It isn’t simply a case of policy but of experience. Where do Mormons today get their thinking? In my day any Mormon would be reaching for their standard reference works by the church leaders I name in the post. These days I find Mormons getting their apologetics from anyone but Mormon leaders. Yes, they are aware of Salt Lake City diktats but make no mistake they get their apologetics from elsewhere.

In some ways that is not difficult to understand. Mormons are more sophisticated these days in so many ways. The dogmatism of Brigham Young, the ill-tempered judgementalism of Bruce R McConkie, and the shallow naivety of LeGrand Richards are out of place in this 21st century, even for the most faithful among you. My point is that these ‘authorities’ have not been replaced in modern Mormons’ collateral reading, being replaced by unofficial sources.

Of course Mormon leaders stick to the key doctrines – after a fashion. They don’t have the capacity to develop a sufficiently capable apologetic to meet the challenges of modern evangelical thinking. Further, I find the claim that they speak with any authority, and only by the prompting of Jesus questionable. The public pronouncements of the General Authorities are governed by the diktats of the all-seeing Correlation Committee.

Finally, what exactly is authoritative? You say Mormon leaders publish every six months in General Conference but is that Scripture? Every time I quote this source I get told that the only authoritative source is the “Standard Works” The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price and The Bible. So what is authoritative? The Mormon Scriptures, that have been a closed canon for 100 years. The six-monthly pronouncements you cite? The Correlation Committee? Or FARMS?