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And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son . . . And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning! . .  for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–28

Sometimes people use “apostate” or “apostasy” without knowing what they mean. Let’s examine the word’s origin and the church’s specific definition.

Personal apostasy refers to the “falling away” of a person who at one time professed to believe the gospel. They abandon their faith and rebel against the restored gospel’s core principles. They forfeit the Spirit of God, which creates darkness and confusion. Apostates lose their ability to understand and feel things of the Spirit. Alma notes, “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word” (Alma 12:9).

Apostasy is an act of rebellion and opposition to divine authority. Satan was the original apostate in the council of heaven. Satan, also known as Lucifer, was an angel of authority with God before mortality. He rebelled by actively opposing the Father’s plan.

Satan’s pride and seeking personal recognition motivated his apostasy. He challenged God by demanding divine honor: “Wherefore give me thine honor”. 

Pride is the active ingredient in apostasy. It appears when people trust their own strength and intellect or falsely “think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not” (2 Nephi 9:28).

The word “Satan” (שטן) in Hebrew means “adversary” or “accuser”. A key trait in apostasy is opposing and accusing the Church or its leaders. Like the original apostate, they seek to substitute their plan for Heavenly Father’s plan. Similar to Satan, they persecute and aim to destroy the faithful.

Word Origin

Hebrew: Apostasy is understood as a “falling away” or “turning one’s back” on the faith. The most common word is meshubah (משובחה) This term from the Old Testament literally means a moral and spiritual “turning back” and is translated as backsliding, apostasy, or faithlessness. 

Greek: The Greek word for apostasy is apostasia (ἀποστασία), which literally means “to stand away from”. The idea is to make a break or departure from something. It signifies a desertion or rebellion against a belief system, authority, or cause. It signifies a conscious act of rebellion against God in which one attempts to change divinely appointed doctrine and practice and opposes God’s chosen leaders.

English: The English word apostasy is a transliteration of apostasia. Webster’s 1828 defines it as: “An abandonment of what one has professed; a total desertion, or departure from one’s faith or religion”.

Church Definition: President Oaks said, “Apostasy, being rare, has to be carefully defined.” The General Handbook of Instructions said that “apostasy refers to a member engaging in any of the following:

• Repeatedly acting in clear and deliberate public opposition to the Church, its doctrine, its policies, or its leaders
• Persisting in teaching as Church doctrine what is not Church doctrine after being corrected by the bishop or stake president
• Showing a pattern of intentionally working to weaken the faith and activity of Church members
• Continuing to follow the teachings of apostate sects after being corrected by the bishop or stake president
• Formally joining another church and promoting its teachings (Total inactivity in the Church or attending another church does not by itself constitute apostasy. However, if a member formally joins another church and advocates its teachings, withdrawing his or her membership may be necessary.)

The Savior taught the Nephites that they should continue to minister to a person who has sinned. “But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people” (3 Nephi 18:31). (Handbook of Instructions 32.6.3.2)

It’s clear that a member can stop attending church, not pay tithing, or engage in practices like smoking without being an apostate. Apostasy does not mean simply having doubts about a doctrine or holding a different opinion. Apostasy, by definition, is not a gradual drift from divine truth, nor is it waning interest in the gospel. Apostasy is rebellion. 

What are Safeguards Against Apostasy?

The safeguards against personal apostasy require diligent, consistent effort to maintain a strong spiritual connection and unwavering obedience to divine authority. Apostasy is fundamentally a process of rebellion, which results in the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit. The safeguards focus on drawing near to God and adhering strictly to the path established by the prophets.

Here are the key safeguards:

1. Clinging to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The most essential safeguard against personal apostasy is maintaining the companionship of the Holy Spirit, which is achieved through specific spiritual disciplines:

• Daily Prayer and Spiritual Seeking: Pray for strength and guidance. By praying, we’re promised strength to endure.
• The Power of the Sacrament: Partaking of the sacrament worthily each week is crucial because it renews covenants and ensures we “may always have his Spirit to be with [us]”. The sacrament is like a “vaccine against personal apostasy” because it gives us the ability to resist spiritual infection.
• Holding Fast to the Scriptures (The Iron Rod): We must be “continually holding fast” to the word of God and living it. The iron rod (the word of God) leads through the mists of darkness. Searching the Book of Mormon and the words of the living prophets every day is the key to spiritual survival and avoiding deception. Specifically, the Book of Mormon helps safeguard us from personal apostasy.
• Seeking Knowledge through Faith: If we find things that trouble us, we need to keep our life in balance between reliance on learning, spiritual witnesses and the testimony of the Holy Ghost. We should doubt our doubts before we doubt our faith and choose belief over doubt.

2. Sustaining and Following Prophetic Authority. Since apostasy often begins with criticism and losing confidence in leaders, faithfulness requires aligning oneself with God’s authority:

• Stay with the Mainstream: We must stay in the mainstream of the Church and stay by the tree (Christ). 
• Follow the Leaders: The Prophet Joseph Smith taught a key that will “never rust”: “if you will stay with the majority of the Twelve Apostles, and the records of the Church, you will never be led astray”.
• Avoid Criticism and Faultfinding: We should eliminate faultfinding and avoid condemning others and finding fault with the Church. We should concern ourselves with saving ourselves and ensuring that we are right, rather than calling in question that which does not belong to us.
• Discern True Revelation: Don’t give heed to any revelation (visions, dreams, impressions, or prophecy) that is out of harmony with the accepted revelations of the Church or contrary to the decisions of its constituted authorities. Directions for the guidance of the Church come through God’s appointed channels.

3. Preserving Personal Humility and Obedience. Apostasy results from pride and the desire to “do things our own way”. The safeguards counter this self-reliance:

• Repent and Overcome Sin: We must repent of our sins and choose the light over the darkness of doubt and pride. 
• Cultivate Humility: We should become “as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things”. 
• Overcome Offense: We should overcome offense and remember that conflicts or feeling that a leader did not treat us well can lead to apostasy. We can choose to forgive others.

4. Focusing on Christ and Charity. A final safeguard is the foundational relationship with the Savior, which overcomes the hatred and opposition inherent in apostasy:

• Centering on Christ: We must come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. The true answer and ultimate treatment for those struggling with apostasy is to increase their faith in Jesus Christ.
• Practicing Charity: If apostasy is the result of hatred, the ability to overcome it must be found in love. We must pray with all the energy of heart to be filled with charity, which is the pure love of Christ. Charity provides the knowledge necessary to see through the deception that causes offense and hatred.

In short, apostasy is like a leaky vessel constantly being pulled off course by strong currents of doubt and pride. The safeguard is to remain lashed to the Iron Rod (the word of God) while diligently bailing out the “trifling affairs” and sins, thereby ensuring the Holy Spirit stays aboard to guide the vessel alongside the steady Old Ship Zion (the Church).

Illustrations

Left to Grovel in the Dark – John E. Page

Years ago my great- grandfather, while an investigator, attended a Mormon meeting during which a member had a quarrel over the Sacrament table with the branch president. When the service was over, Mrs. Benson turned to Ezra T. and asked him what he thought of the Mormons now. I’ll always be grateful for his answer. He said he thought the actions of its members in no way altered the truth of Mormonism. That conviction saved him from many a tragedy. Before joining the Church, Grandfather was moved by a marvelous prayer of the Apostle John E. Page. But later the young convert was greatly shocked by the same man whose actions reflected his gradual apostasy.

Ironically, when Elder Page eventually was excommunicated, Brigham Young selected the young convert to fill Elder Page’s place in the Quorum of the Twelve. Six of the original Twelve Apostles selected by Joseph Smith were excommunicated. The Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon left the Church. Three of Joseph Smith’s counselors fell — one even helped plot his death. 

A natural question that might arise would be, that if the Lord knew in advance that these men would fall, as he undoubtedly did, why did he have His Prophet call them to such high office? The answer is; to fill the Lord’s purposes. For even the Master followed the will of the Father by selecting Judas. President George Q. Cannon suggests an explanation:

“Perhaps it is His own design that faults and weaknesses should appear in high places.” “”The Church,” says President McKay, “Is little, if at all, injured by persecution and calumnies from ignorant, misinformed, or malicious enemies.” (The Instructor. Feb. 1956, 33.)” (Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, Oct. 4, 1963).

Finding a Beam or Is It a Mote? – Thomas B. Marsh

I have sought diligently to know the Spirit of Christ since I turned my face Zionward, and I believe I have obtained it. I have frequently wanted to know how my apostasy began, and I have come to the conclusion that I must have lost the Spirit of the Lord out of my heart.

The next question is, “How and when did you lose the Spirit?” I became jealous of the Prophet, and then I saw double, and overlooked everything that was right, and spent all my time in looking for the evil; and then, when the Devil began to lead me, it was easy for the carnal mind to rise up, which is anger, jealousy, and wrath. I could feel it within me; I felt angry and wrathful; and the Spirit of the Lord being gone, as the Scriptures say, I was blinded, and I thought I saw a beam in brother Joseph’s eye, but it was nothing but a mote, and my own eye was filled with the beam; but I thought I saw a beam in his, and I wanted to get it out; and, as brother Heber says, I got mad, and I wanted everybody else to be mad. I talked with Brother Brigham and Brother Heber, and I wanted them to be mad like myself; and I saw they were not mad, and I got madder still because they were not. Brother Brigham, with a cautious look, said, “Are you the leader of the Church, brother Thomas?” I answered, “No.” “Well then,” said he, “Why do you not let that alone?”

Well, this is about the amount of my hypocrisy—I meddled with that which was not my business. But let me tell you, my brethren and friends, if you do not want to suffer in body and mind, as I have done— if there are any of you that have the seeds of apostasy in you, do not let them make their appearance, but nip that spirit in the bud; for it is misery and affliction in this world, and destruction in the world to come.