Russell M. Nelson turns 98 today

[Niemand]

Didn't he throw himself a great big huge Conference Center birthday bash this year?! Must be mellowing out in his old age.

President Hinckley did something similar for his 95th birthday...I imagine if he cracks a hundred years old there will definitely be a celebration.

It was just as shameful for Hinckley to do that, too. Pay extra tithing Subcomandante so he can throw himself an extra special 100th.

If he doesn't make it to 100 I say we do a "Weekend at Bernies" with him.

I wonder if the Russians still have Leonid Brezhnev's reanimation machine. It kept Comrade Brezhnev alive for years.

[LDS Watchman]

Isn’t our life in the hand of God? If God wants or allows someone to die, he won’t live. If God wants someone to live, he can’t die; such an example as Job in the Old Testament. That’s how God chooses his prophet on earth today! According to the seniority of the apostles, the one outlived others would be the one God choose to be his prophet on earth.

Can you show me in the scriptures where this process for selection is taught by the Lord?

Which scriptures in the Bible tell Joseph Smith all the churches at that time are false? It’s the James 1:5 inspired him to go to pray and asked God himself, wasn’t it? Joseph Smith didn’t get his answer through Bible. Instead, he received his answer through the direct revelation from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Without it, the God’s true church wouldn’t have been restored. Continual revelations through God’s chosen prophets to guide his church is necessary.
Many years ago, I pondered why the most senior apostle became the prophet (president) of the church when current prophet die. How does this tradition or setting has to do with God choosing his prophet? Then, the answer came to me. That answer is that our life is in God’s hand and he decides who outlive other apostles. President Nelson was chosen to be the Lord’s prophet by outlive president Packer or Elder Perry. President Packer and Elder Perry were called to the other side of the veil and they have different mission there. We all have different personalities, background, and experiences and the Lord chose president Nelson to guide his church in this difficult time on earth.
We do not gain our testimony by auguring or debating. I suggest to read Book of Mormon daily and pray with sincere and humble heart and to ask Heavenly Father whatever the concern you may have. The testimony will come. Put politics aside. No need to attack our church leaders.

So, in other words, it's not there. You know what's in there though?

A good tree cannot produce corrupt fruit.

I think you better read Jacob 5 again. Things aren't nearly as black and white as you keep insisting. The Olive Tree produced both good and corrupt fruit simultaneously, depending upon the branch. The tree does not need to be free of all corrupt fruit for it to be accepted of the Lord and to fulfill his righteous purposes.

[mike_rumble]

I would have more confidence in our Prophets if they would at least call out sin by name, not by generalities. But, they dropped the ball with Divorce, then with Abortion, then with Homosexuality, and now Transgenderism. It seems there is no sin that the Church is willing to face head on. They want to be accepted by society and other churches. They want to be seen as supporting everything while condemning nothing, and they want, most of all, not to lose any of the great riches that have been acquired over many years to lawsuits and penalties. I don't think they really believe that there will come a day when they have to answer before Christ and before God for the things they should have been doing. They expect to be highly praised for being good politicians and good accountants.

[InfoWarrior82]

I would have more confidence in our Prophets if they would at least call out sin by name, not by generalities. But, they dropped the ball with Divorce, then with Abortion, then with Homosexuality, and now Transgenderism. It seems there is no sin that the Church is willing to face head on. They want to be accepted by society and other churches. They want to be seen as supporting everything while condemning nothing, and they want, most of all, not to lose any of the great riches that have been acquired over many years to lawsuits and penalties. I don't think they really believe that there will come a day when they have to answer before Christ and before God for the things they should have been doing. They expect to be highly praised for being good politicians and good accountants.

15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth devil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

[LDS Watchman]

I would have more confidence in our Prophets if they would at least call out sin by name, not by generalities. But, they dropped the ball with Divorce, then with Abortion, then with Homosexuality, and now Transgenderism. It seems there is no sin that the Church is willing to face head on. They want to be accepted by society and other churches. They want to be seen as supporting everything while condemning nothing, and they want, most of all, not to lose any of the great riches that have been acquired over many years to lawsuits and penalties. I don't think they really believe that there will come a day when they have to answer before Christ and before God for the things they should have been doing. They expect to be highly praised for being good politicians and good accountants.

15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth devil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So on the one hand you keep shouting about a lack of prophecy and miracles from the brethren, but now you're saying there is prophecy and miracles being done in the name of Christ by the brethren.

That doesn't add up.

[onefour1]

Mathias

He was more of an apostle than a prophet, no?

My understanding is that all Apostles are also Prophets. I believe they are all prophets, seers, and revelators if I'm not mistaken.

That's what the Church teaches.

I take it that you are not a believer in the church?

[onefour1]

Mathias

He was more of an apostle than a prophet, no?

My understanding is that all Apostles are also Prophets. I believe they are all prophets, seers, and revelators if I'm not mistaken.

Why not just call them all seers, if that's the case? It seems to cover the gamut.

Mosiah 8:15 And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet.

16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.

17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.

Maybe because the term Apostle encompasses all three in its title and thus makes it easier to refer to than calling them the quorum of prophets, seers, and revelators and apostles. An Apostle is a prophet, seer and revelator so for convenience why not just refer to them as Apostles?

[PeacefulProtests]

Hard to imagine that Joseph Smith was in his early twenties when he was beginning the Work when you consider the state of things today.

Even as a teenager.

Both of you are ridiculous. You would prefer today’s 20 something’s or better yet today’s teenagers run things?!?!

In the immortal words of Daffy Duck: Har har har; it is to laugh.

What you don't trust todays 20 somethings? (cough cough sarcasm)
https://twitter.com/BomsteinRick/status ... 0610662401

[Jason]

I would have more confidence in our Prophets if they would at least call out sin by name, not by generalities. But, they dropped the ball with Divorce, then with Abortion, then with Homosexuality, and now Transgenderism. It seems there is no sin that the Church is willing to face head on. They want to be accepted by society and other churches. They want to be seen as supporting everything while condemning nothing, and they want, most of all, not to lose any of the great riches that have been acquired over many years to lawsuits and penalties. I don't think they really believe that there will come a day when they have to answer before Christ and before God for the things they should have been doing. They expect to be highly praised for being good politicians and good accountants.

15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth devil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So on the one hand you keep shouting about a lack of prophecy and miracles from the brethren, but now you're saying there is prophecy and miracles being done in the name of Christ by the brethren.

That doesn't add up.

...it's that expectation that the neighbor down the street...because he happens to be Bishop or Stake President or something has to act a certain way while giving oneself slack to operate differently...

...ranting away day after day on the internet that the neighbor needs to tear his cloak and march on Washington DC while unwilling to live by the same standard...

[cyclOps]

Happy 98 birthday (yesterday) President Nelson!

[BeNotDeceived]

Happy 98 birthday (yesterday) President Nelson!

He's my senior by 38 years and about 2 days.

[cyclOps]

Happy 98 birthday (yesterday) President Nelson!

He's my senior by 38 years and about 2 days.

Happy 60 birthday (tomorrow??) BeNotDeceived!

[Being There]

Hard to imagine that Joseph Smith was in his early twenties when he was beginning the Work when you consider the state of things today.

Nelson turns 98.

Age.
20 years old (JS) or 120 years old (Moses - died at)
A man's age doesn't matter if he serves the Lord ***;
but Nelson does not.

*** And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore,
nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant:
but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

[tribrac]

I would have more confidence in our Prophets if they would at least call out sin by name, not by generalities. But, they dropped the ball with Divorce, then with Abortion, then with Homosexuality, and now Transgenderism. It seems there is no sin that the Church is willing to face head on.

Along those lines a few conference ago I kept hearing them talk about sin in the world, and in the church but not saying what sins. After listening for awhile it struck me funny. I began to imagine to myself, that if a person from the Christian Past, was allowed to peak in on the conference with no information about the condition of the world....the person would likely think we were living in a premillennial paradise where the only sins left to snuff out were racism and adult males watching porn.

25-30 years ago it was popular for them to say "you don't need us to spell out every sin, you know what is right and wrong".

[mike_rumble]

"25-30 years ago it was popular for them to say "you don't need us to spell out every sin, you know what is right and wrong"."

I guess that's okay if the Prophet is only the prophet over the affairs of the Church, but I thought he was supposed to be a prophet to the whole world. But, then again, we have the Pope who claims that role.

[Wolfwoman]

He was more of an apostle than a prophet, no?

My understanding is that all Apostles are also Prophets. I believe they are all prophets, seers, and revelators if I'm not mistaken.

Why not just call them all seers, if that's the case? It seems to cover the gamut.

Mosiah 8:15 And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet.

16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.

17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.

Maybe because the term Apostle encompasses all three in its title and thus makes it easier to refer to than calling them the quorum of prophets, seers, and revelators and apostles. An Apostle is a prophet, seer and revelator so for convenience why not just refer to them as Apostles?

Because if you believe the Book of Mormon, they're all different... Thought you might get that from the scripture I shared, but I guess I had to point it out to you.

And in answer to your question, I am still a member of the church, but I don't believe everything the church teaches. And you'd be wise to use your critical thinking skills as well. The church has done a complete 180 on almost everything that Brigham Young taught. We need to stop putting our trust in the arm of flesh (men).

[Wolfwoman]

I would have more confidence in our Prophets if they would at least call out sin by name, not by generalities. But, they dropped the ball with Divorce, then with Abortion, then with Homosexuality, and now Transgenderism. It seems there is no sin that the Church is willing to face head on.

Along those lines a few conference ago I kept hearing them talk about sin in the world, and in the church but not saying what sins. After listening for awhile it struck me funny. I began to imagine to myself, that if a person from the Christian Past, was allowed to peak in on the conference with no information about the condition of the world....the person would likely think we were living in a premillennial paradise where the only sins left to snuff out were racism and adult males watching porn.

25-30 years ago it was popular for them to say "you don't need us to spell out every sin, you know what is right and wrong".

That would be Hell, not paradise.

[InfoWarrior82]

I would have more confidence in our Prophets if they would at least call out sin by name, not by generalities. But, they dropped the ball with Divorce, then with Abortion, then with Homosexuality, and now Transgenderism. It seems there is no sin that the Church is willing to face head on. They want to be accepted by society and other churches. They want to be seen as supporting everything while condemning nothing, and they want, most of all, not to lose any of the great riches that have been acquired over many years to lawsuits and penalties. I don't think they really believe that there will come a day when they have to answer before Christ and before God for the things they should have been doing. They expect to be highly praised for being good politicians and good accountants.

15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth devil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So on the one hand you keep shouting about a lack of prophecy and miracles from the brethren, but now you're saying there is prophecy and miracles being done in the name of Christ by the brethren.

That doesn't add up.

...it's that expectation that the neighbor down the street...because he happens to be Bishop or Stake President or something has to act a certain way while giving oneself slack to operate differently...

...ranting away day after day on the internet that the neighbor needs to tear his cloak and march on Washington DC while unwilling to live by the same standard...

Huh? Atticus misunderstood. Just because a person SAYS they have done all these things in the Lord's name, does not mean anything unless they are chosen of Him. They can prophesy all they want in His name, they can do all manner of works in His name, but does not mean it is done by the power or authority of God. (As Christ in this scripture clearly explains.)

Can a good tree produce evil fruit?

What happens to a person's authority if they exercise unrighteous dominion?

[Silver Pie]

Can you show me in the scriptures where this process for selection is taught by the Lord?

Which scriptures in the Bible tell Joseph Smith all the churches at that time are false?

I find it interesting that InfoWarrior said "show me in the scriptures," but you narrowed it down to only the Bible.

My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."

20 He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.
JS-History 1:18-20

[onefour1]

My understanding is that all Apostles are also Prophets. I believe they are all prophets, seers, and revelators if I'm not mistaken.

Why not just call them all seers, if that's the case? It seems to cover the gamut.

Mosiah 8:15 And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet.

16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.

17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.

Maybe because the term Apostle encompasses all three in its title and thus makes it easier to refer to than calling them the quorum of prophets, seers, and revelators and apostles. An Apostle is a prophet, seer and revelator so for convenience why not just refer to them as Apostles?

Because if you believe the Book of Mormon, they're all different... Thought you might get that from the scripture I shared, but I guess I had to point it out to you.

And in answer to your question, I am still a member of the church, but I don't believe everything the church teaches. And you'd be wise to use your critical thinking skills as well. The church has done a complete 180 on almost everything that Brigham Young taught. We need to stop putting our trust in the arm of flesh (men).

I am a father, a brother, and a programmer. I can be all three at once and yes, they are not the same. Your point does not nullify the fact that an Apostle is all three, prophet, seer, and revelator.

[Jason]

15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth devil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So on the one hand you keep shouting about a lack of prophecy and miracles from the brethren, but now you're saying there is prophecy and miracles being done in the name of Christ by the brethren.

That doesn't add up.

...it's that expectation that the neighbor down the street...because he happens to be Bishop or Stake President or something has to act a certain way while giving oneself slack to operate differently...

...ranting away day after day on the internet that the neighbor needs to tear his cloak and march on Washington DC while unwilling to live by the same standard...

Huh? Atticus misunderstood. Just because a person SAYS they have done all these things in the Lord's name, does not mean anything unless they are chosen of Him. They can prophesy all they want in His name, they can do all manner of works in His name, but does not mean it is done by the power or authority of God. (As Christ in this scripture clearly explains.)

Can a good tree produce evil fruit?

What happens to a person's authority if they exercise unrighteous dominion?

You do like to twist the stone so you can grind your ax on it...

Can't say as I've ever read where you were doing something to make a difference...instead just a constant criticism and kicking of the bricks...

Meanwhile the work continues to move forward...I can and will testify of that...it is moving forward...it is real! Whether it's introducing new people to the gospel of Jesus Christ or plowing the ground on the other side of the veil should they choose to go down that road there. The work is real!!! You can be a part of it...or not. Your choice of course.

Stub your toe hard enough and it causes a fall...sometimes you can brush it off, get back up, and move forward. Other times it's more permanent. Certain individual many years ago tried to steady an ark he perceived was in trouble...and that one was quick and permanent...at least for this life.

[InfoWarrior82]

So on the one hand you keep shouting about a lack of prophecy and miracles from the brethren, but now you're saying there is prophecy and miracles being done in the name of Christ by the brethren.

That doesn't add up.

...it's that expectation that the neighbor down the street...because he happens to be Bishop or Stake President or something has to act a certain way while giving oneself slack to operate differently...

...ranting away day after day on the internet that the neighbor needs to tear his cloak and march on Washington DC while unwilling to live by the same standard...

Huh? Atticus misunderstood. Just because a person SAYS they have done all these things in the Lord's name, does not mean anything unless they are chosen of Him. They can prophesy all they want in His name, they can do all manner of works in His name, but does not mean it is done by the power or authority of God. (As Christ in this scripture clearly explains.)

Can a good tree produce evil fruit?

What happens to a person's authority if they exercise unrighteous dominion?

You do like to twist the stone so you can grind your ax on it...

Can't say as I've ever read where you were doing something to make a difference...instead just a constant criticism and kicking of the bricks...

Meanwhile the work continues to move forward...I can and will testify of that...it is moving forward...it is real! Whether it's introducing new people to the gospel of Jesus Christ or plowing the ground on the other side of the veil should they choose to go down that road there. The work is real!!! You can be a part of it...or not. Your choice of course.

Stub your toe hard enough and it causes a fall...sometimes you can brush it off, get back up, and move forward. Other times it's more permanent. Certain individual many years ago tried to steady an ark he perceived was in trouble...and that one was quick and permanent...at least for this life.

Wow, talk about twisting.

Now the argument isn't whether or not these men have the fruits required as Christ demonstrates, but whether or not I am doing what I need to do. Okay.

Don't worry about me. I'm right where I need to be. I'm not the one claiming to be something I'm not.

[Jason]

...it's that expectation that the neighbor down the street...because he happens to be Bishop or Stake President or something has to act a certain way while giving oneself slack to operate differently...

...ranting away day after day on the internet that the neighbor needs to tear his cloak and march on Washington DC while unwilling to live by the same standard...

Huh? Atticus misunderstood. Just because a person SAYS they have done all these things in the Lord's name, does not mean anything unless they are chosen of Him. They can prophesy all they want in His name, they can do all manner of works in His name, but does not mean it is done by the power or authority of God. (As Christ in this scripture clearly explains.)

Can a good tree produce evil fruit?

What happens to a person's authority if they exercise unrighteous dominion?

You do like to twist the stone so you can grind your ax on it...

Can't say as I've ever read where you were doing something to make a difference...instead just a constant criticism and kicking of the bricks...

Meanwhile the work continues to move forward...I can and will testify of that...it is moving forward...it is real! Whether it's introducing new people to the gospel of Jesus Christ or plowing the ground on the other side of the veil should they choose to go down that road there. The work is real!!! You can be a part of it...or not. Your choice of course.

Stub your toe hard enough and it causes a fall...sometimes you can brush it off, get back up, and move forward. Other times it's more permanent. Certain individual many years ago tried to steady an ark he perceived was in trouble...and that one was quick and permanent...at least for this life.

Wow, talk about twisting.

Now the argument isn't whether or not these men have the fruits required as Christ demonstrates, but whether or not I am doing what I need to do. Okay.

Don't worry about me. I'm right where I need to be. I'm not the one claiming to be something I'm not.

I could spend hours listing fruits...but there is no point because the ears are deaf and unwilling to listen or consider. Fine. No worries. Let's revisit in a year or so and see where the chips are then...

[LDS Watchman]

15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth devil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So on the one hand you keep shouting about a lack of prophecy and miracles from the brethren, but now you're saying there is prophecy and miracles being done in the name of Christ by the brethren.

That doesn't add up.

...it's that expectation that the neighbor down the street...because he happens to be Bishop or Stake President or something has to act a certain way while giving oneself slack to operate differently...

...ranting away day after day on the internet that the neighbor needs to tear his cloak and march on Washington DC while unwilling to live by the same standard...

Huh? Atticus misunderstood. Just because a person SAYS they have done all these things in the Lord's name, does not mean anything unless they are chosen of Him. They can prophesy all they want in His name, they can do all manner of works in His name, but does not mean it is done by the power or authority of God. (As Christ in this scripture clearly explains.)

Can a good tree produce evil fruit?

What happens to a person's authority if they exercise unrighteous dominion?

I didn't misunderstand anything.

Day after day you rant and rave about no prophetic fruit from the brethren. And now you claim that they are exhibiting prophetic fruit, like prophesying or working mighty miracles by the name of Christ, but that these are really false fruits.

You can't have it both ways.

[Luke]

The brethren don’t produce prophetic fruit. It’s as simple as that.

People who have read my posts know that I don’t have “an axe to grind” or whatever, because I don’t. I don’t let the brethren’s actions affect me because I’m simply not bothered. I live my religion according to the dictates of my own conscience. Sometimes I weigh in on something they’ve said or done but again, I don’t really care all that much.

I realised a while ago that there’s no point criticising their actions. I don’t agree with some of their actions, but I try not to criticise them for it. Why? Because I don’t know the reason for everything. Maybe there are reasons they are doing such things.

I would much rather criticise them from a doctrinal standpoint (i.e. point out that they don’t permit plural marriage or don’t administer second anointings as an essential ordinance, among other things). This, I feel, constitutes a much stronger argument, because when comparing their teachings against Joseph Smith’s teachings, they are clearly wrong.

But at the end of the day, if you want to know whether a man is a prophet, a seer, and a revelator, you will be able to tell based on them doing the following things:

1. Exercising the gift of prophecy
2. Exercising the gift of seership
3. Exercising the gift of revelation

It’s just about as simple as that. Do the current leaders of the LDS Church show such fruit?

No, they do not.

Hence, no-one is bound to accept them as what they claim to be, because the fruit simply isn’t there.

People can perform all the mental gymnastics they want, but the current leaders do not display the actual fruits of actual prophets, actual seers, and actual revelators.