Submitted by Lisa Cragun

At our most recent in-service meeting a wonderful object lesson was shared about the Apostasy.

You take a light bulb and write all over it light and truths of Christ church, like baptism by immersion, priesthood, temple work, prophets, apostles, faith, the God head.

Then you tape 12 long strings to the bulb.

You will need to do this outside in the parking lot.

You bring the class outside and liken the bulb to the light and knowledge that Christ gave us when he lived on the earth. Talk about the truths that were on the earth at that time. He set up his Church in the fullness. Then he died but he left the keys with the 12 apostles (the twelve strings). You give 12 students the strings to hold.

Then you help them understand that the 12 were still connected to light and truth. But slowly internally the apostles were either killed ( you have a few pull away the string from the bulb, or internal strives caused more pulling away.) Continue to pull until one string is dangling from the bulb.

Then when Christ’s Church is hanging by a thread, the last apostle is killed ( you let the light bulb drop on the pavement and shatter) and Christ’s light and truth is gone. It fragments into many different churches with some bits and pieces of the truth, but no one church had the whole light and truth, thus creating the apostasy or dark ages. You move piles around as you talk about the bits and pieces of truths that they had and perhaps give examples of some things which got lost, like baptism by immersion, and prophets.

When Joseph Smith prayed the Light and truth of the gospel was restored.