Three Meetings with an LDS General Authority, 2012/2013 ~ by Grant H. Palmer

The following very interesting memorandum was received on 5th April 2013 from Grant H. Palmer, and  is shared here with his permission.

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Grant is a renowned LDS historian, and is author of “An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins”, which is referred to in the following memorandum. Further details of that book may be found here:

http://signaturebooks.com/2010/02/an-insiders-view-of-mormon-origins-2/

Three Meetings with a LDS General Authority, 2012- 2013

Grant H. Palmer

 

In mid-October 2012, a returned LDS Mission President contacted me to arrange a meeting. Several days later, he called again and said that a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy also wished to attend. He said the General Authority would attend on condition that I not name him or repeat any stories that would identify him. He explained that neither of them, including the GA’s wife, believed the founding claims of the restoration were true. He clarified that they had read my book, An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, and had concluded that the LDS Church was not true; was not what it claimed to be. The GA often went to the MormonThink.com website for information and there discovered my book. The Mission President said he received my book from the GA.         

 

We have at this writing met three times. We first met on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 and again February 14, 2013 at my house. On March 26, 2013 we convened at the GAs house. Upon entering my home for the first meeting the GA said, “We are here to learn.” I recognized him. He has been a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy for a number of years. He has served in several high profile assignments during this period. The following are the more important statements made by the GA during our first three meetings. We now meet monthly.

 

He said that each new member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is given one million dollars to take care of any financial obligations they have. This money gift allows them to fully focus on the ministry. He said that the overriding consideration of who is chosen is whether they are “church broke,” meaning, will they do whatever they are told. He said the senior six apostles make the agenda and do most of the talking. The junior six are told to observe, listen and learn and really only comment if they are asked. He said that it takes about two to three years before the new apostle discovers that the church is not true. He said it took Dieter F. Uchtdorf a little longer because he was an outsider. He said they privately talk among themselves and know the foundational claims of the restoration are not true, but continue on boldly “because the people need it,” meaning the people need the church. When the Mission President voiced skepticism and named ___ as one who surely did believe, The GA said: “No, he doesn’t.” The one million dollar gift, plus their totally obedient attitude makes it easy for them to go along when they find out the church is not true. For these reasons and others, he doesn’t expect any apostle to ever expose the truth about the foundational claims.

 

When I asked the GA how he knew these things, he answered by saying that the Quorum of the Twelve today is more isolated from the Quorums of the Seventies now because there are several of them. When only one Quorum of the Seventy existed, there was more intimacy. During his one on one assignments with an apostle, conversations were more familiar. He said that none of the apostles ever said to him directly that they did not believe; but that it was his opinion based on “my interactions with them.” Also, that none of the Twelve want to discuss “truth issues,” meaning issues regarding the foundational claims of the church. He said that the apostle’s lives are so completely and entirely enmeshed in every detail of their lives in the church, that many of them would probably die defending the church rather than admit the truth about Joseph Smith and the foundations of the church.

The GA stated that my disciplinary action (which would have occurred on the final Sunday of October 2010 had I not resigned), was mandated/ordered/approved by the First Presidency of the Church. I said that if the apostles know the church is not true and yet order a disciplinary hearing for my writing a book that is almost certainly true regarding the foundational claims of the church, then they are corrupt even evil. He replied, “That’s right!”

 

            The GA said the church is like a weakened dam. At first you don’t see cracks on the face; nevertheless, things are happening behind the scenes. Eventually, small cracks appear, and then the dam will “explode.” When it does, he said, the members are going to be “shocked” and will need scholars/historians like me to educate them regarding the Mormon past.

 

The Mission President and the GA both said they attend church every Sunday and feel like “a hypocrite and trapped.” The GA said his ward treats him like a king and when he gives firesides and speaks to LDS congregations they have high expectations of him. He would like to do more in getting the truth out besides raising a few questions when speaking and gifting my book to others when feeling comfortable. Perhaps this is why he has reached out to me. The GA is a man of integrity and very loving. Upon leaving each time, he always gives me a big hug.

 

 

Do the Following Statements Support the Disclosures of the GA?

 

Apostle Boyd K. Packer said to Michael Quinn when interviewing him for a history position at BYU in 1976, “I have a hard time with historians because they idolize the truth. The truth is not uplifting, it destroys,” quoted in, Faithful History: Essays on Writing Mormon History, editor, George D. Smith, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 1992), 76n22.

Gregory Prince, who wrote a seminal biography of President David O. McKay, related to me that when he interviewed Hugh Nibley, a professor at BYU in 1995, that “At one point in the interview he [Nibley] asked that I turn off the tape recorder, which I did. He then related a curious anecdote relating to McKay and the Book of Mormon,” indicating that McKay did not believe in the historicity of the Book of Mormon (emails exchanged between me and Greg Prince on June 22, 2005. These documents are located in The Grant H. Palmer Papers, Accn 2071, Manuscripts Division, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah).

Thomas Stuart Ferguson, a California lawyer, church member and avid amateur archeologist, took the Egyptian papyri that was gifted to the church in 1967 to several Egyptologists at Berkeley, and as I recall Brown University and had them independently translated. All said the papyri were common funerary rites from the Book of the Dead. Ferguson then took their statements to apostle Hugh B. Brown, and after reviewing the evidence “with Brother Brown he said that Brother Brown agreed with him that it was not scripture …. that Hugh B. Brown did not believe the Book of Abraham was what the church said it was” (Journal entry of Ronald O. Barney concerning Thomas Stuart Ferguson on 19 April, 1984. Barney, now retired, worked at the LDS Library and Archives at Church headquarters, in Salt Lake City). Ferguson also said the same to Gerald and Sandra Tanner on December 2, 1970: “Mr. Ferguson had just visited with Mormon apostle Hugh B. Brown before coming to our house, and said that Brown has also come to the conclusion that the Book of Abraham was false” (Letter of Gerald Tanner to Dee Jay Nelson, December 10, 1970, published by Modern Microfilm Co., SLC, Utah).

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Priesthood Interviews

Source: Priesthood Interviews

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The English Inquisition is Underway

TIMELINE OF THE CHALLENGE TO MY MEMBERSHIP, 2016.

13th April 2016, an email received from my Stake President:

Hi Chris – I hope you are well. I tried to call you today but was not able to get a response or leave a message. I would very much like to meet with you to discuss your Church membership. I know I have made this request on two previous occasions and you have declined, but would welcome the opportunity to meet in the near future. I am flexible on dates but would like to suggest we meet at the Yeovil chapel. I hope that you will be able to look favourably on this request and am happy to speak by phone to arrange a time if preferred. I look forward to hearing from you. With best wishes, J***

18th April 2016, my emailed response:

Hello J***,

Thank you for your recent email and your good wishes. I genuinely appreciate them, and in turn send mine to you. I would also like to assure you that there has been nothing at all personal in my previous non-acceptance of your invitations to meet.

I notice that although you did not respond to my email of 3rd October last year, in which I set out my thoughts, you are now repeating your original request. Again I must ask therefore, with what objective in mind? Has anything changed in your understanding of the various issues since we last met? If, (hypothetically speaking), we were to meet again, what do you consider would be a mutually helpful agenda, and to whom would you afterwards report the outcomes?

I look forward to your response.

With best wishes,

Chris

19th April 2016, my SP’s response:

Hi Chris – thank you for responding to my email & thank you for you good wishes.

I understand that you feel little has changed since my communication in October. However, as I expressed in my last email, I am concerned as the Stake President about your continued private and public concerns about the Church, its teachings and beliefs and wish to discuss your views and Church membership with you in the near future.

I am away later in the week until next Wednesday, but if you are available, could meet with you during the day on Thursday and Friday next week at the Yeovil Chapel at a time that is convenient for you. 

I hope it will be possible for you to respond positively to this request.

With best wishes

J***

25th April 2016, my response:

Dear J***,

Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your last email of 19th April. I wanted to consult with various family members before doing so.

You have answered my first question about your objective in us meeting again, citing your concern about my concerns, and your wish to discuss my views and my membership. That is fair enough, although I must remind you of the brief discussion we had last 15th May at East Stour when I explained that as long as the dialogue would be honest and open it would be potentially worthwhile, adding that I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position by discussing subjects you didn’t wish to explore, and nor would I be prepared to meet just in order to tick boxes.

My second question, asking whether anything had changed in your understanding since we last met in 2012, we can probably treat as rhetorical at this point, as long as you are able to embrace my request for honesty and openness. Personally, I have only ever been interested in identifying truth, and in following wherever that leads, even though the resulting faith journey might prove uncomfortable. Reality is all that matters to me. If we are to proceed, I would welcome your prior assurance that you are of a like mind. Anything less, frankly, would render the exercise a waste of time for us both.

I notice that you didn’t answer the final question of my previous email, in which I asked to whom you would be reporting the outcomes of a meeting. I would still welcome an answer to that please. I think it is reasonable to ask for example whether you anticipate reporting “up the line” as well as to various officers of the Poole Stake and Yeovil Ward. I have been transparent with you in previously informing you that the content of any “official” meeting we have, (i.e. in which you as Stake President interview me as a member), will at some point be made public.

I also asked what would be a helpful agenda for such a meeting. I would be content to refer back, (in the hope that you could now offer some answers), to the shortlist of troublesome items I mentioned in my email last 3rd October, viz:

  1. DNA evidence which counters the fundamental claim of the Book of Mormon that native Americans originated from the Palestine region within the last three millennia;
  2. Joseph’s Smith completely incorrect “translation” of a 1st Century Egyptian pagan funerary text into the compilation now known as The Book of Abraham, which of course was subsequently canonized as scripture;
  3. Instances of textual errors once uniquely found in the 1769 edition of the KJV of the Bible, (which Joseph Smith regularly used), but which are also found now in the text of the Book of Mormon;
  4. Joseph Smith’s well documented sexual transactions in the name of God with other men’s wives, and under-age girls at Nauvoo.

Are these items acceptable to you for discussion? Maybe you could table some questions or discussion points you would additionally like to raise with me, in order that I might come prepared with some possible answers for you.

As for a date, I am sorry that this week would prove virtually impossible, as we are presently heavily committed on a number of fronts. A Tuesday would normally be the best for me, (any time between 10am and about 2.30pm), if that also suited you. Provisionally I could make 10th or 17th May. Otherwise we would need to rearrange if you wish to proceed.

I look forward to your response.

Best wishes,

Chris

3rd May 2016, a letter written by the SP:

Untitled

16th May 2016, my emailed response:

Dear J***,
Just to let you know that I have only just today received your letter dated 3rd May…
I have read your letter, and appreciate its tone. I have some insight into how these things work, and realise you are under growing pressure. You will understand though I trust, that it is unlikely that I will respond immediately, as there are significant issues you mention which must be weighed and considered, not just by myself, but by extended family members straddling four generations, whose opinions range across a broad spectrum. The action you propose, (I am sure I need not remind you), would affect many other people than just myself.
Nevertheless, I give my undertaking that I will answer you unambiguously as soon as I am in a position to offer a properly informed response.
Best wishes,
Chris

 

 

2nd June 2016, I commenced my online diary:

To leave or not to leave?

An introduction to my online diary:

 

21st June 2016, the text of my lengthy letter responding to the SP:

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22nd June 2016: An update… Brexit from Europe; Chrexit from Mormonism: How will Britain and Chris vote?

21st August 2016: A letter received from the Stake President:

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16th September 2016: My response, stating I do not intend to resign at this point.

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The Futility and Brutality of Mormon Excommunication

Long ago, when our distant ancestors were what we now refer to as ‘hunter-gatherers’, there were those who hunted, and those who gathered, and also those who watched out in order to warn the rest when danger threatened. The watchers performed an invaluable function in protecting the whole tribe.

Today we no longer call them watchers; they are sometimes called whistle-blowers, writers, heretics, apostates, questioners, truth-seekers, and they tend to spoil the game for those who mistakenly believe they are in control.

Hear what Steve Bloor has to say about the function he performs….

Steve Bloor's Blog

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Only last week did I discover, through my parents, that I was secretly excommunicated in October for challenging the accepted dogma of Mormonism. The reason for being cast out of the Church is what they call Apostacy. Or “open, public opposition to the Church.” Basicly because I dared to challenge their authority and speak the truth.

Here’s a link to The Independent newspaper article about my Secret Excommunication.

I’m often asked, “why would anyone want to stay in an organisation they neither believe in, nor where they are welcome?”

Let me be clear, once I realised the Mormon Church was founded on the lies told by the convicted con-man, charlatan, adulterous paedophile Joseph Smith, I resigned as bishop and wanted to immediately resign my membership of this fraudulent Corporation masquerading as a religion.

I pleaded to stay as a ‘member of record’ initially for the sake of my extended family…

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Former Mormon Bishop of Helston may have been secretly excommunicated for speaking publicly about issues in the Church

This is a key moment perhaps in modern British Mormon history. It appears that my good friend Steve Bloor, a former bishop of Helston Ward, may have been secretly excommunicated by the sleight of hand of so-called spiritual leaders.

If so, then presumably this will have been done in order to avoid adverse publicity. How wise is it really to throw paraffin on a smouldering fire in an attempt to extinguish it?

Steve Bloor's Blog

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I’m in shock at discovering that I’ve either been secretly excommunicated in my absence, or my name has been removed from Church records without my approval in an effort to extinguish my cultural identity because they consider me an apostate.

The Mormons (or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) considers any dissenters in its ranks to be apostates and worthy of the worst punishment, eternal damnation. A fate reserved for murderers, rapists and child molesters.

Mormon leadership does not value free speech, even here in the mainly secular UK.

Once I resigned as bishop due to discovering that I’d been taught lies about the origins & history of the Church (set up in 1830’s Eastern United States of America by convicted fraudster Joseph Smith), I was set on a course which inevitably would lead to a conflict with the Church’s higher authorities, who do not value the members questioning…

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A PLEA FOR HONESTY ~ A Further Open Letter to the Europe Area Presidency

 

The following follow up open letter was first published 26 February 2015 at

https://truthwillprevailblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/26/a-plea-for-honesty-a-further-open-letter-to-the-europe-area-presidency/

 

 

Dear Area Presidency,

 

February 2015 is turning out to be an unusual month, and historians, I suggest, may well look back upon it and identify it as having been pivotal in the development of European Mormonism.

 

Recent events prompt me to write to you again, even though you never responded, either publicly or privately, to my letters sent to you in 2012. These may be found at:

 

First open letter dated 28 August 2012

Second open letter dated 04 October 2012

 

At the time your silence was a disappointment of course, if not a total surprise. Some had already asserted that you would ignore me, and not even issue an acknowledgment. I was sorry they were proven right, as it only reinforced their opinion that you did not care, when I, based upon previous personal interactions, genuinely believed that you did. My letters contained significant questions, and also an invitation to work together with many of us who believe in transparency. However, that opportunity to collaborate was missed, and this month’s events further suggest that we are embarking upon an altogether new era.

 

The recent excommunication of John Dehlin really sets the tone for that coming era. John, who has done much to support depressed, confused, overlooked and downtrodden members of the church throughout the world over the past decade, in the process of helping those many in need, seems unintentionally to have embarrassed a church leadership which was signally failing to perform its whole duty. John has literally saved lives, and marriages, and the mental wellbeing of hundreds and perhaps thousands or marginalised individuals. Some of those he helped have since chosen to leave the LDS fold, not because he ever actively encouraged them to do so, but because their eyes were opened to a wider reality, and LDS orthodoxy could no longer accommodate them.

 

Although John also encouraged people to stay with Mormonism if they felt able to do so, the fact that he was seen to be a catalyst causing some to leave, sadly meant that his excommunication in the end was as predictable as Kate Kelly’s had been in 2014. Unsurprisingly, John’s excommunication has been widely seen, (beyond foyer exchanges between ‘chapel Mormons’ at least), not as an indictment of him, but of the system which delivered that verdict. How much wiser it might have been to have embraced and worked with him, so that a welcoming place within a broader, kinder church, might have been made available to accommodate the needs of those in need of the support he offers. The LDS church has once more missed an exceptional opportunity by failing to grasp the right nettle at the right time, and an unfortunate message has been broadcast that those who entertain doubts or questions are not wanted. One more storm has been sown.

 

I realise of course that as the Europe Area Presidency you are far removed from this particular matter, and are in no way responsible for the decision reached. Equally I realise that your counterparts in Utah will not be in any hurry to accept responsibility for it, and of course it is a given that the Q12 will deny having had any kind of influence over it. It is clear that the ruling bodies of the church will, as usual, be fully sheltered from any possibility of criticism, and John Dehlin’s Stake President will be left to take sole responsibility for any future fall-out.

 

Yet of course long experience tells us that, regardless of the regular denials, interventions from General Authorities do sometimes serve to influence decisions reached by local disciplinary councils. There are the well-documented examples of ‘The September Six’, when it appears apostles pulled rank in order to ensure that excommunications were enacted. It was all officially denied at the time, but was later persuasively demonstrated by President Benson’s grandson that this had been the case. And at a more immediate level Elder Patrick Kearon will undoubtedly recall an instance in Bristol Stake a few years ago, when a decision reached in a stake disciplinary council was overturned within a few hours upon the advice of the Area Presidency. I was a witness to that intervention, as was he, (he having made the initial decision, before being told to contact all the participants to inform them that his decision had been reversed upon orders received from higher up the chain of command). Furthermore, I have since learnt of another such example in the same stake, so these interventions are not in isolation, and it is simply untrue to claim that Stake Presidents always make such decisions without guidance from General Authorities, particularly in cases when there might be an impact upon the so-called public standing of the church.

 

PUBLIC IMAGE

 

‘Good standing’, or in other words, a positive image, always seems to be the primary concern. This is true, both as it relates to the perceived worth of individual members, (whether for example they hold a current temple recommend), and also as it relates to the outward reputation of the church. In Mormon circles, image counts for much, and when a person is no longer considered in good standing, perhaps because he asks difficult questions, it is surprising how rapidly an ‘anti-Mormon’ label is applied, and then, what had been considered firm friendships, (some of them at least), melt away almost overnight. Yet I do not read of Jesus in the New Testament placing any emphasis upon self-certified or institutionally-backed ‘standing’ among his contemporaries. Nor do I ever see him dismissing out of hand those searching for truthful answers. Indeed the opposite is the case.

 

Have you ever paused and considered what the New Testament Jesus might say to someone in John Dehlin’s position? How likely do you think it would be that he would berate him for offering support to the lonely, hope to the poor in spirit, or factual ‘meat and drink’ to those who hunger and thirst after knowledge? Do you think he would he be angry with John for taking in and sheltering those whom the LDS priests had cast out and left to die in the wilderness? Would he cut John off from his wife and children and his extended family for all eternity in order to make an example of him, so that others would feel discouraged from following his example?

 

Or might he instead thank him for the compassion he had shown by trying to help each person in need, saying to him that inasmuch as he had helped even the least deserving individual, he had done it for him too?

 

You see, there is an enormous problem. The New Testament Jesus just does not fit into current LDS thinking at all. So what has changed? Is it Jesus, or is it those who claim to be his present mouthpieces?

 

And what might that New Testament Jesus say to the governing bodies of a church which had taken it upon themselves to excommunicate John? Might he advise them first to remove from their own eyes the heavy beams which are blinding them, before attempting to remove whatever motes are to be found in John’s? After all, if we accept the New Testament, that seems to be the way he operated, regularly challenging and condemning the actions of those who took upon themselves Pharisaic powers, and calling to repentance all those who flattered themselves with titles and offices through which they proceeded to administer unrighteous dominion.

 

“Beams?” you might ask in surprise. Yes brethren, beams, and some seriously substantial beams too. The kind of beams acquired through collective attempts to cover up from the general membership and prospective converts much of our true Mormon history, substituting in its place whitewashed narratives primarily designed to promote the organisation’s current political agendas.

 

President Hinckley, of course, used to counsel us to emphasise the positive and eliminate the negative, and I will be the first to acknowledge that perhaps in the case of human relationships his advice was sound, but when that same maxim is applied to manipulating the membership’s awareness of its history, then we are in very problematic and dangerous territory. When ‘historical content’ of lesson manuals is reduced to constant reliance upon faith-promoting anecdotal material, while uncomfortable truths which might point members towards a balanced understanding, are airbrushed away, then we are firmly in the domain of calculated misdirection. Will studied skewing of history, even if intended to promote a supposedly righteous cause, not have to surrender to objective truth in the end? Is the current practice of factual manipulation not symptomatic of a canker at the root of the whole enterprise? Might not misrepresentation of the past for the express purpose of misappropriating the present, also be called lying? And if used as a means to persuade or coerce individuals to hand over their time and means, is that not another name for fraud?

 

These are enormous beams then, and our New Testament Jesus, I suspect, would immediately identify them as such. Do you not think so? So when will the actual truth be openly taught? (I mean really openly and comprehensively, not just technically or arbitrarily, a little here and a little there in obscure, semi-approved, weasel-worded essays penned by well-paid Mormon apologists, and kept out of sight of the average member). When, for example, will the young LDS woman and young LDS man putting their lives on the line to promote at their own expense the LDS church in foreign lands, be properly and fairly informed before leaving home, that the version of the First Vision which they will be encouraged to learn and teach ‘as gospel’, is but a later reworking of an earlier, simpler claim, which Joseph Fielding Smith for several decades had deliberately suppressed as it told a less impressive, somewhat dissimilar story, rooted in a different theology?

 

When will they routinely be advised as students of the Church Education System that the founding LDS prophet Joseph Smith was clandestinely married to over thirty plural wives, including some girls as young as 14 or 15, and in ten or eleven cases to other men’s wives, (often while those men were away serving the church elsewhere), and that in many of those instances even Joseph’s own legal wife Emma did not know about his other illegal unions? When will established facts be taught as they appear in the historical record, in place of the fairy-tale version which makes Joseph appear to the uninitiated and the gullible to be the devoted monogamist, which he clearly never was?

 

When will the LDS church cease to be driven by its fears and become an open and honest champion of Truth, instead of constantly obsessing over image?

 

BEING HONEST WITH AND PROTECTING THE RISING GENERATION

Is it not entirely reasonable to expect the church to inform its young men and women about their church’s actual history before they are placed in the front line on streets around the world? Unless they know about these and many other critical issues, (which for the sake of brevity I will not detail here, though I have touched upon some of them in my previous letters), then how may it ever be said that these young men and women are legitimate representatives of the religious system they are sent out to promote? And if they are unfamiliar with the true nature of that system and the real history behind the ‘cure’ they believe they are taking to the rest of the world, then are they not by definition grossly misinformed, and programmed to misinform others? Has their choice not been compromised, limited, or coerced in some degree by withholding from them what they really ought to know? Are they not being knowingly sent out to bear false witness? Their ignorance, (and let’s be clear here, it is a wilful ignorance imposed upon them by the highest leadership of the church), is potentially a profound danger not just to themselves, but to others as well.

 

Following on from this is one of the saddest matters of all. It is a lamentable fact that not all those young people who enter the mission field starry-eyed and misinformed, will return home alive to their families and friends after serving their term. Missions are potentially dangerous enterprises, and too often, as you know, tragedies occur. Concerning those who do not return alive at the end of their service, the question must be asked whether they would actually have gone in the first place, had they and their families been properly informed about the real history. After all, it is a matter of record that many after completing their missions, for the first time do encounter authentic LDS history, and then leave in disgust. Might some already have been spared untimely deaths if church leaders had been open and honest with our young people all along? The stark and dreadful answer to that question unfortunately, is an almost certain ‘yes’.

 

Some at least would not have surrendered their lives in promoting the LDS gospel if they had initially been told the truth: [1] about Joseph Smith’s marital shenanigans; [2] his evolving account of The First Vision; [3] his proven inability to translate Egyptian; [4] his readiness nevertheless to claim that an ancient papyrus which the church owned was a lost Book of Abraham, (whereas it was in actuality a pagan Egyptian funerary text which made no mention of Abraham); and [5] the archaeological, textual and DNA advances in recent years, which highlight a series of anomalies which cast the gravest doubt upon an ancient origin of the Book of Mormon.

 

Despite these evidences, some, it has to be acknowledged, would still wish to serve LDS missions even having been made aware of the substantial challenges which now exist to the orthodox LDS narrative, but others, (perhaps many), you must equally acknowledge, would not. They would undoubtedly say, with a fuller knowledge available to them that they would invest their time instead in other pursuits. The fact that some, after being advised of the historical realities, might decide to refuse a call to missionary service, should never justify withholding those realities from them. When a person places their life on the line for any cause, is it not their moral right to know every available detail about that cause? Who then is going to own responsibility for allowing ignorance to fuel these tragic losses? Do you really imagine that the Jesus of the New Testament would make light of such a situation? Dying for, or even just wasting one’s precious time in promoting what is subsequently found to be flawed tenets and false histories, is no trivial matter. Would careful avoidance of such (potentially fatal) ignorance not always be far preferable to accomplishing arbitrary missionary targets?

 

If no-one else will tell you, then without apology, I must, (and call me apostate if you choose for daring to say it): This practice of keeping the upcoming generation ignorant in order to place these innocents potentially in harm’s way, has to stop. Those who sacrifice these children, present a very gross spectacle. They are senior churchmen, who should, and in some cases surely do know far better, yet constantly they strain at the facts, while swallowing cureloms without a second thought. It is time that curelom-swallowing was regulated out of the LDS syllabus. That, of course, will only happen when plain facts are no longer twisted and distorted for the consumption of young impressionable minds.

 

So I will ask you on behalf of the young men and young women and their families, who may yet be spared needless tragedy, what will you do personally as an Area Presidency to ensure that necessary changes are made, which will help to bring the LDS church into a state of safe practice, and an alignment with reality? What will you do to put an end to the old programme of misinformation, and all of the emotional abuse which grows out of it?

 

Perhaps you will dismiss my request and say it is not my business; maybe you no longer consider voices like mine worth listening to. It is certainly true that many like me who are prepared to ask hard questions, no longer find ourselves able to sustain the Pharisaic law, which apparently nurtures the LDS hierarchy, and so you may feel inclined to dismiss me as just another lost Samaritan who counts for little; but please remember that Truth will always count, and if you don’t embrace it fully, your ambitions are destined to fail. Dollars may purchase an illusion of power and authority, and also temporary favour with governments and judiciaries, but Truth will always prevail in the end. By concealing the truth you cannot set people at liberty; you can only enslave them by degrees. You may claim from the pulpit to lead millions, but Truth will claim them all, one by one, eventually. The best you can ever hope to do without Truth is to deflect attention from the hard evidence for a while, with stories which may seem momentarily newsworthy, but which are ultimately hollow.

 

 

THE MORMON STORIES WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HEAR

 

We need only look to the Mormon Newsroom to find such stories. Here is a recent one. Presumably it is the kind of information we are expected to read in order to increase our faith.

 

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org.uk/article/british-prime-minister-receives-personal-family-history-from-church

 

It appears that my former Stake President, and friend Elder Patrick Kearon, now serving as a member of the Europe Area Presidency, (I should clarify that while I have never ceased to consider him a friend, I do accept that it may no longer be convenient for him to consider the friendship mutual), has recently presented the British Prime Minister David Cameron with a beautifully bound six generation family history on behalf of the LDS church. The article shows Elder Kearon and an Area Seventy, Elder Herbertson, pictured with Mr Cameron, and two other Members of Parliament, David Rutley and Craig Whittaker, who are both apparently members of the LDS church. They are shown carefully inspecting the gift with what appears to be keen interest. The article explains:

 

‘David Cameron is one of several distinguished world leaders who have been given personalised copies of their family history archive.  Previous government heads to be honoured include US President Barack Obama, former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and previous President of Germany, Johannes Rau.

 

Making the presentation on behalf of the Church, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Europe Area Presidency, said: “We are so pleased to be able to put together this family history record and present it to the Prime Minister and his family, we hope they will enjoy learning more of their heritage”.’

 

What are the messages we are supposed to take from this article? I suggest the following:

 

  • The LDS church is generous and caring
  • It has mankind’s records at its fingertips
  • It values families
  • It is a significant player on the world stage
  • It is the friend of world leaders, notably in the USA, Britain, Australia and Germany
  • It has influence within the British parliament

 

And the subliminal messages might possibly be these, (or at least these are the messages I would have taken from the story as a fervent believer in the cause):

 

  • The LDS church is steadily growing and gaining power
  • Its leaders are favoured of God
  • All is well in Zion
  • The church must be true
  • The LDS agenda is being fulfilled even though people like David Cameron do not realise they are being used as instruments in establishing our secret Zionist aspirations

 

All of this might not much matter to the average bystander, except for one enormous and very pertinent irony:

 

One of David Cameron’s titles is First Lord of The Treasury, and as such it is his duty to ensure that The Treasury receives all due fiscal income to which it is legally entitled.

 

In 2013, (as you may possibly be aware), the LDS church was reported to H.M. Revenue & Customs by a former stake president for alleged acts of tax evasion amounting to several million pounds, in connection with undeclared Mission Presidents’ allowances. That complaint is currently under investigation. Mr Cameron was independently notified in writing of the allegations in October 2014. He personally acknowledged that communication, and advised that he would set in train further investigations.

 

This combination of factors raises important questions which the British public deserves to have properly answered:

 

[1] If the Area Presidency was at any time aware of the existence of a tax evasion complaint, was there possibly another motive in making a gift to Mr Cameron?

[2] If not, then was Mr Cameron politically compromised in accepting a gift from the LDS church prior to him having pursued a full resolution of the complaint?

[3] Assuming that Mr Rutley and Mr Whittaker have made certain covenants promising to further the cause of the LDS church, to what extent are they aware of these tax evasion allegations, and where will their duty lie if those allegations are found to have any merit?

[4] Has there been, or might there in the future be potential scope for complicity in attempting to dismiss this serious complaint against the LDS church?

 

If the allegations are eventually shown to be true, (and the evidence I am assured is not insubstantial – indeed some have indicated that this may be merely the first of a series of such disclosures), then might not the conspicuous public presentation by the LDS church of a family history to Mr Cameron at this juncture, be reasonably compared to an overly ambitious pupil presenting a schoolteacher with apples which had been scrumped from the teacher’s own backyard?

 

Clearly, some kind of explanation is going to be needed from each of the parties concerned, and presumably the media will agitate for such, until that Mormon story is also told.

 

THE ‘A’ WORD

 

Well, the tax evasion issue will undoubtedly grow in significance over time, and that is obviously a chapter yet to be written. Consideration may more profitably be focussed for the present however, on the attitude of the LDS church, not in its role as the accused, but in its more familiar role as the accuser of its questioning members. In this regard it must be said that recent signs are not promising, and indicate little progress.

 

For anyone who is inquisitive, (and surely that should be everyone), it is a fact of life that there is now enough evidence in circulation to suggest that there are significant anomalies in the orthodox LDS narrative. Intelligent people deserve intelligent explanations, and orthodoxy simply does not provide them. So people will speak to one another and try to place in context disintegrating worldviews which had hitherto governed their whole lives. Onto the stage enter individuals like John Dehlin and others, seeking workable answers, and solutions, and mutual support. They are not there expressly to cause trouble. They are there because they are suffering and feel abandoned. When the only official response is to label such people ‘apostates’, then the leadership is merely demonstrating that it is devoid of useful ideas, is judgmentally impaired, is suffering from siege mentality, and living in constant fear of losing its own over-inflated status.

 

The term ‘apostate’ has a unique meaning within LDS circles, which is rather telling: it refers nearly always to the challenge of authority, and almost never to the challenge of objective truth. Apostasy properly means a departure from true principles, and of course the age-old antidote to apostasy has been recanting, or in LDS parlance, repentance… but how is one who is accused of LDS apostasy supposed to repent, when their only offence is to have told the truth? Surely that kind of ‘repentance’ may only be accomplished by pretending, by covering up, or by keeping quiet. And that is precisely what we are asked to do when we start to find out about the true history. I know because I have received such requests, combined with warnings, that failure to heed those requests, might result in action being taken against me. All I want is intelligent, believable answers. Such tell-tale appeals from leaders at once indicate to those who receive them where truth is, and where truth most definitely is not any longer.

 

“Keep quiet. Do not speak to others about what you know.” These are the frequent instructions given to those who find that there is a more authentic and reasonable version of the past to be found within uncorrelated LDS church history. But how is one expected to keep quiet and remain in good conscience? How may one claim to be honest in one’s dealings, while covering up the facts from friends and neighbours? And how may one indefinitely separate his thoughts from his words and actions, and remain in a state of mental wellbeing? In effect pleas to be silent about newfound knowledge are actually entreaties to learn to think differently, and to suppress our human entitlement to discuss matters of concern with others. Anything, it seems, not fully supportive of the official position, effectively then amounts to ‘thought crime’, ultimately punishable by excommunication.

 

This cannot be right. Please brethren read the signposts and see where you are heading.

 

Remember that we British and European converts who have joined the LDS church since the first missionaries arrived on this continent in the 1830s, have always had to give up much of our cultural heritage in order to align ourselves with the requirements of our newly adopted religion. In many cases we have been resilient characters who have been prepared to stand for truth and righteousness despite being ridiculed and rejected by our families and peers. In our struggles, we have drawn strength from the assurances of our leaders and teachers that the LDS official narrative is 100% true, and we have trusted that it would always be underpinned by reason, and by the findings of scientific and historical enquiry. After all, we had been told that no amount of enquiry could ever harm truth. Truth was reason, and so need never be feared, for it would always support our position. Accordingly we have been prepared to give our all in that belief, not in order to serve a man-made organisation, but to serve our God, who we have held to be the God of all truth.

 

Why should there be any surprise then, that people like us must eventually speak out, when we stumble upon a greater reality, or when we discover that the claims we have lived by are unsupported by actual history, or when we realise that deliberate cover-ups have been practised all along, in order to keep the ordinary members in line? It was in our character from the first to question and to seek truth. That is what drew us to a church which promised us everything; and now that same need to question and to seek truth is what prompts us to explain to others how our church has failed to deliver on its promises. There should be no surprise in this. Are we not today the same people we were all along, still ready to stand for truth and right, despite ridicule and rejection (in this present era from our LDS peers, and the veiled threats of our leaders)?

 

You may recall this verse from an LDS song, slightly adapted here to explain our position?

 

Dare to be outspoken;

Dare to stand alone.

Dare to have a purpose firm;

Dare to make it known.

 

So, why is it that strength and resolve may be thought to be noble in one situation, and yet entirely heretical in another, when all the time the light of truth, (rather than idolatrous reverence for fallible leadership), has been our guiding star? You must understand that many of us who question here in Europe, are ‘truth-broke’ which is a virtue; we will never see any merit in being ‘church-broke’, as you require us to be, for that to us is a very obvious spiritual impediment, fraught with danger.

 

When a religion presents itself as the overarching ultimate truth, and then cannot accept any discussion among its ranks about its founding claims, then surely it is that religion which has departed from the Truth, not those followers who originally embraced it trusting that all truth would be circumscribable into one whole, and should therefore be our perpetual goal.

 

Please try to understand, it comes down to these two defining questions, which have been a perpetual feature of European religious history and development for the last 500 years:

 

  • Should Truth conform to religious dogma or should religion conform to the Truth?
  • Is it balanced and fair to accuse questioners of being ‘apostates’ because their consciences lead them to follow truth rather than dogma?

 

You, the leadership of the 21st century LDS church, may continue to show your ignorance by accusing truth seekers and truth spreaders of ‘apostasy’, but your policy will fail spectacularly if you do. Every disciplinary council which will be held will be further evidence to closet questioners who will sit upon them, and to the rest of the world, concerning the false and unsustainable position of LDS orthodoxy. Every excommunication will produce more publicity; every news article will open more eyes, and more ‘apostates’ will keep coming to the fore until the critical issues are well known in every community.

 

What will you do then? Will you condemn everybody except yourselves for daring to speak truth?

 

In all candour brethren: where is real apostasy to be found today? And who are the actual apostates?

 

 

THE FUTURE IN THE BALANCE

 

If you wish to convert the world, (which certainly was the commonly expressed ambition of LDS leaders when I first joined the church, even if it is no longer emphasised), then your ideas, your histories, and your financial structures must all be open to view so that they may compete in the common market place where alternative ideas, histories, and financial structures are found. They must all succeed on merit, and not by sleight of hand.

 

If you have the truth, then there will never be a need to hide or skew information, because the truth will speak clearly for itself, and all will be benefitted for having heard it. To question is our innate human right, and questioning is at the root of all progress.

 

Elder Hugh B. Brown was exactly right when he said: ‘Neither fear of consequence or any kind of coercion should ever be used to secure uniformity of thought in the church. People should express their problems and opinions and be unafraid to think without fear of ill consequences… we must preserve freedom of the mind in the church and resist all efforts to suppress it.’

 

That was part of a speech given almost 57 years ago. Should we not have moved forwards rather than backwards on this key issue during that time?

 

Perhaps you should join with others therefore, in feeling deeply obligated to men such as John Dehlin for bringing important evidence to the fore, and for seeking to heal those who have been damaged by an insensitive system too often characterised by unrighteous dominion. Would Jesus really care who gave succour to the poor, the downtrodden or the afflicted? Was not every charitable act valued by him? How has this simple and beautiful perspective been lost in the crossfire of LDS corporate ambition? How is it that John Dehlin loses his membership, and with it, according to LDS teachings, his family in the hereafter? Are the minds of the men who lead the current LDS church not large enough to embrace the teachings of Jesus? Is your sacred brotherhood greater or more important in the sight of God than the brotherhood of all of mankind?

 

When the scales are weighed, will fine suits, immaculate grooming, tele-prompted fear-inducing speeches, and business class lifestyles ever be a worthy substitute for genuine charity? Who is found to be the true believer and who is the Pharisee when New Testament principles are applied to this modern example?

 

I have tried to ask some questions many would like to ask. I have done so because they are questions which deserve proper answers. In all honesty, are you justifiably able to call me apostate for having done so? Will I be one more to be made an example of, separated, (if one accepts the dogma), from eternal family blessings, for doing no more than speaking honestly and forthrightly? Presumably my Stake President will answer those questions for you, unless you, or perhaps those who pull your strings, will have the courtesy to answer me directly this time.

 

But in parting, please do not view those like me, (who actually care), to be your enemy. Think of us more as fulfilling the role of your conscience. The greatest enemy is dishonesty; the espousal of truthfulness, and the flushing out of disingenuousness would bring us all together once more on the same side of this cavernous divide.

 

As already mentioned, this is a pivotal moment. Which way will the scales be made to tip? Towards glasnost, reason, real charity and inclusiveness, perhaps heralding future co-operation and progress? Or back into the dark ages of further dogma-driven myopia?

 

For now I have said what I need to say. I trust you will understand it is your turn.

 

Sincerely… Christopher Ralph.

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Is Dissent Tantamount To Apostasy

Is Dissent Tantamount To Apostasy.

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Our Thoughts On The Monson Fraud Case

Our Thoughts On The Monson Fraud Case.

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Why?

Why are Steve Bloor and I supportive of Tom Phillips’ private criminal action against LDS Church President, Thomas Spencer Monson?

Our Joint Statement offers some clarification:

https://journeyofloyaldissent.wordpress.com/joint-statement-concerning-summonses-served-on-thomas-spencer-monson/

Here also are two current memes which offer further insight:

Steve Bloor re the summons

CHRIS ON CONFLICT OF THE MONSON SUMMONS [6]

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2009-2014: An Odyssey Without Answers in a Changing Church

The first time I attended an LDS church meeting was on 10th October 1971. I was 18 years old, and had been contacted on the doorstep five days previously by two young American elders, who were only a year or two older than me. They told me I would really enjoy their church meetings, and so, wearing jeans and a colourful shirt, I was escorted by them early on that Sunday morning to two meetings which they explained were called Priesthood and Sunday School. The local Branch President, in whose home I had been taught earlier that week, kindly provided the 10-mile lift for us to and from the meetings.

The meeting place was some rented rooms in a terraced Georgian house at Green Park, Bath. The congregation consisted of about 30 people, including four American missionary elders and three investigators. Half of the total congregation consisted of children or youth, and there were just four resident priesthood holders, the most senior of them, the founder member of the Bath Branch, having been a member for about 15 years. I was welcomed warmly.

During Priesthood time, the elders taught me a missionary discussion in a side room. That was followed by a special lesson for the investigators taught from a manual by the Branch President. I recall that lesson clearly. It was about the voluntary nature of priesthood service, and how a bishop, (translated for me as a branch president), might, in the course of his duties, receive a distress call from a member of his congregation at any hour of the day, and would respond to it. Apparently all service in the church was unpaid from top to bottom. It was a wonderful system emulating the service given by Jesus and his disciples. There was a clearly defined hierarchy, and they were all there to help me. If I had a question about something to do with the church I should take it first to my home teacher who would be assigned as soon as I was baptised. If he could not answer it, I could ask the branch president. If the question was too difficult for him to answer, then it could be referred to the stake president. Finally, if the stake president could not answer, there were apostles, and of course the prophet, who could ask the Lord on my behalf, and the answer would be provided. That sounded beautiful. The fount of all wisdom was at my disposal, and it felt very comforting.

Now I mention this early episode in my association with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by way of an explanation. My name was recently identified with a summons served upon Thomas Spencer Monson, and some have questioned how I came to be involved in any capacity with this private criminal action brought against the Mormon President by Tom Phillips. I have had many adjectives applied to me since this became public, ranging from ‘unspeakable’ to ‘heroic’. It might even be said that my name has been had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues. Well, perhaps not exactly all of them yet, but sometimes it feels a little bit that way.

Of course, this has not all happened spontaneously in a vacuum. There is a history, and underlying that history throughout has been my trust in the reassuring lesson I heard that very first Sunday I attended a Mormon meeting. Obviously I cannot place in the public domain specific evidence which I may later be required to give in court, but in order to facilitate general understanding I have permission to point to certain existing narratives and documents from the last five years, which are already part of the internet community’s record:

[1] To start with, this excerpt from my journal for 11th January 2009 details the final tithing settlement I attended:

Bishop A came at about 6pm to see Diana and me. He is a good man, and I like him, but he appears somewhat overawed by his responsibility, and even a little frightened of dealing with me. The three of us talked, and I was open about my feelings. I would have shared my specific concerns if he had allowed it. He said he feels I am on the edge of apostasy, and warned me not to speak to others about what I have discovered through my research, or he might have to take action against me, which he didn’t want to do because he admires me, and remembers how I welcomed him when he first moved into the ward. He hoped I would choose to become “a wise old owl”, someone who would learn to say not much at church if I knew differently from the rest of the congregation, and he hoped that what I did say would be aimed at strengthening people’s faith. I said I was not so sure that playing that role was on either my agenda or the Lord’s. I told him I really need further guidance and answers to my questions. He sympathised but admitted he knows really very little about church history and the things I have encountered, and did not want to hear any details. I told him that as far as I was concerned apostasy is not the act of confronting history, but is more commonly encountered in the kind of idolatry which places priesthood leaders on pedestals, so that their actions may never be questioned.

I decided then and there that I really can no longer associate with any of that carry-on. I simply cannot un-know what I know, and I cannot pretend; to do so would be a recipe for an implosion of the soul. I confess I am a little hurt at hearing that the Bishop wouldn’t trust me as I am “on the precipice of apostasy”, but those are only words to describe matters from his limited perspective. He told me some obvious things I have long known, like the church is not perfect, and no man in it is. That is self-evident from the history, but that isn’t the problem. I wish they would stop covering up. I just wish they would say it from the stand more often, and that the church would fess up to its besmirched history and repent like any decent organisation would do if it genuinely did stand for truth. Bp A could not answer me when I asked why the Lord’s church deals in lies, as it does. He would not discuss any historical anomalies with me. I could tell he was afraid of finding out what I know, and so the long and the short of it is that he cannot and will not be able to assist me.

We had tithing settlement. I am a full tithe payer at present, but I am seriously considering stopping that, as I feel the money is being used to mislead, and should be put to better use.

[2] After more than 37 years of being a full tithe payer I cancelled my standing order later that same month. I continued to live what I considered to be a good and moral life, but my attendance at church of necessity also dropped off, and by 2010 it was a rarity for me to attend at all. When I did go it was to support my son or his family. One such occasion was on 25th April 2010, when I recorded:

The sacrament meeting was mostly a dirge. In fact Diana said to me, “it’s boring but at least it’s not controversial”, as if to reassure me. Afterwards Bro. B, (our new home teacher now that I am off the bishop’s own list), walked out with me to the car, and chatted with me in the car park. We have known each other for more than 25 years, and he is someone I truly respect. I told him I was happy to speak with him but warned him that I might be taking him into topic areas he doesn’t like. He said that I should have had someone to talk to. I told him I was told 15 months ago by Bp A that I must not speak outside my family to anyone about my feelings, upon pain of facing disciplinary action, but more recently he had relented and said I should be very selective if I talk to friends about my concerns. I said I don’t blame Bp A for leaving me alone because he is inexperienced and doesn’t want to know these things himself.

I told Bro. B I care only about the truth, and will support it wherever I find it. If I find I am in error I will change and admit it, even after 38 years, and it seems he is of the same mind, so with these caveats duly issued we will meet and talk soon.

He also said that he thinks our experience with certain leaders in recent years hasn’t helped. I said that what I am presently feeling should not be seen as the cumulative effect of indifferent leadership, although that experience has certainly encouraged me to question all things. We had a brief discussion about what he termed “the kinks in Joseph Smith”. I told him frankly that I didn’t care whether JS had 33 wives, or even if he, (Bro. B), did, because that is between them and the Lord, but I do care about the foundational claims of the church. If the Lord spoke to JS in the First Vision as reported and taught, then that is all that matters in determining that JS was the Lord’s mouthpiece.

He told me he is not worried about talking with me because he knows the gospel is true. I told him that I also know a gospel which is true, but its truthfulness doesn’t automatically mean that the institutional church’s claims are founded, and it is these which are under scrutiny. It has taken strength, not weakness, to reach a point at which I am strong enough to be able to admit I have been wrong on some things. When you find out you are wrong there are only two choices: admit it and change, or deny it and pretend. I cannot pretend. I said I would be happy to be part of “all this” again, (gesturing towards the chapel), if truth were Master, which would require some major changes, but until that time I would not be able to be involved, as it would require pretence on my part. Bro. B finished as he had started by saying that he wanted to meet with me, because he likes me, and wants to allow me to air my feelings, not because he is required to do so, but simply as a friend, and without any agenda of re-converting me.

[3]Unfortunately the promise of a more open dialogue which this conversation had seemingly offered did not materialise. Some months later we learned indirectly that Bro. B’s wife had been instrumental in dissuading him from getting involved. I do not know her reasons, but it was by now apparent that avoidance of open discussion about historical concerns was fast becoming the norm within modern LDS culture.

It was perhaps an opportunity missed, but in any case the next 18 months proved to be a time of poignant personal reflection. Our second son, aged 28, unexpectedly died in September 2010. The trauma of his passing caused me to analyse not only my deepest inner feelings, but also the past actions of my life which had served to frame and direct his short mortal experience. With a very tender heart, there were certain things I deeply regretted. One of those was my acquiescence in the racist attitudes of the church I had joined back in 1971. The church had changed its policy regarding Blacks and the priesthood in 1978, but it had never actually apologised for the racism which had become part of my worldview for at least two decades.  I had had several Black friends over the years, and while I trust I never actually showed it, in my time I had felt them to be spiritually inferior because of the teachings I had received during the first seven years of my membership. My moral antennae had told me that they were my equals in every way, but the church had taught me something else, and I had of course believed the church. I needed to apologise, and I was unwilling to wait longer on the church to act for all of its members, and so I decided to do it unilaterally. I knew it might upset some LDS members who were friends, but it was important to me to express my regret: and so in March 2012 I published online “A Public Apology”, http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/apology

My younger daughter, Sophia, publicised fairly widely what I had done. This immediately drew fire from some conservative quarters of the LDS community, including from some members of my own ward, who decided to make a complaint to the Stake President about my initiative. Soon afterwards I received an invitation to meet for a discussion with the SP, Pres. J., and also Bp A. The executive secretary’s email explained:

They have invited you to meet with them to discuss your personal thoughts and feelings about your testimony, the Church and its teachings. In recent weeks a number of members of the… Ward have expressed concern about a message posted on Facebook relating to the 1978 declaration by the President of the Church that all worthy male members should be entitled to receive the priesthood and have access to the associated ordinances and blessings. The item was posted by Sophia and accessed by many who are Facebook friends. From a later communication that appeared on Facebook, there is a suggestion that you may have had some personal involvement in writing the statement.”

Sophia and I duly met with Pres J. and Bp A. on 25th April 2012. We conceded no ground over the Public Apology, and stated that it was the moral right of any individual to apologise for himself, regardless of what others might think of it. That was not challenged and was all dealt with in two minutes. Sophia, later that same evening, summarised the rest of the meeting as follows:

It went really well. I think they’re pretty confused as to why we might want to remain cultural Mormons, for our love of the people and for the identity that it offers, despite rejecting the doctrines of the church. But Pres. J was very accommodating, letting us discuss some issues that we had, and nodded along, even volunteered some issues himself (e.g. he brought up polygamy of his own accord, which allowed Dad an opportunity to discuss historical records of polyandry, etc.).

We were well listened to, and there were a couple of times when there were some shocked expressions and quiet moments, in particular regarding the Book of Abraham, which I’m not sure even Pres. J. was aware of (we showed him copies of the original papyrus against the BoA’s image and the image of Anubis and the mummy, which Dad ran them through, said that it was being taught in schools now, and was available in children’s books from the local library – I showed them a children’s book from the library with Anubis and the canopic jars – and I explained how I’d travelled to Egypt and sought out these things in person, at the Egyptian museum, papyrus museum, a man who studies comparative religions, etc.). So I don’t know what will be the outcome of that, but it was interesting to see and hear the reaction, at least.

Pres. J. said he understood Dad’s predicament, and expressed it was a very difficult problem for him to have to deal with. He said he’d need to go away to think and pray about what to do, followed by an hilarious moment when he said “And I want you to go away… [and think about what had been discussed]”, whereupon Dad, Bishop A and myself all burst out laughing, and Dad said “I bet you do! Where would you like me to go? Onto Pres. M’s patch perhaps?”, whereupon Pres. J. laughed and said “No, I wouldn’t wish that on the man”. One of the few light moments of the evening, but a positive experience, I think.

Dad feels Pres. J. will have to go away and talk to the Area Presidency. He was obviously quite concerned by the thought of Dad publishing more papers, and the media involvement should disciplinary action be taken against Dad for telling the truth.

The nice thing was that Pres. J. did tell Dad that he knew that Dad was a man of integrity and honesty, and he respects him for that, regardless of whether we have different attitudes towards the doctrines of the Church. So that was really good: after years of Dad being badmouthed in certain quarters, accused of being corrupted or unrighteous, it was good that this was said, and Dad was very grateful for that sentiment. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, I suppose.

[4] On 12th June 2012 I received an email from the Stake President. It was couched in friendly terms, which I appreciated, informing me: “Having had a little time to reflect on the recent meeting… I would welcome the opportunity to meet again to talk about your feelings towards the Church and its teachings.”

I responded with similar cordiality, and an appointment on 12th July was arranged for us to continue our discussion. Before that meeting I decided that in order to be fair I should provide some academic findings which fundamentally challenged the LDS position on one important issue. I did not wish to force this information upon Pres. J. against his will, and so attached a file to my email, leaving him to decide whether or not he would look at the information. I wrote:

“Some time ago I prepared some notes on how I felt about one particular issue which deeply affects my understanding of things LDS. I drafted it because a couple of well-intentioned persons had asked me to share my concerns with them. You are the first however actually to receive it. The document comes with a caveat, which is that it does contain information which I believe would severely challenge anyone in their existing LDS belief.

It is something of a catch-22, because if you are looking to get a good handle on how I might present my case, you will need to have a working understanding of the contents, and yet that understanding might possibly lead to you being in my position yourself before long. So I attach it with that warning, and it’s your choice. I have always taken the view myself that truth cannot be harmed by investigation, but that no longer appears to be the orthodox LDS outlook, and you may take a different position. If your current assignment is merely to monitor rather than to engage with the root causes of my dilemma, I fully accept that you may choose not to read it.

As I say, you are the first to receive this, so to date I have not shared it with anyone else, and only with you after issuing fair warning. I’d like to emphasise that point in order to establish that this document is not in itself evidence of actionable LDS apostasy, but rather is just an indication of the awkward juxta-positioning of scholarly evidence, (i.e. demonstrable truth), with my allegedly heretical stance. This will be the focal point perhaps of further discussion about my standing.

I look forward to seeing you on 12th. It’s a pity it has to be about this though.”

Pres. J responded four days later:

Hi Chris – thanks for confirming the date and time. I look forward to seeing you at 10.00 on 12.07 at your home. I appreciate you sending the document but have chosen not to open at this time.

The meeting on 12th July 2012 seemed really to be more of a social visit than anything else, and passed pleasantly without anything of note being resolved. That was the last time that my feelings were discussed with the Stake President. It was apparent that he was not prepared to engage in the subject areas where I needed support and answers. Although that was not helpful to me, I respected him for taking that position, since he was after all just a Stake President, with a family and other everyday concerns, and not a General Authority who was paid to represent the church.

[5] It was now becoming very apparent that I would need to take my concerns to a higher level of church authority, since my bishop, home teacher, and stake president had all, in one way or another, been unable to assist me. I knew though, that any letter sent to the Area Presidency or other General Authority would, as a matter of routine, be returned to my Stake President to deal with, and he had already chosen not to become involved with the issues. I therefore considered how I might actually be heard by the Area Presidency. It occurred to me that an open letter, published on the internet, and also posted in hard copy to the office of the Area Presidency, would bring to their attention my questions, which I knew were also the questions of many others. In choosing this method, I felt it would be in the LDS Church’s public interest to respond in some meaningful way, even if it was only in the form of instructions conveyed to me through my Stake President. I duly published my first Open Letter to the Europe Area Presidency on 28th August 2012.

https://journeyofloyaldissent.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/chris-ralphs-first-open-letter-to-the-europe-area-presidency-28th-august-2012/

[6] This was ignored, and so a few weeks later, on 4th October 2012, I gave them a second opportunity to respond, when I published my second Open Letter to the Europe Area Presidency.

https://journeyofloyaldissent.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/chris-ralphs-second-open-letter-to-the-europe-area-presidency-4th-october-2012/

[7] To my disappointment this too was ignored. My father, aged 89, felt this discourtesy was not befitting men who claimed to serve God, and so took it upon himself to write to the Area Presidency in an Open Letter of his own on 29th October 2012.

https://journeyofloyaldissent.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/ted-ralphs-open-letter-to-the-europe-area-presidency-29th-october-2012/

[8] When that was also ignored, it became clear that the policy was to avoid answering these serious questions. However, one last opportunity was extended to the Europe Area Presidency on 3rd December 2012, when twelve British members of the church, (including my father and my two daughters), wrote a further open letter urging them to answer my two earlier communications:

http://stevebloor.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/twelve-members-of-mormon-church-plead-for-honest-answers-to-two-open-letters/

[9] When this was also ignored it confirmed the opinion of many observers that not only could the Area Presidency not answer, but they were probably under specific instructions from higher up the hierarchy not to do so. The inference was that it was well understood at the highest levels of church authority that there were insurmountable problems with LDS truth claims, and that the policy was to disguise that fact from the tithe-paying membership at all costs. The twelve British signatories next published a Proclamation to The First Presidency & Quorum of The Twelve on 21st December 2012.

http://stevebloor.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/proclamation-to-the-first-presidency-quorum-of-the-twelve/

[10] I supported their initiative by adding a heartfelt letter of my own two days later, addressed to the same governing bodies of the LDS church.

https://journeyofloyaldissent.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/chris-ralphs-open-letter-to-the-first-presidency-quorum-of-twelve-23rd-december-2012/

Needless to say, no answers were forthcoming to any of these attempts to engage the LDS church leadership in a constructive, honest dialogue, and so the possibility of developing greater understanding and a working relationship between those who claimed to be Jesus Christ’s representatives, and those who incrementally had felt deceived and rejected, was dismissed out of hand by the former.

Every avenue of enquiry had been tried from the lowest to the highest authority, and all had been found to be lacking in ability and willingness to deal with the situation. Our experiences has not been in isolation. It is now apparent that this has been the experience of others also, when they have sought substantive answers to their reasonable questions from a church which had demanded so much from them as followers.

Avoiding the difficult questions has not solved anything. A policy which conveyed only contempt for truth seekers, inevitably also ensured a rising tide of dissent within the ranks. It is unsurprising that respect has all but evaporated, and alternative, less conciliatory approaches are now resulting; Tom Phillips’ private criminal action against Thomas Spencer Monson, (as sole owner of the LDS church corporation), which was initiated in London on 31st January 2014, should perhaps be viewed as just the first of many which will keep recurring until genuine openness, accountability, and inclusiveness are demonstrated within the LDS organisation.

~~~

POST SCRIPT, 3rd March 2015:

A further Open Letter was sent to the Europe Area Presidency. See

A PLEA FOR HONESTY ~ A Further Open Letter to the Europe Area Presidency

 

 

 

 

Posted in Open Letters | 3 Comments

Chris Ralph’s open letter to the First Presidency & Quorum of Twelve: 23rd December 2012

Dear First Presidency & Quorum of Twelve,

I am sorry I am writing this letter.

That is not an apology; it is a plain statement of fact. I sincerely am very sorry. It is regrettable that such a letter as this needs to be written at all.

However, when bishops and stake presidents find themselves unable to answer members’ basic concerns, and the Europe Area Presidency pointedly refuses to respond to crucial questions about the church’s foundational claims, it becomes obvious that something is very worryingly amiss. In such circumstances, what other option is there for troubled truth-seekers, than to refer the same unanswered questions to the fifteen men who are periodically sustained as prophets, seers and revelators, and who are sometimes reverentially termed “the living oracles”?

These matters are profoundly important, potentially influencing the daily lives of millions. Accordingly, answers are required from the governing body of the church. Whatever apologists, (self-appointed or otherwise), may have to say on the subject is irrelevant, unless of course, you, as that governing body, decide to endorse their ideas officially. In other words, a response needs to come directly from the horse’s mouth, and not from the mouth of just any aspiring stable-boy currently left to sweep up; stable-boys are hired and fired, and so their words carry no weight or authority.

You will, I assume, have some familiarity with my two Open Letters which were published earlier this year. If not, then they may be found here:

http://mormonisminvestigated.co.uk/2012/08/28/an-open-letter-to-europe-area-presidency-by-chris-ralph/

and here:
http://mormonisminvestigated.co.uk/2012/10/04/second-open-letter-to-area-presidency/

or alternatively here:

http://stevebloor.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/open-letter-to-europe-area-presidency-of-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints/

and here:

http://stevebloor.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/a-second-open-letter-to-the-europe-area-presidency/

For the sake of brevity, I will not at this point repeat the full content of those letters, but ask for your considered responses when you have read them. Please answer honestly and openly, and please do so without further undue delay.

We have clearly arrived at an important crossroads in the evolution of the church, and history will almost certainly not judge you kindly if the content of those letters continues to be ignored. They represent the questions of many thousands already conversant with the uncensored historical information which is increasingly available to inquiring minds.
In the UK it is becoming apparent that we are nearing tipping point. The proclamation just published by twelve British members is the clearest evidence that disengagement is well underway. They represent thousands in this land who might now be properly described as “closet doubters”.

And who is to blame for that doubt? Are the members themselves culpable, or the local leaders perhaps? Hardly so. Those now leaving in significant numbers had, in many cases, been stalwart defenders of the faith for many years; they are not luke-warm converts of a few weeks’ duration, who have turned away for lack of understanding of gospel principles or church government. The current local leaders in many cases find themselves placed in the unenviable position of trying to advise men and women who are more knowledgeable than they themselves are about the issues. It is not the bishops’ and stake presidents’ faults that they soon find themselves in retreat, incapable of answering and unable to help. Blame for this situation rests squarely with the institutional church itself.

In an age of rapid information exchange, the practice of serving up sanitized history and empty spiritual placebos to the overworked and under-valued members, is without doubt poisoning the whole body of the church. The physician can hardly blame the patient for this perilous mis-judgment.

The tide is rising rapidly, and millions more who have yet to awaken to the uncomfortable facts, (usually because they have been actively discouraged from looking for them by church leaders and teachers), will before long also find out. And then the fairytale must give way to an era of post-fairytale reality. That means pain, and fear, and a sense of the deepest emptiness for many who are undeserving of such traumas, but it is a process which cannot be halted, because surely the God of Truth has willed it this way.

I am reporting this to you, but presumably you are already more than cognisant of these enormous challenges, and so you will also understand that this situation leaves you with a plain choice: either to continue to lead the people in a state of perpetual denial and ignorance, or to teach them to live by a new-found faith and trust in objectivity, which will permit truth to lead us where it will. It ought not to be too difficult for men of real integrity, men of God, to make an enlightened choice. Have we not sung together many times: “Do what is right, let the consequence follow”? The time is upon us when trust in that admonition needs to be expressed both in word and deed.

It is essential above all else to acknowledge that a brazen denial of the past has never been true faith, but just an avoidance of reality; and stubbornness has never been genuine strength, but just arrogance in disguise. This nettle before you must be grasped; this bullet must be bitten. It is for you to act now if you do not wish to stand condemned, not by history alone, but by all honest men and women throughout the world who value truth.

Take for example the case of the Book of Abraham. Scholars have been in no doubt about its true provenance for well over 40 years. However, the church hierarchy has in effect concealed the known facts from the tithe-paying membership. Why? Why are such vital historical discoveries not taught to the members as a matter of honour and integrity? Why is the myth of the Abrahamic papyrus still perpetuated even though it is proven to be false? After all, we read in church-approved manuals: “When we speak untruths, we are guilty of lying. We can also intentionally deceive others by a gesture or a look, by silence, or by telling only part of the truth. Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.” (p. 181 Priesthood & Relief Society manual, see http://lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-31-honesty?lang=eng).

Why then the deafening silence over something so radically important to the issue of belief in the prophetic office of Joseph Smith? Brethren, as the manual properly affirms, this kind of concealment is dishonesty; it cannot be called anything else. That fact alone is deeply distressing, but there is worse, for when such dishonesty is coupled with soliciting donations from a membership which lives in fear of spiritual condemnation if it fails to comply, it might perhaps be argued that institutional dishonesty has crossed a line and has become deception with intent to defraud. Or at any rate that is what we would probably call it in the UK. That reflects shamefully on all of us, and so I urge you to address this issue, or risk your names being forever tainted.

In the UK, most members pay their donations with added tax relief, and that resulting relief is additionally solicited by the church. This means that if deception with intent to defraud were ever to be proved, the long list of victims would not be limited just to the donors, but might also include the UK government, and therefore, in some way, each citizen of the UK. Assuming that UK offerings annually amount to a conservative £50m, it seems likely that the UK government is surrendering £10m per annum to the church as a corollary of the process. How much, therefore, has the average UK citizen unwittingly “donated” to the church over the last 40 years? This must be viewed as a potentially significant issue.

For most of us though, the deepest concern goes well beyond the earnings we have handed over under questionable circumstances. It is the devaluing of our standing in the eyes of our families and friends, which is most injurious to us, and it seems to occur whenever we place honesty above ecclesiastical loyalties.

I have a son I love and cherish as much as anything God has given me. I know he loves me too, but following my sincere attempt to be open with him about real church history, he concluded I had “lost the spirit”, and that I was no longer the person I had once been, the one he had always looked up to for advice and moral support. That wounded me deeply.

Why would he take such a view? Am I less honest, less charitable, less moral today than I was when I taught him at an early age to “follow the brethren”, and encouraged him to prepare to serve a mission for the church? Not at all. I am sure I am as much the person I ought to be now, as I ever have been. I have not really changed, even though my understanding of reality has. His respect for me has waned because you, (and those who formerly occupied your seats at General Conference), have consistently failed us. It is not his fault that he is afraid to look at the historical evidences which have opened my eyes. Nor is it his fault that he lives in fear of losing his own precious little eternal family if he should discover that my concerns are actually well founded. You have taught him throughout his life to fear the consequences of discovering the truth, and now he and we suffer daily for it.

It grieves me to know that he undoubtedly lives in a state of constant sorrow over what he sees as the disaffection of his parents and his siblings from the only divinely approved vehicle of salvation there is in this world. His life is needlessly streaked with unhappiness because of the fear of uncorrelated spiritual discovery you have sown in him since he first attended Primary. The demonstrably false tenet that God will not permit you, the Brethren, to lead the church astray has insidiously interpolated itself between us and his full trust, and so we are all condemned to suffer, as he doggedly tries to live an existence of false hope, vainly longing for things to be as they once were, but not knowing, (and, through fear, not wanting to know), the scale of the problems you have kept from him.

Having striven always to be honest with my fellow men, and having constantly held up that kind of example to our children, I find that a hidden wedge, (sometimes referred to by others as the “invisible elephant in the room”), has now resulted, and I am sure it is because he cannot prevent himself from measuring my worth by my unwillingness to pay you lip-service allegiance. As I no longer feel able to be supportive of your chosen ethos, he perceives that the fault is in me, for he has been thoroughly persuaded that you would not lead him astray. This is ironic on multiple levels, isn’t it?

We are more fortunate than many however, who, finding themselves in similar circumstances, are no longer even able to bring themselves to speak civilly to one another, for so great is the animosity arising from this issue of leadership infallibility. Tragically, Voltaire has been proven correct many times over in his observation that “Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices”.

Many LDS families have suffered and continue to suffer such injustices because of this infallibility belief first promulgated by Wilford Woodruff. It is time therefore to de-commission that pernicious and destructive teaching, which is currently instrumental in destroying so many kin relationships and friendships throughout the world.

There is a great need instead to re-enthrone the liberating principle of honest inquiry that all may freely discover the facts for themselves. This has been advocated by various leaders in the past, such as James E. Talmage, who stated:

“The man who cannot listen to an argument which opposes his views either has a weak position or is a weak defender of it. No opinion that cannot stand discussion or criticism is worth holding… In general it is true that nothing which cannot stand up under discussion or criticism is worth defending”

and J. Reuben Clark, who said:

“If we have the truth, it cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed”

and Hugh B. Brown, who observed:

“Only error fears freedom of expression.”

This current “control neurosis” should cease. It is time to do as Jesus would do, and teach a gospel of inclusiveness once more, which emphasizes that nobody should ever be considered a lesser person for pursuing ultimate truth, even if their quest leads them in due course to the conclusion that such truth is not found within Mormonism.

As you consider the humble origins of this church, and of Joseph Smith junior its founder, on this his 207th birthday, please don’t allow yourselves to be deceived into thinking that the finery and sophistry purchased with accumulated wealth in recent times, will ever be sufficient to cover up the sins of the past. The eventual cost of misleading the people at this crossroads would prove far greater than any price you would pay for championing transparency and inclusiveness. And if your courage begins to fail you as you stand upon this momentous brink, then please exercise full faith, and do not attempt to count the cost as you cast off the worn and torn rags of misrepresentation which, to be truthful, have adorned Joseph Smith’s church throughout its history.

Provided your intentions are worthy ones, we, the many disillusioned members, are ready to help in every possible way if you will only begin to speak to us, and also listen to what we have to say, just as Elder Holland promised he would do on BBC television earlier this year.

However, your desire for realignment must be full and sincere. Half-truths will no longer do, for they are also half-falsehoods, and will be found out. The searing light of truth must be shone upon every concern. Full disclosure is the only hope there is that the patient may be healed of his otherwise terminal condition.

The time has come; this moment of opportunity may never return.

In hope,
Chris Ralph

Posted in Open Letters | 2 Comments