Should You Question the Prophet?
Prophets are considered to be individuals who are able to serve as mediators, or messengers, for God. One of the things that makes Latter-day Saints somewhat unique is that they believe that there is a prophet on the earth today. As of writing this, that person is believed by Latter-day Saints to be Russell M. Nelson, a 99 year old retired heart surgeon from Utah. This essay will take a look at what standard prophets are held to when it comes to accurately communicating the will of God, as well as why following the prophet without question could be quite dangerous.
From a young age, Latter-day Saints are taught that they ought to follow the prophet in order to avoid going astray. The following is an excerpt from a popular Latter-day Saint children’s song, Follow the Prophet, as well as an excerpt from a talk given by President Henry B. Eyring, titled Following the Prophet:
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.
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. 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. -President Henry B. Eyring
From the two above excerpts, it is clear that following the prophet is vital for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church teaches that failure to follow the prophet will lead to “danger”. In other words, they are claiming that it will let members off the straight and narrow path. Ironically, this level of devotion and trust is what may actually cause danger.
Mark Hofmann meeting with top leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mark Hofmann is an infamous forger who duped many members of the church, including top leaders, into believing that his forgeries of early church documents were genuine. One of the most significant forgeries made by Hofmann was the Salamander Letter, a letter Hofmann claimed was written by Martin Harris, one of the supposed three witnesses to The Book of Mormon. In this letter, “Harris” is recounting the discovery of the golden plates to W. W. Phelps. Notably, it discusses how Angel Moroni - the angel that supposedly appeared to Joseph Smith to tell him where the golden plates were - was actually a white salamander.
After the Salamander Letter became public knowledge, Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle in the church, dismissed the conflicting narratives by stating that a salamander may have been referring to a mythical creature that was believed to have been able to live in fire. Furthermore, he stated that a “being that is able to live in fire is a good approximation of the description Joseph Smith gave of the Angel Moroni.”
Knowing now that the Salamander Letter, as well as other documents produced by Mark Hofmann, were forgeries, why did “prophets, seers, and revelators” not immediately oppose them? President Spencer W. Kimball, the president of the church at that time, was captured on film analyzing one of these documents with his own two eyes. This begs the question, does the prophet truly know the way?
Considering these documents may have been accepted as genuine had Jerald and Sandra Tanner, critics of Mormonism, not voiced their concerns about the legitimacy of Hofmann’s forgeries, what else may happen in the future as a result of members being told that going against the voice of the prophet will lead them astray and into “danger”? Assuming the church is true, are there any current practices enacted by prophets that are not truly the will of God? Members will never know if they never question the prophet.
In conclusion, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view prophets as mouthpieces for God. They are taught to follow the prophet’s guidance, otherwise they will be led astray and into danger. This is a risky belief to hold, given the fact that prophets are not infallible. It is concerning to imagine what could transpire if this belief continues.
Sources:
Prophet Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Prophets - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Russell M. Nelson - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Follow the Prophet - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Following the Prophet - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Tribune religion reporter: My brush with ‘Mormon bomber’ Mark Hofmann - The Salt Lake Tribune
Confessions of a White Salamander - Chapter 2 - Utah Lighthouse Ministry