{"id":2824,"date":"2013-05-24T07:54:03","date_gmt":"2013-05-24T14:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/?p=2824"},"modified":"2013-06-09T16:23:42","modified_gmt":"2013-06-09T23:23:42","slug":"are-we-duty-bound-to-question-the-words-of-church-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2013\/05\/24\/are-we-duty-bound-to-question-the-words-of-church-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we duty bound to question the words of church leaders?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due to recent events in my life and comments on a recent post, I thought I should post some comments by church leaders on questioning what church leaders teach. (Yes, the irony is not lost on me.)<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe doctrines of the church cannot be fully understood unless it is tested by mind, by feelings, intellect and emotions, by every power of the investigator. Every church member is expected to understand the doctrine of the church intelligently. There is no place in the church for blind adherence.\u201d \u2014John A. Widstoe, Evidence and Reconciliations<\/em>, p. 226<\/p>\n

\u201cI am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.\u201d \u2014Brigham Young, (12 January 1862) Journal of Discourses<\/em> 9:150.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod has not established His Church to make of its members irresponsible automatons, nor to exact from them blind obedience.\u201d \u2014James E. Talmage, The Vitality of Mormonism<\/em>, p. 42.<\/p>\n

\u201cLatter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God . . . Those who talk of blind obedience may appear to know many things, but they do not understand the doctrines of the gospel. There is an obedience that comes from a knowledge of the truth that transcends any external form of control. We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.\u201d \u2014Boyd K. Packer, Conference Report<\/em>, 1983 April, pp. 89\u201390.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere may be some things that the First Presidency do; that the Apostles do, that cannot for the moment be explained; yet the spirit, the motives that inspire the action can be understood, because each member of the Church has a right to have that measure of the Spirit of God that they can judge as to those who are acting in their interests or otherwise\u201d \u2014Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report<\/em> (October 1898): 54<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards of doctrine, only insofar as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works. Every man who writes is responsible, not the Church, for what he writes. If Joseph Fielding Smith writes something which is out of harmony with the revelations, then every member of the Church is duty bound to reject it. If he writes that which is in perfect harmony with the revealed word of the Lord, then it should be accepted.\u201d \u2014Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation<\/em>, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954\u201356), 3:203\u2013204<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if he says something that contradicts what is found in the standard works (I think that is why we call them “standard”\u2014it is the standard measure of all that men teach), you may know by that same token that it is false; regardless of the position of the man who says it.\u201d \u2014Harold B. Lee, “The Place of the Living Prophet, Seer, and Revelator,” Address to Seminary and Institute of Religion Faculty, BYU, 8 July 1964<\/p>\n

\u201cI have given some thought to this question, and the answer thereto so far as I can determine, is: We can tell when the speakers are \u2018moved upon by the Holy Ghost\u2019 only when we, ourselves, are \u2018moved upon by the Holy Ghost.\u2019 In a way, this completely shifts the responsibility from them to us to determine when they so speak.\u201d \u2014J. Reuben Clark, (31 July 1954). \u201cWhen Are Church Leaders\u2019 Words Entitled to Claim of Scripture?\u201d. Church News<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Wilford Woodruff is a man of wisdom and experience, and we respect him, but we do not believe his personal views or utterances are revelations from God; and when \u2018Thus saith the Lord,\u2019 comes from him, the saints investigate it: they do not shut their eyes and take it down like a pill.\u201d \u2014Charles W. Penrose, Millennial Star<\/em>, v. 54, p. 191<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What are your own thoughts on these statements?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Due to recent events in my life and comments on a recent post, I thought I should post some comments … Continue reading Are we duty bound to question the words of church leaders?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAre we duty bound to question the words of church leaders?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2013\/05\/24\/are-we-duty-bound-to-question-the-words-of-church-leaders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are we duty bound to question the words of church leaders?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Due to recent events in my life and comments on a recent post, I thought I should post some comments …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2013\/05\/24\/are-we-duty-bound-to-question-the-words-of-church-leaders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Our Thoughts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-05-24T14:54:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-06-09T23:23:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kim Siever\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kim Siever\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2013\/05\/24\/are-we-duty-bound-to-question-the-words-of-church-leaders\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2013\/05\/24\/are-we-duty-bound-to-question-the-words-of-church-leaders\/\",\"name\":\"Are we duty bound to question the words of church leaders?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-05-24T14:54:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-06-09T23:23:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/99e996edc89affe5206808d3f65869d1\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2013\/05\/24\/are-we-duty-bound-to-question-the-words-of-church-leaders\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/\",\"name\":\"Our Thoughts\",\"description\":\"Thought-provoking commentary on life, politics, religion and social issues.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/99e996edc89affe5206808d3f65869d1\",\"name\":\"Kim Siever\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/417c7b5f55d329bdd0f64ef4396831db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/417c7b5f55d329bdd0f64ef4396831db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kim Siever\"},\"description\":\"Queer Mormon poet with radical political views. 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