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

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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]

As an aid to reading, we have tagged citations to demonstrate which of these claims they demonstrate to be false:

1.  BoM
2.  JS
3.  Pthd
4.  Prophets
5.  Spoken in General Conference

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. The implication, then, that he does not believe such things or is trying to down play them is thus shown to be false.

Detailed Analysis

These citations are reported from latest to earliest. Emphasis has been added by the editors in all cases.

Quotations from tenure as President of the Church

2014

Pending

2013

• "It has been just over 183 years since the Church was organized by the Prophet Joseph Smith, under the direction of the Lord." - "Welcome to Conference," Ensign (November 2013). off-site
   JS   Spoken in General Conference
• "The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer. The reason? They have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives." - "'I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee'," Ensign (November 2013). off-site
   JS   Spoken in General Conference
• "My brothers and sisters, I want you to know how grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ, restored in these latter days through the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is the key to our happiness." - "Until We Meet Again," Ensign (May 2013). off-site
   JS   Spoken in General Conference
• Mr. Pollard invited the missionaries into his home. They presented to him their message. He did not catch the spirit. In due time he asked that they leave and not return. His last words to the elders as they departed his front porch were spoken in derision: “You can’t tell me you actually believe Joseph Smith was a prophet of God!”....

The door was shut. The elders walked down the path. Our country boy spoke to his companion: “Elder, we didn’t respond to Mr. Pollard. He said we didn’t believe Joseph Smith was a true prophet. Let’s return and bear our testimonies to him.” At first the more experienced missionary hesitated but finally agreed to accompany his companion. Fear struck their hearts as they approached the door from which they had just been ejected. They knocked, confronted Mr. Pollard, spent an agonizing moment, and then with power borne of the Spirit, our inexperienced missionary spoke: “Mr. Pollard, you said we didn’t really believe Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I testify to you that Joseph was a prophet. He did translate the Book of Mormon. He saw God the Father and Jesus the Son. I know it.”

Some time later, Mr. Pollard, now Brother Pollard, stood in a priesthood meeting and declared, “That night I could not sleep. Resounding in my ears I heard the words ‘Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know it. I know it. I know it.’ The next day I telephoned the missionaries and asked them to return. Their message, coupled with their testimonies, changed my life and the lives of my family.” - "Come All Ye Sons of God," Ensign (May 2013). off-site
 JS   BoM   Spoken in General Conference

2012

• "From a small beginning 182 years ago, our presence is now felt throughout the world. This great cause in which we are engaged will continue to go forth, changing and blessing lives as it does so. No cause, no force in the entire world can stop the work of God. Despite what comes, this great cause will go forward. You recall the prophetic words of the Prophet Joseph Smith: “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”" - "As We Gather Once Again," Ensign (May 2012). off-site
   JS   Spoken in General Conference
• From the words of President Wilford Woodruff, we learn: “The Holy Priesthood is the channel through which God communicates and deals with man upon the earth; and the heavenly messengers that have visited the earth to communicate with man are men who held and honored the priesthood while in the flesh; and everything that God has caused to be done for the salvation of man, from the coming of man upon the earth to the redemption of the world, has been and will be by virtue of the everlasting priesthood.” - "Willing and Worthy to Serve," Ensign (May 2012). off-site
   Pthd   Spoken in General Conference
• President Joseph F. Smith further clarified: “The priesthood … is … the power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, and act legitimately; not assuming that authority, nor borrowing it from generations that are dead and gone, but authority that has been given in this day in which we live by ministering angels and spirits from above, direct from the presence of Almighty God.” - "Willing and Worthy to Serve," Ensign (May 2012). off-site
   Pthd   Spoken in General Conference
• "How blessed we are to be here in these last days, when the priesthood of God is upon the earth. How privileged we are to bear that priesthood." - "Willing and Worthy to Serve," Ensign (May 2012). off-site
   Pthd   Spoken in General Conference
• "The call of duty came to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to Samuel, to David. It came to the Prophet Joseph Smith and to each of his successors. The call of duty came to the boy Nephi when he was instructed by the Lord, through his father Lehi, to return to Jerusalem with his brothers to obtain the brass plates from Laban. Nephi’s brothers murmured, saying it was a hard thing which had been asked of them. What was Nephi’s response? Said he, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”" - "Willing and Worthy to Serve," Ensign (May 2012). off-site {{Monson Testimony Claims| Pthd| Prophets
• "And the one boy bowed his head over the other and said, ‘I command you, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the priesthood, to remain alive until I can get medical help.’” The correspondent concluded his article: “The three of us [the two marines and I] are here in the hospital. The doctors don’t know [how they made it alive], but I know.”" - "Willing and Worthy to Serve," Ensign (May 2012). off-site
   Pthd   Spoken in General Conference
• My brothers and sisters, we know that death is not the end. This truth has been taught by living prophets throughout the ages. It is also found in our holy scriptures. In the Book of Mormon we read specific and comforting words:

“Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

“And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.” - "The Race of Life," Ensign (May 2012). off-site
 BoM

2011

• Brothers and sisters, have you read the Book of Mormon? Have you put to the test the promise found in Moroni 10:4, asking your Heavenly Father “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ” whether or not that which is found in that book is truth? - "Be A Light to the World," BYU Devotional Address, 1 November 2011.
   BoM

• When Brother Christensen finished his schooling at Brigham Young University, he received a scholarship to go to Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar. When he arrived at Oxford, he realized that it would be somewhat challenging to be an active member of the Church in Oxford....He realized, as he thought through how involved in the Church he could be, that he didn’t even know for certain if the Book of Mormon was true. He realized that he had read the Book of Mormon seven times up to that point, and that after each of those seven times he had knelt in prayer and had asked God to tell him if it was true. He had received no answer. As he thought through why he hadn’t received an answer, he realized that each time he had read the Book of Mormon it was because of an assignment—either from his parents or a BYU instructor or his mission president or a seminary teacher—and his chief objective had been to finish the book. But now, as he was about to commence his studies at Oxford, he realized that he desperately needed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. He recognized as well that he had sustained himself on a belief in many of the doctrines of the Church and in his parents because he knew they knew it was true, and he trusted his parents. Here he was, however, desperately needing to know for himself if it was true....

He told God how desperate he was to find out if this was a true book, and he told Him that if He would reveal to him that it was true, then he intended to dedicate his life to building this kingdom. And he told God that if it wasn’t true, he needed to know that for certain, too, because then he would dedicate his life to finding out what was true. Then Brother Christensen would sit in the chair and read. He began by reading the first page of the Book of Mormon, and when he got down to the bottom of the page, he stopped, and he thought about what he had read on that page, and he asked himself, “Could this have been written by a charlatan who was trying to deceive people, or was this really written by a prophet of God?” And he asked himself what did it mean for Clayton Christensen in his life? And then he put the book down and knelt in prayer and verbally asked God again, “Please tell me if this is a true book.” Then he would sit in the chair and pick up the book and turn the page and read another page, pause at the bottom, and do the same thing....

By the time Brother Christensen got to the chapters at the end of 2 Nephi, one evening when he said his prayer and sat in his chair and opened the book, all of a sudden there came into that room a beautiful, warm, loving spirit that just surrounded him and permeated his soul and enveloped him in a feeling of love that he had not imagined he could feel. He began to cry, and he didn’t want to stop crying because as he looked through his tears at the words in the Book of Mormon, he could see truth in those words that he never imagined he could comprehend before. He could see the glories of eternity and what God had in store for him as one of His sons. That spirit stayed with him for the whole hour, and then every evening as he prayed and sat with the Book of Mormon by the little heater in his room, that same spirit returned, and it changed his heart and his life forever. - "Be A Light to the World," BYU Devotional Address, 1 November 2011.
 BoM

• Brother Christensen has indicated that he loves to return to Oxford. Most of the people there are either students or tourists who have come to look at a beautiful university. But he loves to return there because it’s a sacred place to him, and he can look at the windows of that room where he lived, and he recognizes it as the place where he learned that Jesus is the Christ and that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the restoration for the true church. - "Be A Light to the World," BYU Devotional Address, 1 November 2011.
   BoM   JS

• Brothers and sisters, many of you probably came to Brigham Young University already knowing that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is indeed a prophet, and that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. Some of you, however, may still be living on the testimony of others—your parents, your friends, your Church leaders. May I suggest that, as Brother Christensen did, you set aside time every day to find out for yourself if the Book of Mormon is a true book, for it will change your heart and change your life. If you seek this knowledge “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ,”8 I promise that you will receive an answer. And once you know that the Book of Mormon is true, then it will follow that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. You will have that burning testimony and knowledge that this church is true.

Such knowledge, such a personal testimony, is essential if we are to safely navigate the sometimes treacherous paths through life with the adversary attempting to deceive us at every turn. As you keep the flame of testimony burning brightly, you will become a beacon of righteousness—even a light—for all to see.
 BoM   JS

• I bear my testimony to you that this work is true, that our Savior lives, and that He guides and directs His Church here upon the earth. - "Until We Meet Again," Ensign (November 2011). off-site
   JS   Prophets

2010

• "We thank Thee for the Prophet Joseph Smith and that Thou did appear to him in person to open the heavens and to restore to the world the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son and Thy holy purposes" - Re-dedicatory prayer for Hawaii Temple, 21 November 2010, cited in Church News (27 November 2010), 6.
   JS

• "I have read—and I believe—the testimonies of those who experienced the grief of Christ’s Crucifixion and the joy of His Resurrection. I have read—and I believe—the testimonies of those in the New World who were visited by the same risen Lord."
   BoM

"I believe the testimony of one who, in this dispensation, spoke with the Father and the Son in a grove now called sacred and who gave his life, sealing that testimony with his blood." - "He Is Risen," Ensign (May 2010). off-site
 JS   Spoken in General Conference

2009

• We express our gratitude for the ushering in of a new dispensation, even the dispensation of the fulness of times, by Thine own appearance and the appearance of Thy Beloved Son to the boy Joseph Smith, to open the heavens and to restore to the world the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son and Thy holy purposes." - Dedicatory prayer for Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple, 21-23 August 2009, cited in Church News (29 August 2009), 4.
   JS
• "We thank Thee for the Prophet Joseph Smith and for the Restoration, and that Thou did appear to him in person to open the heavens and to restore to the world the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son and Thy holy purposes" - Dedicatory prayer for Draper, Utah temple, 28 March 2009, cited in Church News (28 March 2009), 6.
   JS
• "Regarding a desire to find truth during an uncertain period of life, President Monson spoke of the answer to Joseph Smith's prayer: He saw the Father and the Son, and the Father commanded Joseph to hear the Son (see Joseph Smith 1. 10-13). 'Joseph listened, Joseph learned. His question had been answered,' President Monson testified." - Church News (17 January 2009), 3. [Reference to CES satellite broadcast to college-age adults, 11 January 2009.]
   JS

2008

• "I cannot adequately express my gratitude for the Restoration of the gospel in these latter days and for what that has meant in my life. Each of us has been influenced and shaped as we have followed the Savior and have adhered to the principles of His gospel....My dear brothers and sisters, I love you, and I pray for you. Please pray for me. And together we will reap the blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for each one of us. This is my prayer, my plea as I add my testimony. This work is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." - "Abundantly Blessed," Ensign (May 2008). off-site
   JS

• "I know without question, my brothers and sisters, that God lives. I testify to you that this is His work. I testify as well that our Savior Jesus Christ is at the head of this Church, which bears His name. I know that the sweetest experience in all this life is to feel His promptings as He directs us in the furtherance of His work....I felt them again as a mission president in Toronto, Canada, working with wonderful missionaries who were a living witness and testimony to the world that this work is divine and that we are led by a prophet. I have felt them throughout my service in the Twelve and in the First Presidency and now as President of the Church....

I am keenly aware of the 15 men who preceded me as President of the Church. Many of them I have known personally. I have had the blessing and privilege of serving as a counselor to three of them. I am grateful for the abiding legacy left by each one of those 15 men. I have the sure knowledge, as I am confident they had, that God directs His prophet. My earnest prayer is that I might continue to be a worthy instrument in His hands to carry on this great work and to fulfill the tremendous responsibilities which come with the office of President." - "Looking Back and Moving Forward," Ensign (May 2008). off-site
 Prophets   JS

• "I feel to express thanks to my Heavenly Father for His countless blessings to me. I can say, as did Nephi of old, that I was born of goodly parents...." (President Monson would be unlikely to refer to Nephi as an ancient prophet unless he believed the Book of Mormon to be what it claims to be.) - "Looking Back and Moving Forward," Ensign (May 2008). off-site
   BoM

Quotations which predate his Presidency

== 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]