25+ Times We Have Been Promised That The Prophet Will Not Lead Us Astray

I recently ran into a very interesting situation. One of my friends, who is a self-proclaimed active member of the Church, was trying to make the argument that the prophet can lead us astray. I cited the repeated promise that the Prophet will never lead us astray. They then made the claim that this comes from Wilford Woodruff and then attempted to explain this promise away with a bunch of conditions, disclaimers, qualifiers, and exclusions.

They then asserted that this promise had not been taught since the manifesto. At first, I ignored this claim as I thought it was fringe. But in the October 2021 General Conference when Elder Rasband renewed this promise I saw my friends and social media light up with posts railing on him, attacking him, and claiming he was a fallen prophet and that he had lied to us. It was at that moment I realized I had taken for granted that this promise was widely taught, understood, and accepted.

So I decided to do a light study of the topic, I expected to find at least 10-15 times that this promise has been made. It shocked me how many times it has been made. I want to share with you 25+ times that we have been promised that we will not be led astray if we follow the prophet.

NOTE: I found FAR more quotes than the ones below, but I chose these ones as they were so clear they could not be misunderstood. IE, they leave no room for excuses, conditions, disclaimers, qualifiers, and exclusions.

“Never in the history of the people have the saints gone wrong or gone astray while following the lead of the Presidency and general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Never in the world will the people go wrong or go astray and fall by the wayside, if they will continue to follow the lead of these men of God; and I want to suggest that we look to the Presidency of the Church, and the leading quorums of the Priesthood, as true indicators of the way the Lord would have us walk. They are indeed God’s Liahona.”

Elder Hyrum M. Smith
Conference Report, Apr. 1908, Page 34

“The Lord has given some marvelous guarantees without any disclaimers. And this is one of them: He will choose the prophet, and He will never let that man lead us astray. Imagine for a moment the impact of that promise. There is at least one place we can turn for pure, unpolluted guidance.”

Sister Virginia U. Jensen
General Conference, Oct. 1998

“We are distinguished as a Church to be led by prophets, seers, and revelators called of God for this time. I promise that as you listen and follow their counsel, you will never be led astray. Never!”

Elder Ronald A. Rasband
General Conference, Oct. 2021

“I will give you a key that will never rust, if you will stay with the majority of the Twelve Apostles, and the records of the Church, you will never be led astray.”

President Joseph Smith as quoted by President James E. Faust
General Conference, Oct. 1994

“You will never make a mistake by following the instructions and the counsel of him who stands at the head as God’s mouthpiece on earth”

President J. Reuben Clark Jr.
Conference Report, Oct. 1945, p. 166

“Keep your eye on the Prophet, for the Lord will never permit his Prophet to lead this Church astray.”

Ezra Taft Benson
Conference Report, Oct. 1966, p. 123.

“Keep your eye on the President of this Church. If he tells you to do anything and it is wrong and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it. But you don’t need to worry; the Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead this people astray.”

President Heber J. Grant as quoted by President Marion G. Romney
Conference Report, Oct. 1960, Page 78

“The prophet will never lead the Church astray”

President Ezra Taft Benson as quoted by Elder Kevin R. Duncan
General Conference, Oct. 2010 (See also Elder Claudio R. M. Costa where he quoted him in General Conference, Oct. 2010)

“In all solemnity and soberness—with a clear understanding of the consequences of a testimony borne in this setting—may I state that God has made known to me in an unmistakable way that he has called and he sustains those who are the living prophets, seers, and revelators. The Lord God of Israel will direct them, and they will not lead us astray. When you see any document, any address, any letter, any instruction that is issued by the Council of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, it should be recognized for what it surely is—the mind and the will of the Lord to his people in this day.”

Elder L. Aldin Porter
General Conference, Oct. 1994

“The President of the Church will not lead the people of the Church astray. It will never happen.”

President James E. Faust
General Conference, Oct. 2005

“We will never be led astray if we heed the counsel of the prophet of God.”

Sister Linda S. Reeves
General Conference, Apr. 2014

“Today I make you a promise. It’s a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray.”

President M. Russell Ballard
General Conference, Apr. 2001

“If we listen to the voices of the world, we will be misled. But if we listen to the voice of the Lord through His living prophet and follow his counsel, we will never go astray.”

Sister Virginia U. Jensen
General Conference, Oct. 1998

“I give you my solemn testimony that this Church will never be led astray. It is in the hands of God, and should any of its leaders ever attempt to lead it astray, His is the power to remove them. He has said that He has restored His work for the last time, “never again to be destroyed nor given to other people” (D&C 138:44; see also Dan. 2:44–45).

President Gordon B. Hinckley
General Conference, Oct. 1996 (see also, General Conference, Oct. 1993)

“There is one thing which we should have exceedingly clear in our minds. Neither the President of the Church, nor the First Presidency, nor the united voice of the First Presidency and the Twelve will ever lead the Saints astray or send forth counsel to the world that is contrary to the mind and will of the Lord.”

President Joseph Fielding Smith
General Conference, Apr. 1972

“The authorities which the Lord has placed in his Church constitute for the people of the Church a harbor, a place of refuge, a hitching post, as it were. No one in this Church will ever go far astray who ties himself securely to the Church Authorities whom the Lord has placed in his Church. This Church will never go astray; the Quorum of the Twelve will never lead you into bypaths: it never has and never will. There could be individuals who would falter; there will never be a majority of the Council of the Twelve on the wrong side at any time The Lord has chosen them; he has given them specific responsibilities. And those people who stand close to them will be safe. And conversely, whenever one begins to go his own way in opposition to authority, he is in grave danger. I would not say that those leaders whom the Lord chooses are necessarily the most brilliant, nor the most highly trained, but they are the chosen, and when chosen of the Lord they are his recognized authority, and the people who stay close to them have safety.”

President Spencer W. Kimball
Conference Report, Apr. 1951, Page 104

“Let us watch the prophet, listen to him, follow him, and we will never go astray.”

Elder Teddy E. Brewerton
General Conference, Apr. 1984

“Our Heavenly Father communicates His will through His prophet, and God will not permit His prophet to lead His people astray. The importance of the words of God’s prophet has been clearly stated to the Church as follows:

‘Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
‘For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.'” (D&C 21:4–5)

Elder Delbert L. Stapley
General Conference, Oct. 1977

“We cannot go astray if we listen to the prophet’s voice and follow him, and as we do so we will be led in the path of truth and righteousness and enjoy the love, respect, and confidence of our fellowmen, and eventually enjoy eternal life with our Father in heaven. Or we may refuse and lose all these great blessings.”

President N. Eldon Tanner
General Conference, Apr. 1984

“Men in all ranks on this earth and in the Church have fallen from grace, but the Lord will never permit the great prophet, our seer, and revelator, to fall or to lead the people astray. Before this could happen God must of necessity remove that man from the earth. There must be someone to whom the people can turn and trust, who can speak for God. God must have someone on earth who can point the way and say, ” This is true. ” How grateful, my brothers and sisters, we should be that God in the fulness of his grace has given us a living prophet to guide us to Him.”

Elder Theodore M. Burton
Conference Report, Oct. 1961, Page 122

“There never will be a President of this Church who will lead thepeople astray.”

President Marion G. Romney
Conference Report, Oct. 1960, Page 78

“No man or council of men who stand at the head of the Church shall have power to lead the Saints astray. With this assurance, then, the people of God in every dispensation have been justified in rendering absolute, yet intelligent, obedience in the direction of the holy prophets.”

Elder John Longden
Conference Report, Apr. 1967, Page 128

“No individual has ever gone astray by following the counsel of these prophets, but many have experienced tragedy and sorrow by going counter to their counsel.”

Elder John Longden
Conference Report, Apr. 1959, Pages 36-37

” I say to all Israel at this day, I say to the whole world, that the God of Israel, who organized this Church and kingdom, never ordained any President or Presidency to lead it astray. Hear it, ye Israel, no man who has ever breathed the breath of life can hold these keys of the kingdom of God and lead the people astray. “

President Wilford Woodruff as quoted by Bruce R. McConkie
Conference Report, Oct. 1958, Page 117

“The Lord promised long ago that the majority of the leadership of this Church never would lead this people astray, and they never will, and they are not leading this people astray today.”

Elder Melvin J. Ballard
Conference Report, Apr. 1931, Page 38

“I want to give you a guide that is sure and safe. If you will be one with the Presidency of this Church, and with the twelve apostles, you will never go astray. You will be on firm footing. There has never been a moment since the organization of this Church when the President of the Church and the Twelve Apostles or a majority of the Twelve Apostles have gone astray. You are safe to follow their lead.”

Elder George F. Richards
Conference Report, Apr. 1929, Pages 41-42

“So long as the Latter-day Saints look to these spiritual guides, the Presidency and the Twelve, and obey their counsels, they will never go astray. These inspired men are servants of Jesus Christ.”

Elder Charles A. Callis
Conference Report, Oct. 1922, Page 158

“No man ever went astray by following the counsel of the authorities of the Church. No man who ever followed the teachings or took advice or counsel from the one who stands as the representative of the Lord ever went astray; but men who have refused to accept counsel have gone astray and into forbidden paths.”

President Joseph Fielding Smith
Conference Report, Oct. 1912, Page 124