If a spiritual leader lies, should he be liable the faithful?

Question

In 1998 Gordon B. Hinckley, the current president of the LDS church made a statement regarding when polygamy started:

"Larry King: Now the big story raging in Utah -- before we get back to morals and morals, is -- the big story, if you don't know it, is polygamy in Utah; there's been major charges. The governor, Mike Leavitt, says that there are legal reasons why the state of Utah has not prosecuted alleged polygamists. Leavitt said plural marriage may be protected by the First Amendment. He is the great-great-grandson -- is the governor -- of a polygamist. First tell me about the church and polygamy. When it started it allowed it?

Gordon B. Hinckley: When our people came west they permitted it on a restricted scale."

Source: http://www.lds-mormon.com/lkl_00.shtml

If this is so, how was he able to avoid the evidence that this started officially in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1843? A quick search of www.familysearch.org shows when Joseph Smith was married to various women, and he certainly did not make it to Utah! http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/changech9a.htm#218

The Mormons didn't start their trek west until 1846 http://www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/mormtrl.htm which is approximately 3 years after the LDS church officially accepted polygamy as one of their doctrines. Being as such, and seeing that the current "prophet" of the LDS church has lied, very publicly, what sortof of faith should one have in such church?

Indeed, as pointed out by another, in one of my other questions, this is not the first president of the LDS church to make a "bold face lie". http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnjnDD_JvduKu93nwPmxe9rsy6IX?qid=20060709073915AAL5ZW4

I was told that putting these things "out on the table" is not a good model to help the general public understand. I whole-heartedly disagree.

Should one trust their spiritual leaders if they are liars?

PS It should be "... liable to the faithfull?" Sorry even the best typists at times make mistakes!

Or even typos? This is usually the excuse given by LDS church apologists! Sorry again... should be not that extra "l" as I already had the "l" shaken out of me! ;)

Answer 1

How can you trust any liar?

Answer 2

First, spiritual leaders are human beings. They should not be expected to be perfect; however, they should be held accountable for their actions. I would expect a leader in my church to be removed from his position if he were a habitual liar. Second, please be careful when you say "the church". There are many that refer to their religious authorities as "the church" that have nothing to do with each other! I am a Christian who happens to believe that the Mormon faith is not a Christian one, so to me "the church" does not refer to the Church of Latter-Day Saints. I was not aware of new controversy concerning polygamy in Utah--it's been going on so long it's both pointless and hypocritical to act as if it's just slapped us in the face.

Answer 3

It depends. If the leader has obtained goods or services as a result of a lie (a statement deliberately made, known by the speaker to be false, and intended to deceive to the listener's disadvantage), it is fraud and is actionable. If the leader has promised you heaven in response to your tithing, it does not meet this test because the leader cannot be proven to be not telling the truth.

Answer 4

The church started in New York, whenever they moved, except from Missouri to Illinois it was westward.

Answer 5

people do all the time. Plenty of priests have done bad things, and all the followers have to do is say they dont believe the priests did it. It happens all the time.