that has been gone for many centuries, and they have all departed from the faith once delivered to the saints and have strayed into different paths outside of the strait and narrow way; the voice of revelation, by which the Church of God has always been led, has not been heard among them from their beginning to the present day; there­fore, they have been wandering in the dark and have been leading mankind astray. They are all included in that church spoken of in the vision of Nephi, which will be ultimately destroyed.

It should be understood that while we recognize the stern fact of the essential difference between the Church of Christ and the institutions of men, we do not ignore the good works of people, ministers and congregations, who have become connected with these human establishments, nor do we believe that the Great Eternal Judge, who will reward or punish all men according to their works, will pass by their good deeds or fail to bless them ac­cording to their merits. That is not the point under present con­sideration. No church, society, or association in whole Christen­dom is without some truth in it, or some good connected with it.

The same, however, may be truthfully said about heathendom. All that is good everywhere is of God, whether in religious doctrines or otherwise. And per contra, all that is erroneous and that leads to strife, contention, confusion, and destruction is of the devil, and “he is the foundation” of all the systems in all the world which are outside of and hostile to the one Church of the Lamb of God which He recognizes, and regulates, and inspires, and of which He is the living head, revealing Himself therein, and giving to it that authority by which alone His ordinances can be acceptably administered and wherein alone salvation may be obtained.

Thus “the great and abominable church whose foundation is the devil” does not mean simply one of the churches of the world in one particular age or dispensation, but it includes all the institutions among mankind in all ages that are led into error, and wickedness, and bloodshed, and strife, and which lead man­kind away from the true God and the true faith. All organi­zations, whether called Christian or not, that have persecuted people for their religious belief, that have endeavored to force mankind by any means into submission to human dogmas, that have made merchandise of the souls of men, that have maligned and persecuted The people of God, or that have blinded the eyes of men and women as to the truth of God, belong to that great and abominable church, whose foundation is the Devil, and which will finally be destroyed.

However, God, in His great goodness and mercy, has provided means by which, either in this life or the life hereafter, all the sons and daughters of Father Adam will have the oppor­tunity of learning the truth as it is in Christ Jesus and of obeying it and entering into the Church of the Lamb of God. The choice will be theirs. If they will not enter into it, they will remain on the outside and be numbered with those who belong to the church of the devil. The division will continue. Christ will claim His own. They will enter into His rest. And He will gain the victory over Satan and his works, and but comparatively few, in the sequel, will belong to “the church of the devil,” to go away with him and his angels into the punishment prepared. This great plan of human redemption, we do not wish now to enter upon, but hope that the remarks made on the main subject now presented, will make clear to inquiring friends the signification of that which was shown to the Prophet Nephi upon the American continent more than twenty-five centuries ago.

C.W.P.