I previously reproduced a portion of an email I sent to a member of the Church who was struggling with the history of the Church in light of her fundamentalist assumptions (read: prophetic impeccability and infallibility/scriptural inerrancy). I just came across this quote from Patrick Mason in his recent book which is rather a propos as it deals with a commonly cited (and abused) text often cited in favour of such a dangerous perspective:
It is possible to interpret some teachings by modern prophets and apostles as supporting something akin to prophetic infallibility. To this end, many commonly cite President Wilford Woodruff’s statement, published as a footnote to Official Declaration 1 in the Doctrine and Covenants: “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty.” I interpret this statement, and others similar to it, as an affirmation of general prophetic reliability, not infallibility, and a testimony that God and not mortal prophets, is the true head of the church. Indeed, President Woodruff implicitly accepted the possibility of prophetic fallibility, which is why he asserted that God would remove the errant prophet before allowing him to do anything to destroy the church. (Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt [Provo/Salt Lake City: Neal A. Maxwell Institute and Deseret Book, 2015], 196-97, n. 4)
