FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Revision as of 19:51, 23 May 2019
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Question: Are Latter-day Saint prophets not really "prophets" because they don't foretell unknown events?
Prophets have many roles, only one of which is to prophesy future events: The key issue is the possession of divine authority, in that they give whatever message(s) God wishes communicated to His children
Some critics say that Latter-day Saint prophets aren't really "prophets" because they don't prophesy by foretelling unknown events. They commonly issue challenges such as, "If Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet, tell me one event that he's prophesied." Do LDS prophets "prophesy"?
Prophets have many roles, only one of which is to prophesy future events. Most modern LDS prophets have been forthtellers rather than foretellers. The key issue is the possession of divine authority, in that they give whatever message(s) God wishes communicated to His children.
The LDS Bible Dictionary has a good response to this:
The work of a Hebrew prophet was to act as God's messenger and make known God's will. The message was usually prefaced with the words "Thus saith Jehovah." He taught men about God's character, showing the full meaning of his dealings with Israel in the past.... It was also the prophet's duty to denounce sin and foretell its punishment, and to redress, so far as he could, both public and private wrongs. He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness. When the people had fallen away from a true faith in Jehovah, the prophets had to try to restore that faith and remove false views about the character of God and the nature of the Divine requirement. In certain cases prophets predicted future events, e.g., there are the very important prophecies announcing the coming of Messiah's kingdom; but as a rule prophet was a forthteller rather than a foreteller.[1]
The Anchor Bible Dictionary treats prophesy as "inspired speech at the initiative of a divine power"[2] and includes the following:
- Predictions or apparent predictions
- Eschatology or apocalyptic
- Social or religious criticism
- Commissioned messages from deities
Furthermore, according to the Bible, the key role of "prophecy" is to testify of Christ, for "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).
Clearly, foretelling future events is only one calling of a prophet; many Biblical and modern prophets have carried out their calling by focusing on other roles. For example, Elijah is considered one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, and yet he didn't prophesy about the future. In a similar way, President Gordon B. Hinckley has made numerous social criticisms on topics such as the ills of pornography, the importance of the role of the family and the need for self reliance. In doing so, he has evoked warnings of previous prophets while not necessarily making a direct declaration of some pending event. At the same time, he has acted as a commissioned messenger for God with statements such as the Proclamation on the Family,[3] published in 1995 over the names of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and read by President Hinckley to the sisters of the Church in a General Relief Society talk.
One example of LDS prophets "forthtelling" is Family Home Evening. In 1915 President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors in the First Presidency began a Churchwide effort to strengthen the family. They called on parents in the Church to gather their children once each week for a "Home Evening." Families were to take time to pray and sing together, read the scriptures, teach the gospel to one another, and participate in other activities that would build family unity.
The stated purpose of Family Home Evening was to strengthen families, which may have seemed curious at that time, when families were strong by today's standards. We now live in an age when about half of all marriages end in divorce, and the need for Family Home Evening is readily apparent. LDS prophets implemented a solution that addressed the future weaking of the institution of marriage, something infinitely more valuable than simply prophecying its demise.
Prophetic inerrancy?
Summary: Critics sometimes impose absolutist assumptions on the Church by holding inerrantist beliefs about scriptures or prophets, and assuming that the LDS have similar views. Critics therefore insist, based upon these assumptions, that any statement by any LDS Church leader represents LDS doctrine and is thus something that is secretly believed, or that should be believed, by Latter-day Saints.Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: Do Mormons consider their prophets to be infallible?
- Question: Can a Prophet Make Mistakes?
- Question: How is it possible for a Church leader or prophet to have been influenced by racism, yet be consistent with the Lord not allowing prophets to lead the Church astray?
- Neil L. Andersen (2012): "A few question their faith when they find a statement made by a Church leader decades ago that seems incongruent with our doctrine"
- "Approaching Mormon Doctrine," LDS Newsroom (May 2007): "Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine"
- Charles W. Penrose (1912): "Do you believe that the President of the Church, when speaking to the Church in his official capacity is infallible?"
- Question: How are Church members protected against error by leaders?
- Question: Should Church members simply have "blind trust" in their leaders?
- Question: Were Biblical prophets infallible?
- Question: How do Biblical prophets compare to modern prophets?
David O. McKay liked to be lionized?
Summary: Some authors distort a biography of President McKay to claim that he liked to be "lionized."Jump to Subtopic:
Do Latter-day Saint prophets not address current issues?
Summary: It is claimed that General Authorities are very silent about some issues, and that academic or volunteer organizations take their placeJump to Subtopic:
Church Public affairs does not represent the Church?
Summary: Some people do not agree with statements issued by the Church's public affairs department. They claim that the public affairs department does not always reflect the beliefs or statements of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This claim is both absurd and false.Jump to Subtopic:
False revelation or private matters
Summary: Statements by leaders of the Church on the propriety of Church members teaching new doctrines, or publicizing personal revelations, dreams, visions, etc.Jump to Subtopic:
No paid ministry
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: What do the scriptures teach about paid ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ?
- Question: Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints employ a professional clergy?
- Question: Is the fact that some General Authorities, mission presidents, and others receive a living stipend while serving the Church evidence of the “hypocrisy” of the Church?
- Question: Why do General Authorities receive living stipends?
- Question: Do General Authorities receive a large sum of money when they are called?
- Question: Do General Authorities sign a non-disclosure agreement promising to never divulge what they are paid?
- Question: Who is the highest-paid Church employee in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?