Two Churches, the Church of God and the Church of the Devil

     Over the years, in my study of the Book of Mormon, I have sensed that an inconsistency exists between two passages.  But just recently I have found a resolution that is important to me.  The possible inconsistency was between a particular teachings of Nephi and that of Alma the Younger.  At one point Nephi taught that “there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” (1 Nephi 14:10)  In my earlier life, I had heard this taught as pointing to the contrast between our church and all other churches, or in one case, specifically our church as opposed to the Catholic church.  I had even heard people teach the notion that the devil would teach ten truths to get a person to believe one falsehood, with all still a characteristic of the kingdom of the devil.
    Some years later, Alma the younger taught what I thought seemed to be a differing doctrine, that “the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.” (Alma 19:8)  To me this seemed to imply that God would supply some persons with something less that than the fulness of the Gospel, a lesser or more limited set of truths, according to their capacity to receive and obey his words, but still at God’s discretion and direction.
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    Given & Givens find Latter-Day Saint scriptural confirmation of this latter principle in that the Lord identifies that prior to the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, persons exist who are “his people” or “his church” who need to be found and gathered into his future Church, which will contain the fulness of the gospel and light.
    “....The unprecedented innovation of Christianity was the lived experience of entering into an extended family.
    “That this family began in the unparalleled bonding and “loving-kindness” manifest in the intimacy of congregational units did not mean, as Turtullian expressed, that a more general body of Christ was not to be sought out, recognized, and cherished.  The earliest Eucharistic prayer from the first century captures this yearning: “Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Thy Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into Thy Kingdom.(quoting from Roberts and Donaldson)”  Joseph [Smith], in fact, saw the Restoration as the gathering together just such a capacious church.  The idea of a spiritual church that exists alongside, to encompass and enventually transcend the institutional church, was persistently reaffirmed to Joseph in modern scripture.  As just on such example, section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants contains a rather remarkable reassurance.  The date [for this revelation] is April 1929, a year before the Church was restored.  In this revelation, the Lord refers consistently to his Church as something that already exists.  The Restoration, he says, will not “destroy that which [my people] have [already] received.”  Therefore,” he continues, “whosoever belongeth to my church [in 1829] need not fear, for such shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”  Those who belong to his Church, he tells us, will receive more light.  In his words, a “part of my gospel” will be theirs.  But this will not, he repeats reassuringly, “destroy my church, but I say this to build up my church.”(D&C 10:52-55)  As Saints, we are called to collaborate in the building of Zion with all those who love God and their neighbor, including so many at present unknown to us, and whom the Lord identifies as “holy men [and women] that ye know not of.”(D&C 49:8) until “all who are suffering torment, whether temporal or ‘eternal’ ... are freed, God’s Kingdom cannot come.”(quoting from Berdyaev)”  (Givens & Givens, The Christ Who Heals, pp. 78-79)

    Elder Dallin H. Oaks in a recent BYU-I devotional provides definitions of Nephi’s two churches consistent with this latter understanding.  The church of the lamb of God consists of all persons “who believe in God and seek to serve him.”  The great and abominable church is “any philosophy or organization that opposes belief in God.”
    “Book of Mormon prophecies describe the "great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil" (1 Nephi 14:17).  This "church" is prophesied to have "dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people" (1 Nephi 14:11).  Called "most abominable above all other churches," this church is also said to act "for the praise of the world" to bring the saints of God "down into captivity" (1 Nephi 13:5, 9).  Since no religious denomination--Christian or non-Christian--has ever had "dominion" over all nations of the earth or the potential to bring all the saints of God down into "captivity," this great and abominable church must be something far more pervasive and widespread than a single "church" as we understand that term today.  It must be any philosophy or organization that opposes belief in God.  And the "captivity" into which this "church" seeks to bring the saints will not be so much physical confinement as the captivity of false ideas.
    “In modern usage and in many scriptural passages the word church usually identifies (1) a house of worship or (2) a particular Christian denomination, including the true church of God.  But if we apply either of those meanings to the scriptures describing the "great and abominable church of all the earth" (1 Nephi 14:17), we miss the intended meaning.  For example, Nephi was told by revelation that there were only "two churches" (1 Nephi 14:10), "the church of the Lamb of God" and "the church of the devil" (1 Nephi 14:17; also see 1 Nephi 13:4-6).  This description suggests the contrast between those who believe in God and seek to serve Him according to their best understanding and those who reject the existence of God (see 1 Nephi 14:10).
    “Other teachings in the Book of Mormon also use the word church to signify belief or non-belief in God.  The final chapters of Second Nephi prophesy that in the last days the Gentiles will build up "many churches" that will "put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain" (2 Nephi 26:20).  They tell of "churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord" (2 Nephi 28:3), which will "teach with their learning" and "deny the power of God" (2 Nephi 28:4-5).  They will "say unto the people:  Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept, for behold there is no God today" (2 Nephi 28:5).  In the Savior's ministry among the Nephites, He warned against a "church" that "be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil" (3 Nephi 27:11).  These warnings are not limited to religious organizations.  In the circumstances of our day they include a multitude of secular philosophies and activities.  (“Witnesses of God” President Dallin H. Oaks, BYU-I devotional address, February 25, 2014)

    These latter insights eliminates my concern for any inconsistency between Nephi and Alma the Younger.  It also allows me to credit faith and righteousness wherever it may be found on this earth.