Hymns of the Apostasy
by Sharon Lindbloom

The Introduction to the History of the (LDS) Church states that after the death of Christ's twelve apostles, "a really un-Christian religion was gradually substituted for the beautiful religion of Jesus Christ; that a universal apostasy from the Christian doctrine and the Christian Church took place." Indeed, "Nothing less than a complete apostasy from the Christian religion would warrant the establishment of the (sic) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." It is said, "…spiritual darkness fell like a pall over the nations; and thus they lay for ages."

The History of the Church points out that Joseph Smith said he was told by God in his First Vision that all the creeds of the Christian churches were an abomination before the Almighty. And, we are told, after a decline in the morality and spirituality of professing Christians, there was "an utter departure from the true and living God and Jesus Christ whom He had sent, and an establishment of a system in its place, as debasing to men as it was dishonorable to God."

What does this have to do with hymns? Apostle Boyd K. Packer said in the October 1991 General Conference, "If we will listen, they are teaching the gospel, for the hymns of the Restoration are, in fact, a course in doctrine!" More recently, Apostle Packer asserted that LDS hymns are evidence of the Christian nature of the LDS Church. He said, "Suppose someone who had never heard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came upon one of our hymnbooks and asked himself, 'Who published this? What do they believe? What kind of people are they?'" According to Apostle Packer, hymns reveal the character and faith of the people who embrace them.

Using Apostle Packer's method of analysis, this page gives you an opportunity to discover what the alleged apostate Christians believed -- what kind of people they were and are -- by a look at a hymn of the Apostasy. This hymn, representative of all historic Christian hymns, demonstrates the "spiritual darkness" and the "utter departure from the true and living God" of these men and women whose belief system was and is "dishonorable to God" and whose very beliefs were and are an "abomination" before Him.

As an additional tool, a hymn of the Restoration is included as well, in order to provide the contrast.


HYMN OF THE APOSTASY HYMN OF THE RESTORATION
O for a Thousand Tongues
Charles Wesley

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace.

Jesus! The name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease,
'Tis music in the sinner's ears,
'Tis life and health and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood availed for me.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold you Savior come;
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honors of Thy name.
Amen.
The Seer, Joseph, The Seer
John Taylor

The Seer, Joseph, the Seer!
I'll sing of the Prophet ever dear,
The Prophet ever dear;
His equal cannot be found
By searching the wide world around.
With Gods he soared in the realms of day,
And men he taught the heavenly way,
And men he taught the heavenly way.
The earthly Seer! the heavenly Seer!
I love to dwell on his memory dear;
The chosen of God and the friend of man,
He brought the priesthood back again;
He gazed on the past and the future, too,
And opened, and opened
The heavenly world to view,
And opened, and opened
The heavenly world to view.

Of noble seed, of heavenly birth,
He came to bless the sons of earth,
To bless the sons of earth;
With keys by the Almighty given,
He opened the full rich stores of heaven;
O'er the world that was wrapped in sable night,
Like the sun he spread his golden light,
Like the sun he spread his golden light.
He strove, O how he strove to stay
The stream of crime in its reckless way!
With a mighty hand and a noble aim,
He urged the wayward to reclaim:
'Mid foaming billows of angry strife,
He stood at, he stood at
The helm of the ship of life,
He stood at, he stood at
The helm of the ship of life.

The Saints, the Saints, his only pride!
For them he lived, for them he died;
He lived, for them he died;
Their joys were his, their sorrows too.
He loved the Saints; he loved Nauvoo.
Unchanged in death with a Savior's love,
He pleads their cause in the courts above.
He pleads their cause in the courts above.
The Seer, the Seer! Joseph, the Seer!
O how I love his memory dear!
The just and wise, the pure and free,
A father he was and is to me.
Let fiends now rage, in their dark hour--
No matter, no matter,
He is beyond their power,
No matter, no matter,
He is beyond their power.

He's free! He's free! The Prophet's free!
He is where he will ever be,
Where he will ever be,
Beyond the reach of mobs and strife,
He rests unharmed in endless life.
His home's in the sky; he dwells with the Gods
Far from the furious rage of mobs,
Far from the furious rage of mobs.
He died, he died for those he loved.
He reigns; he reigns in the realms above.
He waits with the just who have gone before
To welcome the Saints to Zion's shore.
Shout, shout, ye Saints! This boon is given;
We'll meet him, we'll meet him
Our martyred Seer, in heaven.
We'll meet him, we'll meet him
Our martyred Seer, in heaven.



Quotes from: HOC 1:XL, XLI, LXVIII, XCIV; Church News 2/8/97 p. 14; The Peaceable Followers of Christ, LDS Church News web site 2/14/98