What Would You do if the Prophet Asked You to Stop Eating Vegetables?

NOTE: This article has as much to do with veggies as Jesus’ parables had to do with actually looking for lost farm animals.

What if today, the prophet held an official Church press release and asked members to stop eating vegetables? How would you react? What would you do? Would you pray for a confirmation that this is the will of the Lord? What if that answer did not come immediately? What if it took a year, or ten years, to get an answer? And what would you do in the meantime??

For many of us, when the prophet tells us to do something we already agree with, we accept it without reservation, we simply obey. For those who are engaged in fighting for pro-life legislation, if the prophet told people to fight for pro-life legislation, they would not pray and wait until they were given a confirmation to obey, most would not even pray, they would simply rejoice in the fact the prophet agrees with their lifestyles. The same applies to those who don’t drink soda, if the prophet came out and said “don’t drink soda” those who already don’t drink it would accept it without reservation.

The difficulty in following the prophet comes when we are asked to do something that disagrees with our personal ideas/beliefs. This difficulty often stems from the fact our personal ideas are founded on logic and scientific evidence. When what the prophet is asking you to do logically does not make sense, or scientifically is wrong, what would you do?

What if I told you this entire train of thought is the result of taking a wrong turn? And that ALL these questions/issues would all be avoided if we rejected a persuasive false doctrine about following the prophet and just kept our covenants?

Following The Prophet, the Lord’s Way vs the World’s Way.

To understand following the prophet the Lord’s way, you need to understand three interrelated principles: 1st, the prophet cannot lead us astray. 2nd, ‘Fallen Prophets’ are a false doctrine. 3rd, It is not blind obedience to be faithful to a witness.

1st. The Prophet Cannot Lead us Astray.

The Lord has been clear that He will not allow the prophet to lead the Church astray. He has done this by evoking the law of the witnesses, specifically authorized witnesses, in teaching this truth. Here are just 25 examples of the truth being taught that God will not allow the prophet to lead us astray. The Apostle Paul wrote that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2 Cor. 13:1). If that is true with 2-3 witnesses, then what about the mouth of 25+ witnesses?

Henry B. Eyring taught that “One of the ways we may know that [something] is from the Lord is that the law of witnesses, authorized witnesses, has been invoked. When the words of prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude to live in such a blessed time.”

This is the first principle that is VITAL to understand when it comes to following the prophet in the Lord’s way: The Lord will not allow the prophet to lead us astray!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Often to this PROMISE that the Lord will not allow the prophet to lead us astray people ask, so are you claiming the prophet is infallible? That he can’t make mistakes? The answer to that is simple: The prophet does NOT NEED TO BE INFALLIBLE to be acceptable to the Lord. Isaac was “tricked” into giving Jacob the Birthright Blessing, but that action was acceptable to the Lord. The prophet WILL make mistakes and not optimal choices/actions. But the Lord has promised us that He will not allow the prophet to lead the Church astray, meaning that whereas yes, the prophets are not perfect, (nor do they claim it!) their actions have the approval of the Lord, therefore we are under mandate to accept them as if their words/counsel came from God. That is NOT my opinion, that is what the LORD has declared in D&C 1:38 and D&C 21:5. (This is probably the most important aspect of following the prophet, learning that infallibility is not a requirement for acceptability).

2nd. Fallen Prophets are a False Doctrine.

Within the context that the Lord will not allow the prophet to lead us astray, gaining a testimony that the prophet is called by God is of the utmost importance. And once we gain such a witness it is vital that we are faithful to it. I love the story of John Taylor, the third prophet, as he beautifully exemplifies this principle: He was baptized by Parley P. Pratt. Soon after moving to Kirtland John Taylor found out that Parley had become disenfranchised by Joseph Smith and was advocating the idea he was fallen. Rebuking his missionary, he declared:

“I am surprised to hear you speak so, Brother Parley. Before you left Canada you bore a strong testimony to Joseph Smith being a Prophet of God, and to the truth of the work he has inaugurated; and you said you knew these things by revelation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. You gave to me a strict charge to the effect that though you or an angel from heaven was to declare anything else I was not to believe it. Now Brother Parley, it is not man that I am following, but the Lord. The principles you taught me led me to Him, and I now have the same testimony that you then rejoiced in. If the work was true six months ago, it is true today; if Joseph Smith was then a prophet, he is now a prophet.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor Chapter 9.

That last sentence is the crux of this second principle, “If the work was true six months ago, it is true today; if Joseph Smith was then a prophet, he is now a prophet.” Satan loves the phrase “fallen prophet” as it is his favorite tool to deceive those who already have a witness of a prophet’s call and persuade them to be unfaithful to their witness.

John Taylor’s testimony debunks this satanic idea of “fallen prophets” as a false doctrine. Thankfully Parley P. Pratt was humble enough to listen and repented before he fully apostatized. But there is a simple test to see if a prophet is fallen: Is the prophet still alive? If so, he is not fallen. If Joseph was a prophet then, he is still a prophet. And if Russell M. Nelson was a prophet five years ago, he is still a prophet today. God does not, and will not allow the prophets to fall. We are promised that He will remove the prophet BEFORE he falls. Elder Theodore M. Burton testified of this, and expounded on this principle in General Conference when he declared:

“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.”

Conference Report, Oct. 1961, Page 122

NOTE: This promise is only for the President of the Church. Others of all ranks and callings, including counselors and apostles, have fallen, but never the President: President Benson taught: “Other officers in the kingdom have fallen but never the Presidents. Keep your eye on the captain is still good counsel.” CR: 1963 Page 17.

3rd. It is not blind obedience to be faithful to a witness.

Coupling the first two principles together, namely that God will not allow the prophet to lead us astray and that He would remove the prophet BEFORE the prophet could fall; we arrive at the final principle, obedience. Obedience to our witness and knowledge dictates that when the prophet speaks we obey. Period. The. End. This is NOT blind obedience to follow the prophet, it is eye-open obedience. Knowing what we know integrity requires we FOLLOW in all things. (See here for 20+ Amazing Quotes on Following The Prophet and the Dangers of Disobeying!)

When the prophet asks us to do something we struggle with, we are not only invited but encouraged to ask God for a confirmation that it is the Lord’s will. The key is those who are valiant in their testimonies choose to obey even if a confirmation is not immediately received, or even if it takes years. Remembering the first two principles, they will be true to what they know and act in faith.

President Dallin H. Oaks has taught this when he said, “We respect our leaders and presume inspiration in their leadership of the Church and in their teachings. But we are all privileged and encouraged to confirm their teachings by prayerfully seeking and receiving revelatory confirmation directly from God.”

The Worlds Way of Following the Prophet.

In contrast to the Lord’s way, is the world’s way. The world seeks to sow doubt regarding the prophet. Rather than encouraging those who struggle with prophetic counsel to pray for a confirmation it is of God, the world tells us to pray IF the prophet is right. The key word here is if as it is loaded with doubt. Using if disregards the Lord’s way and principles. Not only that, but when we know he is a prophet, and we pray asking “if the prophet is right” we are opening ourselves up to false revelations. And Satan knows that “nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they think they have the Spirit of God.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 205.)

The world, aka Satan, ultimately wants you to disobey the prophet. He does not care what tool he needs to use, or what rationalization it will take. He wants disobedience. For some, he attacks the wording of the prophet’s counsel. “The prophet did not say, ‘Thus Saith the Lord.’ therefore this is just a suggestion.” or, “This is just counsel, not a commandment!”

For others, it will be the place or the manner of delivery. He encourages slothfulness as he tells them, “You are a good Saint, just wait until you are commanded clearly in General Conference, as this was just the opinion of the prophet as a man.”

And for others, he just wants them to wait to obey. Satan tells them, “You are a good Saint, and you will be obedient when a witness comes, but until it comes you don’t want to be blindly obedient, just wait to obey.”

But the most damaging tool Satan has is when we let him flat-out supplant our communication with the Holy Ghost. When we desperately seek and desire an answer that the prophet is wrong or that we are an exception, Satan then steps in and gives false revelations that the prophet is wrong or that we need not obey. This answer fails multiple litmus tests of the personal revelation (See “Did you hear Him, or did you hear him?”).

Ultimately he does NOT CARE what he needs to say or do, Satan only cares that we are not obedient. He loves flat-out disobedience, but he will gladly take when we delay obedience too.

Returning to Vegetables…

Returning to vegetables… If the prophet told us to stop eating vegetables those who are valiantly adhering to the principles of the Lord’s way of following the prophet would simply not eat the veggies. They would be true to what they know, even if they had questions or unanswered prayers, they would remain true. They understand the truth of President N. Eldon Tanner’s statement that “when the prophet speaks the debate is over.” ( First Presidency Message “The Debate Is Over” August 1979).

But those Saints who do not accept the underlying principles of the Lord’s way of following the prophet will waiver and fall. Some would fall if the prophet told them not to eat vegetables, and others would fall if the prophet told them to wash in the river Jordan. But because they reject the foundational principles of prophets, they question and hesitate at every step. Ultimately, when we choose the world’s way of following the prophet, we learn that however long it takes the world always spells it D I S O B E D I E N C E.

If you liked this article you will love: 7 Ways Latter-day Saints get Following the Prophet Completely Wrong

Or: The Vitally Important Part of #Hear Him That Members Are Completely Missing!