Isn’t it amazing that they are so lacking in confidence in the overall body of works (bom, pogp, d&c) that they find it necessary to start brainwashing small children to “follow the prophet..”
I find it repulsive, and telling. Personally, I would never place so much of my trust in the word of a single man - especially one so obviously falsely representing himself as a prophet.
G_d condemns those who “cause these little ones to stumble”.
I have made clear to my (lds) wife that our child(ren) will not be indoctrinated with such bovine excrement, nor sing songs such as that, or the well known “hymn” about the phony and nonexistent planet, ‘Kolob’.
Even at that, as soon as our child(ren) is/are old enough to comprehend, I will be teaching in earnest about what a twisted pervert, profligate, liar, cheat, and practitioner of forbidden occultic arts Joey-boy was, and that if the tree trunk be rotten, it can yield no fruit of worth or nourishment.
A.A.C.
In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet”, for our salvation depends on them.
1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.
7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.
Ezra Taft Benson
(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University)