Going against the adivice of a Mormon General Authority. #lds #mormon

When a General Authority Is Wrong: One Mormon Woman's Story and What It Reveals

What happens when you follow the counsel of a General Authority and it turns out to be the wrong advice? That question sits at the heart of a quietly devastating story shared on the Mormon Stories Podcast, and it deserves a serious answer rather than a polite sidestep.

A woman recounted a moment years after she and her husband had gone to visit a General Authority for guidance on a serious marital problem. He gave them direct counsel: do not take a specific course of action. She followed that advice. Then, years later, she reversed course and did the very thing he had told her not to do. Her conclusion was unambiguous: it was the best decision she had ever made.

The Official Church Position on Prophetic Counsel

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that General Authorities are called and set apart as special witnesses, and that following the counsel of Church leaders is a path toward spiritual safety. The oft-quoted teaching attributed to Heber C. Kimball, repeated regularly from the pulpit, holds that following the prophet will never lead a person astray.

Specific guidance from local leaders, mission presidents, and General Authorities has long been treated within LDS culture as something close to binding. Members who sought personal counsel from a visiting apostle or seventy understood they were receiving something weightier than neighborly advice. The cultural pressure to comply is real and well-documented.