Restored Christianity

Time Magazine reported on Richard Land's, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, labeling of the Church of Jesus Christ as a "Fourth Abrahamic Religion." While the SBC has previously considered the LDS faith a cult, Time author David Van Biema wasn't sure if this new "charitable" categorization was "a promotion or demotion."

What is wrong with letting the Church of Jesus Christ label ourselves. And who is the SBC that they can dictate who is Christian and who isn't. First off, we are not and never were trying to sell ourselves as Catholic, or Protestant, or Evangelical. Joseph Smith clearly categorized the LDS Church as RESTORED CHRISTIANITY. If you consider the official name of the church which was given by Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith via revelation; restoration is clearly inferred in the title. We are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a restored version of Christ's church in the latter days as opposed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Meridian-Day Saints.

The LDS Church holds that Christ's church which he left to his 12 Apostles was removed from the Earth. While the fruit (meaning the early Saints) would remain [in God's grace] and be exalted, the kingdom itself was lost as was the priesthood authority. Consequently the Christian world fell into the Dark Ages. Then in 1820, God initiated the restoration of His kingdom to the Earth. As part of this restoration there was a restoration of priesthood keys, prophets, Apostles, ordinances, covenants, new scripture, revelations, miracles, and temples. God's kingdom on Earth is now known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Now is there Biblical precedent to support such a claim of apostasy necessitating restoration? Yes! Consider Adam, Enoch, and Abraham-- the great Patriarchs. For centuries we didn't have any of their writings. The only thing we knew of them was restored via Moses. But, while the Old Testament hints, restored revelation through Joseph Smith confirms that Adam was the first Christian and that Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, and Abraham were all Christian and practiced a very similar religion that members of the LDS church practice today except for the replacement of animal sacrifice which foreshadowed Christ's atonement for the Lord's Supper as a commemoration of his death and atonement. So, it can be said that the LDS church is also a restoration of the original Abrahamic religion as well as a restoration of the original Christian religion. We aren't the 4th Abrahamic religion. We are the original Abrahamic religion.

There is nothing in the Bible that says that God wouldn't prevent men from adding or subtracting from scripture despite his commandment to the contrary. God has not violated man's agency even in this instance. Despite the heroic efforts of inspired souls who have preserved what we have of it, the Bible has been left ambiguous. Consequently, the Bible alone has failed to bring us to a unity of the faith. Therefore, after the great spiritual famine prophesied by Amos and John who told of the church/woman fleeing into the wilderness to escape the dragon that there would need to be a great restoration of all things in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. Come and see for yourself.