What Do The Prophets Say
About Their Words vs. Scripture?

"The "lay" members of the Church are under obligation to accept the teachings of the authorities, unless they can discover in them some conflict with the revelations and commandments the Lord has given. There are times when the leading brethren have expressed their own opinions on various subjects."
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-1966], 2: 112.)

"STANDARD WORKS JUDGE TEACHINGS OF ALL MEN. It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teaching of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear. We have accepted the four standard works as the measuring yardsticks, or balances, by which we measure every man's doctrine.
You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works.
If Joseph Fielding Smith writes something which is out of harmony with the revelations, then every member of the Church is duty bound to reject it."
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-1956], 3: 203.)

"It is most appropriate here to quote President Joseph Fielding Smith in his classic statement: "If I ever say anything contrary to the scriptures, the scriptures prevail."
(Mark E. Petersen, Adam: Who Is He? [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 15.), (Church News, August 23, 1975)

"With respect to the people feeling that whatever the brethren say is gospel, this tends to undermine the proposition of freedom of speech and thought. As members of the Church we are bound to sustain and support the brethren in the positions they occupy so long as their conduct entitles them to that. But we also have only to defend those doctrines of the Church contained in the four standard works: the Bible, The BoM, the D&C, and the PoGP. Anything beyond that by anyone is his or her own opinions and not scripture."
(Hugh B. Brown, The Abundant Life [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965])

"I am afraid, however, that this is not as generally accepted or followed to-day as it ought to be. Some of the brethren have been willing to submit to the inference that what they have said was pronounced under the influence of the inspiration of the Lord and that it therefore is the will of the Lord. I do not doubt that the brethren have often spoken under inspiration and given new emphasis-- perhaps even a new explanation or interpretation--of Church doctrine, but that does not become binding upon the Church unless and until it is submitted to the scrutiny of the rest of the brethren and later to the vote of the people."
(Hugh B. Brown, The Abundant Life [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965])

"If anyone, regardless of his position in the Church, were to advance a doctrine that is not substantiated by the standard Church works, meaning the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, you may know that his statement is merely his private opinion. The only one authorized to bring forth any new doctrine is the President of the Church, who, when he does, will declare it as a revelation from God, and it will be so accepted by the Council of the Twelve and sustained by the body of the Church. And if any man speak a doctrine which contradicts what is in the standard Church works, you may know by that same token that it is false and you are not bound to accept it as truth."
(Harold B. Lee, The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996], 544.)

This sentiment is echoed here by FAIR, the premier LDS organization / website dealing with LDS apologetics.

President Charles W. Penrose of the First Presidency, once wrote: "We do not believe in the infallibility of man. When God reveals anything it is truth, and truth is infallible. No President has claimed infallibility."
(Editor's Table, [Improvement Era, September 1912]: 1045.)

"With all their inspiration and greatness, prophets are yet mortal men with imperfections common to mankind in general. They have their opinions and prejudices and are left to work out their own problems without inspiration in many instances."
(Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd edition, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966], 608)

This Wikipedia article gives additional quotes on the infallibilty and opinions of the prophets.

"The scriptures are the standard by which to measure truth. All that we teach in this church ought to be couched in the scriptures. We ought to choose our texts from the scriptures, and wherever you have an illustration in the scriptures or a revelation in the Book of Mormon, use it, and do not draw from other sources where you can find it here in these books. We call these the standard Church works because they are standard. If you want to measure truth, measure it by the four standard Church works. If it is not in the standard works, you may well assume that it is speculation. It is man's own personal opinion, to put it another way; and if it contradicts what is in the scriptures, you may know by that same token that it is not true. This is the standard by which you measure all truth. But if you do not know the standards, you have no adequate measure of truth.

Measure doctrinal truth by the scriptures. We have the standard Church works. Why do we call them standard? If there is any teacher who teaches a doctrine that can't be substantiated from the standard Church works - and I make one qualification, and that is unless that one be the President of the Church, who alone has the right to declare new doctrine - then you may know by that same token that such a teacher is but expressing his own opinion. If, on the other hand, you have someone teaching a doctrine that cannot be substantiated by the scriptures, and more than that, if it contradicts what the standard Church works, you may know that that person is teaching false doctrine, no matter what his position in this church may be. The President of the Church alone may declare the mind and will of God to His people. No officer nor any other church in the world has this high and lofty prerogative. When the President proclaims any such new doctrine, he will declare it to be a revelation from the Lord.

The standard works are the only accurate guide. In this day men, women, and young boys and girls have been laying their own foundation. They have been charting their own course and claiming that they have the right to say what is right and what is wrong. Abraham Lincoln said: "God's greatest gift to mankind is the Bible." And we add to that the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants. Except for the standard Church works, there is no accurate guide as to what is right and what is wrong on the earth." (Harold B. Lee, The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996], 149.)

"If any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an imposter." (Joseph Smith, To the Elders Abroad, Times and Seasons, vol. 5 (January 1844-January 1, 1845), No. 7. Nauvoo, Illinois, April 1, 1844. Whole No. 91 490 - 491.)

"(B)e careful that you teach not for the word of God, the commandments of men, nor the doctrines of men nor the ordinances of men, inasmuch as you are God's messengers; study the word of God and preach it, and not your opinions, for no man's opinion is worth a straw: advance no principle but what you can prove, for one scriptural proof is worth ten thousand opinions: we would moreover say, abide by that revelation which says, 'preach nothing but repentance to this generation', and leave the further mysteries of the kingdom, till God shall tell you to preach them, which is not now." (A Word To the Saints., Times and Seasons, vol. 1 (November 1839-October 1840), Vol. 1 No. 1 November, 1839 14.), (DHC 3:396)

"We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told to do by those who preside over them [even] if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience as this is worse than folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would thus willingly degrade himself, should not claim a rank among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God would despise the idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the saints were told do by their presidents they should do it without any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their hearts to do wrong themselves." (Joseph Smith - Millennial Star, Vol 14, Number 38, pages 593-595)

Revelations Are To Be Sustained To Become Binding And Official -

"(I)t is not the prerogative of the people to vote whether or not a particular truth or revelation is valid. Opportunity may be given to the members, however, to indicate whether or not they favor the publication of a particular revelation with the official canon (scriptures) of the Church; they may also be given the opportunity to bind themselves by covenant to follow the instructions contained in the revelation."
(Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the New Testament: The Four Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 43 - 44.)

"In no sense can the Church be called autocratic. No one, from the President down, can dictate to the Church. All must be done in harmony with gospel principles, and by common consent. Even new revelations from the Lord are presented to the people for acceptance as part of the doctrine of the Church."
(John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations [Salt Lake City: Improvement Era], 281.)

"From a historical perspective, the conferences from 1830 to 1837 were called as needed by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the first President of the Church. Those attending early conferences conducted the Church's business, heard announcements of new revelations, and exercised the principle of common consent in approving leaders and doctrine."
(Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 307.)

"Declaration 2 contains the text of that letter and records its presentation and acceptance on September 30, 1978, in General Conference by the common consent of the members of the Church."
(Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 423.)

"Members do not nominate persons to office, but are asked to give their sustaining vote to decisions of presiding councils by raising their right hand, and anyone may give an opposing vote in the same way. This procedure is also followed in accepting important revelations and scriptural additions."
(Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 298.)

In summation, only the scriptures provide the ONLY OFFICIAL doctrines and teachings of the Church. As done throughout history, existing scripture can only be superseded by new scripture. Popular statements, like "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", from the First Presidency are not scripture and therefore not official doctrine. Many well meaning people feel that we should ignore scripture and impose an even higher law (reflecting their idea of how Christ will reign upon his return) on society. The scriptures denounce this concept. See 2 Nephi 25:24, Alma 25:15, and 3 Nephi 1:24. Others wish to ignore scriptural guidelines to prevent bad things from happening which otherwise would occur if they don't ignore the scriptures. This is called "steadying the ark".

New scripture, as stated by President Lee above, comes when "the President of the Church...will declare it as revelation from God, and it will be so accepted by the Council of the Twelve and sustained by the body of the Church. And if any man speak a doctrine which contradicts what is in the standard Church works, you may know by that same token that it is false and you are not bound to accept it as truth."

The words of the prophets are to be believed and accepted when they agree with scripture. When they address issues not contained in scripture, the prophets have said that they are merely expressing their opinions but that their ideas should be given consideration due to their callings. If they state things contrary to scripture, their words, per President Lee and others, are to be ignored and rejected. The Brethren, like all men, are subject to error when discussing things about which they have not received revelation. If they have received revelations which contradict existing scripture, those revelations should be made known and made official to unite us all doctrinally so that we aren't "..tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.." (Eph. 4:14).

Since the prophets are also mortal men, even they are subject to error. Many believe that they are the Lord's ventriloquist dummy whose mouth only opens when the Lord pulls the strings.

Please visit our essay - "Do The Prophets Always Interpret The Scriptures Correctly?" for other examples of where the prophets have misinterpreted scripture.

See also "Aren't The Brethren Always Right And Will Never Lead Us Astray?" for other examples of where the Brethren have said things which aren't true.

The bottom line is that the prophets have been wrong and asking the Church to follow them when they are wrong, is also wrong.