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The Prophet said so, is that enough? Sometimes the Prophets and leaders of the Church speak to the members about different issues than contradict the scriptures in one point or another. Now, to whom we should follow....the living Prophet or the Scriptures? what do you think? |
You like the "golden answers". It is of course applicable to everything - pray and search, search and pray, even the Apostles in Christ's time needed the Spirit in order to know that He, Jesus, was in fact the Christ. The interesting point is that the Prophet acts as the interpreter of what God wants us to do as a whole. We then take that information, go to our homes and "search and pray" and come up with interpretations for how it applies to our lives. Now here is the tickler... what Members say they were 'told' by the Spirit differs so much that one could have a foot in heaven and one in hell and still not bridge the divide if you get what I mean. In other words, the Prophet is there to hopefully 'stop' the need for so many different conclusions because... he will not lead us astray, he will be removed before that can EVER happen, therefore if he will not lead us astray let's act accordingly and just get to it, right?
Rather off topic, but... I will wait with bated breath for your readings of this and other Threads here . |
If the Prophet can never lead us astray (false doctrine of infallibility) then what is the purpose of praying about the words he has spoken if in the end his words and counsels are always right?
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what Members say they were 'told' by the Spirit differs so much that one could have a foot in heaven and one in hell and still not bridge the divide if you get what I mean. |
Rather off topic, but... (Actually I have had people tell me they are receiving revelation and or that they ARE the prophet or God, but it is always part of their psychotic delusions.) |
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the Prophet is there to hopefully 'stop' the need for so many different conclusions because... he will not lead us astray, he will be removed before that can EVER happen, therefore if he will not lead us astray let's act accordingly and just get to it, right? |
QUOTE (LDS_forever) |
If the Prophet can never lead us astray (false doctrine of infallibility) then what is the purpose of praying about the words he has spoken if in the end his words and counsels are always right? |
Message Edited... JB: Please use one Post for replies. |
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I get what you mean. And agree to a point. |
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I have rarely if ever heard a member tell me, "I received personal revelation and this new commandment from the Prophet doesn't apply to me." |
Rather off topic, but... Tackle this Thread and you will see what I mean. |
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Right. The searching and personal revelation should build upon the testimony we already have and strengthen our resolve to follow the Prophet. |
Alskann:
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His words and counsel are from the Lord - usually. Sometimes they are from the man. We seek for ourselves to be able to discern the difference and receive confirmation. |
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However, the man had to do a lot of praying on his own to get where he is, don't you think. |
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So I would imagine he has a few gems of wisdom to share on his own. |
I'm still only about halfway through reading the thread, but it seems the same points keep coming up. President Benson summed it all up in a talk he gave while still in the Qof12. He expounds a bit more than this, but I've quoted the highlights. It's actually an excellent talk and worth the read. It is available on lds.org, titled: Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet, reprinted in the Liahona, Jun 81)
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(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University by Ezra Taft Benson, Of the Quorum of the Twelve) In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet", for our salvation depends on them. 1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything. 2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works. 3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet. 4. The prophet will never lead the church astray. 5. 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. 6. The prophet does not have to say "Thus Saith the Lord," to give us scripture. 7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know. 8. The prophet is not limited by men's reasoning. 9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual. 10. The prophet may advise on civic matters. 11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich. 12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly. 13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency-the highest quorum in the Church. 14. 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 close do our lives harmonize with the Lord's anointed-the living Prophet-President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency. |