GP Chapter 9: Prophets of God

[Anonymous]

Roy wrote:

I was looking for that quote that basically said that we do not need to trouble ourselves over things said by a single LDS authority, that things only become binding upon us as LDS when it is the combined voice of the brethren. Does anyone have that quote handy?

How does that play into this prophet business? Is a prophet only a prophet when he is acting in unison with the Q15?

This is the quote that I was looking for:

Quote:

It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teaching of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear. We have accepted the four standard works as the measuring yardsticks, or balances, by which we measure every man’s doctrine. You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works. 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. –Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation

So it says that what is revealed must be in harmony with what was revealed before. This could be a very high bar if taken to the extreme. Nothing will be in perfect harmony with everything that has gone before.

On the other hand, Brigham’s Adam-God theory was a bigger outlier than most. Perhaps JFS was responding to just such a theory when he said these words.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Roy.

So…this seems to suggest that a prophet is more than just a calling. They can be called and sustained as a prophet…but still not speaking as a prophet if what they say is not in harmony with the revelations?

Who determines if it is in harmony?

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