I follow the prophets WITH AND BY the help of the Holy Spirit. You see, the Holy Ghost is the key to this whole debate! The Holy Ghost will tell us all things we should do. It will tell us how things really are and how they really will be.
Following the prophet blindly isn't what this church is about in any degree. Following the prophets in faith IS!
Joseph Smith warned the people at Haun's Mill to leave. He didn't say why. They people hesitated to follow the counsel. Maybe it was because the counsel didn't come from a pulpit or wasn't packaged in the form of scripture. And you all know the sad outcome.
Following the wisdom of the prophets is essential. Even with regards to simple things. When I taught at the MTC, I had a minor conflict with one sister who refused to take our her numerous piercings. The rules for dress and grooming were clear. The vision for such rules directly from our highest leaders. And she signed up to serve! Yet, she could not follow the simplest of counsel without resentment.
I think learning to follow our leaders in faith even when we don't see everything that they do IS essential to our growth spiritually. There is safety in the counsel of our prophets. And I have enough faith in them to know that their counsel is something that I can and do trust. And I have the Holy Spirit that testifies to me the truth of that even as I write this.
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