Scriptural Examples of Apostasy

Because the church offers two contradictory definitions of apostasy, perhaps the question of which is correct can be settled by an appeal to scripture. After all, Joseph Smith said:

I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book. (History of the Church 4:461.)

There are two examples in the Book of Mormon of apostates who are excommunicated: Sherem and Korihor. In both cases, the crime of these individuals was to preach that there would be no Christ. They preached against “the doctrine of Christ,” which Nephi taught was faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, and seeking the face of Christ until you obtain it (see 2 Nephi 32). Sherem flattered the people by telling them that sin did not exist. He claimed to be living the law of Moses, but he was actually living something that had been drastically changed from the law of Moses as given by God. Korihor, meanwhile, preached “unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets...” (Alma 30:6.) He preached that there was no Christ and no atonement. He said that you could do as you please independent of God's law,¹ and he preached contrary to what the scriptures said. He spoke against visions and revelation. In the cases of these men, apostasy was not defined as daring to disagree with tradition, the commandments of the elders, or pointing out the error of the elders. Instead, it was defined as preaching against the gospel of Christ in favor of the traditions of men. The Book of Mormon clearly supports the church’s public definition of apostasy.

There is another type for excommunication in the scriptures. This is the false type of excommunication, otherwise known as the stoning of the prophets. Many righteous men were subjected to this treatment, so many that Joseph Smith said:

The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves ‘in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth’ [see Hebrews 11:38], and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men. (History of the Church 4:574.)

Consider the following examples of the excommunication of righteous individuals. Which definition of apostasy was used to condemn them?

Christ. Jesus’ crime was that he preached the original law of Moses, which was very different from the adulterated version taught by the Pharisees. He publicly pointed out the hypocrisy and error of the church leadership. He went out of his way to teach against their traditions, proving from scripture that they deviated from God’s word.² He told them they considered the commandments of men from their leaders to be greater than revealed commandments, and were thus wicked. Those who crucified God were the children of the devil, yet they truly believed they were doing God service. The church leaders cast him out for blasphemy and had him crucified—the highest ecclesiastical punishment they could render.

Abinadi. He publicly preached against his church leaders, quoting scripture to show that their actions and teachings deviated from God. Unlike Korihor or Sherem, Abinadi was not put on trial for the benefit of the people, but because Noah and his wicked priests were offended at his words³ and feared the response of the people if they, too, saw their wickedness, which they had till then successfully hidden. The leaders sought to cover their sins,⁴ gratify their pride and their vain ambition, and exercise control and dominion upon the children of men (see D&C 121:37). He pointed out their wickedness, and the wicked take the truth to be hard. Were the charges against Abinadi justified? Is quoting God’s word apostasy? If quoting scripture implicates leadership, is it the reader of scripture who has committed apostasy, or the leadership whose actions fit the sins described in scripture? Is not the punishment of someone for reading scripture at least as great a witness of the apostasy of a leader as anything else could be? Does truth cease to be truth when it implicates leadership? Abinadi did not commit apostasy. It was Noah and his priests who had deviated from God's word, not Abinadi. One can never be righteously charged with apostasy for quoting God’s word, no matter who it implicates.

Abinadi was given a way to avoid punishment. Noah told him he would be killed “unless thou wilt recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people.” (Mosiah 17:8). Gratify my pride or suffer the full extent of my power! Abinadi's response is the response of the many righteous who find themselves in this common situation:⁵ “Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true...” (Mosiah 17:9.) Abinadi simply says, “what I have said is true, and I will not recant.” For Noah, and for all children of the devil, the question is whether or not his words are offensive. For Abinadi, and all servants of God, the question is whether or not what they say is true.

We could likewise analyze Stephen, Paul, Jeremiah, Zacharias, Isaiah, and many others who were cast out by the religious leaders of their day for “apostasy.” In the case of each of these men, the charges of apostasy exactly match the church’s second (secret) definition of apostasy. There isn’t a single example in scripture of that definition being used righteously, only to condemn true messengers from God.