"Follow your leaders who have been duly ordained and have been publicly sustained, and you will not be led astray."

Boyd K. Packer (General Conference, Oct. 1992; Ensign, Nov. 1992
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“My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church, and if he tells you to do something wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it.”

- Prophet Heber J. Grant, as quoted by Apostle Marion G. Romney in “The Covenant of the Priesthood,” Ensign, July 1972, p. 98
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William H. Dame Stake President (Parowan)
Isaac C. Haight Stake President (Cedar) and mastermind
John H. Higbee 1stCounselor to Haight
Philip Klingensmith Bishop (Cedar)
John Doyle Lee Bishop
Nephi Johnson later became presiding elder, acting bishop, and bishop's counselor in succession
presiding elder, acting bishop, and bishop's counselor in succession
George Albert Smith 2nd in command of LDS church, in 1868 made 1counselor to Brigham Young
William C. Stewart High Priest
Daniel Hanmer Wells Apostle and 2nd Counselor to Brigham

Boyd K. Packer:
“A man who says he will sustain the President of the Church or the General Authorities, but cannot sustain his own bishop is deceiving himself. The man who will not sustain the bishop of his ward and the president of his stake will not sustain the President of the Church.” (Follow the Brethren, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, pp. 4-5)

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“One who rationalizes that he or she has a testimony of Jesus Christ but cannot accept direction and counsel from the leadership of His church is in a fundamentally unsound position and is in jeopardy of losing exaltation.” (Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of the Living Prophets, Religion 333, Student Manual, p. 56)

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“They are just men, you might argue. No, they are not just men. They are chosen above all other men, and they are the servants of the Lord....” (Apostle Boyd K. Packer, Obedience, BYU Speeches of the Year, pp. 6-7)

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So my question would have to be this:
If the membership had refused their Bishops and Stake Presidents and other Priesthood leaders' direction, would they have been disapproved by God? Would refusal to act as directed ensured their damnation?

"Unconditional and highest freedom of will comes from obedience...obedience which is prepared to render each and every sacrifice to pride, to external honour and to all which is dear to us personally, obedience which never falters but unconditionally follows every order..."


"which comes from the Führer or legally from superiors." -- Heinrich Himmler



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2010 12:19PM by CA girl.

"Now that I look back, I realize that a life predicated on being obedient and taking orders is a very comfortable life indeed. Living in such a way reduces to a minimum one's need to think."

-- Adolf Eichmann

(No, CA girl is not a Nazi ... just have an interest in WWII history ;)