VernPorter.com

Warning: Declaration of smilies_plugin::GetDefaultSettings() should be compatible with Plugin::GetDefaultSettings(&$params) in /home1/vporter/public_html/b2e/plugins/_smilies.plugin.php on line 73

Warning: Declaration of smilies_plugin::GetDefaultUserSettings() should be compatible with Plugin::GetDefaultUserSettings(&$params) in /home1/vporter/public_html/b2e/plugins/_smilies.plugin.php on line 149

Warning: Declaration of facebook_plugin::SkinTag($params) should be compatible with Plugin::SkinTag(&$params) in /home1/vporter/public_html/b2e/plugins/_facebook.plugin.php on line 56

Deprecated: Methods with the same name as their class will not be constructors in a future version of PHP; OnlineSessions has a deprecated constructor in /home1/vporter/public_html/b2e/plugins/_whosonline.plugin.php on line 121

Warning: Declaration of whosonline_plugin::SkinTag($params) should be compatible with Plugin::SkinTag(&$params) in /home1/vporter/public_html/b2e/plugins/_whosonline.plugin.php on line 84

If asked, Latter-Day Saints will say that their leaders are not infallible, they may even quote the Prophet Joseph Smith who said that a prophet may insert his will into revelation. We have been warned about the tendency of leaders to become tyrants. Paraphrasing; we have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, once they gain a little authority, as they suppose, they begin to exercise unrighteous dominion over the hearts of men ... . But, I maintain that these beliefs are not reflected in the everyday beliefs about reality for many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Those who tend towards exercising unrighteous dominion have plenty of comfort in our gospel commentaries. Down through the years our leaders have said many things. At least one of the past leaders of the church has proclaimed that “God would not allow your prophet to lead you astray”. The quotation can be found in a biography or autobiography of a past president of the Church. It was recently used as a priesthood and Relief Society lesson manual.  All that someone wishing to influence others in a certain direction need do is find where a doctrine he wishes to promote was quoted and by whom it was said. Additionally, our leaders have encouraged us to look at every leader as a prophet to those whom he has some responsibility for. That includes everyone from a general authority to the head of a household. While it is reassuring to believe that They can obtain revelation to help them guide you, that feeling that revelation has been received may come too easily for some of them.

Some of our gospel writers have advised us that we may receive revelation by merely contemplating things, then if the thought is true we will receive a burning in our bosom, but if the thought is false we will have a stupor of thought. This idea comes from Section nine of the D&C wherein the Lord told Oliver Cowdery what he should have done in his efforts to help Joseph translate the gold plates. Though this may work well for some folks, I seriously doubt that it was meant to be universally appropriate as a guide for the general membership of the Church. Thus a lot people have thought that everything they can imagine which they feel good about and doesn’t cause them a stupor of thought is the pure word of God. Some strange doctrine is promoted by those who give more credibility to the fruit of their contemplation than they give the scriptures. Moreover, feeling good about something negates the need to dig out a concordance and research the question for some.