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By Gregory Taggart, March 2, 2012 9:50 am

Without comment:

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By Gregory Taggart, March 2, 2012 12:16 am

It seems appropriate to point people to an important statement on Mormon Doctrine on the Website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first bullet point is especially relevant to the current controversy about Blacks and the Priesthood:

Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.