Perhaps one of the most pervasive and damaging false doctrines in the church is the notion that the Lord somehow calls perfect men to lead it. Generally we couch that by saying, the prophet is a man, but when he speaks to the church he is perfect - or other similar language. However, that is not doctrinal correct. Joseph Smith put it more clearly, "I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught." Or, as the Lord himself has put it, "And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." (D&C 68:4)
Let me be clear how this works, because often we misrepresent D&C 68. When this revelation was given, we didn't have Apostles yet. It was not about Prophets, it was about 4 missionaries (though I believe it applies to EVERYONE). You see, the requirement is the same regardless of position in the Church. "When moved upon by the Holy Ghost." So the things I teach when moved upon by the Holy Ghost are also the will, mind, word, and voice of the Lord. The same is true of Prophet's and Apostles. Where we may sometimes err is in assuming that they are being so moved anytime they speak. This takes me back to the fact that they are not perfect. Furthermore, the Lord councils that "it is not meet that I should command in all things." God does not want to have to give us all the words we ever speak.
This is important because Church leaders make mistakes. There, I said it. They don't just make them at home, in their journals, or in small private settings. I think that mistakes are more likely in those situations (because they feel more free to speak about things that are less certain). Nonetheless, there are plenty of instances of errors in General Conference Talks. Perhaps my least favorite General Conference talk of all time was given in October 2011. Elder Tad Callister's talk The Book of Mormon - A book from God was rife with poor logic and false teachings. Perhaps the most concerning to me is when, about half way into the the talk, he reads several wonderful quotes from the Book of Mormon. The then states:
"Could these statements from the Book of Mormon have possibly been authored by the evil one? After the Savior cast out certain devils, the Pharisees claimed that He did so “by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” The Savior responded that such a conclusion was nonsensical: “Every kingdom,” He said, “divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every … house divided against itself shall not stand.” And then His compelling climax: “And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?” "
When I heard this I thought to myself, wow, if that's the measure of Good vs. Evil.... I guess that means that the Koran was the work of God (which I don't really question). In fact, pretty much every holy book from any religion would pass this test. I'm reminded of the old - and truly disturbing - analogy of the dog poop brownies. By Elder Callister's measuring stick, those brownies must be good. After all, how can anything that contains such wonderful ingredients like chocolate and sugar be bad? You see, I've learned in my life that Satan can tell the truth! In fact, he has been most effective in my life when he has told me 95% truth, and with conviction. So much conviction and truth that I managed to ignore the 5% lie he told. That does not make Satan "divided against himself". It makes him crafty, cunning, and dangerous. Were I to take to heart Elder Callister's measuring stick, I might well fall victim to many many such traps in my life. Now, lest you think I have a problem with this wonderful man, I will point out that he spoke again in April of 2013. The Power of the Priesthood in the Boy was a fantastic talk. I loved it.
So, if you can't trust everything you hear, even in General Conference, how will you know what to believe? Sorry to break this to you, but you'll actually have to do some work. You see, this is about the Holy Ghost. How do I know when one is moved up on by the Holy Ghost? Well, it is actually quite simple. If the speaker is speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost, then I will receive the message by the same power, if I am worthy and listening. It really is that simple. But there can be danger here too! What if the speaker says something I don't like? How easy is it to let my pride interfere with the Holy Ghost? It's pretty easy. The Savior gives us a good guide:
Go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again. 13. 3 Nephi 17:3.
I have two other rules I use to keep myself safe. If something is taught in any setting, and I don't feel particularly comfortable with it, then I study and pray about it. If I find I am not receiving personal witness of it, then I do not teach it to others. And I then follow the Savior's advice. I don't ask "is it true". Rather, I pray "that I may understand". Elder Callister, for example, was over simplifying a true doctrine. As I prayed to understand his teachings, I was able to understand what he was trying to teach, even if it was poorly delivered. At other times I have had similar experiences.
The second rule is crucial in my mind. Teachings are one things, commandments and guidance are another. When a Church leader gives a commandment (not just thou shalt commandments), I obey first! Unless the spirit forcefully constrains me to do otherwise, I will always try to follow the council of my leaders. Even when I am confident they are wrong. Never have I received a prompting to the contrary, and I suspect it is very rare that I would. The Lord blesses obedience. I am sure that he would warn me against any council that was detrimental to my salvation. But if a leader gives misguided, but harmless guidance, the Lord would want me to obey. And so I do.
One final word: I believe it is rare that our leaders make mistakes. Particularly those who have been called, prepared, and chosen as Prophets. They are men of God, and they are far wiser and more spiritually mature than I. Mistakes in their teachings are so rare that I don't even look for them, but I do recognize that they can happen. When they do, it does not bother me, nor does it make me doubt that they are inspired in their leading of the Church. So please, don't focus on it, but also don't be so confident in their infallibility that it causes you to stumble if they make a mistake.
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