Don’t Just “Follow The Prophet”: 5 reasons why an LDS children’s song is leading young Mormons astray
I have rewritten the song “Follow the Prophet” to make it “Come, Follow Jesus”. If you’re only here for that, you’re welcome to skip to the end. Otherwise, first, we’re going to get into why the original song is a big problem.
Latter-day Saints/Mormons have a very distinct culture that is in many ways separate from the rest of Christianity.
While, yes, this is the very sort of thing that you would expect from a denomination that claims to be the only Christian church with direct authority from God, from a psychological perspective, it’s also the exact type of isolated and dependent environment that abusers create to control and exploit their prey, which should raise some red flags for parents.
(Note: obviously I’m not suggesting that the LDS church is a systemic organization of pedophiles and abusers, as is a certain other “global” church that is better known as the two-horned lamb/second beast of Revelation 13/church of the devil/whore of the earth/mystery of Babylon. I’m just saying that any loving parent ought to be skeptical of what ANY institution is trying to teach their children.)
For example, just one result of creating such a vastly different culture from the rest of Christianity, and reinforcing the us-vs-them mentality, is that many young Latter-day Saints have felt completely alone at school growing up, even in cases when the majority of other students at their school have been Christian!
Instead of focusing on Jesus as the common uniting element and foundation for all of us, modern LDS church leadership have ofen focused more on how “being a Mormon” makes them different than everyone else, probably as a proselytizing tool.
To quote former President of the LDS church, Thomas S Monson:
This sort of rhetoric is all well and good for adults who understand their moral imperative from Jesus to be “the salt of the earth” or the “candle-light to fill the house”, but most children being taught that all other Christian denominations are wrong, erroneously think that it is up to them “standing alone” to be Jesus’ only witness to every other kid at school.
Is it any wonder most of them are terrified to open their mouths? Or that many in such an environment fall away and follow their friends instead?
There’s a lot of false traditions in the church that we’re going to need to rectify if we are going to get the church out of condemnation and apostasy.
(Note: it is not the purpose of this article to debate the point of condemnation and apostasy. Much more information can be found on the subject here.)
So let’s talk about some big problems with “follow the prophet”.
Who is the prophet?
If you ask any Primary-aged child who the prophet is that they are singing about following, I can almost guarantee that they will answer you indicating the current President of the church, Russell M Nelson.
First of all, that’s not what the song ever says or implies.
It’s talking exclusively of biblical/Old Testament prophets. You could just as easily change the chorus to Follow the Bible and the song wouldn’t lose any of its original meaning.
Even the modern-day context in the final verse itself doesn’t specify a modern or living prophet; it says: we can get direction all along our way if we heed the prophets; follow what they say.
It’s talking about not going astray from prophets in scripture, those who warned of great judgments, protected their people and performed mighty miracles. You could even argue that it’s exclusively about the section of the Jewish Old Testament known as “the Prophets”.
What you can’t do without some trickery or deceit, however well-intentioned, is teach children that the song is singing about following a particular living prophet.
To be totally fair, you could perhaps attempt to use the biblical framework of the song to help children recognize for themselves the attributes of a prophet in order to better recognize a modern prophet, but the song isn’t particularly designed to do that.
The even bigger problem with this idea is that the prophet of this dispensation is still Joseph Smith. It hasn’t changed.
Let me prove it to you.
- Attributes of a Prophet
The modern LDS church claims that it has a living prophet who holds the keys Joseph held and is essentially equal to any other prophet in scripture.
A cursory scriptural study of the attributes/fruits of a prophet vs a false prophet will show that only Joseph Smith properly fits the biblical definition.
Below is a graphic that makes some of these points, but I would personally recommend every seeking follower of Christ to study the differences themselves between true and false prophets in scripture.
Yes, different modern Presidents of the LDS church have over time shifted further away from the right-hand column, but as you will see later on, even Brigham was already openly falling quite short from the scriptural archetype.
2. Revelations to Joseph Say that the Keys Remain With Him
Revelations given to Joseph and now canonized in LDS scripture reveals the error in this modern false tradition.
D&C 90:3 Verily I say unto you, the keys of this kingdom shall never be taken from you, (Joseph,) while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come;
4 Nevertheless, through you shall the oracles(/revelations) be given to another, yea, even unto the church.
5 And all they who receive the oracles of God, let them beware how they hold them lest they are accounted as a light thing, and are brought under condemnation thereby, and stumble and fall when the storms descend, and the winds blow, and the rains descend, and beat upon their house.
D&C 5:9 Behold, verily I say unto you, I have reserved those things which I have entrusted unto you, my servant Joseph, for a wise purpose in me, and it shall be made known unto future generations;
10 But this generation shall have my word through you;
D&C 107:91 And again, the duty of the President of the office of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses —
92 Behold, here is wisdom; yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church.
Not only do we see here Joseph was clearly a prophet like unto Moses, and that many oracles/revelations were given through him that are the revealed word of God for us today, but that these things are not just given by the Lord to the head of the church; the one leading the Lord’s church has a duty to seek and gain this spiritual power.
In short, if the current president of the church is the Lord’s prophet for us, then we should see them having similar fruits to both Moses and Joseph, and we do not see that. Therefore the keys are still with Joseph as stated.
3. Brigham Young Said He Wasn’t a Prophet
According to Brigham — Joseph’s successor — ’s own words, he was never ordained a high priest and wasn’t a Prophet like Joseph.
“You are now without a prophet present with you in the flesh to guide you; but you are not without apostles” -August 15, 1844 (Times & Seasons, 5:618)
“A person was mentioned to-day who did not believe that Brigham Young was a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. I wish to ask every member of this whole community, if they ever heard him profess to be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, as Joseph Smith was? Who ordained me to be First President of this Church on earth? I answer, It is the choice of this people, and that is sufficient.” (see Article of Faith #5) -April 7, 1852 (Journal of Discourses 6:320)
“Now will it cause some of you to marvel that I was not ordained a High Priest before I was ordained an Apostle? Brother Kimball and myself were never ordained High Priests. How wonderful! … When a man is ordained to be an Apostle, his Priesthood is without beginning of days, or end of life, like the Priesthood of Melchizedek” (his actual apostolic charge stated that “your ordination is not full and complete till God has laid His hand upon you.” (Scriptures support this in JST Genesis 14:28) -April 6, 1853 (Journal of Discourses 1:136)
“I am not going to interpret dreams; for I don’t profess to be such a Prophet as were Joseph Smith and Daniel; but I am a Yankee guesser;” -July 26, 1857, (Journal of Discourses 5:72–78)
“The brethren testify that brother Brigham Young is brother Joseph’s legal successor. You never heard me say so. I say that I am a good hand to keep the dogs and wolves out of the flock.” -June 3, 1860 (Journal of Discourses 8:69)
“I have never particularly desired any man to testify publicly that I am a Prophet; nevertheless, if any man feels joy, in doing this, he shall be blest in it. I have never said that I am not a Prophet; but, if I am not, one thing is certain, I have been very profit-able to this people.” -October 7, 1864 (Journal of Discourses 10:339)
4. Who is the Stone Rolling Down the Mountain?
The modern LDS church claims that it is the stone of Daniel, cut from the mountain without hands designed to fill the whole earth.
However, according to Joseph Smith, he himself was the prophesied stone that would fill the world:
“I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; … with all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there, and thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.”
It is Joseph, as the Prophet of this dispensation, whose name and works should roll forth to fill the whole earth and figuratively knock down the Kingdom of the Devil.
It can’t be the church itself, because we know from scripture that the true followers of Jesus will always be few in comparison to the world. They won’t fill the whole earth.
5. Joseph is the Prophet in All the Other Hymns
All other LDS hymns about “the prophet” are about Joseph. William Fowler wrote We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet about Joseph.
Thomas S Monson as President of the church himself revealed that he sings it thinking of Joseph; he’s not thanking God for himself or any other former President of the Church. Praise To The Man also is obviously about Joseph.
The church leadership were not even commonly called “prophets, seers and revelators” until the 1950s. Before then, it was always the President, his Councillors and the Twelve Apostles.
And yet, every week, there are LDS children singing Follow The Prophet and falsely equating biblical prophets or Joseph, the Prophet of this current dispensation, to the modern President and Apostles of the LDS Church, as though they are one and the same.
And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that there are many faithful Christians both inside and outside the church who have called the song Follow the Prophet, “cultish”, likely due in part to the consistent repeated refrain, the false concept that if you don’t follow this man you are “going astray”, the circular Yiddish tonality that accompanies it.
That’s a pretty valid criticism. Jesus told us to trust not in the arm of flesh; that He is the way, the truth, the life.
As such, I’ve rewritten Follow the Prophet to be Come, Follow Jesus.
Lyrics:
Jesus is The Word. Long before my birth,
He spake and created the heavens and the earth.
Adam faced temptation; fell from paradise,
Jesus came to earth to bring eternal life.
Jesus is Jehovah, God of Israel;
Promised Abraham they could be God’s people, so
After they were humbled, in their promised land,
Jesus came to live among them as a man.
Jesus is Messiah, Lord Immanuel,
Born in David’s City, of a virgin girl.
Stars up in the heavens, given for a sign
Wise men came to worship, as was prophesied.
Jesus is our Teacher, the Way, the Truth, the Light;
Taught the good news gospel, gave us a new life.
We can be forgiven, freed from all our pain,
If we come to Jesus, be baptized in his name.
Jesus is the Savior, bled from every pore. Be-
trayed and crucified, he died to save us all.
Jesus conquered sin, he conquered death and hell;
Rose upon the third day, as those who saw him tell.
Jesus is the Christ, he’ll come again no doubt,
After tribulations the Bible warns about.
Every knee will bow, each tongue confess his name.
Those without the beast-mark, with Jesus, rule and reign.
Chorus:
Come, follow Jesus, Come, follow Jesus
Come, follow Jesus, Don’t be afraid,
Come, follow Jesus, Come, follow Jesus
Come, follow Jesus, He is the way.
