Quote Originally Posted by Jill View Post
"In having in your library the 26 volumes of the 'Journals of Discourses' you have a library containing the sermons of the Presidents and Apostles of the Church. If anyone tells you that the sermons found therein are not recognized by the Church, they know not what they are talking about."--Axel Andresen, the ***istant manager of Deseret Book, 1963


"The Journal of Discourses is listed as an official publication of the LDS Church in the following books:

Essentials in Church History, by Joseph Fielding Smith, published by the LDS Church, p. 674.
Deseret News 1989-90 Church Almanac, p. 188, published by a company owned by LDS Church.

The Journal of Discourses is quoted repeatedly in LDS publications and in LDS conference reports. See for example, Doctrines of the Gospel, Student Manual, Religion 231 and 232, published by the LDS Church Educational System, 1986, p.83. See also Ensign Magazine (official publication of the LDS Church) May 1996, Conference talk by James E. Faust, of the First Presidency, p.7.

It is inconsistent of the Mormons to question the accuracy of the Journal of Discourses while the LDS leaders continue to quote from it. They never follow their quote with a disclaimer about the accuracy of the account. This issue only comes up when someone outside of Mormonism quotes something from their leaders that they are embarr***ed about. It is a double standard." www.utlm.org/faqs/faqgeneral.htm
(emphasis added)
Just a small comment on this.

The leadership, generally speaking, has the discretion to pick and choose from the Journals, what is compatible with LDS doctrine (found in scripture). I know that anyone in leadership would tell you, flatly, that not everything in the JofD is current LDS teaching/thinking/doctrine. Some of it is opinon and some of it just plain wrong (like the Adam God theory).

The critics, on the other hand, seem to take what they can find that is the most outrageously controversial and try to p*** it off as current belief and teachings of the church. That is deceptive, don't you think?