In his April 2016 conference speech, Dallin Oaks discusses the idea of “opposition in all things.” He initially provides various examples to illustrate the importance of opposition. The phrase originates from 2nd Nephi 2:11, where it is linked with the firm LDS assertion that “it must needs be.”
Interestingly, Oaks notes an exception to the principle of opposition when it pertains to church leadership, which contrasts with Joseph Smith’s stance in the Book of Mormon:
“Some who use personal reasoning or wisdom to resist prophetic direction give themselves a label borrowed from elected bodies— ‘the loyal opposition.’ However appropriate for a democracy, there is no warrant for this concept in the government of God’s kingdom, where questions are honored but opposition is not.”
Dallin Oaks, Opposition in All Things (Salt Lake City, UT: General Conference address, April 2016), III.
In my own encounters, I’ve found that resistance to leadership is not respected, nor are inquiries entertained, rendering his assertion both incorrect and absurd.
Either opposition holds merit in all matters, or it doesn’t.
