Drifting wrote:In the event that as Bishop Everybody Wang Chung is asked a question by a member of the ward and the truthful factual answer he knows could damage that members testimony, should he:
A. Lie
B. Obfuscate (which Apostles have told us is the same as lying)
C. Tell them it's not important to their salvation to know the answer
D. Tell them the actual answer he knows to be factually correct
99.9% of Bishops and Stake Presidents that I have known over multiple decades would absolutely not pick 'D'.
B. All he has to do is answer using Church responses like this.
Member: "Why did God change his mind and let the blacks have priesthood?"
Bishop Everybody Wang Chung "The Church teaches that we don't always understand correctly why or how God does......"
He can just quote the party line. If he is asked his own opinion and is worried it might damage the member he can just reply the he hasn't worked it all out in his mind yet either and then switch to the "pray about it" general response.
By the way I don't think the Church is too concerned about obfuscation, or as it puts it "Faithful History".