Elder Holland began his remarks by congratulating the students on their openness to discussions of religious belief. “In the western world religion has historically been the basis of civil society as we have known it, and if I am not mistaken, men and women of the law are committed to the best—that is, the most just—civil society possible,” Elder Holland pointed out. “So thank you for taking religion seriously. You will not only be better attorneys but you will be closer to the truth in your own personal lives.”

Mormonism: The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ

The origins of Mormonism were the first topic addresses by Elder Holland. Mormonism is a restoration of the original gospel established by Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry. Following Christ’s ascension into heaven and the deaths of the original twelve apostles, the primitive Christian Church entered a long period of confusion:

So what ensued was a millennium and a half of destroying Paul’s hope that there would be a “unity of the faith, and [a] knowledge of the Son of God, . . . that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” It is commonplace to note that in the Christian world we now see anything but “a unity of faith” or any real Christian cohesiveness that could remotely be called “the building fitly framed together”that would reaffirm “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

The Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith

By the time of Joseph Smith, who was a young man during the time of religious contention and revival during the early 1800s in the United States known as the second “Great Awakening,” huge divides of doctrine separated the different Christian sects from one another. According to Elder Holland,

This young boy-prophet lamented that his region was “a scene of great confusion and bad feeling . . . priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that [any] good feelings . . . were entirely lost in a . . . war of words and tumult of opinions.” “A war of words and tumult of opinions.” That says so much about post-New Testament Christianity.

Mormonism: Basic Beliefs

Mormons are Christians

We are not fourth-century Christians, we are not Nicene Christians, we are not creedal Christians of the brand that arose hundreds of years after Christ. No, when we speak of “restored Christianity” we speak of the Church as it was in its New Testament purity, not as it became when great councils were called to debate and anguish over what it was they really believed. So if one means Greek-influenced, council-convening, philosophy-flavored Christianity of post-apostolic times, we are not that kind of Christian. Peter we know, and Paul we know, but Constantine and Athanasius, Athens and Alexandria we do not know. (Actually, we know them, we just don’t follow them.)

Doctrinal Differences Between Mormons and More Recent Christianity

A few doctrinal differences between Mormon doctrines and post-fourth-century traditions were pointed out:

• God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are separate and distinct beings with glorified bodies of flesh and bone. As such, we stand with the historical position that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity as it was defined by the great church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries is not to be found in the [New Testament].”…However, having affirmed the point of Their separate and distinct physical nature, we declare unequivocally that [God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ] were indeed “one” in every other conceivable way—in mind and deed, in will and wish and hope, in faith and purpose and intent and love. They are most assuredly much more alike than They are different in all the ways I have just said, but They are separate and distinct beings as all fathers and sons are. In this matter we differ from traditional creedal Christianity but agree with the New Testament.
• We also differ with fourth and fifth century Christianity by declaring that the scriptural canon is not closed, that the heavens are open with revelatory experience, and that God meant what He said when He promised Moses, “My works are without end, and . . . my words . . . never cease.” We believe that God loves all His children and that He would never leave them for long without the instrumentality of prophets and apostles, authorized agents of His guidance and direction.
• …we are unique in the modern Christian world regarding one matter which a prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called our “most distinguishing feature.” That is, divine priesthood authority to provide the saving sacraments—the ordinances—of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The holy priesthood, which has been restored to the earth by those who held it anciently, signals the return of divine authorization. It is different from all other man-made powers and authorities on the face of the earth. Without it there could be a church in name only, and it would be a church lacking in authority to administer in the things of God. This restoration of priesthood authority eases centuries of anguish among those who knew certain ordinances and sacraments were essential but lived with the doubt as to who had the right to administer them. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we can answer the question of “who laid hands on him” all the way back to Christ Himself. The return of such authority is truly “the most distinguishing feature” of our faith.

To understand the role of a prophet, one must first understand how the highest levels of the Mormon church is organized. At the head of the church is the prophet. He is assisted by two counselors (advisors) who share the workload and are chosen by the prophet himself. No one seeks for the position or campaigns for it. The prophet alone makes the choice through prayer and inspiration. These three, known as the First Presidency, oversee the workings of the worldwide church.

The next level of leadership is the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They, like the First Presidency, are seen as prophets and they also have an intense workload in helping to lead the church. They are organized by seniority based on how long they’ve been an apostle.

One way in which the Catholics and Mormons differ is in how their highest leader is chosen. For the Mormons, there is no suspense, no voting, and no ceremony. While Catholics watch for smoke to let them know a choice has been made, Mormons already know who will lead them the moment the previous president dies. The process follows an established pattern and offers no surprises.

The first presidency is dissolved at the moment the president of the church dies, and the apostles are then officially leading the church as a body. At this moment, there are generally fourteen apostles, not twelve, since the two counselors are apostles as well, and they return to their place in the quorum. The highest ranking apostle, known as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve, leads the apostles. A meeting is held among the apostles, in which they discuss two options. One is to reorganize the First Presidency immediately. The other is to wait, and allow the apostles to continue leading for a time.

Once the decision is made to reorganize, the new prophet is selected in a unanimous decision by the apostles. The new prophet has always, from the beginnings of the church, been the longest serving apostle, which is why there is no surprise. Everyone knows who to expect, long before the need arises. The prophet chooses his new counselors and the First Presidency is organized and the apostle who has served the longest after the prophet is the new head of the Quorum of the Twelve. If that person was chosen as a counselor, the longest serving apostle not in the First presidency becomes the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Later, the new prophet will select a new apostle to fill the vacancy in the Quorum.

Prophets have been authorized to speak for God from the earliest days of the Earth. Through Noah, Moses, Elijah, and others, God has communicated the teachings and requirements of His gospel through those chosen by Him.

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7, King James version of the Holy Bible)

When the Church was restored, it naturally required a prophet, and there has been one leading the church continuously since its restoration in modern times.

The prophet is the only person who can receive revelation for the entire church. Each person in the world can, if he or she is worthy, receive personal revelation for his own life and anything he is responsible for, but the prophet alone is given the right to receive it for the church as a whole.

Although the prophets and apostles carry out various administrative duties, their primary purpose is to testify of the Savior. Just as Jesus’ apostles served as special witnesses to Him when He lived on earth, apostles today, and in every generation before and since, are instructed to testify of the divinity of Christ and to teach the people of His mission and His atonement.

Joseph F. Smith, a former prophet, said:

These twelve disciples of Christ are supposed to be eye and ear witnesses of the divine mission of Jesus Christ. It is not permissible for them to say, I believe, simply; I have accepted it simply because I believe it. Read the revelation, the Lord informs us they must know, they must get the knowledge for themselves. It must be with them as though they had seen with their eyes and heard with their ears and they know the truth. That is their mission, to testify of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen from the dead and clothed now with almighty power at the right hand of God, the Savior of the world. That is their mission, and their duty, and that is the doctrine and the truth that it is their duty to preach to the world and see that it is preached to the world.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1916, p. 6; or Gospel Doctrine, p. 178.)

The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a prophet, seer, and revelator. Each of these terms has a specific meaning attached to it.

Although anyone who is worthy may receive personal revelation, the prophet of the church must be specifically called of God to hold that position. Bruce R. McConkie said:

“Bruce R. McConkie said:

A true prophet is one who has the testimony of Jesus; one who knows by personal revelation that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, and that he was to be—or has been—crucified for the sins of the world; one to whom God speaks and who recognizes the still small voice of the Spirit. A true prophet is one who holds the holy priesthood; who is a legal administrator; who has power and authority from God to represent him on earth. A true prophet is a teacher of righteousness to whom the truths of the gospel have been revealed and who presents them to his fellowmen so they can become heirs of salvation in the highest heaven. A true prophet is a witness, a living witness, one who knows, and one who testifies. Such a one, if need be, foretells the future and reveals to men what the Lord reveals to him.” (The Mortal Messiah, 2:169.)

A seer is a higher gift than the gift of prophecy. He is one who sees things we can’t see with our natural eyes. This describes Moses when he saw God, for instance. It describes prophets who have seen visions.

A revelator helps people to know of something that wasn’t known before. When a prophet explains a doctrine the people hadn’t previously heard of, he is being a revelator. When Joseph interpreted the dreams of the pharaoh.

The president of the Mormons is all of these things, as well as a witness of Christ and the president of the Church. The prophet isn’t considered holy or divine in any way and he is not worshipped. He is honored and respected, but only God and Jesus Christ are worshipped.