1967 Gospel Doctrine Manual vs. the Number of the Sons of Perdition Being Very Few

 

How many become sons of perdition? Even though the number who can commit the unpardonable sin on earth is restricted . . . it is an erroneous notion that men who become sons of perdition will be so few that they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. After explaining what is involved in committing the unpardonable sin and something about the fate of those who do so, the Prophet Joseph Smith concluded: “This is the case with many apostates of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (History of the Church 6:314). This number is still relatively small when compared with the billions who have inhabited the earth. Furthermore, not all who leave the Church could possibly become sons of perdition, but only those with the required knowledge through the Spirit. (Messages for Exaltation: Eternal Insights from the Book of Mormon For the Sunday Schools of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union, 1967], 354, emphasis in bold added)