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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
(→The Church does not take an official position on this issue) |
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Rivi 11: | Rivi 11: | ||
:—J. Rueben Clark, Jr. "When Are the Writings or Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?" Address to Seminary and Institute Teachers, BYU (7 July 1954); reproduced in ''Church News'' (31 July 1954); also reprinted in ''Dialogue'' 12/2 (Summer 1979): 68–81.] | :—J. Rueben Clark, Jr. "When Are the Writings or Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?" Address to Seminary and Institute Teachers, BYU (7 July 1954); reproduced in ''Church News'' (31 July 1954); also reprinted in ''Dialogue'' 12/2 (Summer 1979): 68–81.] | ||
− | This was recently reiterated by the First Presidency (who now approves all statements published on | + | This was recently reiterated by the First Presidency (who now approves all statements published on the Church's official website): |
:''Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency...and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.'' | :''Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency...and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.'' |
This is one of many issues about which the Church has no official position. As President J. Rueben Clark taught under assignment from the First Presidency:
This was recently reiterated by the First Presidency (who now approves all statements published on the Church's official website):
(For further discussion of this principle see: FAIR wiki article: Official Church doctrine and statements by Church leaders.)
FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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