“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 teachings 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.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:203–4.)
“If anyone, regardless of his position in the Church, were to advance a doctrine that is not substantiated by the standard Church works, meaning the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, you may know that his statement is merely his private opinion. The only one authorized to bring forth any new doctrine is the President of the Church, who, when he does, will declare it as revelation from God, and it will be so accepted by the Council of the Twelve, and sustained by the body of the Church. And if any man speak a doctrine which contradicts what is in the standard Church works, you may know by that same token that it is false, and you are not bound to accept it as truth.” (Harold B Lee, European Area Conference of the Church, Munich, Germany, 1973.)
“If it is not in the standard works, we may well assume that it is speculation, man’s own personal opinion; and if it contradicts what is in the scripture, it is not true. This is the standard by which we measure all truth.” (Harold B Lee, 11th President, Improvement Era, January 1969, p. 13.)
“I do not wish any Latter-day Saint in this world … to be satisfied with anything I do [or say], unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied … Suppose that the people were heedless, that they manifested no concern with regard to the things of the kingdom of God, but threw the whole burden upon the leaders of the people, saying, ‘If the brethren who take charge of matters are satisfied, we are,’ this is not pleasing in the sight of the Lord.” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 3:5.).
While there is a rule that says that those lower in authority in the Church may not receive revelation for those higher in authority (D&C 28:1–8, 11–13; 43:1–7; Joseph Smith, Teachings, p. 21), there is no requirement that if those higher in authority make a mistake in doctrine, that those lower in authority, or the general membership of the Church, may not discern and be able to detect that an error has been made, and not be misled by it. The above quotes confirm not only that they have the right, but also a duty and obligation to know the word of the Lord, and have the spirit of inspiration and revelation to be able to discern such errors when they are made, and not be misled by them. J Reuben Clark Jr. acknowledges that in this quote:
“I have given some thought to this question [of when Church offices are ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost’ when they speak (D&C 68:4)], and the answer thereto, so far as I can determine, is: We can tell when the speakers are ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost’ only when we ourselves are ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost’ [D&C 50:22]. In a way, this completely shifts the responsibility from them to us, to determine when they so speak.” (“When Are the Writings or Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?” Speech given at BYU, July 7, 1954; published in the Church News, July 31, 1954; reprinted in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1979, 12:2, pp. 68–9.)
Detecting and discerning such errors also necessitates the ability to discern and know what the correct doctrine should be. It is often not possible to know that someone has made a mistake in doctrine, without at the same time being able to discern what the correct doctrine should be. Again, that is not the same as “receiving revelation for the Church,” or for those higher in authority. The categories are different. The promise of the Lord to Latter-day Saints is:
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find, and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost; as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore the course of the Lord is one eternal round.” (1 Nephi 10:19)
(Also D&C 42:61; 136:32–33; Matt. 7:7–11; 21:22; James 1:5–6.) These promises and blessings are applicable to all Church members, not just to those in leadership positions. The rule against receiving revelation of those “higher in authority” means not telling them what to do: “And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head” (D&C 28:6). A Church member doesn’t have the right to receive revelation to tell his bishop what to do, or how to do his job. That is not within his mandate. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the right, through his own diligence and faithfulness, to gain an insight into the scriptures and into divine truth that his bishop might not have—or anyone else higher up in authority for that matter. The law of “common consent” (D&C 26:2; 28:13) is further supportive of that principle. There is also the provision of Alma 12:9. Needless to say, where such “command” is not given, the rule does not apply. The criticisms made in this book of some of the historic doctrines and teachings of the Church should be viewed in that context.
The articles in this book effectively retrace the history of development of Church doctrine back to the last days of Joseph Smith, identify the doctrinal and theological errors made thereafter, and the causes of them; and make possible the correction, restoration, and readjustment of them down to the present time. The following are some additional quotes from past Church leaders that confirm the above:
“The Church has confined the sources of doctrine by which it is willing to be bound before the world to the things that God has revealed, and which the Church has officially accepted, and those alone. These would include the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price. These have been repeatedly accepted and endorsed by the Church in general conference assembled, and are the only sources of absolute appeal for our doctrine.” (B H Roberts, Deseret News (July 24, 1921) sec. 4:7.)
“There have been rare occasions when even the President of the Church in his preaching and teaching has not been ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost.’ [D&C 68:4] You will recall that the Prophet Joseph declared that a prophet is not always a prophet.
“To this point runs a simple story my father told me as a boy, I do not know on what authority, but it illustrates the point. His story was that during the excitement incident to the coming of Johnson’s Army, Brother Brigham preached to the people in a morning meeting a sermon vibrant with defiance to the approaching army, and declaring an intention to oppose and drive them back. In the afternoon meeting he arose and said that Brigham Young had been talking in the morning, but the Lord was going to talk now. He then delivered an address, the tempo of which was the opposite from the morning talk.
“I do not know if this ever happened, but I say it illustrates a principle—that even the President of the Church himself may not always be ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost,’ when he addresses the people. This has happened about matters of doctrine (usually of a highly speculative character) where subsequent Presidents of the Church, and the peoples themselves, have felt that in declaring the doctrine, the announcer was not ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost.’” (J Reuben Clark Jr., “When Are the Writings or Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 12:2, pp. 73–4.).
“Yet we must not forget that prophets are mortal men, with men’s infirmities. Asked if a prophet was always a prophet, Brother Joseph quickly affirmed that ‘a prophet was a prophet only when he was acting as such.’” (DHC, V:265.) (J Reuben Clark Jr., Ibid, p. 80.)
“I 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.” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 9:150.)
