One interesting thing to me is that he went into the handbook and read the section about vaccinations and getting guidance from the Holy Ghost. Mainly because when I brought up the section in the handbook about getting guidance from the Holy Ghost to my TBM sister, she essentially said that if they wanted us to use the handbook instructions for THIS vaccine, they would have said that in the letter. And that since they didn't, this is an extra special vaccine that is super important. (I'm paraphrasing). Basically, if this vaccine was like the other vaccines then they wouldn't have sent out a specific first presidency message to support it, they would have just said, "Here's what the handbook says."
Elder Renlund:
If you ask him (God) for that witness, you too will know that Russel Marion Nelson is God's prophet on the earth today. President Nelson is really something else. It would be wrong to say that he doesn't care what people think, he's too much of a gentleman for that. But it's most correct to say that his primary audience is the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who he cares about, that's who he seeks to please. And if you think about it, if you have any questions about the direction you recieve, that's the question. What is President Nelson thinking? He's thinking, how does he please the Saviour, how does he take the Saviour's church for which he has stewardship and present it back to the Saviour without being blemished, or harmed, in any way. I know that he is a prophet of God.
With regards to the letter, you can, you know, in Acts chapter 10 Peter receives this revelation that eventually comes to be crystal clear that the gospel should be taken to the Gentiles. But there was still issues to figure out, and so in Acts 15 they're trying to figure out do those who are Gentiles need to become Jewish first, and then become Christian, or is there something other, and there was a heated discussion. So they come up with four things that they needed to do to become Christian that were part of Jewish law, and Peter gets up and he says this, "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to require these four things." And what I can tell you about this letter, as it was discussed by the first presidency and quorum of the twelve, is that it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to send that letter. If you were to go to your Gospel Library (he then goes into the handbook and reads the statement there about vaccinations, including the part about seeking guidance from the Holy Ghost). Whether or not someone is vaccinated is not a temple recommend question, and it shouldn't be a point of contention. Read that section of the handbook, and then follow that. There's an interesting verse in Romans 14 and if you read the chapter heading it gives us the direction Paul I think would give us now, and that I would give you. The chapter heading says, "Avoid quarreling about opinions and making unrighteous judgement of each other." And then some of the pertinent verses here,1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.The way that we avoid contention is we put the Saviour first. We put him and his gospel first.It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is aoffended, or is made weak.