Prophets and Church leaders/Revelation after Joseph Smith/Thomas S. Monson/Claims that President Monson doesn't bear witness of foundational doctrines

1. REDIRECTTemplate:Test3

Questions

It has been claimed that President Thomas S. Monson does not bear testimony of such foundational concepts as the truth of the Book of Mormon, the reality of Joseph Smith's First Vision, and so forth. Some have wondered if this means that he intends to downplay such doctrines, or if he does not believe strongly in them:

Since [being sustained as President of the Church, in February 2008], he has given 51 talks in 12 Semiannual General Conferences and during the two years prior, he gave 10 talks in 4 such Conferences. In many of these 61 talks over the last eight years, he has borne witness of his beliefs, in keeping with LDS custom and doctrine. Interestingly, however, in none of them has he testified of the church’s unique foundational claims, including the historicity of the Book of Mormon, the divine calling of Joseph Smith, the restoration of the priesthood, or the status of the church’s top leaders as prophets, seers, and revelators.^[1]

To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, click here

Answer

A review of President Monson's writings and talks demonstrates that he does bear such testimony, and that the conclusion is thus false.

== Notes ==

1. [note]  TruthIsReason [pseudonymn], "Monson's Refusal to Testify," [original posted 7 January 2012, published at www.mormoncannon.com on 11 April 2012, most recent update 20 October 2013]