Warren Jeffs, my best friend

I wrote this post over a year ago, just after Warren Jeffs was arrested:

Warren Jeffs is the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints. He wasn’t always the leader; in fact only 10 years ago he had no position in the Church other than that of one over his family, although he was head of the private school in Sandy, Utah. He was ordained by his father, Rulon T Jeffs, the head of the church, to the second highest office in the Church in December 1997, at the passing of then First Councilor Parley Harker. He held that position until his father’s death in September 2002, when he became the head of the church.

I first met Warren Jeffs when I began going to Alta Academy, where he was the principal. He had been teaching there since he graduated from high school in 1973. All of the teachers at Alta were volunteers, and only a few of them were actually certified. To make a living Warren Jeffs was a very good accountant, and also a computer programmer. He created quite a few computer accounting programs for businesses in Utah and Idaho. I remember very well the times in class when he would be interrupted by a phone call from one of his customers. Once in Geography class, I remember him speaking to a customer in Idaho over a speakerphone, and they offered him any amount to fly up there to fix their system. We, the students of the class started to cheer him on. “Go, go!” (We did this get out of getting home work) But he very carefully explained to the customer on the phone how to fix the problem. “Darn!”

If anyone is wondering if that school really taught anything, I can only tell you my story. I grew up in Salt Lake City and went to school in the public school system until I graduated from the sixth grade at Lincoln Elementary, its highest grade. I was on the honor roll, and I had the second highest score in our whole school on the Achievement Test at the end of the year. My first year at Alta, I averaged a C, and got my first F. That school was tough.

Some will tell you that Warren Jeffs beat the children, etc. but come on. My little brother got the paddle once when he attacked his teacher in second grade. I had a yardstick broken over my desk in seventh grade when I wouldn't be quiet. But neither of these were done by Warren Jeffs.

One thing that I remember most about Mr. Jeffs (as we called him) besides his sincere empathy; was his incredible ability to remember names. Many times after morning devotional class, one of the younger grades would go up with their teacher to show him some of their work. He would shake their hands and call each of them by name, almost every single one, even when there was a hundred. He was always pleasant and soft spoken, you could hear in his voice the anxiousness he had for all of us to succeed.

Warren Jeffs became a master teacher, unlike anyone I have ever met. He wasn’t mesmerizing, he wasn’t captivating, he was engaging, and he could teach any subject. I have an uncle who was in College who told me that in when he was in his 3rd level calculus class, he got stumped on a certain problem, and Mr. Jeffs explained it to him better than his college professor did. In teaching Math, History, and Geography classes he would always engage the whole class, and make us ask and aswer tough questions. In Geography, he would read the Salt Lake Tribune to us and make us take notes. My senior year he was my teacher in all but two classes. He taught most of the math classes, all of the History classes, Accounting, Geography, Computer Science, Chemistry, Chorus, among others. Some periods he would actually teach two subjects at once. There were only three of us in Algebra II, so he taught it with his Algebra I class.

Warren Jeffs was well known in the FLDS church during his father’s Presidency, he became the featured speaker on the subjects that his father wanted taught in Priesthood meetings, and in Church. At the very first Conference after the death of Leroy S Johnson, Warren sang the solo part of the Hymn “The Seer”. He had been teaching the Elders class in Salt Lake City from before I first started going to the meetings. I remember very well how precise he was in teaching the lessons, he would always make sure that he only taught what he was taught, and never taught anything that he could not verify, he never took credit for himself. He relied heavily on the words in the sermons of his father, Leroy S Johnson, John Y Barlow, John Taylor, Brigham Young, and Joseph Smith. He bore the strongest testimony of the words of the Prophets as being the inspired word of God to the people, from Adam to Rulon T Jeffs.

Each school day that Uncle Rulon was in Salt Lake, Mr. Jeffs would meet with and ask him what he wanted taught to the students that day.

Warren Jeffs helped to develop a computer program that could search every word in a text document, and he headed up a project to put all of the sermons in the Journal of Discourses, the sermons of Leroy S Johnson, and the sermons of Rulon T Jeffs; into a computer database that could be searched by keywords..

Using this searching ability, Warren Jeffs, at the request of his father, put several books together to teach the people about the religion that Joseph Smith brought forth. “In Light and Truth”, and “History of Priesthood Succession” are the central ones. These were meant to teach the FLDS people, but seeing that many ex members have them, I write this here. If you want to read these, or listen to any of his recorded history classes, contact Jay Beswick, (desciple of Flora Jessop) he seems very interested in flaunting the fact that he has them, maybe he will share.

I want to tell why there are so many recorded sermons by Warren Jeffs. All of them that Jay has are history classes, and young ladies classes from when he was the Principal at Alta Academy. When I was in 10th grade I was in “Ancient Priesthood History” Class and we were required to take notes and rewrite them and create a notebook of what we learned, this was the only “work” in the class. Sometimes students would be absent from the class and so they could not take notes, and before he started recording the classes, you would have to copy someone else’s notes into your own. He was very hesitant to record his voice, but when some of the students started bringing mini tape recorders into the class, he decided it would curb the unfair advantage of absenteeism, and began recording the classes. This spread from History, to Geography, and finally to Devotional; all of the classes that required note taking. At the request of the teachers and the direction of his father, he started a “Teachers History” Class that he taught once a week in the evenings, beginning in 1995 and ending in 1998 when the school closed. This was an effort to teach the teachers how to teach history, and to teach the Priesthood interpretation of history from Adam up to this day. That interpretation is that the Prophets did what God wanted them to do. ALL of them.

I didn’t want to address the fact that Warren Jeffs is considered by most people as a criminal. It is almost impossible for my brain to even comprehend that he was on the FBI top ten most wanted list. I still have to think about it over and over again. Are you kidding me? Warren Jeffs? The guy who couldn’t harm a flea? The skinny guy who got his ribs cracked by my brother while playing dare base? They guy who Mrs. Wall [Elissa's mother, our English teacher] beat in an arm wrestle? FBI TOP TEN? When am I going to wake up? I need somebody to slap me. Hello?

So what is the crime? Performing weddings? Family counseling? Top Ten? Being the Father to his children and the husband to his wives? FBI MOST WANTED? HELLOO?

It blows the mind. And proves to me the the FLDS church is God's church. And proves to me that Warren is the Prophet, for you can see how right something is by how hated and lied about it is.

I know for a fact that the lost boys, Shem Fischer, Jane Doe [Elissa Wall], and most especially his nephew Brent, are plain lying. I was there. Dan Fischer, (the rich dentist who helped the seniors buy Warren Jeffs a brand new van), is behind all four of these lawsuits. They are frivolous, bogus, and that nephew one is absolutely disgusting.

The reason Warren did not fight these lawsuits is obvious to me, knowing the man as I do. There are several obvious reasons. One is the fact that he has no desire to confront his nephew,and his memory induced by a psychiatrist. There are hundreds of witnesses to the times and events around Brent and his uncles who could refute the charges, including Brent’s own brothers and sisters. But who would want to? Uncle Warren had zero desire to ask anyone to go to court and listen to such filthy garbage. He even asked the people to not read the newspapers when the story came out. It is repugnant and appalling.

Another reason [which may have been a bad one in hindsight] was the sheer cost it would put on the FLDS people. Warren Jeffs has no money of his own, all of his substinance comes from the donations of the people. He knew that very well and would rather spend the donations building homes for the people than spending it and going into debt to pay lawyers.

The thought that anyone believes the lawsuits are legitimate is rather insulting to me personally. Not that my integrity is unimpugnable, but realize, just for one minute, that I willingly left my beautiful wife whom I would die for, I left my sweet angelic children who are worth more than all the world to me, and I left all of my wonderful friends and family in the FLDS; because I know that this is the only way for me to gain the integrity that I didn’t have. I would rather die than lie, because I know that God sees and hears everything I do and everything I think. To give up what I have proves how much I know he is innocent.

Warren Jeffs is an innocent man. If he is condemned to the death that his enemies desire, I would gladly take his place. And I have lost more than all of those who are suing him put together have lost. That is how innocent he is. I would bet my life on it.