During a recent FAIR conference in Sweden, one of the speakers addressed the issue of blacks and and the priesthood. He stated, rather emphatically, that the prophets had been wrong all these years and that the leaders of the Church (apparently) can lead us astray.For some of the participants in the conference, this opens up a can of worms. If the leaders of the Church was so wrong before, can they be so now? If yes, what are they wrong about. What should I do if I learn what they are wrong about? Can I be open about the truth, or do I have to support my leaders when they are leading us astray?
These are all difficult and important questions.
When we talk about leading others astray, we need to first determine how things should be. If you're walking through the forrest, having lost your way, you might've gone astray. But you won't sense that you've gone astray if you have no sense of where you should've been. If you lacked knowledge about where you ought to be, and just believed that you're okay as long as you are among trees, then it would be hard to convince you of being astray out there in the forest. The question are we led astray? must therefore be asked and answered against the backdrop of how things ought to be.
It should therefore be duly noted, that if you should meet someone you might suppose that they are lost to. The chance is, though, that they live there, out in the forest. What is astray for one person might not be astray for someone else.
How can we determine where we should be as a church and people, and thereby getting a sense of if we're led astray? The scriptures are a good standard to meet against. Few verses that point to the purpose of the restoration (and also to how we could reclaim it) are found in Doctrine and Covenants Section 1. We read that,
17 Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called uponmy servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments;If we are right where we should be, that which is written by prophets of old should be fulfilled, i.e. not trust in the arm of flesh (if we believe that the leaders can't lead us astray, is that trusting in the arm of flesh?), every man speak in the name of Jesus (is this something other than putting Jesus' name after everything we do, no matter if Jesus would approve or not?), great faith (do we see the fruits of faith among us?), establishment of the everlasting covenant (do we even know what this is?) and the preaching of the fulness of the gospel (can we be doing this when the concepts of calling and election and the Second Comforter is downplayed in the Church and nonexistent from the missionary manual?).
18 And also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets—
19 The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the arm of flesh—
20 But that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;
21 That faith also might increase in the earth;
22 That mine everlasting covenant might be established;
23 That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.
The best way to approach these questions should be to ask God to lead us to him and help us see things as they really are. I believe that he will do this in the way that suits us the best. This doesn't mean, though, that he will make it comfortable.
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