Mormonism's Infallible Prophets
In the twenty-first century, Mormons who are confronted with some of the stupid and awful things their prophets have said and done are likely to say, "We don't teach that prophets are infallible." Sometimes they phrase it as a joke: "Catholics teach that the pope is infallible, but nobody believes it. Mormons teach that the prophet is fallible, but nobody believes it." True, one can find quotes suggesting prophetic fallibility, like Joseph Smith's "A prophet is a prophet only when acting as such," but it's absolutely not a principle that I was taught growing up in the LDS Church. Though the word "infallible" was never used, I was consistently taught that the prophet speaks for God and I need to follow him, end of discussion. And that message hasn't gone away, even now that it's become untenable to anyone with the slightest awareness of how badly prophets have screwed up in the past. For "faithful" Mormons, deciding that the current fallible prophet is wrong about something isn't an option. They're only supposed to acknowledge prophetic mistakes after the prophet is dead.
Here are some times the LDS Church taught that prophets are infallible without saying "Prophets are infallible":
Here are some times the LDS Church taught that prophets are infallible without saying "Prophets are infallible":
Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6, April 6, 1830
Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.
Analysis: At the church's founding, Joseph Smith set the precedent by receiving a revelation that put his words on par with the Lord's words. While this passage is not incompatible with the possibility that prophets can speak their own opinions and be wrong sometimes, it mentions nothing of the sort, let alone how to tell when that's happening.
For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.
Analysis: At the church's founding, Joseph Smith set the precedent by receiving a revelation that put his words on par with the Lord's words. While this passage is not incompatible with the possibility that prophets can speak their own opinions and be wrong sometimes, it mentions nothing of the sort, let alone how to tell when that's happening.
Doctrine and Covenants 1:38, November 1, 1831
What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
Analysis: I was taught this verse in Primary without any caveats.
Analysis: I was taught this verse in Primary without any caveats.
President Brigham Young
Speech in Salt Lake City Tabernacle, January 2, 1870
Well, brethren and sisters, try and be Saints. I will try; I have tried many years to live according to the law which the Lord reveals unto me. I know just as well what to teach this people and just what to say to them and what to do in order to bring them into the celestial kingdom, as I know the road to my office. It is just as plain and easy. The Lord is in our midst. He teaches the people continually. I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call Scripture. Let me have the privilege of correcting a sermon, and it is as good Scripture as they deserve. The people have the oracles of God continually. In the days of Joseph, revelation was given and written, and the people were driven from city to city and place to place, until we were led into these mountains. Let this [discourse] go to the people with "Thus saith the Lord," and if they do not obey it, you will see the chastening hand of the Lord upon them. But if they are plead with, and led along like children, we may come to understand the will of the Lord and he may preserve us as we desire.
Analysis: Apologists emphasize the part where Brigham Young's sermons only count as scripture if he has the chance to correct them, yet Apostle Ezra Taft Benson saw no need to include that part when he quoted only the preceding sentence in his 1980 speech "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet." He's probably done more damage with this quote than any critic. Also, given the frequency with which Brigham Young taught things that the LDS Church has since disavowed, it's very unlikely that he would have excised them from his corrected sermons.
Analysis: Apologists emphasize the part where Brigham Young's sermons only count as scripture if he has the chance to correct them, yet Apostle Ezra Taft Benson saw no need to include that part when he quoted only the preceding sentence in his 1980 speech "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet." He's probably done more damage with this quote than any critic. Also, given the frequency with which Brigham Young taught things that the LDS Church has since disavowed, it's very unlikely that he would have excised them from his corrected sermons.
President Wilford Woodruff
General Conference, October 6, 1890, Canonized in Official Declaration 1 in the Doctrine and Covenants
The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty.
Analysis: I was also taught this in Primary, and it was probably the most influential of all the quotes on this page. I absolutely believed that the prophet would die if he taught falsehoods. Of course, since prophets have taught many falsehoods, apologists have to split hairs about what it actually means for a prophet to lead people astray. Apparently, Brigham Young teaching that Adam is God, that Christ's Atonement doesn't cover certain sins, and that Black people are cursed by God and unworthy to live in the highest level of the celestial kingdom with their families somehow doesn't qualify. In fairness, though, a few liberal neo-apologists are bold enough to suggest that God actually did remove Joseph Smith for his practice of polygamy, and I can get behind that.
Analysis: I was also taught this in Primary, and it was probably the most influential of all the quotes on this page. I absolutely believed that the prophet would die if he taught falsehoods. Of course, since prophets have taught many falsehoods, apologists have to split hairs about what it actually means for a prophet to lead people astray. Apparently, Brigham Young teaching that Adam is God, that Christ's Atonement doesn't cover certain sins, and that Black people are cursed by God and unworthy to live in the highest level of the celestial kingdom with their families somehow doesn't qualify. In fairness, though, a few liberal neo-apologists are bold enough to suggest that God actually did remove Joseph Smith for his practice of polygamy, and I can get behind that.
Apostle Hyrum M. Smith
General Conference, April 5, 1908
I would advise the Latter-day Saints to continue in following the servants of the Lord, who preside in the Church and Kingdom of Christ. Never in the history of the people have the saints gone wrong or gone astray while following the lead of the Presidency and general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Never in the world will the people go wrong or go astray and fall by the wayside, if they will continue to follow the lead of these men of God; and I want to suggest that we look to the Presidency of the Church, and the leading quorums of the Priesthood, as true indicators of the way the Lord would have us walk. They are indeed God’s Liahona.
Analysis: I thought God's Liahona was the Liahona. In seriousness though, the Book of Mormon depicts the Liahona as a magical mechanical device that always points the right way as long as the people using it are righteous. The implication here is that prophets are just as reliable and that any deviation from the Lord's way is the ordinary members' fault. Indeed, the Liahona would be useless, even dangerous if it were as fallible as prophets have shown themselves to be.
Analysis: I thought God's Liahona was the Liahona. In seriousness though, the Book of Mormon depicts the Liahona as a magical mechanical device that always points the right way as long as the people using it are righteous. The implication here is that prophets are just as reliable and that any deviation from the Lord's way is the ordinary members' fault. Indeed, the Liahona would be useless, even dangerous if it were as fallible as prophets have shown themselves to be.
Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith
General Conference, October 6, 1912
The time will never come when we will not be able to put confidence and exercise faith in the teachings and in the instruction of those who lead us. I am satisfied of this for I know the promises of the Lord are sure. I know that these things are true; the Lord has not forsaken His people, and will be with them even to the end. Therefore it behooves us, as Latter-day Saints, to put our trust in the presiding authorities of the Church, in the Priesthood of God; and accept of their teachings.
No man ever went astray by following the counsel of the authorities of the Church. No man who ever followed the teachings or took advice or counsel from the one who stands as the representative of the Lord ever went astray; but men who have refused to accept counsel have gone astray and into forbidden paths, and in some instances have even denied the faith. Others who went astray because they failed to understand and to heed the counsels that were given unto them for their eternal good, have humbled themselves and come back to the Church acknowledging their error.
Analysis: It's true that many people who recognize that prophets are fallible often end up denying the faith. It's not true that these people are the problem.
No man ever went astray by following the counsel of the authorities of the Church. No man who ever followed the teachings or took advice or counsel from the one who stands as the representative of the Lord ever went astray; but men who have refused to accept counsel have gone astray and into forbidden paths, and in some instances have even denied the faith. Others who went astray because they failed to understand and to heed the counsels that were given unto them for their eternal good, have humbled themselves and come back to the Church acknowledging their error.
Analysis: It's true that many people who recognize that prophets are fallible often end up denying the faith. It's not true that these people are the problem.
Mission President Charles A. Callis
General Conference, October 8, 1922
So long as the Latter-day Saints look to these spiritual guides, the Presidency and the Twelve, and obey their counsels, they will never go astray. These inspired men are servants of Jesus Christ.
Apostle George F. Richards
General Conference, October 4, 1929
There are some who seem to be willing to be the emissaries of this great being, Satan, to assist him in his work. It is a notable fact that those who have arraigned themselves against God's work and purposes, fire their darts at the head of the Church ; and we have a great many people now, some in the Church and some outside, who are trying their utmost to destroy the influence of the President of this Church; and I believe at the bottom of it they would destroy this work if possible. They are enemies to God, but they will surely find sooner or later that it is hard to kick against the pricks. We have known of men circulating literature among the saints, calculated to destroy confidence in the authorities of the Church, particularly in the head of the Church. Fault is found with the way they handle the means that are entrusted to their care, the tithes of the Church. Others are circulating literature calculated to encourage people to perpetuate practices which are by the Church forbidden. It is the purpose of the authorities of this Church to live, and teach this people to obey, the constitutional laws of these United States; and there are people here who take the opposite course, criticizing and doing all they can in opposition to the attitude taken upon these questions by the authorities of the Church. These people, I think, are becoming the emissaries of Satan, and if they should succeed, no doubt Satan would rejoice exceedingly. I want to say to the Latter-day Saints, we do not fear any power or influence that can be brought upon this work or the authorities of this Church from the outside. The most powerful influence with its most dire effects is that which comes from members within the Church; and when it is known that men arraign themselves against this work, or the authorities of this Church, if they will not repent, they should be dealt with, and that speedily. "It is better that one man shall perish than that a whole nation should dwindle in unbelief," notwithstanding we should be full of charity toward all men as well as toward the household of faith. I want to say to you, brethren and sisters, you should not follow such a lead.
I want to give you a guide that is sure and safe. If you will be one with the Presidency of this Church, and with the twelve apostles, you will never go astray. You will be on firm footing. There has never been a moment since the organization of this Church when the President of the Church and the Twelve Apostles or a majority of the Twelve Apostles have gone astray. You are safe to follow their lead.
Analysis: Richards claims that people who criticize anything the prophet does are emissaries of Satan. He simultaneously delegitimizes them and uses fear tactics to encourage strict obedience.
I want to give you a guide that is sure and safe. If you will be one with the Presidency of this Church, and with the twelve apostles, you will never go astray. You will be on firm footing. There has never been a moment since the organization of this Church when the President of the Church and the Twelve Apostles or a majority of the Twelve Apostles have gone astray. You are safe to follow their lead.
Analysis: Richards claims that people who criticize anything the prophet does are emissaries of Satan. He simultaneously delegitimizes them and uses fear tactics to encourage strict obedience.
Apostle Melvin J. Ballard
General Conference, April 5, 1931
The Lord promised long ago that the majority of the leadership of this Church never would lead this people astray, and they never will, and they are not leading this people astray today. Every faction that rises will come to naught, just as sure as you and I live.
Analysis: "They are not leading this people astray today" is a suspiciously specific denial.
Analysis: "They are not leading this people astray today" is a suspiciously specific denial.
Ward Teacher's Message, Improvement Era, June 1945
Any Latter-day Saint who denounces or opposes, whether actively or otherwise, any plan or doctrine advocated by the "prophets, seers, and revelators" of the Church is cultivating the spirit of apostasy. One cannot speak evil of the Lord's anointed and retain the Holy Spirit in his heart.
It should be remembered that Lucifer has a very cunning way of convincing unsuspecting souls that the General Authorities of the Church are as likely to be wrong as they are to be right. This sort of game is Satan's favorite pastime, and he has practiced it on believing souls since Adam. He wins a great victory when he can get members of the Church to speak against their leaders and to "do their own thinking." He specializes in suggesting that our leaders are in error while he plays the blinding rays of apostasy in the eyes of those whom he thus beguiles. What cunning! And to think that some of our members are deceived by this trickery....
When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan—it is God’s plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy. God works in no other way. To think otherwise, without immediate repentance, may cost one his faith, may destroy his testimony, and leave him a stranger to the kingdom of God.
Analysis: Apologists like to point out that President George Albert Smith repudiated this message. But he only did so six months later in a private letter to Dr. Raymond A. Cope of the First Unitarian Society, a non-Mormon who had expressed concern about it. Nobody in the LDS Church knew that he had a problem with it, and if historians hadn't found this letter, they still wouldn't.
It should be remembered that Lucifer has a very cunning way of convincing unsuspecting souls that the General Authorities of the Church are as likely to be wrong as they are to be right. This sort of game is Satan's favorite pastime, and he has practiced it on believing souls since Adam. He wins a great victory when he can get members of the Church to speak against their leaders and to "do their own thinking." He specializes in suggesting that our leaders are in error while he plays the blinding rays of apostasy in the eyes of those whom he thus beguiles. What cunning! And to think that some of our members are deceived by this trickery....
When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan—it is God’s plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy. God works in no other way. To think otherwise, without immediate repentance, may cost one his faith, may destroy his testimony, and leave him a stranger to the kingdom of God.
Analysis: Apologists like to point out that President George Albert Smith repudiated this message. But he only did so six months later in a private letter to Dr. Raymond A. Cope of the First Unitarian Society, a non-Mormon who had expressed concern about it. Nobody in the LDS Church knew that he had a problem with it, and if historians hadn't found this letter, they still wouldn't.
President J. Reuben Clark
General Conference, October 7, 1945
You will never make a mistake by following the instructions and the counsel of him who stands at the head as God's mouthpiece on earth.
First Presidency
Letter to Dr. Lowry Nelson, November 12, 1947
We feel very sure that you are aware of the doctrines of the Church. They are either true or not true. Our testimony is that they are true. Under these circumstances we may not permit ourselves to be too much impressed by the reasonings of men, however well founded they may seem to be. We should like to say this to you in all sincerity, that you are too fine a man to permit yourself to be led off from the principles of the Gospel by worldly learning. You have too much of a potentiality for doing good and we therefore prayerfully hope that you can re-orient your thinking and bring it in line with the revealed Word of God.
Analysis: Here, the prophet and his counselors show their contempt for "worldly learning" whenever it contradicts what they describe as "the revealed Word of God." In this case, "the revealed word of God" was the LDS Church's racist teachings and policies against Black people. Dr. Nelson, a sociologist, had relied on his fancy "worldly learning" to build a secular case for why racism is wrong, but the prophet and his counselors would have none of it. According to what J. Reuben Clark taught just two years earlier, Dr. Nelson would not have made a mistake if he had followed their instructions and counsel to be racist. Today, apologists expect us to give them a pass for being "men of their time," as if there were no way they could have possibly known better.
Analysis: Here, the prophet and his counselors show their contempt for "worldly learning" whenever it contradicts what they describe as "the revealed Word of God." In this case, "the revealed word of God" was the LDS Church's racist teachings and policies against Black people. Dr. Nelson, a sociologist, had relied on his fancy "worldly learning" to build a secular case for why racism is wrong, but the prophet and his counselors would have none of it. According to what J. Reuben Clark taught just two years earlier, Dr. Nelson would not have made a mistake if he had followed their instructions and counsel to be racist. Today, apologists expect us to give them a pass for being "men of their time," as if there were no way they could have possibly known better.
Apostle Marion G. Romney
General Conference, April 6, 1953
One day when President Grant was living, I sat in my office across the street following a general conference. A man came over to see me, an elderly man. He was very upset about what had been said in this conference by some of the Brethren, including myself. I could tell from his speech that he came from a foreign land. After I had quieted him enough so he would listen, I said, "Why did you come to America?"
"I came here because a prophet of God told me to come."
"Who was the prophet?" I continued.
"Wilford Woodruff."
"Do you believe Wilford Woodruff was a prophet of God?"
"Yes," said he.
"Do you believe that his successor, President Lorenzo Snow, was a prophet of God?"
"Yes, I do."
"Do you believe that President Joseph F. Smith was a prophet of God?"
"Yes, sir."
Then came the "sixty-four dollar question." "Do you believe that Heber J. Grant is a prophet of God?"
His answer: "I think he ought to keep his mouth shut about old age assistance."
Now I tell you that a man in his position is on the way to apostasy. He is forfeiting his chances for eternal life. So is everyone who cannot follow the living prophet of God.
"I came here because a prophet of God told me to come."
"Who was the prophet?" I continued.
"Wilford Woodruff."
"Do you believe Wilford Woodruff was a prophet of God?"
"Yes," said he.
"Do you believe that his successor, President Lorenzo Snow, was a prophet of God?"
"Yes, I do."
"Do you believe that President Joseph F. Smith was a prophet of God?"
"Yes, sir."
Then came the "sixty-four dollar question." "Do you believe that Heber J. Grant is a prophet of God?"
His answer: "I think he ought to keep his mouth shut about old age assistance."
Now I tell you that a man in his position is on the way to apostasy. He is forfeiting his chances for eternal life. So is everyone who cannot follow the living prophet of God.
Apostle Marion G. Romney
General Conference, October 8, 1960
Now, brethren, if we will keep these things in mind, we shall not be deceived by false teachings. I remember years ago when I was a bishop I had President Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting, I drove him home. At that time there was a great deal of criticism against the President of the Church because of a front-page editorial some of you may remember. We talked about it. When we got to his home I got out of the car and went up on the porch with him. Standing by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: "My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church, and if he ever tells you to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it." Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, "But you don't need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray."
I have thought much about that. I remember that counselors in the Presidency have been deceived. I remember that members of the Twelve have been deceived and left the Church, and men in every other Council in the Church have been deceived. But there has never been a President of the Church, and according to President Grant, and I believe him, there never will be a President of this Church who will lead the people astray.
Analysis: You couldn't ask for a better example of religion elevating blind obedience over real morality. The prophet said that the prophet will never tell you to do anything wrong, so do anything he tells you to do, even if it's wrong, because it won't be wrong, because the prophet said so. This quote is at least unique in acknowledging the fallibility of other leaders at the highest levels of the LDS Church, but in so doing, it only confers an even more godlike status on the highest one. Hundreds of people in the People's Temple and Heaven's Gate cults killed themselves because they placed this level of trust in their prophets.
I have thought much about that. I remember that counselors in the Presidency have been deceived. I remember that members of the Twelve have been deceived and left the Church, and men in every other Council in the Church have been deceived. But there has never been a President of the Church, and according to President Grant, and I believe him, there never will be a President of this Church who will lead the people astray.
Analysis: You couldn't ask for a better example of religion elevating blind obedience over real morality. The prophet said that the prophet will never tell you to do anything wrong, so do anything he tells you to do, even if it's wrong, because it won't be wrong, because the prophet said so. This quote is at least unique in acknowledging the fallibility of other leaders at the highest levels of the LDS Church, but in so doing, it only confers an even more godlike status on the highest one. Hundreds of people in the People's Temple and Heaven's Gate cults killed themselves because they placed this level of trust in their prophets.
Elder Theodore M. Burton
General Conference, October 1, 1961
Thus one can trust a seer because
a seer may see the heavens open. He
may see the great vision of God working
in all his majesty. He may see the fulness of truth as it is revealed to him
by God who makes no mistakes. The
evidence is clear, therefore, and the in-
terpretation is clear. The seer can bear
personal testimony, not based on books,
not based on scholarship, not based on
tradition, but based on the evidence of
things that God himself can reveal to
him in an actual experience with Deity.
He may receive a revelation from God
by actually seeing and hearing and
being instructed in the real truth.
A seer then is one who may see God, who may talk with God, who may receive personal instruction from God. Our prophet is a seer and a revelator. I do not know who originally taught the doctrine. I was told once that it was taught by President Heber J. Grant, but I was taught this doctrine by Elder Marion G. Romney, who told me that the Lord will never let his prophet, the seer, lead his people astray. Men in all ranks on this earth and in the Church have fallen from grace, but the Lord will never permit the great prophet, our seer, and revelator, to fall or to lead the people astray. Before this could happen God must of necessity remove that man from the earth.
There must be someone to whom the people can turn and trust, who can speak for God. God must have someone on earth who can point the way and say, "This is true." How grateful, my brothers and sisters, we should be that God in the fulness of his grace has given us a living prophet to guide us to Him; even more that God has given us a seer, for this seer and prophet reveals per- sonal testimony to young and old alike that Jesus is in very deed the risen Savior, the Living God.
Analysis: "The prophet will never lead his people astray" is nothing new, but intentionally conflating him with "God who makes no mistakes" is a nice extra touch.
A seer then is one who may see God, who may talk with God, who may receive personal instruction from God. Our prophet is a seer and a revelator. I do not know who originally taught the doctrine. I was told once that it was taught by President Heber J. Grant, but I was taught this doctrine by Elder Marion G. Romney, who told me that the Lord will never let his prophet, the seer, lead his people astray. Men in all ranks on this earth and in the Church have fallen from grace, but the Lord will never permit the great prophet, our seer, and revelator, to fall or to lead the people astray. Before this could happen God must of necessity remove that man from the earth.
There must be someone to whom the people can turn and trust, who can speak for God. God must have someone on earth who can point the way and say, "This is true." How grateful, my brothers and sisters, we should be that God in the fulness of his grace has given us a living prophet to guide us to Him; even more that God has given us a seer, for this seer and prophet reveals per- sonal testimony to young and old alike that Jesus is in very deed the risen Savior, the Living God.
Analysis: "The prophet will never lead his people astray" is nothing new, but intentionally conflating him with "God who makes no mistakes" is a nice extra touch.
President N. Eldon Tanner
General Conference, October 1, 1966
The Prophet spoke out clearly on Friday morning, telling us what our responsibilities are. He mentioned and spoke emphatically of liquor by the drink. A man said to me after that, "You know, there are people in our state who believe in following the Prophet in everything they think is right, but when it is something they think isn't right, and it doesn't appeal to them, then that's different." He said, "Then they become their own prophet. They decide what the Lord wants and what the Lord doesn't want."
I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow. When we decide that there are some of them that we will not keep or follow, we are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep.
Analysis: If you ever disagree with the prophet, he's right and you're wrong. But he's not infallible. Make it make sense.
I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow. When we decide that there are some of them that we will not keep or follow, we are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep.
Analysis: If you ever disagree with the prophet, he's right and you're wrong. But he's not infallible. Make it make sense.
Apostle Ezra Taft Benson
General Conference, October 2, 1966
As members of the Church we have some close quarters to pass through if we are going to get home safely. We will be given a chance to choose between conflicting counsel given by some. That's why we must learn - and the sooner we learn, the better - to keep our eye on the Prophet, the President of the Church. And that Prophet today is President David O. McKay....
All men are entitled to inspiration, especially men who bear the priesthood, but only one man is the Lord's mouthpiece. Some lesser men have used in the past, and will use in the future, their offices unrighteously. Some will, ignorantly or otherwise, use their office to promote false counsel; some will use it to lead the unwary astray; some will use it to persuade us that all is well in Zion; some will use it to cover and excuse their ignorance. Keep your eye on the Prophet, for the Lord will never permit his Prophet to lead this Church astray. Let us live close to the Spirit, so we can test all counsel.
All men are entitled to inspiration, especially men who bear the priesthood, but only one man is the Lord's mouthpiece. Some lesser men have used in the past, and will use in the future, their offices unrighteously. Some will, ignorantly or otherwise, use their office to promote false counsel; some will use it to lead the unwary astray; some will use it to persuade us that all is well in Zion; some will use it to cover and excuse their ignorance. Keep your eye on the Prophet, for the Lord will never permit his Prophet to lead this Church astray. Let us live close to the Spirit, so we can test all counsel.
Apostle Harold B. Lee
General Conference, October 4, 1970
Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, "as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; … as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith." (D&C 21:4–5.) There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory."
Analysis: The authority of the Church contradicted the political and social views of members who believed that racial segregation and discrimination were wrong. Emphatically, in fact. But that's none of my business.
Analysis: The authority of the Church contradicted the political and social views of members who believed that racial segregation and discrimination were wrong. Emphatically, in fact. But that's none of my business.
President Joseph Fielding Smith
General Conference, April 1972
Now, brethren, I think there is one thing which we should have exceedingly clear in our minds. Neither the President of the Church, nor the First Presidency, nor the united voice of the First Presidency and the Twelve will ever lead the Saints astray or send forth counsel to the world that is contrary to the mind and will of the Lord.
An individual may fall by the wayside, or have views, or give counsel which falls short of what the Lord intends. But the voice of the First Presidency and the united voice of those others who hold with them the keys of the kingdom shall always guide the Saints and the world in those paths where the Lord wants them to be.
Analysis: Smith shockingly gives lip service to the idea the idea of fallability, but he's as vague as possible about who is fallible, and he prefaces it by saying that the President of the Church, with or without any unity from the other high-ranking church leaders, will never lead the Saints astray or give any counsel that's wrong. What does it mean for counsel to "fall short of what the Lord intends" but not be "contrary to the mind and will of the Lord"? Apologists will have to explain that one, because he didn't.
An individual may fall by the wayside, or have views, or give counsel which falls short of what the Lord intends. But the voice of the First Presidency and the united voice of those others who hold with them the keys of the kingdom shall always guide the Saints and the world in those paths where the Lord wants them to be.
Analysis: Smith shockingly gives lip service to the idea the idea of fallability, but he's as vague as possible about who is fallible, and he prefaces it by saying that the President of the Church, with or without any unity from the other high-ranking church leaders, will never lead the Saints astray or give any counsel that's wrong. What does it mean for counsel to "fall short of what the Lord intends" but not be "contrary to the mind and will of the Lord"? Apologists will have to explain that one, because he didn't.
President N. Eldon Tanner
General Conference, April 7, 1973
We choose whether or not we will accept President Harold B. Lee as a prophet of God, listen to his voice, and follow him, in the sure knowledge that he is the mouthpiece of the Lord and the leader of God’s children on the earth today....
We cannot go astray if we listen to the prophet’s voice and follow him, and as we do so we will be led in the path of truth and righteousness and enjoy the love, respect, and confidence of our fellowmen, and eventually enjoy eternal life with our Father in heaven. Or we may refuse and lose all these great blessings.
We cannot go astray if we listen to the prophet’s voice and follow him, and as we do so we will be led in the path of truth and righteousness and enjoy the love, respect, and confidence of our fellowmen, and eventually enjoy eternal life with our Father in heaven. Or we may refuse and lose all these great blessings.
Young Women General President Elaine S. Cannon
General Conference, October 1978
Personal opinions may vary. Eternal principles never do. When the prophet speaks, sisters, the debate is over.
Analysis: Sister Cannon privately wrote that the morning after her talk, President Kimball met with her and asked her not to say this again. He said, "I don't think the people like to hear that." She said, "But it's true, isn't it?" He said, "Yes, it’s true, but I don’t think they like to hear it quite that way."
Analysis: Sister Cannon privately wrote that the morning after her talk, President Kimball met with her and asked her not to say this again. He said, "I don't think the people like to hear that." She said, "But it's true, isn't it?" He said, "Yes, it’s true, but I don’t think they like to hear it quite that way."
President N. Eldon Tanner
"The Debate is Over," Ensign, August 1979
Latter-day Saints should be able to accept the words of the prophets without having to wait for science to prove the validity of their words. We are most fortunate to have a living prophet at the head of the Church to guide us, and all who heed his counsel will be partakers of the promised blessings which will not be enjoyed by those who fail to accept his messages….
We must turn all this about. We cannot serve God and mammon. Whose side are we on? When the prophet speaks the debate is over.
Analysis: It seems that Tanner didn't get the memo.
We must turn all this about. We cannot serve God and mammon. Whose side are we on? When the prophet speaks the debate is over.
Analysis: It seems that Tanner didn't get the memo.
Apostle Ezra Taft Benson
"Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet," Speech to BYU Students, February 26, 1980
In conclusion, let us summarize this grand key, these “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet,” for our salvation hangs on them.
First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.
Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
Sixth: The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture.
Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
Eighth: The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
Tenth: The prophet may be involved in civic matters.
Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord, then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain. How closely do our lives harmonize with the words of the Lord’s anointed—the living prophet, the President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency?
Analysis: While Benson didn't explicitly say "The prophet is right about everything at all times," it's very, very difficult for an honest person to draw any other conclusion from his strong words. Behind closed doors, President Spencer W. Kimball chastened Benson for giving the impression that the LDS Church espoused "an unthinking ‘follow the leader’ mentality." Publicly, of course, he said nothing about Benson's talk. It was reprinted as the First Presidency message in the global Liahona magazine a year later and became the basis of two General Conference talks in October 2010, by Claudio R.M. Costa and Kevin R. Duncan, who both quoted all fourteen fundamentals in full.
First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.
Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
Sixth: The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture.
Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
Eighth: The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
Tenth: The prophet may be involved in civic matters.
Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord, then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain. How closely do our lives harmonize with the words of the Lord’s anointed—the living prophet, the President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency?
Analysis: While Benson didn't explicitly say "The prophet is right about everything at all times," it's very, very difficult for an honest person to draw any other conclusion from his strong words. Behind closed doors, President Spencer W. Kimball chastened Benson for giving the impression that the LDS Church espoused "an unthinking ‘follow the leader’ mentality." Publicly, of course, he said nothing about Benson's talk. It was reprinted as the First Presidency message in the global Liahona magazine a year later and became the basis of two General Conference talks in October 2010, by Claudio R.M. Costa and Kevin R. Duncan, who both quoted all fourteen fundamentals in full.
Elder Ted E. Brewerton
General Conference, April 5, 1981
Today President Kimball is the Lord’s mouthpiece on the earth, and when he says we should do certain things, even small things, what is our answer? For example, if he says clean up your yard - do it. If he says paint your fence - do it. If he says one more endowment per person per year - do it. If he says at least one more couple per ward in the mission field - do it. If he says to avoid commercial purchases whenever possible on Sunday - do it. What blessings we must impede through lack of full obedience!...
Let us watch the prophet, listen to him, follow him, and we will never go astray.
Analysis: Apparently even the prophet's opinion on the color of your fence comes from God.
Let us watch the prophet, listen to him, follow him, and we will never go astray.
Analysis: Apparently even the prophet's opinion on the color of your fence comes from God.
Lane Johnson
"Russell M. Nelson: A Study in Obedience," Ensign, August 1982
Obedience to a request from the president of the Church to pray for a people or to study a language is only one facet of Russell M. Nelson’s obedience to the maxim “Follow the prophet.” He is baffled when he hears people ask questions like, “Is it really the will of the Lord that we do everything that President Kimball says?”
“The Lord said, ‘Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same,’” he reminds us. “My experience is that once you stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead, and do it, the blessings just pour.
“I never ask myself, ‘When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?’ My interest has been, ‘How can I be more like him?’”
Analysis: Nelson's unquestioning obedience paid off, since the prophet called him as an apostle two years later.
“The Lord said, ‘Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same,’” he reminds us. “My experience is that once you stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead, and do it, the blessings just pour.
“I never ask myself, ‘When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?’ My interest has been, ‘How can I be more like him?’”
Analysis: Nelson's unquestioning obedience paid off, since the prophet called him as an apostle two years later.
Duane Hiatt
"Follow the Prophet," 1989
Now we have a world where people are confused
If you don’t believe it, go and watch the news.
We can get direction all along our way,
If we heed the prophets—follow what they say.
Follow the prophet, follow the prophet,
Follow the prophet; don’t go astray.
Follow the prophet, follow the prophet,
Follow the prophet; he knows the way.
Analysis: The LDS Church's music committee asked Hiatt to write a song about Old Testament prophets that sounded like a Jewish folk song and would be fun for children to sing. This is what he came up with. I sang it countless times in Primary. It's very indoctrinating. If children sing all nine verses and chorus repetitions, they will have sung the phrase "Follow the prophet" fifty-four times. And "don't go astray," full stop, and "he knows the way," full stop, without a trace of nuance. I think Mormons are aware of how extremely cultish it sounds to anyone not raised in their church, because they almost never include it in albums of Primary songs.
If you don’t believe it, go and watch the news.
We can get direction all along our way,
If we heed the prophets—follow what they say.
Follow the prophet, follow the prophet,
Follow the prophet; don’t go astray.
Follow the prophet, follow the prophet,
Follow the prophet; he knows the way.
Analysis: The LDS Church's music committee asked Hiatt to write a song about Old Testament prophets that sounded like a Jewish folk song and would be fun for children to sing. This is what he came up with. I sang it countless times in Primary. It's very indoctrinating. If children sing all nine verses and chorus repetitions, they will have sung the phrase "Follow the prophet" fifty-four times. And "don't go astray," full stop, and "he knows the way," full stop, without a trace of nuance. I think Mormons are aware of how extremely cultish it sounds to anyone not raised in their church, because they almost never include it in albums of Primary songs.
Elder Glenn L. Pace
General Conference, April 1, 1989
There are some of our members who practice selective obedience. A prophet is not one who displays a smorgasbord of truth from which we are free to pick and choose. However, some members become critical and suggest the prophet should change the menu. A prophet doesn’t take a poll to see which way the wind of public opinion is blowing. He reveals the will of the Lord to us. The world is full of deteriorating churches who have succumbed to public opinion and have become more dedicated to tickling the ears of their members than obeying the laws of God....
I had some wonderful fantasies. One time, as I was winning another imaginary battle, a question was placed in my mind. "You say you would have died for the Prophet Joseph Smith. What are you doing for President Spencer W. Kimball?" I was crushed by the answer to that question and made up my mind things were going to be different.
Why do we sometimes find it easier to accept and follow past prophets? It is partly because history has proven their counsel to be sound. Future generations will find the same to be true of the prophets of our day. Each of us might ask ourselves, "What am I doing for President Ezra Taft Benson?"
Analysis: The LDS Church succumbed to public opinion when it abandoned polygamy (which previous prophets taught was eternal), the priesthood ban (which a previous prophet had taught wouldn't end until the next life), and the gay exclusion policy (which was repealed by the same man who, three years earlier, had publicly asserted that it came to the previous prophet by revelation). It would certainly be deteriorating even faster if it hadn't made these changes.
I had some wonderful fantasies. One time, as I was winning another imaginary battle, a question was placed in my mind. "You say you would have died for the Prophet Joseph Smith. What are you doing for President Spencer W. Kimball?" I was crushed by the answer to that question and made up my mind things were going to be different.
Why do we sometimes find it easier to accept and follow past prophets? It is partly because history has proven their counsel to be sound. Future generations will find the same to be true of the prophets of our day. Each of us might ask ourselves, "What am I doing for President Ezra Taft Benson?"
Analysis: The LDS Church succumbed to public opinion when it abandoned polygamy (which previous prophets taught was eternal), the priesthood ban (which a previous prophet had taught wouldn't end until the next life), and the gay exclusion policy (which was repealed by the same man who, three years earlier, had publicly asserted that it came to the previous prophet by revelation). It would certainly be deteriorating even faster if it hadn't made these changes.
"Prophets of God," Gospel Principles Manual, 1997
We should do those things the prophets tell us to do. President Wilford Woodruff said that a prophet will never be allowed to lead the Church astray...
We should follow his inspired teachings completely. We should not choose to follow part of his inspired counsel and discard that which is unpleasant or difficult. The Lord commanded us to follow the inspired teachings of his prophet...
The Lord will never allow the President of the Church to lead us astray.
Analysis: I'm sure apologists would point out that this manual (which is still in use) specifies inspired counsel and inspired teachings and only applies to when the prophet is speaking for God. However, it mentions no possibility of prophets ever sharing uninspired counsel or teachings, let alone how to tell the difference, so that adjective is clearly being used to emphasize the prophet's authority, not to carve out any exceptions to it. This chapter goes on to promise that "When we do as our prophet directs, blessings pour down from heaven" and backs up that assertion with the false story about Lorenzo Snow promising drought-stricken Saints that they would receive rain if they paid tithing.
We should follow his inspired teachings completely. We should not choose to follow part of his inspired counsel and discard that which is unpleasant or difficult. The Lord commanded us to follow the inspired teachings of his prophet...
The Lord will never allow the President of the Church to lead us astray.
Analysis: I'm sure apologists would point out that this manual (which is still in use) specifies inspired counsel and inspired teachings and only applies to when the prophet is speaking for God. However, it mentions no possibility of prophets ever sharing uninspired counsel or teachings, let alone how to tell the difference, so that adjective is clearly being used to emphasize the prophet's authority, not to carve out any exceptions to it. This chapter goes on to promise that "When we do as our prophet directs, blessings pour down from heaven" and backs up that assertion with the false story about Lorenzo Snow promising drought-stricken Saints that they would receive rain if they paid tithing.
Apostle Henry B. Eyring
General Conference, April 5, 1997
Looking for the path to safety in the counsel of prophets makes sense to those with strong faith. When a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise man giving good advice. Then if his counsel seems comfortable and reasonable, squaring with what they want to do, they take it. If it does not, they consider it either faulty advice or they see their circumstances as justifying their being an exception to the counsel. Those without faith may think that they hear only men seeking to exert influence for some selfish motive....
But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the counsel which comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence. We choose another influence. We reject the protection of a perfectly loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father in Heaven, whose whole purpose, as that of His Beloved Son, is to give us eternal life, to give us all that He has, and to bring us home again in families to the arms of His love. In rejecting His counsel, we choose the influence of another power, whose purpose is to make us miserable and whose motive is hatred. We have moral agency as a gift of God. Rather than the right to choose to be free of influence, it is the inalienable right to submit ourselves to whichever of those powers we choose.
Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late.
Every time in my life when I have chosen to delay following inspired counsel or decided that I was an exception, I came to know that I had put myself in harm’s way. Every time that I have listened to the counsel of prophets, felt it confirmed in prayer, and then followed it, I have found that I moved toward safety. Along the path, I have found that the way had been prepared for me and the rough places made smooth. God led me to safety along a path which was prepared with loving care, sometimes prepared long before.
Analysis: The prophet's counsel is God's counsel, and if you reject it, you will suffer. The LDS Church loves fear-based messaging. I was going to say "thrives on," but it's really not thriving, and its fear-based messaging is just one reason why.
But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the counsel which comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence. We choose another influence. We reject the protection of a perfectly loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father in Heaven, whose whole purpose, as that of His Beloved Son, is to give us eternal life, to give us all that He has, and to bring us home again in families to the arms of His love. In rejecting His counsel, we choose the influence of another power, whose purpose is to make us miserable and whose motive is hatred. We have moral agency as a gift of God. Rather than the right to choose to be free of influence, it is the inalienable right to submit ourselves to whichever of those powers we choose.
Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late.
Every time in my life when I have chosen to delay following inspired counsel or decided that I was an exception, I came to know that I had put myself in harm’s way. Every time that I have listened to the counsel of prophets, felt it confirmed in prayer, and then followed it, I have found that I moved toward safety. Along the path, I have found that the way had been prepared for me and the rough places made smooth. God led me to safety along a path which was prepared with loving care, sometimes prepared long before.
Analysis: The prophet's counsel is God's counsel, and if you reject it, you will suffer. The LDS Church loves fear-based messaging. I was going to say "thrives on," but it's really not thriving, and its fear-based messaging is just one reason why.
Virginia U. Jensen
General Conference, October 3, 1998
If we listen to the voices of the world, we will be misled. But if we listen to the voice of the Lord through His living prophet and follow his counsel, we will never go astray....
There aren’t many guarantees in this life. There isn’t a car made with a warranty that covers everything. No bank on earth can absolutely guarantee that your money is completely safe. Even the Good Housekeeping seal of approval has a disclaimer written right on it! Nothing man-made or man-controlled can ever be truly guaranteed! But here’s the miracle. The Lord has given some marvelous guarantees without any disclaimers. And this is one of them: He will choose the prophet, and He will never let that man lead us astray. Imagine for a moment the impact of that promise. There is at least one place we can turn for pure, unpolluted guidance.
Analysis: "Without any disclaimers" is unambiguous, and "pure, unpolluted guidance" clearly means that it's not influenced by the prophet's culture or personal biases.
There aren’t many guarantees in this life. There isn’t a car made with a warranty that covers everything. No bank on earth can absolutely guarantee that your money is completely safe. Even the Good Housekeeping seal of approval has a disclaimer written right on it! Nothing man-made or man-controlled can ever be truly guaranteed! But here’s the miracle. The Lord has given some marvelous guarantees without any disclaimers. And this is one of them: He will choose the prophet, and He will never let that man lead us astray. Imagine for a moment the impact of that promise. There is at least one place we can turn for pure, unpolluted guidance.
Analysis: "Without any disclaimers" is unambiguous, and "pure, unpolluted guidance" clearly means that it's not influenced by the prophet's culture or personal biases.
Apostle M. Russell Ballard
General Conference, April 8, 2001
Have we studied his counsel and identified the things we need to avoid or to do differently? I know a 17-year-old who, just prior to the prophet’s talk, had pierced her ears a second time. She came home from the fireside, took off the second set of earrings, and simply said to her parents, "If President Hinckley says we should only wear one set of earrings, that’s good enough for me."
Wearing two pair of earrings may or may not have eternal consequences for this young woman, but her willingness to obey the prophet will. And if she will obey him now, on something relatively simple, how much easier it will be to follow him when greater issues are at stake....
Today I make you a promise. It’s a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray....
Please see that the youth of your ward listen again and understand and commit to live as directed by the President of the Church.
Wearing two pair of earrings may or may not have eternal consequences for this young woman, but her willingness to obey the prophet will. And if she will obey him now, on something relatively simple, how much easier it will be to follow him when greater issues are at stake....
Today I make you a promise. It’s a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray....
Please see that the youth of your ward listen again and understand and commit to live as directed by the President of the Church.
Apostle David A. Bednar
"Quick to Observe," BYU Devotional, May 10, 2005
Sister Bednar and I are acquainted with a returned missionary who had dated a special young woman for a period of time. This young man cared for the young woman very much, and he was desirous of making his relationship with her more serious. He was considering and hoping for engagement and marriage. Now this relationship was developing during the time that President Hinckley counseled the Relief Society sisters and young women of the Church to wear only one earring in each ear.
The young man waited patiently over a period of time for the young woman to remove her extra earrings, but she did not take them out. This was a valuable piece of information for this young man, and he felt unsettled about her nonresponsiveness to a prophet’s pleading. For this and other reasons, he ultimately stopped dating the young woman, because he was looking for an eternal companion who had the courage to promptly and quietly obey the counsel of the prophet in all things and at all times. The young man was quick to observe that the young woman was not quick to observe.
Now before I continue, I presume that some of you might have difficulty with my last example. In fact, this particular illustration of the young man being quick to observe may even fan the flames of controversy on campus, resulting in letters of disagreement to the Daily Universe! You may believe the young man was too judgmental or that basing an eternally important decision, even in part, upon such a supposedly minor issue is silly or fanatical. Perhaps you are bothered because the example focuses upon a young woman who failed to respond to prophetic counsel instead of upon a young man. I simply invite you to consider and ponder the power of being quick to observe and what was actually observed in the case I just described. The issue was not earrings!
Analysis: The issue was not earrings, it was control. Gordon B. Hinckley telling young women not to pierce their ears more than once was little better and no more rational than Warren Jeffs telling his followers not to wear the color red. Yet seventeen years later, by which time it's as likely as not that the young man in the story had already left the church and regretted his dating decisions, the church removed the prophetic earring counsel (and the rest of its dress code for young women) from the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. The young people in the story were just born at the wrong time.
The young man waited patiently over a period of time for the young woman to remove her extra earrings, but she did not take them out. This was a valuable piece of information for this young man, and he felt unsettled about her nonresponsiveness to a prophet’s pleading. For this and other reasons, he ultimately stopped dating the young woman, because he was looking for an eternal companion who had the courage to promptly and quietly obey the counsel of the prophet in all things and at all times. The young man was quick to observe that the young woman was not quick to observe.
Now before I continue, I presume that some of you might have difficulty with my last example. In fact, this particular illustration of the young man being quick to observe may even fan the flames of controversy on campus, resulting in letters of disagreement to the Daily Universe! You may believe the young man was too judgmental or that basing an eternally important decision, even in part, upon such a supposedly minor issue is silly or fanatical. Perhaps you are bothered because the example focuses upon a young woman who failed to respond to prophetic counsel instead of upon a young man. I simply invite you to consider and ponder the power of being quick to observe and what was actually observed in the case I just described. The issue was not earrings!
Analysis: The issue was not earrings, it was control. Gordon B. Hinckley telling young women not to pierce their ears more than once was little better and no more rational than Warren Jeffs telling his followers not to wear the color red. Yet seventeen years later, by which time it's as likely as not that the young man in the story had already left the church and regretted his dating decisions, the church removed the prophetic earring counsel (and the rest of its dress code for young women) from the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. The young people in the story were just born at the wrong time.
Dean Val Jo Anderson
"Into the Burn," BYU Devotional, June 21, 2011
An adequate test of our faith must necessarily be something that seems counterintuitive; otherwise we could "trust in the arm of flesh" (D&C 1:19), lean unto our "own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5), and make the right decision without exercising our faith in God. Early in our marriage, my dear wife, Ann, introduced a motto for our family that she has continually taught our children and has had to occasionally remind me of: "When the prophet speaks, the debate is over." This sound advice countermands all arguments, justifications, and rationales. Following this simple motto will always be to our benefit.
Analysis: This college dean reframed the absurdity of some prophetic teachings as evidence that they're true, and literally taught college students not to think. I'm sorry, but that's about as cultish as you can get.
Analysis: This college dean reframed the absurdity of some prophetic teachings as evidence that they're true, and literally taught college students not to think. I'm sorry, but that's about as cultish as you can get.
President Russell M. Nelson
"The Love and Laws of God," BYU Devotional, September 17, 2019
It is precisely because we do care deeply about all of God’s children that we proclaim His truth. We may not always tell people what they want to hear. Prophets are rarely popular. But we will always teach the truth!
My dear young friends, exaltation is not easy. Requirements include a focused and persistent effort to keep God’s laws, rigorously repenting when we don’t. But the reward for doing so is far greater than anything we can imagine, because it brings us joy here and “never-ending happiness” hereafter.
Thus our commission as apostles is to teach nothing but truth. That commission does not give us the authority to modify divine law.
Analysis: "Always" is a strong and highly inaccurate word. Several teachings of past prophets that weren't "popular" were later disavowed or quietly discarded. And where did Brigham Young get "the authority to modify divine law" by denying exaltation to people of African ancestry altogether?
My dear young friends, exaltation is not easy. Requirements include a focused and persistent effort to keep God’s laws, rigorously repenting when we don’t. But the reward for doing so is far greater than anything we can imagine, because it brings us joy here and “never-ending happiness” hereafter.
Thus our commission as apostles is to teach nothing but truth. That commission does not give us the authority to modify divine law.
Analysis: "Always" is a strong and highly inaccurate word. Several teachings of past prophets that weren't "popular" were later disavowed or quietly discarded. And where did Brigham Young get "the authority to modify divine law" by denying exaltation to people of African ancestry altogether?
Presidents Joy D. Jones and Russell M. Nelson
Conversation with Children in Palmyra, New York, 2020
Jones: President Nelson, would you ever lead anyone astray?
Nelson: Oh, no. That's not what prophets do, is it? Some of them have said, if the President of the Church should ever lead people astray, God would take him away. So I'd like to stay here. And I won't lead you astray. Do you know what the word prophet means? He speaks for God. And so, God won't lead you astray. And the prophet will not lead you astray because God loves you. And I can tell you that the prophet loves you and the children like you all over the world. You're just beautiful. Thank you so much for your goodness.
Analysis: The very unsubtle indoctrination of children in this whole video clip is extremely cringey to anyone who hasn't already been indoctrinated.
Nelson: Oh, no. That's not what prophets do, is it? Some of them have said, if the President of the Church should ever lead people astray, God would take him away. So I'd like to stay here. And I won't lead you astray. Do you know what the word prophet means? He speaks for God. And so, God won't lead you astray. And the prophet will not lead you astray because God loves you. And I can tell you that the prophet loves you and the children like you all over the world. You're just beautiful. Thank you so much for your goodness.
Analysis: The very unsubtle indoctrination of children in this whole video clip is extremely cringey to anyone who hasn't already been indoctrinated.
Apostle Ronald A. Rasband and Wife Melanie Rasband
Face to Face Devotional, September 13, 2020
Moderator: So, Harriet from Wyoming asked, "What advice do you have for when we feel uncomfortable with certain Church teachings or policies? How can we continue to sustain our leaders when we may struggle with feelings of disagreement and confusion?"
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Melanie: You know it reminds me of when we were just married, President Spencer W. Kimball had asked the Saints not to delay having children for excuses especially like "We don't have enough money." We were young; we were still in school; Elder Rasband was juggling two jobs. And yet he felt to pray about this and felt strongly that we needed to follow the prophet. I was young; I was nervous about having children. But I added my faith and my trust with his and we moved forward. That's when we established a very important - what would I say? a motto or something - for us to always follow the prophet. I recommend that to you. Always follow the prophet.
Ronald: Now, Harriet in Wyoming, I hope we've answered your question. There are going to be times when you're going to have questions, and we've got another question coming up later that deals with that very specifically. But as we begin our Face to Face broadcast, we wanted to firmly establish for all of you the importance of following God's living prophet on the earth. That's the safest, most sure way to follow the Lord's mouthpiece on the earth.
Analysis: I'm glad following the prophet worked out for this couple, but deciding to always follow the prophet because they received personal revelation of one thing he said - in other words, preemptively dismissing the possibility that he could ever be wrong about anything else - was not very intelligent. In framing the story this way, they pay lip service to personal revelation but actually just double down on blind obedience and prophetic infallibility.
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Melanie: You know it reminds me of when we were just married, President Spencer W. Kimball had asked the Saints not to delay having children for excuses especially like "We don't have enough money." We were young; we were still in school; Elder Rasband was juggling two jobs. And yet he felt to pray about this and felt strongly that we needed to follow the prophet. I was young; I was nervous about having children. But I added my faith and my trust with his and we moved forward. That's when we established a very important - what would I say? a motto or something - for us to always follow the prophet. I recommend that to you. Always follow the prophet.
Ronald: Now, Harriet in Wyoming, I hope we've answered your question. There are going to be times when you're going to have questions, and we've got another question coming up later that deals with that very specifically. But as we begin our Face to Face broadcast, we wanted to firmly establish for all of you the importance of following God's living prophet on the earth. That's the safest, most sure way to follow the Lord's mouthpiece on the earth.
Analysis: I'm glad following the prophet worked out for this couple, but deciding to always follow the prophet because they received personal revelation of one thing he said - in other words, preemptively dismissing the possibility that he could ever be wrong about anything else - was not very intelligent. In framing the story this way, they pay lip service to personal revelation but actually just double down on blind obedience and prophetic infallibility.
Wendy Nelson (President Russell M. Nelson's Wife)
European Broadcast, January 23, 2022
Today it can be difficult to know who speaks the truth. But my testimony is that prophets of God always speak the truth. For this new year, let’s put an exclamation mark after every statement from a prophet, and a question mark after everything else we read, see, or hear.
Analysis: In 2022, Wendy Nelson had no excuse for not being aware that prophets do not always speak the truth. I'm sure she was aware. The mystery is why she thought Europe's dwindling membership would find this ridiculous message helpful or convincing.
Analysis: In 2022, Wendy Nelson had no excuse for not being aware that prophets do not always speak the truth. I'm sure she was aware. The mystery is why she thought Europe's dwindling membership would find this ridiculous message helpful or convincing.
Rosana Soares (Elder Ulisses Soares' Wife)
Utah Area Devotional, as Reported in Church News by Sydney Walker and Vanessa Fitzgibbon, February 7, 2023
Forty years ago, when Elder and Sister Soares got married, they had a motto for their future life: “‘When the Prophet speaks, the debate is over.’ That doesn’t mean we never had questions. Yes, we did, but no doubts,” Sister Soares said.
“I know this gospel is true and perfect,” she added. “We aren’t perfect, but the gospel is. And we are so blessed to have prophets, seers and revelators in these days.”
Analysis: This thought-terminating cliche persists in the highest levels of church leadership forty-five years after it first appeared. If President Kimball was really concerned about it, he did a piss-poor job of addressing it.
“I know this gospel is true and perfect,” she added. “We aren’t perfect, but the gospel is. And we are so blessed to have prophets, seers and revelators in these days.”
Analysis: This thought-terminating cliche persists in the highest levels of church leadership forty-five years after it first appeared. If President Kimball was really concerned about it, he did a piss-poor job of addressing it.
Elder Allen D. Haynie
General Conference, April 1, 2023
Knowing by revelation that there is a living prophet on the earth changes everything. It causes one to be uninterested in the debate about when is a prophet speaking as a prophet or whether one is ever justified in selective rejection of prophetic counsel. Such revealed knowledge invites one to trust the counsel of a living prophet, even if we do not fully understand it. After all, a perfect and loving Father in Heaven has chosen the pattern of revealing truth to His children through a prophet, someone who never sought such a sacred calling and who has no need of our help to be aware of his own imperfections. A prophet is someone God has personally prepared, called, corrected, inspired, rebuked, sanctified, and sustained. That is why we are never spiritually at risk in following prophetic counsel.
Analysis: Haynie's brilliant solution to the problem of prophetic fallability is... just ignore it. Now why didn't I think of that?
Analysis: Haynie's brilliant solution to the problem of prophetic fallability is... just ignore it. Now why didn't I think of that?
President Russell M. Nelson
General Conference, October 8, 2023
There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared. Never take counsel from those who do not believe. Seek guidance from voices you can trust - from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, who "will show unto you all things what ye should do." Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.
Analysis: The prophet tells Mormons to trust prophets, shortly after the LDS Church and its investment firm were fined $5 million by the Securities Exchange Commission for intentionally deceiving the government and the public, at the direction of the First Presidency, about who controlled $32 billion of its hoarded wealth. But apparently that was one of the adversary's deceptions. You can't make this stuff up.
Analysis: The prophet tells Mormons to trust prophets, shortly after the LDS Church and its investment firm were fined $5 million by the Securities Exchange Commission for intentionally deceiving the government and the public, at the direction of the First Presidency, about who controlled $32 billion of its hoarded wealth. But apparently that was one of the adversary's deceptions. You can't make this stuff up.
