How to Live During an Apostasy

Members for years have sustained General Authorities without question. It makes you wonder sometimes if the alternative is too scary to consider: living during an apostasy. We have all heard the horror stories of the Catholic Church and the Inquisition, and as Americans, our blood boils when we think of the American Revolution and what might have been were we not successful in casting off the shackles of kingdoms and their oppressors, but when it comes to the LDS Church, ironically we are often like lemmings walking off of the cliff as we follow the leader.Is it possible to live to God if there is no formal Church institution that God recognizes as His own? That is the very question righteous souls would've faced during what the LDS have called "The Great Apostasy," defined roughly as some period after the death of Christ's apostles all the way until Joseph Smith was called on the scene to restore the Gospel. "The Great Apostasy" is a theme that is central to the concept of the Restoration, since there would be nothing to restore had there not first been an apostasy from the truth. We are very keen to not want something like that to reoccur.However, in our fervor to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again, have we added teachings to the Gospel that actually come from evil (3 Nephi 11:40)? Have we assured ourselves that such a terrible event is impossible thistime around; especially since we are now so painfully aware of the great one that we think we've fully recovered from? In our franticness, have we resurrected the very beast we have feared (Rev. 13:3)?