The_Incredible_Piff

Understood, however to deny the fact there has been division within the Christian faith is just being naive (no offense). I mean during the Nicean convention you had groups who believed Jesus to be God, Jesus to be simply a messenger/prophet, Jesus to be divine yet seperate from God. In today's society you have Unitiarians, Trinitarians etc. Church's that teach different doctrines in terms of salvation and about carrying one's self. This is severe division, especially considering all these different groups (although they might be cordial to each other) bear the Christian name. The differing docrtines of belief is the point. I'm not alluding to the idea that the differing groups of Christians are at war with each, I'm simply stating that there are some pretty glaring differences between them in terms of doctines. If they were all unified in their teachings and doctrines then there would have been no division at all, hence the use of the term splintered. This division is the very reason the restoration was needed and the very purpose for which Joseph Smith was called.

The Church doesn't contend with the Bible, the Church contends with the various doctrines and teachings that are attributed to the Bible, in other words the interpretation of scriptures. During the Nicean convention, scriptures weren't just cannonized... doctrine was established and the Christian Church began to take official positions on various ideas and principles. This is where the apostasy began, when people began to subscribe to the teachings and doctrines of men rather than that of Jesus Christ.

One of the major points in the LDS faith is that Christianity as a whole was in a state of apostasty. The funny thing here is that many would contend with this notion or take offense to such thinking, but the reality is that the Christian faith had become so splintered and divided (hence the reason for Joseph Smith asking for guidance in terms of which Church to join). It's a pretty flimsy argument to maintain that this state of apostasy wasn't a truth... meaning it's a false belief, especially in light of severe division within the Christian faith. I mean the whole point to the Nicean Creed was to bring unity to a divided people because people subscribed to differing beliefs. Understanding this point, that Christianity was divided, is essentially the first step into realizing and understanding who and what Josesph Smith was and his role in this world. If this idea isn't something you can grasp then chances are you won't be able to grasp the importance of the restoration, which is the catalyst for the LDS faith.

what i find the most interesting is the majority of anti-mormons are generally made up of either 1) former members who claim to have held high positions inside the church that have seen the light and have been "rescued" or 2) non members who apparently have spent years not only debating but educating themselves on LDS Doctrine in attempts to "rescue" it's members. everybody is an expert.

A Marvelous Work and A Wonder was a very helpful book for me in my conversion process.

how long do you typically have to wait before you can receive the melchezidek priesthood?

how long does it typically take for a new convert to receive the Melchezidek Priesthood?

What seperates the Pope from the Prophet of the Church is that the Pope still functions in a state of apostasy. The Catholic church is not the true church of Jesus Christ and they do not accept the restored Gospel. It sounds so black and white, however it's still truth. There is only one church of Jesus Christ and everything else is simply a church of man.