Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' and The Great Apostasy

A depiction of the 'Allegory of the Cave'

In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, several prisoners sit in a dark cave with their backs against a high wall. At the top of this wall, there is a bright fire that partially illuminates the wall opposite the prisoners. Numerous objects pass by this fire, and though the prisoners cannot see the objects themselves, they can see the shadows that those objects cast. The prisoners begin a game to see who can most cleverly describe the shadows. Those who create the best theories or explanations gain the respect of the others. 

One day, a prisoner is freed from the cave and goes outside. There, he discovers a world of light, and he is able to see what the shadows on the wall really are. However, when he returns to tell his fellow prisoners about the truth that he has discovered, he is ridiculed and eventually killed. 

Brother Hamzawi recreated this allegory for the Seminary students using a flashlight and random household objects, encouraging the students to study the shadows and guess what he was holding in front of the light. Then, he asked the class to analyze the Allegory of the Cave within a gospel context. The students shared fantastic insight, which we'd like to pass on.

If we establish the time period for our analysis as anywhere between the Great Apostasy after Christ's ministry to the restoration of the gospel 1830, then the prisoners in the cave represent individuals living without priesthood authority. The objects outside the view of the prisoners are the doctrines and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The shadows are distortions -- conjectures, theories, and imperfect beliefs -- founded upon what little information was available about Christ's church during the apostasy.

If we fast-forward to the moment in the allegory when one prisoner is released, we come to 1830, when the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith, one of God's chosen prophets. With the fullness of the gospel came a power that existed in the time of Christ... the ability to "establish the doctrine of Christ or correct doctrinal deviations, [which] is a matter of divine revelation to those the Lord endows with apostolic authority" (Elder Christofferson). 

The 9th Article of Faith states, "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of Heaven." The more I learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more I realize that I have a lot to learn. I am so grateful for prayer and scripture study, which enable me to seek knowledge and truth for myself as I humbly submit to the promptings of the Spirit. I am also grateful to live in a time when prophets of God with the necessary priesthood keys are able to receive divine guidance on my behalf. I testify that our General Authorities are inspired; although it's sometimes difficult to live by faith, trying to follow their counsel has brought immeasurable joy and light to my life. 

- Sister Hamzawi