The declarations

In reading the two official declarations I find that they each have a different feel. In the first the prophet was clearly responding to outside pressure (the law of the land) but doing so for the purpose of pursuing a larger good (keeping the church functioning and able to bring salvation for the living and the dead). The second official declaration feels much more similar to the various changes that have been brought to the church over the last few years as our leaders are invited to make changes that reflect shifting realities with the tides of the times. The second was inspired by the evidence that the time had come for the priesthood to be open to all—based more on the faithfulness of black church members than on societal pressure.

Both are inspired and when it was a direct response to an external stimulus the prophet was open about that fact.