FAIR article about prophets not leading us astray

[Anonymous]

Carburettor wrote:

Sadly, I therefore infer that I’m already an apostate because I published my letter to the Office of the First Presidency on a website. Oops.

Thank you for not posting that letter here as it would violate our policy against addressing posts or content of posts towards individuals not on StayLDS.

[Anonymous]

Carburettor wrote:

Yesterday, I received a response from a lovely FAIR volunteer. I am grateful for the time she spent formulating her email to a stranger, but she hasn’t realised that her response undermines (or is undermined by) the FAIR article discussed in this thread.

Yes, I was particularly struck by the following quote from Elder Renlund in the second FAIR article that this volunteer had linked:

Quote:

“But they do not pronounce doctrines fabricated ‘of [their] own mind.’…Demanding revelation from God is both arrogant and unproductive.”

Prophets seem to receive revelation when they reach a point when they are actively seeking for it on a particular topic by pondering, prayer, fasting, etc. They also receive revelation when their social upbringing and environment allows them to consider the possibility and are prevented from receiving new revelation on a topic when their social upbringing and environment does not allow them to consider the possibility.

OTOH, I am sympathetic to the plight of the church leadership. I am thinking specifically of the speculative justifications in support of the priesthood and temple ban (mainly the idea that people of African descent were less valiant in the premortal realm). Those were taught as doctrine and have been pretty embarrassing to walk back. In general, I believe that we have put too many things in out “truth cart” and it would serve us well to be more humble about the things that we do not know. Unfortunately, our church is pretty adamant and ostentatiously prideful about knowing things.

Again from the same second linked FAIR article

Quote:

Revelatory Claim: “The Spirit told me that my child’s sexual orientation is God’s deliberate purpose and is eternal.”

Prophetic teaching: “Same-gender attraction did not exist in the pre-earth life and neither will it exist in the next life. It is a circumstance that for whatever reason or reasons seems to apply right now in mortality, in this nano-second of our eternal existence.”

Where has it been revealed that “Same-gender attraction did not exist in pre-earth life?” I could perhaps get behind the idea that sexual attraction of any sort did not exist in the pre-earth life and this was part of the necessity of coming to earth (we are all brothers and sisters after all). However, we teach very strongly that heterosexual attraction does exist in the next life. What is the reasoning for claiming that homosexual attraction does not exist there? If there is no “reasoning” but only revelation from God, when and where was this revelation received?

To me there seems to be an effort to have it both ways. To claim imperfection and human foibles when proven to be incorrect but to claim absolute and unassailable knowledge on current controversial matters. As Old Timer is fond of saying “Humans gonna human.” I think that this extends to an inflated sense of one’s own rightness, I also think that this covers any and all of my opinions. I only hope that I can remain humble, learning, and growing everyday.

P.S. the interview that this “prophetic teaching” came from had some other thoughts that I would like to respond to in a separate thread.

[Anonymous]

Carburettor wrote:

DarkJedi wrote:

By your definition you probably are an apostate, and so am I. I generally admit such jokingly. You may in fact already be on the radar of the Strengthening Church Members Committee. (Yes, it does exist.)

Ha! I doubt I’m on anyone’s radar; I make a point of posting my position anonymously (albeit with a means to contact me) to protect the sensibilities of my wife and children.

If by questioning what prophets past and present have said about my pet topic is tantamount to apostasy, the cap does fit — and I will wear it. If, however, I should be called to account for my actions, I will condemn the distortions of truth that have led us to our current predicament.

Since I don’t publish my name with my accusations, bringing me to “justice” would require a confession of sorts from me. I will confess only to defending truth — whereas the publicly stated views of certain individuals have been anything but that.

I interpreted “published my letter to the Office of the First Presidency on a website” as openly posting it. That’s what happens when we assume! I likewise only post under anonymity. I suppose if they really tried I have over the years given enough information to figure out who I am, but that’s a lot of effort I don’t think they really care to expend when they can more easily persecute the John Dehlans and Bill Reels of the world.

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