If the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a house, the doctrine is the foundation, the walls, the rooms, and the windows. It is what makes the religion true. It is, in a way, the religion itself. Doctrine is absolutely true. Just as the laws of physics can not change, neither can doctrine. It is revealed through God himself, and God, we believe, does not change. He is “the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” [1]
If we believe this, then we must believe that the doctrines which the Church teaches today are the very same doctrines taught yesterday. Joseph’s Church in Joseph’s day must have preached the same doctrines that are taught today by the current living Prophet. If not, either Joseph was not a prophet, or the current prophet is not a prophet, or God is not God.
God would not say on a Tuesday that he is a being of spirit, but on the following Thursday claim to be a personage of flesh and blood, and skin and bone. He would not say once that He loves His children, but decide later that He doesn’t really care for them.
He can’t change. His doctrine, the essence of His being, must not change.
For the current Church to be true, it must teach the same (or very nearly the same) doctrines as were taught in the early restored Church.
There is some discrepancy as to what doctrine is. For the purposes of this essay, doctrine will refer to the truths taught by the majority of Church leadership and believed by the majority of the Church membership.
The response to changes in doctrine often includes the truism that doctrine is given “Line upon line, precept upon precept.” [2] Many will state that the Restoration is ongoing—that Joseph didn’t get all of the information in one heap; there is more to come.
It might be foolish to expect the current Church to mirror the early one exactly. It was a different time. Less was known.
It is not, however, foolish to expect the true doctrines of the Church, as given by God himself through his mouthpieces, to mirror each other. Yes, doctrine may be given “line upon line” but it is not given as once true, and later false; once black, and later white; once good, and later bad. Certainly, there may be more information added to a doctrine known as “good” which further reiterates its goodness. We may discover more about a doctrine known as “correct” which clarifies or simplifies its correctness. But, the doctrines should never change. Like an old, weathering house, doctrines may collect new dust. They may become piled up with new furniture. Paint might be put on walls or stripped from the siding. But the house is still the house. The windows, the walls, the foundation, the very lay-out of the thing remains. If it were not so, the house would not be the same house. The doctrine would not be the same doctrine.
Let us examine the doctrine as it was.
[1]. 2 Nephi 27: 23; 2 Nephi 29:9; Hebrews 13:8
