Should the LDS President Resign like the Pope?

[Anonymous]

Bumping this four+ year old thread due to current events.

[Anonymous]

I remember discussions I’d hear at church when Pope Benedict XVI resigned. In many conversations members viewed the event as an opportunity to point out one more way in which the LDS church is true. They attributed qualities of strength, service, and endurance to how Elder Benson/Kimball stuck it out and found it favorable to the alternatives. They’re sticking up for their tribe, it’s understandable.

I saw a great deal of humility in Pope Benedict’s actions. He was the first pope to resign since 1415, so it’s not like it was a common thing.

In talking about the ’till death do us part’ policy from the other thread:

SamBee wrote:

There is a simple pragmatic reason for it – it stops infighting, quarrels and schisms within the leadership to a large degree. I think the church receieved a body blow when Joseph Smith died and numerous claimants came forward… also by doing it this way, the onus is partly put onto God/natural causes rather than human decision.

It does put to rest any speculations, power plays, or doubts as to who will succeed. To some extent. For instance, when they called Bednar at his age and given the age of the other apostles, they were all but assuring that he’d become prophet some day. Of course there was a long lull where there were no new apostles, anyone they called in the 50-60 something age bracket was essentially destined for prophetdom.

If the president of the church were allowed to resign I think it would be best if it were a personal decision. I see potential for trouble if a faction of leaders could declare a sitting president unfit and force him into resignation. Is the president unfit? Is it a politically motivated move? External pressure would create those doubts. But there are cases where a president may truly be unfit (health wise) but not want to resign, in which case we’re back at the status quo. The decision should entirely be up to the president… and in a way it already is, he’s the prophet.

Off subject:

TSM was called to be an apostle in his mid 30s. It seems like we’ve settled into a pattern of calling people to apostleship in their early 60s or in some cases late 50s.

TSM never struck me as the alpha male type, other members in the quorum do. Perhaps TSM had a diminished influence in the Q15 since day one as prophet, irrespective of any health issues he may or may not have had.

Does calling younger guys into the Q15 affect the probability of an apostle having a type A personality, like calling people in their 60s gives the type As a few more decades to rise to the top and assert themselves? Or a type A is a type A is a type A, at 36 years old or 66 years old. Is the Q15 a place for type As, or should it be balanced? I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m just throwing this one over the fence.

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