The fiction goes that when a man is selected to be a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles, he is chosen by god through that living prophet. David O. McKay was the living prophet when Monson was called to be an apostle.  In effect, the quorum of apostles becomes the reserve pool for succession to the living prophet/president status of the church. Only by out- living more senior members does the survivor succeed to the presidency.

However, the “law” of succession relies on a principle that the title “Apostle” signifies the man has seen the face of Christ/god and in fact can attest to the world with personal knowledge that god exists.  This notion makes an Apostle semi-divine! Mormons dutifully believe that fiction and will lay down their lives in its defense.

In the winter of 1974-75 the writer had the opportunity of meeting face to face with an apostle, Howard Hunter. The purpose was that he had issues to discuss with church leaders concerning the status of black male members of the church who were denied equality in respect to priesthood rights. The request for a face to face meeting had been going on for well over five years. Finally, it was arranged at the Columbia River Stake quarterly conference in Vancouver, Washington.

The meeting was not productive, as inappropriate others were present. The meeting was thus unbalanced, with Hunter telling the writer that if he continued his efforts he would be destroyed. The writer asked him a question, “Brother Hunter, have you ever seen the Lord?” Hunter’s face reddened, and he spun his head toward the wall shouting, “If I ever had, I would never tell it to a soul!”  At this point the regional representative jumped out of his chair shouting at the writer,” Do you know who you are talking to?” The response was, “Yes an imposter!”

The issue of valid revelation is critical to the very existence of the church, for without it the church has no foundation. Unlike so many hundreds of religious theories that have catapulted numerous churches into existence, the Mormon concept out-does them all with the bold assertion that it is the restored church by direct revelation from god. Yet between January 14, 1847 and the present day, not one revelation has been codified by the church with the exception of sections 137 and 138 which were belatedly added to the D&C. Section 137 allegedly was received on January 21, 1836 and Section 138 on October 3 , 1918. Why these were added to the D&C belatedly, we can guess, is only be to keep the flock believing in revelation.

We will take two late examples of inferred revelations, called manifestos, and scrutinize them to see if they came about by revelation or capitulation to outside pressure.

MANIFESTO I

It matters not who started polygamy within the Mormon Church: founder Joseph Smith, Jr. or Brigham Young [the record shows Smith]; the fact that it was practiced openly within the church is unquestioned.  Most of the states at the time, in the middle of the nineteenth century, had laws on their books prohibiting bigamy. Polygamy was not thought of or legally practiced within the United States yet. It would have qualified as bigamy.

When Brigham Young took his followers west to the Rocky Mountains in 1846, the area was a possession of Mexico.  Young sought a region in which the Mormons could practice their religion without interference. The migration occurred at an historical time when the doctrine of the “Manifest Destiny” of the United States going from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean was being implemented by the US military. A border dispute was created by the military, establishing a base some 150 kilometers inside Mexico.

A naval invasion armada of the US military was sent to the Gulf of Mexico, which invaded a sovereign nation battling its way into Mexico City, forcing surrender and imposing the will of those who supported Manifest Destiny by the surrender to the US of an area of Mexico. That area today consists of ten western states. Utah is one of those states.

Interestingly, most of the generals of the Union and Confederate armies were young officer graduates of West Point who participated in the invasion, including Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.

On the trek west, the US military intercepted the first migration train and sought to recruit men to march to the area delineated as the proposed new border between Mexico and the United States. In an effort to gain some US currency, ** Young organized some 500 men who became known as the Mormon Battalion. By the time they reached the border, the settlement with Mexico was known, and the battalion disbanded in southern California with most members finding their way back to Utah. One member is credited with the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, forecasting the Gold Rush.

Without detailing all of the subsequent Utah history, it is sufficient to say that the status of the area was that of a territory of the United States. It was a territory until the 1890s when statehood was granted. 

Because the practice of polygamy was occurring within the territory, any state’s prohibition did not apply. US territorial laws at the time had no mention of bigamy or polygamy. It was up to the US Congress and/or the US Supreme Court to implement a territorial law which would generally conform to the laws of the several states. The Congress acted and it was appealed to the Supreme Court.

In Reynolds vs. United States (1878), The US Supreme Court, after rationalizing the Anglo American tradition of monogamy, affirmed the law proscribing polygamy as constitutional. From that time until 1890 the church refused to officially recognize the law. Statehood was denied the Utah territory until it would conform to law. Still the church refused to conform. The Federal government finally escheated (confiscated) all the property of the church as a penalty to make it conform.

As a result of that pressure, on September 24th 1890, then- president of the church Wilford Woodruff, by Official Declaration addressed To “Whom It May Concern” announced that henceforth the church would no longer engage in plural marriage. That announcement was called the Manifesto*** not a revelation. It was a capitulation to Federal law. Many faithful members went south across the Mexican border to practice polygamy. It is an issue which unsettled the church.

It is significant that the church has refused to this day to remove the 132nd section of the Doctrine & Covenants containing the revelation given founder Joseph Smith establishing polygamy. Perhaps it is duplicitous, so that when they acquire [as they desire] the power to change the laws they will re-instate the principle.

Today it continues to rankle male members of the church who look forward to the day when polygamy can legally be re-instated. **** There are main stream Mormon men in high positions in Utah who continue to practice it near borders with adjoining states.

 [More on that at a later date]

MANIFESTO II

Without regard to its own historical error, the Mormon Church as late as 1978 held the view that Black male members of the church were the descendants of Biblical Cain who killed his brother Abel. That Cain was punished by God and his sons were cursed- marked with a black skin - and therefore could not hold the priesthood of god.

When the Oakland Temple of the church was dedicated on November 19, 1964 a black reporter from the Oakland newspaper asked church president David O. McKay, “When will the Mormon Church give priesthood to black men?”   McKay responded with the statement, “Not in my lifetime nor yours!” McKay died in January 1970. It is unknown if the reporter was still alive on June 9, 1978.

Sterling M. McMurrin, an academic of the church, exclaimed that the church would never in his lifetime grant priesthood to Negroes.  He died at age 82 in 1996. 18 years after the church did grant priesthood. Countless other “experts” held that it would never happen so strong was the racism within the church.

Yet on June 9th 1978, the church, with a lot of fanfare, rushed to find “worthy” black male members to quickly ordain them to priesthood. What had happened? President Spencer Wooley Kimball had issued Manifesto II.

Why? Because the church leaders were subject to prosecution for the death and interference with the affairs of the late Howard Hughes. It seems they had gotten the word from a publication called the Millennial Messenger outlining that interference in April 1978.

Two months later they capitulated and sought assurances from the author that he would cease his assault on the church leaders. 

When he refused they took the issue to another level authorizing the execution of a planned backup conspiracy to discredit resulting in the death of a prominent attorney John C. Ragan in a small town known as Shelton Washington. That story has yet to be fully told. Discovering the discredit plan the writer did back off and has waited 30 years for another cause celebre affecting the church which is the gay marriage issue.

Additionally, the church had been embarrassed for over two years by actions of the writer in ordaining a black man to priesthood and subsequent events, including a shooting and a suicide of a Salt Lake PD officer.

In any event, the reversal was not revelation as many members of the church have been led to believe, but like manifesto I was a capitulation in an attempt to escape prosecution and other embarrassment.

MANIFESTO III

It’s coming and will involve a reversal of homophobia.

** Researchers discovered that the monthly pay made by the US army to those 500 men was collected by Orin Porter Rockwell, an old west gunslinger and body guard to Brigham Young. He was accompanied by John Doyle Lee, a Danite, who was executed by firing squad many years later for his role in the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. The money was turned directly over to Young who used it for his own purposes in setting up the kingdom known as Deseret. None of the money was turned over to the numerous wives of the Mormon Battalion.

*** On October 6, 1890 at the semi-annual conference of the church in Salt Lake City, Lorenzo Snow, counselor to Woodruff, referred to the Official Declaration of September 24th of Woodruff’s as the Manifesto in requesting to the members present that it be accepted as binding upon the church. The vote to sustain was unanimous.

**** As an illustration of that belief/hope for reintroduction of polygamy, the author offers the following: In December 1998 while visiting the birthplace museum of church founder Joseph, Jr. in Vermont, he met a Vermont attorney, a member of the church who was on duty that day as a tour guide. He and the writer got into a discussion about polygamy. At That time the issue of same sex marriage was before the Vermont Supreme Court. This attorney made the comment that if the court found same sex marriage to be constitutional ,it would open the door for the church to reinstate polygamy. The Vermont Supreme Court later ruled same sex marriage to be State Constitutional!

What a thought! Perhaps Thomas Monson and his group of twelve ought to consider backing off their position against Gay marriage so that they can use gay marriage as a lever to re-assert their notion of divinely authored polygamous marriage. Certainly same sex marriage does not conform to traditional Anglo American marriage any more than polygamy!  After all, what is more important to god; a relatively few same sex married couples that can do no harm or massive compliance with his will of polygamy outlined in the 132nd Section of the D & C? By doing so they can issue Manifesto III.

Authors Bio:

Retired General Contractor and ATTORNEY AT LAW

Credentials include pressuring the LDS church to accept racial equality

with Black men some 30 years ago by public action

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