2012--The Year DCP Wished Wasn't

[_Pahoran]

Yeah, but what is the Church's stance regarding the pecking order of the words of dead prophets vis-à-vis those of current, living ones?

Naturally, the teachings of living prophets supersede those of dead ones.

But the decisions of middle-level bureaucrats don't.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_sock puppet]

Yeah, but what is the Church's stance regarding the pecking order of the words of dead prophets vis-à-vis those of current, living ones?

Naturally, the teachings of living prophets supersede those of dead ones.

But the decisions of middle-level bureaucrats don't.

Regards,
Pahoran

Big assumption there as to where that decision originated.

[_Chap]

Yeah, but what is the Church's stance regarding the pecking order of the words of dead prophets vis-à-vis those of current, living ones?

Naturally, the teachings of living prophets supersede those of dead ones.

...

But all prophets will become dead prophets in their turn. Therefore there are some of their teachings that a future prophet may reveal as unreliable (as, for instance, some teachings of Brigham Young appear to have been). Some of their teachings are, however, the voice of eternal truth.

Only problem is, while the prophet is alive, there seems to be no way of guessing which of their teachings will at some time in the future be officially shredded. And even the ones that, at any given time, remain unshredded may be shredded by some future prophet, who will reveal that they were in some way mistaken.

That does seem to render the prophetic role markedly less useful as a guide to life, does it not?

[_Pahoran]

Naturally, the teachings of living prophets supersede those of dead ones.

But the decisions of middle-level bureaucrats don't.

Regards,
Pahoran

Big assumption there as to where that decision originated.

It's not that big of an assumption. In fact, it's hardly an assumption at all. Everyone who is in a position to know where the decision originated has said it came from Bradford; his own recorded writings demonstrate his stance for several years. The Church leaders don't micro-manage BYU, and routine personnel decisions are not referred to them.

If there is any "big assumption" it exists in the minds of those who choose to suppose differently.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_Pahoran]

But all prophets will become dead prophets in their turn. Therefore there are some of their teachings that a future prophet may reveal as unreliable (as, for instance, some teachings of Brigham Young appear to have been). Some of their teachings are, however, the voice of eternal truth.

Only problem is, while the prophet is alive, there seems to be no way of guessing which of their teachings will at some time in the future be officially shredded. And even the ones that, at any given time, remain unshredded may be shredded by some future prophet, who will reveal that they were in some way mistaken.

That does seem to render the prophetic role markedly less useful as a guide to life, does it not?

No. It does not.

Reports of "teachings that a future prophet may reveal as unreliable" are vastly exaggerated.

Anti-Mormons (and of course there are simply none of them around here) bandy this notion around as if it represented some regular occurrence in LDS life; it does not.

Never has.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_SteelHead]

Pahoran,
please name one doctrine unique to Brigham Young that is still taught in the church.

[_MsJack]

The decision originated with Bradford. President Samuelson came to support Bradford in his decision soon afterward, and directed him to not reverse it.

[_Pahoran]

Pahoran,
please name one doctrine unique to Brigham Young that is still taught in the church.

Steelhead,

Please name one doctrine unique to Brigham Young.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_Pahoran]

The decision originated with Bradford. President Samuelson came to support Bradford in his decision soon afterward, and directed him to not reverse it.

CFR for the bolded portion, please.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_Chap]

Pahoran,
please name one doctrine unique to Brigham Young that is still taught in the church.

Steelhead,

Please name one doctrine unique to Brigham Young.

Regards,
Pahoran

Slippery work there.

1.Steelhead proposes a test of Pahoran's claim that it is rare for the teachings of dead prophets to be superseded by later prophets.
2. Taking the example of Brigham Young he asks for an example of a doctrine taught by BY that is still current in the CoJCoLDS.
3. Since he clearly is interested in Brigham Young (who taught so much and and such great and emphatic length), he seeks to exclude cases where Young was in effect simply repeating what had been taught by the prophet preceding him, Joseph Smith.
4. Therefore he asks for an example of a doctrine taught for the first time by Brigham Young that is still current in the CoJCoLDS.

Pahoran won't play, however, and one can see why.

But I will - how about the penalty for a white man having sex with a woman of African lineage (a.k.a. "The Seed of Cain") being "death on the spot"? Joseph Smith did not teach that, and I don't think it is current in the CoJCoLDS today, is it?

( I wonder if Pahoran will tell us that BY did not teach that?)