When to question the Prophet?

[All-American]

The other thread poses an interesting question: when and how is it appropriate for a faithful member of the church to question the prophet? I'm going to trample around the outside of the pit for a second to see if we can't get to the heart of the matter, starting with aspects in which I believe it is appropriate to question.

It should go without saying that the priority in asking these questions ought to be compliance with God's will, and not merely justifying one's own desires when they apparently run counter to the teachings of the prophet. (No finger pointing, please.)

For example:

Did the prophet really say or teach this?

This seems rather obvious-- if I told you that President Hinckley instructed church members to do some task that seemed somewhat outlandish, you would at least want a reference to know that it was, in fact, HIM who said it. Even so, I am often surprised how often conversations come up wherein the prophet it cited as advocating something which he didn't, so far as I was able to tell.

Did the prophet really mean this?

In other words, what is the context of statement? Is he saying what I believe he is saying? What is the principle or idea that he is trying to teach?

Is this man really a prophet?

Any Mormon who has ever stood at a pulpit and claimed to know that Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet had better have some explanation of how they know it. So long as testimony is based on the confirmation of the spirit when one prays to ask if the church is true, or if the Book of Mormon is true, or if Joseph Smith was a prophet, Latter-day Saints have a right to ask this question, too.

Is what the prophet teaches (and intends to be taught-- re: question #2) true? Or, is his action in accordance with God's will?

A shakier question, here. Opinion will probably divide here; my opinion is, as long as the prophet is fallible, this is a legitimate question. I would have to do a lot of soul-searching before ever answering "no" to this question.

When, then, holding the original premise that one is still trying in all sincerity to comply with God's will, is it NOT appropriate to question the prophet?