He sounds more like an elected official than a prophet. I hate to keep going back to comparisons to the Catholic church but is this like the old belief that popes were divinely chosen, almost divine themselves? If that's the case I don't see why an election by men would be needed.

Not being contrary, just trying to understand better.

>He is identified. A new one, Thomas S. Monson, was just named after the death of the previous one, Gordon B. Hinkley. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/thomas-s-monson-named-16th-church-president
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>>I didn't know that. Is the living prophet identified or is it more just a belief that there is one?