A common theme you’ll hear from Mormons is the idea that the role of a prophet in the Old Testament needs to continue during the church age. I would be a lot more willing to believe Joseph Smith was a prophet if he followed the pattern of those prophets, but there are some major issues in his story that break the pattern.
There are many examples in the Old Testament of Israel disobeying God and then facing oppression from others. But when people cried out to God, He answered by raising a judge or prophet to help.
According to the LDS church, the early church disobeyed God by following human wisdom instead of God’s direction. The early church certainly faced oppression and persecution, so they must have been crying out to God for help. So why did God wait more than 1600 years to send a prophet?
The LDS church also says agency (basically free will) is very important. There were plenty of people during those 1600 years who were sincerely trying to follow God. But if the LDS claims are true, then they weren’t able to truly follow God because no church on earth had the full Gospel. Where was their free will?
One Mormon I talked to explained the 1600-year gap by saying God wanted some other factors established before the true church was restored. The printing press made it possible for more people to have their own Bible. People came to America as a place of religious freedom. Finally, the bill of rights was ratified a few decades before Joseph Smith founded the LDS church.
But that’s not how the God of the Old Testament operated. A major focus of the Old Testament is that the glory of victory and deliverance belongs to God alone, which He made very clear in many different ways. God didn’t wait for a women’s rights bill to raise a female judge to lead Israel. People cried out to God, and He responded by calling a one-handed man to defeat the enemy. People cried out to God, and He told them to leave most of their soldiers at home during the battle. People cried out to God, and He called a man with a speech impediment to be speak for Him. He didn't have to wait until human strengths and efforts lined up for Him to act. One of the most consistent themes in the Old Testament is God using our weaknesses, not our strengths, to do His will and lead His people. Yet when people cried out to God after the early church, the LDS church says He waited until we got the Bill of Rights ratified?
Or maybe the role of prophet doesn’t need to continue during the church age.
There are many examples in the Old Testament of Israel disobeying God and then facing oppression from others. But when people cried out to God, He answered by raising a judge or prophet to help.
According to the LDS church, the early church disobeyed God by following human wisdom instead of God’s direction. The early church certainly faced oppression and persecution, so they must have been crying out to God for help. So why did God wait more than 1600 years to send a prophet?
The LDS church also says agency (basically free will) is very important. There were plenty of people during those 1600 years who were sincerely trying to follow God. But if the LDS claims are true, then they weren’t able to truly follow God because no church on earth had the full Gospel. Where was their free will?
One Mormon I talked to explained the 1600-year gap by saying God wanted some other factors established before the true church was restored. The printing press made it possible for more people to have their own Bible. People came to America as a place of religious freedom. Finally, the bill of rights was ratified a few decades before Joseph Smith founded the LDS church.
But that’s not how the God of the Old Testament operated. A major focus of the Old Testament is that the glory of victory and deliverance belongs to God alone, which He made very clear in many different ways. God didn’t wait for a women’s rights bill to raise a female judge to lead Israel. People cried out to God, and He responded by calling a one-handed man to defeat the enemy. People cried out to God, and He told them to leave most of their soldiers at home during the battle. People cried out to God, and He called a man with a speech impediment to be speak for Him. He didn't have to wait until human strengths and efforts lined up for Him to act. One of the most consistent themes in the Old Testament is God using our weaknesses, not our strengths, to do His will and lead His people. Yet when people cried out to God after the early church, the LDS church says He waited until we got the Bill of Rights ratified?
Or maybe the role of prophet doesn’t need to continue during the church age.