Well, let’s just see what the Publisher’s Prefaces say about the JoD:
Volume 1: “purity of doctrine…theological truth”
Volume 2: “fountain of eternal truth”
Volume 3: “containing the principles of the Gospel of salvation…by the power of the Holy Ghost”
Volume 4: “their words are as the words of God”
Volume 8: “reflector of ‘the light that shines from Zion’s hill’…important instructions”
The Deseret News said the JoD contained “the clear and vigorous exposition of Latter-day Saint doctrine” and “unmistakable authority of divine inspiration.”
D&C 68:4 says, “And whatsoever they [LDS elders] shall speak when moved by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.”
The Encyclopedia of Mormonism says, “The inspired utterances of the President of the Church become binding upon members of the Church whether formally accepted as part of the written canon or not. The living prophet’s inspired words supersede and become more important to Latter-day Saints than the written canon or previous prophetic statements.”
Of course Mormons can always revert to saying that not all the utterances are by being “moved by the Holy Ghost” or “inspired utterances,” but then that begs the question as to how they can determine whether they are or not!
Oh, and then there is the claim that some things taught are not “formal doctrine,” and for that I refer back to what the Encyclopedia of Mormonism says.
