Why do Mormons have prophets and what do they do?

The Mormon prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, recently died which leads to the question Why do Mormons have prophets and what do they do?

When a person reads the Bible, it becomes clear that God has often revealed His will, His word and even prophecies of the future to men and women since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. A prophecy is a statement about the future and often comes in the form of a conditional declaration – an "if, then" statement. One example of this is the story of the prophet Jonah, the man swallowed by a whale when he tried to escape from his prophetic duties. When he finally came around to doing what God commanded him, Jonah went to the city of Ninevah and prophesied that the city would be destroyed if the people did not repent. In this case, the king of the city led his people in repenting and the city was spared.

In the scriptural record, there appears to be at least two types of prophets: those that prophecy, and those that have a spiritual leadership role in addition to prophesying. Miriam, the sister of Moses, was known as a prophetess and is an example of the first group. We believe that everyone who listens to the still, small voice of God can know His will for their own lives. Moses on the other hand, who led the Hebrews from Egypt, would be an example of the second group of prophets as leaders of a people. Other prophet-leaders include Joshua, Samuel, and Peter of the New Testament. Their role is even greater than the important task of sharing God's warnings with us. Moses established the priesthood of the Levites and the sacrifices that later became temple rites. Joshua, as a prophet and military leader, led the Hebrews out of the Sinai and into the land of Canaan. Peter, the most senior apostle, became the leader of the early Christian church after Christ's death.

Prophets serve to ensure that a single, unifying message is given of God, that His children will not be "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine." As is evident from the scriptures, God has followed this pattern of calling prophets from ancient times down to the time of Christ. Mormons believe that God has not changed this divine pattern of revealing His word to his prophets in our modern times. Joseph Smith was a result of this pattern of God calling prophets, as was Gordon Hinckley who recently passed away. We do not worship these prophet-leaders and we do not consider them infallible. All prophets are mortal and occasionally make mistakes. Even Peter, in a moment of fatigue and fear, denied knowing Jesus. But, as a church, we do have a great deal of respect for their roles and their personal sacrifices to dedicate their lives in the service of others.

Prophets are not qualified by education or lineage. Though Moses was an adopted prince of Egypt, he was an aging desert shepherd when called by God. Most Old Testament prophets came from ordinary backgrounds. In the New Testament, Peter and several apostles were fishermen. Joseph Smith was a farm boy. What all of these people did have in common was a willingness to follow the voice of God within themselves regardless of the personal cost. Gordon Hinckley was this type of person. And I look forward to God continuing this divine pattern of calling prophets well into the future.

Why did people of African descent only recently receive the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

This is a tough one without any satisfying answers. Ironically, Joseph Smith and other founding members of the Church brought strong abolitionist views into the Church. When one of the early black members of the Church arrived, destitute and orphaned, in the city in Illinois where the Church membership was gathered, Joseph and his wife Emma invited her to stay in their home – as an equal. After a time, Joseph and Emma wanted to adopt the teenager as a part of their family but she politely declined. Nevertheless, she continued living with the Smith family for a number of years.

Under Joseph Smith's leadership, people of African descent were ordained to the priesthood. Later, in 1844, when Smith declared his candidacy for US president, one of his central planks was the abolishment of slavery in the country.

Additionally, Mormon scripture does not support prejudice. The Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 26:33) states that the [Lord] “inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female…and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” On the topic of prejudice, another Book of Mormon scripture commands “that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins.” So there appears to be clear injunctions against mistreating any people, regardless of skin color.

However, after Joseph Smith’s death in the 1840s, early Mormon leadership began to teach a doctrine borrowed from other Christian denominations at the time – that due to God’s cursing of Adam’s son Cain (Gen 4:11), and then Noah’s grandson Canaan (Gen 9:25), people of African ancestry were also cursed. Unfortunately, there is no clear record of how this doctrine entered the Mormon church.

Therefore, there may be several sources for it. First, Brigham Young and other early Church leaders obviously thought it was doctrinal. It may also have been deemed an appropriate response to the persecutions that resulted in the assassination of Joseph Smith and the expulsion of the Church first from the slave state of Missouri and then from Illinois.

Though the Book of Mormon does not discuss people of African descent, many past members of the Church interpreted some passages to support racial prejudice – which goes contrary to the Book of Mormon passages cited above. President David McKay, leader of the Church for much of the 1900s noted in various conversations that not extending the priesthood to blacks was a matter of policy that would some day be changed*. Sadly, changing a deeply in-grained policy took some time. Whether some of the timing of this change depended on the readiness of the Church membership, I don’t know. We can see from Moses’ experience with Israel at Mount Sinai that God does adapt His law to the readiness of the people.

Some recent commentators have wryly stated that the 1978 revelation extending the priesthood to all races came at a “convenient” time. However, the logic for this conclusion isn’t clear. From a public relations perspective, having such a revelation 15-20 years earlier would have been far more convenient. And from a financial perspective, the membership of the Church in Africa will not be able to cover the cost of building chapels and temples in Africa for many decades into the future. It would have been far more financially convenient for the revelation to have come after Africa was further developed economically.

Regardless of the timing of the change or the origins of the policy itself, we believe that the change opening the priesthood to all ethnicities was divinely inspired. As most people who know Mormons can readily witness, Mormons are as fallible as the rest of humanity. We make mistakes and struggle with our own weaknesses. Nevertheless, it is my hope that the extension of the priesthood to all races and ethnicities helps to erase any internal prejudices our own members may have.

(*See David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Greg Prince and Wm. Robert Wright).

What is the Book of Mormon and why do the Mormons need more scripture?

I'm tempted to ask why wouldn't people want more scripture in these complex times? It has been the pattern of God from Adam on down, to reveal His will to men and women. These men and women have shared their stories with others and have written down the words of God revealed to them. As long as there have been people worthy and willing to listen to Him, He has spoken.

Consider the command and promise in the letter of James contained in the New Testament – "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Clearly, God is willing to give His wisdom to all mankind. We believe that the Lord keeps this promise regardless of where people are located in the world. As Mormons, we believe that there were people on the American continents thousands of years ago who also sought to know God. He responded to their petitions just as He did to the petitions of those in the Middle East. And as a Church, we believe that God wanted us to have His words to the ancient inhabitants of the American continents (The Book of Mormon), just as He wanted us to have His words to the ancient inhabitants of the Middle East (The Bible).

Do Mormons believe in the Bible?

Of course.

A better question might be 'Which version?' In English, Mormons generally use the King James Version - commonly used by many Protestant denominations. However, I've read from the New International Version, the English Revised Version, and the Darby among others. I have also read the Reina Valera in Spanish. And often, when I'm studying I will refer to either the Hebrew, Latin Vulgate or Greek Septuagint for the Old Testament, and the Greek for the New Testament. In using all of these generally accepted versions, I have noticed that each translation differs somewhat. And each provides unique insights.

As I've studied the writings of bible scholars, I've found that historically there have been debates regarding which books should be included in the Bible. The Catholics include several books in the Old Testament called the Apocrypha that Protestants don't generally include. Additionally, internal references within the holy scriptures indicate that the ancients relied on writings we no longer have. Regardless, the Bible is a beautiful, inspired work containing the words of God to his children and thus Mormons accept it as holy writ.

Those who emphasize that Mormons believe changes have occurred in the Bible over the millennia ignore that most other Christian and Jewish biblical scholars have the same basic understanding.

Are Mormons Christian?

I think by trying to defend our status as Christians, Mormons are accepting the evangelicals' self-assumed right that only they may judge who is or who is not a Christian. Since that right isn't mine to surrender, I'll succinctly state our belief on the issue below, and let Christ himself judge. I believe he has earned the right.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and THE anointed savior for all mankind. With the fall of Adam, physical death and disobedience to God's guidance created a breach between God and man. It is only through Christ's infinite atonement, and by obedience to his word, that the breach between God and man can be closed. There is no other being, including ourselves, that can save us.

So are we Christian? That's really up to Him.