Mormonism and prophets/Do not address issues
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Criticism
Critics claim that General Authorities are very silent about some issues, and that the Maxwell Institute takes their place.
Summary conclusion
The new Gospel principles manual says that the book of Mormon people were some of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. General Authorities are not obligated to answer questions like: where did the Book of Mormon took place exactly? Why does the Book of Mormon mention horses? Do babies see angels? Where is the Holy Grail? Where is Noah's ark? Does the Loch Ness monster exists?
Supporting Data
The MormonThink website has this statement posted:
"The world could certainly use a prophet in this day and age to give God's will to controversial issues like stem cell research or cloning organs. We don't know if God would approve of scientists cloning human organs. The LDS prophets are very silent on such issues."
If their is a concern for any issue about making a decision, members should talk to their local bishops, and with prayer, come to a conclusion. If a particular issue cannot be resolved, the case is taken to the stake president, and if the issue cannot be resolved, the case is taken to the first presidency. Some issues can differ, depending on the circumstances.
The MormonThink website has this statement posted:
"Why doesn't the LDS leaders answer difficult questions about the Book of Mormon problems such as why horses, elephants, wheat, barley, steel, silk, glass, etc. are mentioned in the Book of Mormon but were not in the Americas during BOM times?"
The answer is quite simple. It is not the purpose of the church to answer this kind of issues. The purpose of the Book of Mormon, is the message and the principles that it teaches. Those questions have nothing to do with our spiritual progression. In the church we can find all the answers that we need, for our salvation. Certainly, General Authorities will address what we need to hear for our progression in the plan of God, and so that we can be in the way to accomplish the mission of the church, which is: the perfecting of the saints. Latter-Day Saints certainly don't need to know those answers to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially if they have faith.
The MormonThink website has this statement posted:
"Why is there even a LDS apologetic organization like FARMS necessary? Are the handful of Mormon apologists smarter and better educated than the thousands of scholars and scientists in the rest of the world? Why are LDS scholars trying to answer these issues instead of the inspired LDS leadership?"
Their is no need for FARMS or FAIR to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we need our leaders and General Authorities, so they can help us be in the way that leads to salvation and receive blessings. FARMS is for our education, our understanding, and our intellectual progression. Asking why FARMS is necessary, is like asking why a library is necessary. FARMS(like the scientists) attempts to find answers and explore possibilities. Just like their are problems in the science field, scientists don't back up and say that science is wrong, but instead they attempt to find solutions or think of explanations for those problems. It is important to note that the views of FARMS and FAIR don't have to necessarily represent the church. FARMS and FAIR are certainly helpful for historical, other scholarly information, and obtaining answers for issues mentioned by the critics above.
