I’ve been asked again about the need for organization and perhaps founding a church. Again I say it will only lead inevitably to corruption and apostasy.
Look at the churches now in existence. Are they not ALL wrong? if not, then tell me which one is without corruption. The LDS church has adopted the false creed that the “brethren cannot lead you astray.” Of all the creeds that are an abomination in God’s sight, perhaps this one is the most invidious. It has led very good people to be following uncritically very corrupt men. The leaders are not necessarily (or all) corrupt in the sense that they mean to do evil. But they accomplish nothing but evil when they follow lockstep behind a leader who is interested in appeasing the world in his attempt to gain popularity.
Why does the LDS church have a “rainy day fund” in the billions of dollars while members suffer in poverty in parts of their “kingdom”? It makes no sense, and fits the condemnation of Malachi, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. [Diverted to the priests.] You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, [for the poor] and prove me now herewith, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. [For the people’s needs/not the priests’.]” The priests were amassing wealth, while the tithes and offerings were intended for the Lord’s “house” or His people.
Today every church is filled with professors who are all corrupt. They profess the words spoken by Christ, but do not accomplish His works. It makes them just like the hypocrites, scribes, and Pharisees about whom Christ said: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than he was before — like unto yourselves.”
Of a truth today, like Joseph’s day, “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” Godliness in power uses wealth to aid the poor. Tithes are meant to be used to relieve the needs of others within the household of faith first, and then the stranger afterwards, so that believers can rejoice in God’s goodness.
Tithes should be used to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, provide medical care for the infirm, house the homeless, educate the unlearned, and make people independent with transportation. Tithes are not intended to let church leaders “fare sumptuously.” Wealthy leaders of the LDS church are no different than Christian pastors of “mega-churches”.
We each have an obligation to provide for our own family, and care for those of our own household first. They must not become a burden on others, if we are able to provide for their support. If we fail to provide support when we are able to do so, then we have “denied the faith.” But when we have accomplished the obligations devolving on us as spouses and parents, then we are commanded to help others with our tithes. And once we have cared for our families who are dependent upon us, we still have no right to ask others to compensate us for practicing our religion.
“Let us here observe that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. For from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things: it was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life, and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God.”
Churches amass wealth. ALL of them do. That is why we are taught to immediately divert our tithes to relieve the needs of those among us. And ONLY when there is no need among a fellowship does the donor have the opportunity to assist by using the excess to advance the Lord’s work.
Churches have offices, and offices are presumed to command respect and attention. Even if the occupant of the office does not use gentleness, meekness, persuasion, pure knowledge and love unfeigned it still is an office that holds respect. If the office is presumed to have “authority” then it is always the same outcome: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few are chosen.”
Men who crave office, and desire to direct others, are the “wolves” we are warned against. They occupy the offices of all the churches, and the adversary knows that a corrupt man who occupies church office will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Moreover he will prevent those who might otherwise have entered from entering.
It is not necessary to make churches utterly corrupt to damn the souls of men. It is only necessary to hedge up the way with an error here and a forgotten truth there. Forgetting and neglecting truth is enough to damn believers.
If we are free to pursue the truth without an overlord commanding us, then we can seek salvation with fear and trembling before God. Everyone is free to preach, teach, exhort or expound, and if they fail to persuade you then you are under no obligation to honor their “office”. You can freely reject. And you can freely receive, when the truth of a matter becomes “delicious” to you.
We cannot be equal if there is an institutional church. And if we have an institution, the adversary will never stop in the effort to corrupt it. It will inevitably attract aspiring men. Before long, it will become just another failed effort to honor God, and will instead be used to honor men.