A Man or a Prophet Only?

How our views matter

I found the following quote while reading Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery.

(T)hose followers who saw Joseph as a man with a prophetic calling generally remained faithful, while those who saw him only as a prophet and deified him almost invariably found themselves disillusioned.

I find this very interesting and very applicable to our day as well. I think we overemphasize the prophetic calling in an attempt to help members believe.

But in not emphasizing the humanity, we lose a bit of reality and enter the realm where disillusionment can happen.

Today, I think we tend to apply it to the Church as a whole. Those who view this Church as perfect are most likely to be disillusioned while those who view the Church as the Vehicle that the members have to strengthen their faith and provide the ordinances necessary to return to our Father’s presence are the ones who can live with the errors the Church and the men who lead it can make.

The Church is a social structure and institution. It’s mission is to help members, non-members and the dead to be saved.

But it is led by men so it can contain biases, policies and standards that reflect what the leaders who set standards and policies feel will benefit the Church in carrying out it’s mission.

It’s interesting that the more flexible stance of recognizing a divinely-inspired yet imperfect institution turns out to be the strongest one as it is more capable of dealing with the curveballs and trials that can come. Particularly when some poor policy decisions and previously mistaken viewpoints are revealed.

I think a recognition of imperfection also makes it easier to reform and improve things. Those members don’t view every single policy as written in stone by God’s finger but rather as inspired instructions and oftentimes operational realities, whether to protect the Church or its leaders and members legally or physically, operate with financial efficiency or to maintain privacy or any number of other administrative reasons.

It’s a big organization so many policies are a result of management issues than spiritual issues and it’s important to recognize that.

Either way, the issue is seeing perfection and immutability where flaws exist.

But what should we take away from this?

I think the lesson is that our imperfections matter but that they are not as important as we think they are. God knows how to work with broken and imperfect things.

In a way, this witnesses to the miraculous power and grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. His grace covers weaknesses and flaws in addition to sin, and he is able to make amazing things happen with imperfect people, Peter his Apostle being His principle example I believe.

He can work with any of us if we are willing.