"We are trying to get a sewer system in our community, and in order to do so, we have to give a bond on the land that the sewer goes over. We have refused to give a bond to a loaning agency such as the Farmers Home, a government agency. We went to our lawyers to see what we could do about it. So they said this. We will call some of the agencies around -- bonding insurance agencies. They called three or four agents in the state and they said, We won't touch anything that belongs to the United Effort Plan because the United Effort Plan is a trust-- an old--line trust; it cannot be sued. So, we couldn't sue these people if they were to fall down on their payments; they couldn't be sued for the remaining money."
Showing posts with label United Order. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United Order. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Original UEP Trust
"We are trying to get a sewer system in our community, and in order to do so, we have to give a bond on the land that the sewer goes over. We have refused to give a bond to a loaning agency such as the Farmers Home, a government agency. We went to our lawyers to see what we could do about it. So they said this. We will call some of the agencies around -- bonding insurance agencies. They called three or four agents in the state and they said, We won't touch anything that belongs to the United Effort Plan because the United Effort Plan is a trust-- an old--line trust; it cannot be sued. So, we couldn't sue these people if they were to fall down on their payments; they couldn't be sued for the remaining money."
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Consecration
A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, September 10, 1854.
By the request of our President, I arise this afternoon for the purpose of addressing you upon those subjects that may be presented to my mind, feeling joyful in my heart that I have the opportunity.
I do not say, as many others may have said, that it is a disagreeable task, or a very great cross, for me to address the Saints; this is not the case; it is a pleasure and a joy; and I feel to esteem it as a blessing from the hand of God, that I have the privilege from time to time of meeting with His people, and speaking about the great things that God has revealed, which belong to our peace, happiness, and welfare, both here and hereafter.
There is no other subject that I care much about. As it regards earthly things, temporal things, the riches of this world, or the honors of this world, I will not say they are of a secondary nature to me, but they are far beneath this; though they may be good in their place, yet my whole object and design, delight and joy, is to do the will of God, to benefit the children of men, and to seek after the welfare, happiness, and peace, not only of myself and family, but also of the whole human race, as far as it is within my power.
It does me good to return, after an absence of two years, and again look upon the faces of the brethren and sisters; there is something so different in the expression of your countenances from what we see abroad in the world; the principles of goodness, of righteousness, of virtue, and of holiness seem to be enstamped upon the countenances of the Saints of the living God; the spirit of meekness, of sobriety, of solemnity-a Godlike spirit is reflected in every feature of those who are truly good, which seems to carry peace, happiness, and joy to the hearts of those who gaze upon them with the same spirit. But after all, brethren, we are not near as good as we might be, in many respects. Though we are far in advance of the nations of the earth, though we have become far exalted above them in the principles of virtue, truth, righteousness, and a oneness of feeling, yet there is still room for improvement, and, while we remain here in the flesh, there will be room for improvement, upon all these principles, upon all the attributes of divinity, and upon everything that is good and Godlike.
There is one subject that presents itself to my mind, and upon which I have meditated in years past and gone, and which gave me great joy when I learned that it was being established in our midst. What is it? It is the consecration of the properties of the whole Church, according to the written revelations, commandments, and laws of the Most High God. I heard of this about the time I was starting upon the plains for this place, and it gave me great joy to learn that there was a prominent step taken at your last Conference to bring about and accomplish this object. I consider it is one of the most important objects to be accomplished among the Saints of Latter-days.
You may ask why? You may think that this contradicts my first statement-that the temporal things of this life are not even of a secondary consideration with me. They are not in one respect, but, in another, I consider them a part and portion of the religion that we as a people have embraced, and a very essential and necessary part too.
We read in the revelations that God has given, that the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; well, if it is the Lord's and the fulness of it, then it does not belong to you nor me as individuals, exclusive of others. If the Lord had set apart, and consecrated, and given a certain portion of the earth to any individual with a deed and covenant, he might with some propriety call it his own; but all other deeds that are according to Gentile laws, and the institutions of the nations of the earth, do not, according to the laws and revelations of heaven, give to men the exclusive right to the things of this world, as their own; they are good enough in their place, for the Lord deals with the nations according to their light; and suffers laws to be enacted that are good in their place, and calculated to govern imperfect beings; laws to govern and control property; and in many respects, they are just adapted to the circumstances and conditions of the nations where they are enacted; and they are the means of doing much good in preserving what are termed the rights of individuals, and of the citizens generally; and they should not be done away, until circumstances will permit of their being superseded by a more perfect law. That more perfect order is what we wish to speak a few words upon at this present time.
The Lord told us something about it in the revelations He gave a long time ago, in the year 1831, when ancient "Mormonism," as it has often been termed, was first introduced; we call it ancient, because it seems quite long to us narrow minded creatures.
There were certain laws and revelations then given, in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, pertaining to the Lord's earth, and the righteous that He has upon it. I will repeat a small clause which was given before the Church was one year old, in March 1831. It reads thus-wherefore "it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin." This was revealed above twenty-three years ago; we will again repeat it, "It is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin." Here was a hint of the more perfect law and order of things that God intended eventually to introduce among this people; and which I am happy to say, there has been a great step already taken at the last Conference to bring about; and I hope that I may be permitted to live to see this law carried out to the fullest extent among the Saints of the living God.
Remember, that as long as there is inequality in the things that belong to the Lord, the world lieth in sin. It is not given to them that they should possess one above another. I intend to explain how this is to be brought about, and also show how one man can possess hundreds and thousands of dollars, in a certain sense of the word, and another man only one dollar, and yet both, be equal; but they possess the same, not as their own, but as stewards of the Lord; it being the Lord's property.
We read, in another revelation that God gave in the early rise of this Church, that unless we are equal in earthly things, we cannot be made equal in heavenly things. Here is an equality preached. There must be equality in earthly things, in order that we may be equal in heavenly things. Now supposing the people were all to be made equal to-day, tomorrow they would, through circumstances, become unequal: but I will show you how this equality can be established upon an order that never can be shaken-that inequality, in regard to property, never more can be introduced among the Saints, that no circumstance which can transpire can make them unequal. If a fire should burn up a man's barn, and his stacks of grain, and every thing he has accumulated, I will prove to you that it does not render him unequal with his brethren on the principle the Lord has established and ordained; so that when this order is once established among this people, they will become equal in earthly things, which will prepare them to be made equal in heavenly things.
In the first place how shall we get at this order? In what manner and by what means shall we begin to lay the foundation of this equality? The Lord has told us, that it is required of every man in this Church to lay all things, not one tenth alone, but to lay all things before the Bishop of His Church; consecrate the whole of it-everything he has-his flocks and herds-his cattle, horses, and mules-his gold and silver-his wearing apparel, watches, jewellery, and everything he possesses; consecrate it; not keep back a portion like Annanias and his wife, but give everything-make a full consecration to begin with. (Voice in the stand, "Wives and children.") Yes, give wives and children of course: the wives have given themselves to their husband, and he has to consecrate them; they are the Lord's, He has only lent them to us.
Supposing that the people had complied with this law when it was first given, in every respect, instead of seeing inequality that has reigned for these many years in this Church, we should now have seen a different order of things. But we lacked experience, and there was too much covetousness in our hearts, for a full consecration of property, then. In consecrating property, we must, in the first place, remember that it is not ours. Why? Because the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. We have no cattle, no gold or silver, no watches or jewellery, no property of any description, no houses, lands, or any thing else which is our own, if the fulness of the earth is the Lord's. Then in consecrating that which we have been in the habit of calling our own, we are only returning to the Lord His own property-that which we became legally possessed of according to the laws of man, but not according to the laws of God, He never having directly given us the things which we claim as ours; we have not got them according to the celestial law-according to the great principle and order God has established; but we came by them through speculation, trading, labor, etc., and after we thus got them they are the Lord's still. We consecrate this property-it all goes into the hands of the Bishop of the Church. If the whole Church were to consecrate in this way they would have nothing left of their own. Then, it would all be the Lord's, and it has to be consecrated too, says the revelation, with a covenant and a deed that cannot be broken; that is, according to the law of God and man, and if it is made according to the law of God in all respects, and also according to the law of the land in which we live, it will be in the situation the Lord wants it in, even the whole property of the Church.
We ask, are they not all equal now? Yes. If the whole Church have consecrated every thing in their possession to the Bishop, is there not a perfect equality among them before they get their stewardship? Yes: this makes them perfectly so, as far as property is concerned; they are all in a state of equality, owning nothing. What is the next step to be taken in order to bring about equality of property. The Lord says, "Let the Bishop appoint every man his stewardship," for, says the Lord, "It is required of every man to render an account of his stewship [stewardship], both in time and in eternity." Now the Bishop begins and parcels out to this man his stewardship, and to that one his stewardship, according to the counsels of the First Presidency of the Church-the authority that has the management and control of the Lord's property. Each one gets his stewardship.
Now supposing one man obtained double the quantity of another; it is not his, but the stewardship is the Lord's; consequently the man is on a perfect equality with his brother still. But there is another sense in which this equality may be made, so far as the consecrating of property to the Church is concerned, which includes the whole of it. I say, who does it belong to in another sense of the word? I have shown you that it belongs to the Lord, and if we are His, we shall inherit it with Him; consequently in another sense of the word it is all ours. If each one in the Church, then, possesses the whole of it, as joint heirs with the Lord, is there not an equality? You may diminish the common property or joint fund just as much as you please. Suppose it were diminished to one half by mobs, &c., it does not make the Church unequal, not in the least; for each one may be considered as the possessor of the whole; he inherits all things; he is a joint heir with Jesus Christ in the inheritance of the earth, and all the fulness thereof. Can you make any inequality here? If each man in the Church is a joint inheritor of all the property, and a part of it, it makes each one perfectly equal with the rest.
Now I defy you to bring about an equality upon any other principle. You may divide the properties of the Church to-day, yes, if it be possible, make perfectly equal division of it, so that every man in the whole Church should have his share, and let him call it his own; it would not be one day before there would be an inequality again introduced; and one man would possess that which is above another; it could not be otherwise; the changes, difficulties, want of judgment in the management and control of property, and all these things combined together, would serve to render these divided shares unequal; one man losing a large portion of his property through mismanagement; another by fire, by mobocracy, or in some other way, so that neither would have one half, one quarter, or perhaps one hundredth part as much as some of his brethren with whom he was only a short time before perfectly equal.
No equality can be brought about by dividing property; the Lord never intended such an order of things. It is not a division of property that is going to bring about a oneness among the Latter-day Saints in temporal things, but it is a union of property, that all the property may be united, and considered belonging to the Lord, and to every individual in the whole Church, as joint heirs with Him, or as His stewards. You may imagine, then, how my heart rejoiced, when I received a letter from our beloved President, informing me that steps had been taken for a full consecration of the property of the Church, to introduce the order of stewardships among the Saints of God.
But in regard to these stewardships, it is not needful or necessary, or the Lord never intended, that every man should possess an equal amount of stewardship with his brother. Why? Because God has given to some men greater ability to manage and control property than others. He may give to one, one talent; to another, two; to another, three; to another, five; and to another, ten; and then command them to make use of these talents according to the instructions and revelations given, and be accountable to Him who gave them. "It is required of every man," says the Lord, "to be accountable to me in their stewardships, both in time and in eternity;" consequently these stewards have to render all their accounts to some one in time, but to whom? To the Lord's Bishop-to those whom the Lord has appointed to receive the accounts. And if a man undertakes to squander the stewardship which the Lord has entrusted to him, He takes it away, and gives it to another who is a more wise steward; one who will manage His property in such a way as to benefit the whole; each one seeking the interest of the whole as well as of himself.
Each one is to be considered as possessor of all things in the Church; but if it be all common property, how is it that the Saints can get along and give an account of their stewardship of property? Will not one brother go and pick up his brother's plow, and take it off, without asking him for it, imagining that he is the possessor of all things? Yes, if that brother had no understanding he would do it, but when he comes to understand the law of the Lord, he will find that all these stewardships are controlled by the wisest kind of laws; hence the Lord says, "Thou shall not take thy brother's garment; thou shalt pay for that which thou dost receive from thy brother." Notwithstanding the whole property belongs to the Lord, and to each one as joint heirs, yet the Lord has given strict laws with regard to the stewardships, so that one has no business to go and pick up his neighbor's ax, or take any of his stewardship from him, without leave; but he is to pay for that which he receives from his brother steward, unless he borrow it by fairly asking for it.
On this principle it would be an easy matter for each steward to render an account of his time; and if necessary he could account for every item of his stewardship. But if it were permitted to run at random, according to the vague ideas of common stock in some societies in the world, away would go a man's hat, or his coat, and he could render no account of it at all. But according to the strict principle which the Lord has ordained, he could show to his Bishop a full account of everything in his stewardship-that he has gained so much here, and made so much there, upon the Lord's property. What says the Bishop? "Well done, good and faithful steward, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will enlarge that stewardship," providing he had anything to enlarge it with. "You have gained other talents; you have increased upon that intrusted to your charge; you have not squandered it away foolishly for that which would not profit you."
There would be no desire on the part of stewards to steal, "For, says one, If I go and steal from another steward, it is all the Lord's, and it would do just as much good in the hands of that steward to whom it was intrusted, as if I were to possess it by stealing it from him."
How much every Saint ought to be interested for this order of things to be brought about, realizing that all the property of the Church is for his own good as well as for the good of the whole body.
But in regard to these inequalities in stewardship: I will show you another principle where men may have equal judgment, and yet there may be an inequality of stewardships; it is in consequence of the various branches of business in which they may be engaged. It is well known that for farming purposes, it does not require the same skill as for manufacturing many articles, nor the same capital. And the ingenious mechanic, who understands the nature or construction of machinery, might have to be intrusted with stewardship of one hundred thousand dollars worth of property to establish his manufactory, and work it so as to have it prove a benefit to the whole Church; and without this amount being put into his hands, as a steward, he might not be able to accomplish anything needed in the particular branch of manufacturing with which he was familiar. The stewardships, in such cases, would be different, not only in kind, but in the amount or value of the stewardship.
Let me illustrate this in another way; not but what I suppose all the Saints understand it, but you only want to be put in mind of that you have understood for years, but have not perhaps practised upon it; and unless a people practise upon that they do understand, it does not benefit them much. Suppose a man have twelve sons, and he had according to the laws of the land 78 acres of ground; he gives to his oldest son twelve acres as a steward; he gives to his next son eleven acres, and to the next ten, and so on down to the youngest; which he gives one acre; and says unto them, "Manage these different inheritances that I have set off to you, and gain all you can;" would those sons have any right or title to call that property their own? No: they would say, "It is father's property, and he has told us to go and occupy it, and he has given us rules by which we are to be governed; that the youngest may not encroach upon the oldest, nor any one encroach upon another, but that each stewardship may be managed and controlled according to the regulations he has given, and at the end of the year each of us must render strict account to our father of every iota of our business transactions, of our losses and gains in trading, etc." Now all this property, we see, belongs to the father, but it is all for the benefit of the twelve sons; they are all to be made joint heirs with the father in the possession of it. In due time, when they have learned the law the father has ordained, they will be prepared to enter as joint owners upon the grand inheritances, not only of acres, but to possess all things that the father has.
Temporal things are a type of heavenly things, as the Lord says, in one of the revelations, "All things have their likeness, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual." Does this order of things-the equality of property-have its likeness? Yes, in the heavens, and it is typical of that celestial order that we are all praying for, that we all desire the Lord to bestow upon us. We all feel very anxious to enter into the fulness of celestial glory, and inherit thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, and to have kingdoms appointed to us, and to receive crowns and to sway a sceptre over kingdoms, as wise rulers. If we want to get there, we must begin here, and learn the order that is to be there. If we should have a division of property here, as we have had heretofore, and continue this order of things, as has been for many years back, and never should begin to practise upon this equality of things which God has ordained in His law, when we come to enter the courts above, we should be ignoramuses; we could say, "We read in your law something about it, but the people did not practise it, they were careless, and did not keep the law." And now we do not know how to manage this celestial glory, and those kingdoms, and these worlds placed under our charge; for we are to give an account, not only in time, but in eternity, of our stewardship; consequently we must improve upon the true order of things here, which is typical of that which is hereafter; and if we learn the lessons here, everything there will be plain before us, and we will be able to enter into the very things we have been practising years before. There will be an inequality, no doubt, in some respects in the eternal worlds, in proportion to the eternal things that will be intrusted to the servants, as in temporal things; but there will be a perfect equality in another respect; the revelation says, "He maketh them equal in might, and in power, and in dominions."
Did you ever think of that? It is only in one respect. Each one will be made joint heir of all things in heaven, and upon earth. What more can a person want, if he is made a joint heir of all things; and one revelation says, he that is a faithful and wise steward in time shall inherit all things; consequently they are equal in dominion, and in power, and in might, as the vision states. This don't say that each one shall actually control, and govern, and manage all things; that is a very different thing; just as it is here in temporal things, though each person may be considered as the inheritor of all the properties of the Church; yet when he comes to the management of property, he has only a share; so in heavenly things, a person may have the management of only one world, or of two, or of three, or of as many as there are particles of dust that compose our globe, yet, after all, each can proclaim himself as the inheritor of all things, being a joint heir of the grand universal inheritance.
There is no division of celestial glory, imparting to each one an equality of dominion; and might, and power; it is not to be divided, but there is an equality in the union of all these things. That is what we want to get at here; we want to learn the alphabet of it here, and advance to the a, be, abbs, and get over into two syllables, and keep on until we understand all about the celestial order by practice in this world, and then we will learn the laws that are to govern the different individuals that control and manage certain portions of the great joint stock inheritance; we will learn the laws that are to rule and govern between man and man; and we will not be ignorant of it when we go into the next world, we will find there that one kingdom will not have the right to encroach upon the royalty of another and take away its right, but each one will be governed by true and holy laws. Upon this principle, and this only, can we understand those revelations which so often speak of the principles of equality in the eternal worlds. Equality of dominion we cannot understand, by supposing each person that comes into the celestial glory is going to have the same number of worlds, and of kingdoms, and thrones set off to him that those have who have been in the celestial glory millions of ages-that he is going to have the same number of principalities and powers, and servants or angels to wait upon him to carry out his commands. An equality of dominion is that that I have already explained, each one inheriting all things, according to the laws God has ordained for celestial beings, but not directly or personally controlling only that which is placed under his management.
Much might be said upon this subject; it is glorious, and it is a principle I wish the Saints in Utah may all be enlisted in, that it may be sought by the nations afar off, when they come to learn that this people are the people of God, and they are governed by God's laws; that they may see the order carried out before them in practice, that we may be looked to as a great light set upon the mountains, that will reflect upon all the face of the earth, and show the people the true order by practice, and then they will see the difference between God's order of the possession of property, and the little, narrow, contracted orders established by man; for each one is grasping for all he can get, oppressing the widow and the fatherless, bearing down his neighbor, and grinding him down in distress, tyrannising over mankind, because he has riches at his command. The Lord has seen this order long enough, and it is a stink in His nostrils, and He wishes it driven away from the earth, and He has given us instructions to do it away, and if we want to do it away, let us begin among ourselves first. I rejoice in this principle, because it takes away the idea of having so many poor in our midst. You know in the days of Enoch the Lord placed the people upon the high places and mountains, and they flourished, and He blessed them, and called them Zion because there was no poor among them, and the Lord was in their midst.
Now the Latter Day Zion is to be built up according to the same pattern, so far as circumstances will permit, for we expect that the Zion which was built up by Enoch, that had no poor in it, will come down again at the commencement of the Millennium to meet the Zion here, according to the song in the Book of Covenants, "The Lord has brought up Zion from beneath, the Lord has brought down Zion from above," and they shall gaze upon each other's countenances, and see eye to eye. When we get there how sadly we should be disappointed, if we should look forward upon all the vast extent of the Zion of Enoch, and all the Zions God has taken out of His creations to heaven, and should see no poor among them; and then we should look upon Zion brought up from beneath, containing poor and rich; should we not be ashamed? especially when we reflected that the law of God had been among us; we should not have boldness to gaze upon their countenances, unless we came into the same order of things that existed among them.
Let us prepare ourselves for the coming of Enoch's Zion, that we may have the same order of things among us that they had in the beginning. Then, again, it will be a glorious thing in many other respects. What is it that creates this great inequality that we naturally see in the world, in reward to the high and low? It is the difference of parentage in many respects. One man is so situated he can train up his children in all the learning of the day; he can take them into his carriage, and they can ride at their ease, and in their grandeur, while the poor and needy and destitute bow before them, or are trampled under their feet. There is no such thing as union there, because they were unequal to begin with. When the Saints have this established in their midst, you will see them all alike, where none can say that "such a person is richer than I am, and I have no right to associate with him." Neither can the rich look upon those that are poor, and say, "My children shall not marry with the poor, and unite with them in their festivities, &c., because I have more property than they;" all these things will be done away, and the principle of equality will be established, and all will be stewards of the Lord's property. That is what I wish to see-that when one family of children have the privilege of being educated, the rest should enjoy it; when one family are in possession of the good things of the earth, the rest should enjoy the same privileges also.
How do I feel, to take it home to myself? I long for the time to come when I can consecrate everything I have got; all the cattle I have; I have got some first-rate cattle, the Lord has prospered them. I want the time to come when I can consecrate every hoof of them; also my books, and the right and title I have to publish my words, also my wearing apparel, and my houses; they are not mine, and not being mine, I have no business with this property, only as the Lord sees fit to let me have it. When I have done this, if the Lord in His mercy will give me one team, five or ten teams, to make use of as His steward, I will endeavor to keep a record of that stewardship, of the losses and the gains of it, and will endeavor to render an account of it in time as well as in eternity, and an account of all things pertaining to it, and of my transactions in regard to it; for unless I am a wise and faithful steward in time, I never expect to inherit all things in eternity.
Having said this much, may the Lord bless you, and may His Holy Spirit be poured out upon you, and may your hearts be united to bring about this union; for if we unite ourselves together upon this principle, with all our hearts, mights, minds, and strength, laying aside all covetousness, there is not any power beneath the celestial kingdom that is able to prevail against us; we will prosper in all things, and the Lord will make us the richest of all people that have been upon the face of the earth for many generations, and He will bless our basket and our store, and increase and multiply the flocks and the herds in the fields, and cause them to flourish exceedingly, and make us mighty; and when we go forth He will make the nations to tremble before us, because His power and glory will be with us when we are doing His will and are united in one.
Journals of Discourses 2: pg96
Great Salt Lake City, September 10, 1854.
By the request of our President, I arise this afternoon for the purpose of addressing you upon those subjects that may be presented to my mind, feeling joyful in my heart that I have the opportunity.
I do not say, as many others may have said, that it is a disagreeable task, or a very great cross, for me to address the Saints; this is not the case; it is a pleasure and a joy; and I feel to esteem it as a blessing from the hand of God, that I have the privilege from time to time of meeting with His people, and speaking about the great things that God has revealed, which belong to our peace, happiness, and welfare, both here and hereafter.
There is no other subject that I care much about. As it regards earthly things, temporal things, the riches of this world, or the honors of this world, I will not say they are of a secondary nature to me, but they are far beneath this; though they may be good in their place, yet my whole object and design, delight and joy, is to do the will of God, to benefit the children of men, and to seek after the welfare, happiness, and peace, not only of myself and family, but also of the whole human race, as far as it is within my power.
It does me good to return, after an absence of two years, and again look upon the faces of the brethren and sisters; there is something so different in the expression of your countenances from what we see abroad in the world; the principles of goodness, of righteousness, of virtue, and of holiness seem to be enstamped upon the countenances of the Saints of the living God; the spirit of meekness, of sobriety, of solemnity-a Godlike spirit is reflected in every feature of those who are truly good, which seems to carry peace, happiness, and joy to the hearts of those who gaze upon them with the same spirit. But after all, brethren, we are not near as good as we might be, in many respects. Though we are far in advance of the nations of the earth, though we have become far exalted above them in the principles of virtue, truth, righteousness, and a oneness of feeling, yet there is still room for improvement, and, while we remain here in the flesh, there will be room for improvement, upon all these principles, upon all the attributes of divinity, and upon everything that is good and Godlike.
There is one subject that presents itself to my mind, and upon which I have meditated in years past and gone, and which gave me great joy when I learned that it was being established in our midst. What is it? It is the consecration of the properties of the whole Church, according to the written revelations, commandments, and laws of the Most High God. I heard of this about the time I was starting upon the plains for this place, and it gave me great joy to learn that there was a prominent step taken at your last Conference to bring about and accomplish this object. I consider it is one of the most important objects to be accomplished among the Saints of Latter-days.
You may ask why? You may think that this contradicts my first statement-that the temporal things of this life are not even of a secondary consideration with me. They are not in one respect, but, in another, I consider them a part and portion of the religion that we as a people have embraced, and a very essential and necessary part too.
We read in the revelations that God has given, that the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; well, if it is the Lord's and the fulness of it, then it does not belong to you nor me as individuals, exclusive of others. If the Lord had set apart, and consecrated, and given a certain portion of the earth to any individual with a deed and covenant, he might with some propriety call it his own; but all other deeds that are according to Gentile laws, and the institutions of the nations of the earth, do not, according to the laws and revelations of heaven, give to men the exclusive right to the things of this world, as their own; they are good enough in their place, for the Lord deals with the nations according to their light; and suffers laws to be enacted that are good in their place, and calculated to govern imperfect beings; laws to govern and control property; and in many respects, they are just adapted to the circumstances and conditions of the nations where they are enacted; and they are the means of doing much good in preserving what are termed the rights of individuals, and of the citizens generally; and they should not be done away, until circumstances will permit of their being superseded by a more perfect law. That more perfect order is what we wish to speak a few words upon at this present time.
The Lord told us something about it in the revelations He gave a long time ago, in the year 1831, when ancient "Mormonism," as it has often been termed, was first introduced; we call it ancient, because it seems quite long to us narrow minded creatures.
There were certain laws and revelations then given, in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, pertaining to the Lord's earth, and the righteous that He has upon it. I will repeat a small clause which was given before the Church was one year old, in March 1831. It reads thus-wherefore "it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin." This was revealed above twenty-three years ago; we will again repeat it, "It is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin." Here was a hint of the more perfect law and order of things that God intended eventually to introduce among this people; and which I am happy to say, there has been a great step already taken at the last Conference to bring about; and I hope that I may be permitted to live to see this law carried out to the fullest extent among the Saints of the living God.
Remember, that as long as there is inequality in the things that belong to the Lord, the world lieth in sin. It is not given to them that they should possess one above another. I intend to explain how this is to be brought about, and also show how one man can possess hundreds and thousands of dollars, in a certain sense of the word, and another man only one dollar, and yet both, be equal; but they possess the same, not as their own, but as stewards of the Lord; it being the Lord's property.
We read, in another revelation that God gave in the early rise of this Church, that unless we are equal in earthly things, we cannot be made equal in heavenly things. Here is an equality preached. There must be equality in earthly things, in order that we may be equal in heavenly things. Now supposing the people were all to be made equal to-day, tomorrow they would, through circumstances, become unequal: but I will show you how this equality can be established upon an order that never can be shaken-that inequality, in regard to property, never more can be introduced among the Saints, that no circumstance which can transpire can make them unequal. If a fire should burn up a man's barn, and his stacks of grain, and every thing he has accumulated, I will prove to you that it does not render him unequal with his brethren on the principle the Lord has established and ordained; so that when this order is once established among this people, they will become equal in earthly things, which will prepare them to be made equal in heavenly things.
In the first place how shall we get at this order? In what manner and by what means shall we begin to lay the foundation of this equality? The Lord has told us, that it is required of every man in this Church to lay all things, not one tenth alone, but to lay all things before the Bishop of His Church; consecrate the whole of it-everything he has-his flocks and herds-his cattle, horses, and mules-his gold and silver-his wearing apparel, watches, jewellery, and everything he possesses; consecrate it; not keep back a portion like Annanias and his wife, but give everything-make a full consecration to begin with. (Voice in the stand, "Wives and children.") Yes, give wives and children of course: the wives have given themselves to their husband, and he has to consecrate them; they are the Lord's, He has only lent them to us.
Supposing that the people had complied with this law when it was first given, in every respect, instead of seeing inequality that has reigned for these many years in this Church, we should now have seen a different order of things. But we lacked experience, and there was too much covetousness in our hearts, for a full consecration of property, then. In consecrating property, we must, in the first place, remember that it is not ours. Why? Because the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. We have no cattle, no gold or silver, no watches or jewellery, no property of any description, no houses, lands, or any thing else which is our own, if the fulness of the earth is the Lord's. Then in consecrating that which we have been in the habit of calling our own, we are only returning to the Lord His own property-that which we became legally possessed of according to the laws of man, but not according to the laws of God, He never having directly given us the things which we claim as ours; we have not got them according to the celestial law-according to the great principle and order God has established; but we came by them through speculation, trading, labor, etc., and after we thus got them they are the Lord's still. We consecrate this property-it all goes into the hands of the Bishop of the Church. If the whole Church were to consecrate in this way they would have nothing left of their own. Then, it would all be the Lord's, and it has to be consecrated too, says the revelation, with a covenant and a deed that cannot be broken; that is, according to the law of God and man, and if it is made according to the law of God in all respects, and also according to the law of the land in which we live, it will be in the situation the Lord wants it in, even the whole property of the Church.
We ask, are they not all equal now? Yes. If the whole Church have consecrated every thing in their possession to the Bishop, is there not a perfect equality among them before they get their stewardship? Yes: this makes them perfectly so, as far as property is concerned; they are all in a state of equality, owning nothing. What is the next step to be taken in order to bring about equality of property. The Lord says, "Let the Bishop appoint every man his stewardship," for, says the Lord, "It is required of every man to render an account of his stewship [stewardship], both in time and in eternity." Now the Bishop begins and parcels out to this man his stewardship, and to that one his stewardship, according to the counsels of the First Presidency of the Church-the authority that has the management and control of the Lord's property. Each one gets his stewardship.
Now supposing one man obtained double the quantity of another; it is not his, but the stewardship is the Lord's; consequently the man is on a perfect equality with his brother still. But there is another sense in which this equality may be made, so far as the consecrating of property to the Church is concerned, which includes the whole of it. I say, who does it belong to in another sense of the word? I have shown you that it belongs to the Lord, and if we are His, we shall inherit it with Him; consequently in another sense of the word it is all ours. If each one in the Church, then, possesses the whole of it, as joint heirs with the Lord, is there not an equality? You may diminish the common property or joint fund just as much as you please. Suppose it were diminished to one half by mobs, &c., it does not make the Church unequal, not in the least; for each one may be considered as the possessor of the whole; he inherits all things; he is a joint heir with Jesus Christ in the inheritance of the earth, and all the fulness thereof. Can you make any inequality here? If each man in the Church is a joint inheritor of all the property, and a part of it, it makes each one perfectly equal with the rest.
Now I defy you to bring about an equality upon any other principle. You may divide the properties of the Church to-day, yes, if it be possible, make perfectly equal division of it, so that every man in the whole Church should have his share, and let him call it his own; it would not be one day before there would be an inequality again introduced; and one man would possess that which is above another; it could not be otherwise; the changes, difficulties, want of judgment in the management and control of property, and all these things combined together, would serve to render these divided shares unequal; one man losing a large portion of his property through mismanagement; another by fire, by mobocracy, or in some other way, so that neither would have one half, one quarter, or perhaps one hundredth part as much as some of his brethren with whom he was only a short time before perfectly equal.
No equality can be brought about by dividing property; the Lord never intended such an order of things. It is not a division of property that is going to bring about a oneness among the Latter-day Saints in temporal things, but it is a union of property, that all the property may be united, and considered belonging to the Lord, and to every individual in the whole Church, as joint heirs with Him, or as His stewards. You may imagine, then, how my heart rejoiced, when I received a letter from our beloved President, informing me that steps had been taken for a full consecration of the property of the Church, to introduce the order of stewardships among the Saints of God.
But in regard to these stewardships, it is not needful or necessary, or the Lord never intended, that every man should possess an equal amount of stewardship with his brother. Why? Because God has given to some men greater ability to manage and control property than others. He may give to one, one talent; to another, two; to another, three; to another, five; and to another, ten; and then command them to make use of these talents according to the instructions and revelations given, and be accountable to Him who gave them. "It is required of every man," says the Lord, "to be accountable to me in their stewardships, both in time and in eternity;" consequently these stewards have to render all their accounts to some one in time, but to whom? To the Lord's Bishop-to those whom the Lord has appointed to receive the accounts. And if a man undertakes to squander the stewardship which the Lord has entrusted to him, He takes it away, and gives it to another who is a more wise steward; one who will manage His property in such a way as to benefit the whole; each one seeking the interest of the whole as well as of himself.
Each one is to be considered as possessor of all things in the Church; but if it be all common property, how is it that the Saints can get along and give an account of their stewardship of property? Will not one brother go and pick up his brother's plow, and take it off, without asking him for it, imagining that he is the possessor of all things? Yes, if that brother had no understanding he would do it, but when he comes to understand the law of the Lord, he will find that all these stewardships are controlled by the wisest kind of laws; hence the Lord says, "Thou shall not take thy brother's garment; thou shalt pay for that which thou dost receive from thy brother." Notwithstanding the whole property belongs to the Lord, and to each one as joint heirs, yet the Lord has given strict laws with regard to the stewardships, so that one has no business to go and pick up his neighbor's ax, or take any of his stewardship from him, without leave; but he is to pay for that which he receives from his brother steward, unless he borrow it by fairly asking for it.
On this principle it would be an easy matter for each steward to render an account of his time; and if necessary he could account for every item of his stewardship. But if it were permitted to run at random, according to the vague ideas of common stock in some societies in the world, away would go a man's hat, or his coat, and he could render no account of it at all. But according to the strict principle which the Lord has ordained, he could show to his Bishop a full account of everything in his stewardship-that he has gained so much here, and made so much there, upon the Lord's property. What says the Bishop? "Well done, good and faithful steward, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will enlarge that stewardship," providing he had anything to enlarge it with. "You have gained other talents; you have increased upon that intrusted to your charge; you have not squandered it away foolishly for that which would not profit you."
There would be no desire on the part of stewards to steal, "For, says one, If I go and steal from another steward, it is all the Lord's, and it would do just as much good in the hands of that steward to whom it was intrusted, as if I were to possess it by stealing it from him."
How much every Saint ought to be interested for this order of things to be brought about, realizing that all the property of the Church is for his own good as well as for the good of the whole body.
But in regard to these inequalities in stewardship: I will show you another principle where men may have equal judgment, and yet there may be an inequality of stewardships; it is in consequence of the various branches of business in which they may be engaged. It is well known that for farming purposes, it does not require the same skill as for manufacturing many articles, nor the same capital. And the ingenious mechanic, who understands the nature or construction of machinery, might have to be intrusted with stewardship of one hundred thousand dollars worth of property to establish his manufactory, and work it so as to have it prove a benefit to the whole Church; and without this amount being put into his hands, as a steward, he might not be able to accomplish anything needed in the particular branch of manufacturing with which he was familiar. The stewardships, in such cases, would be different, not only in kind, but in the amount or value of the stewardship.
Let me illustrate this in another way; not but what I suppose all the Saints understand it, but you only want to be put in mind of that you have understood for years, but have not perhaps practised upon it; and unless a people practise upon that they do understand, it does not benefit them much. Suppose a man have twelve sons, and he had according to the laws of the land 78 acres of ground; he gives to his oldest son twelve acres as a steward; he gives to his next son eleven acres, and to the next ten, and so on down to the youngest; which he gives one acre; and says unto them, "Manage these different inheritances that I have set off to you, and gain all you can;" would those sons have any right or title to call that property their own? No: they would say, "It is father's property, and he has told us to go and occupy it, and he has given us rules by which we are to be governed; that the youngest may not encroach upon the oldest, nor any one encroach upon another, but that each stewardship may be managed and controlled according to the regulations he has given, and at the end of the year each of us must render strict account to our father of every iota of our business transactions, of our losses and gains in trading, etc." Now all this property, we see, belongs to the father, but it is all for the benefit of the twelve sons; they are all to be made joint heirs with the father in the possession of it. In due time, when they have learned the law the father has ordained, they will be prepared to enter as joint owners upon the grand inheritances, not only of acres, but to possess all things that the father has.
Temporal things are a type of heavenly things, as the Lord says, in one of the revelations, "All things have their likeness, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual." Does this order of things-the equality of property-have its likeness? Yes, in the heavens, and it is typical of that celestial order that we are all praying for, that we all desire the Lord to bestow upon us. We all feel very anxious to enter into the fulness of celestial glory, and inherit thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, and to have kingdoms appointed to us, and to receive crowns and to sway a sceptre over kingdoms, as wise rulers. If we want to get there, we must begin here, and learn the order that is to be there. If we should have a division of property here, as we have had heretofore, and continue this order of things, as has been for many years back, and never should begin to practise upon this equality of things which God has ordained in His law, when we come to enter the courts above, we should be ignoramuses; we could say, "We read in your law something about it, but the people did not practise it, they were careless, and did not keep the law." And now we do not know how to manage this celestial glory, and those kingdoms, and these worlds placed under our charge; for we are to give an account, not only in time, but in eternity, of our stewardship; consequently we must improve upon the true order of things here, which is typical of that which is hereafter; and if we learn the lessons here, everything there will be plain before us, and we will be able to enter into the very things we have been practising years before. There will be an inequality, no doubt, in some respects in the eternal worlds, in proportion to the eternal things that will be intrusted to the servants, as in temporal things; but there will be a perfect equality in another respect; the revelation says, "He maketh them equal in might, and in power, and in dominions."
Did you ever think of that? It is only in one respect. Each one will be made joint heir of all things in heaven, and upon earth. What more can a person want, if he is made a joint heir of all things; and one revelation says, he that is a faithful and wise steward in time shall inherit all things; consequently they are equal in dominion, and in power, and in might, as the vision states. This don't say that each one shall actually control, and govern, and manage all things; that is a very different thing; just as it is here in temporal things, though each person may be considered as the inheritor of all the properties of the Church; yet when he comes to the management of property, he has only a share; so in heavenly things, a person may have the management of only one world, or of two, or of three, or of as many as there are particles of dust that compose our globe, yet, after all, each can proclaim himself as the inheritor of all things, being a joint heir of the grand universal inheritance.
There is no division of celestial glory, imparting to each one an equality of dominion; and might, and power; it is not to be divided, but there is an equality in the union of all these things. That is what we want to get at here; we want to learn the alphabet of it here, and advance to the a, be, abbs, and get over into two syllables, and keep on until we understand all about the celestial order by practice in this world, and then we will learn the laws that are to govern the different individuals that control and manage certain portions of the great joint stock inheritance; we will learn the laws that are to rule and govern between man and man; and we will not be ignorant of it when we go into the next world, we will find there that one kingdom will not have the right to encroach upon the royalty of another and take away its right, but each one will be governed by true and holy laws. Upon this principle, and this only, can we understand those revelations which so often speak of the principles of equality in the eternal worlds. Equality of dominion we cannot understand, by supposing each person that comes into the celestial glory is going to have the same number of worlds, and of kingdoms, and thrones set off to him that those have who have been in the celestial glory millions of ages-that he is going to have the same number of principalities and powers, and servants or angels to wait upon him to carry out his commands. An equality of dominion is that that I have already explained, each one inheriting all things, according to the laws God has ordained for celestial beings, but not directly or personally controlling only that which is placed under his management.
Much might be said upon this subject; it is glorious, and it is a principle I wish the Saints in Utah may all be enlisted in, that it may be sought by the nations afar off, when they come to learn that this people are the people of God, and they are governed by God's laws; that they may see the order carried out before them in practice, that we may be looked to as a great light set upon the mountains, that will reflect upon all the face of the earth, and show the people the true order by practice, and then they will see the difference between God's order of the possession of property, and the little, narrow, contracted orders established by man; for each one is grasping for all he can get, oppressing the widow and the fatherless, bearing down his neighbor, and grinding him down in distress, tyrannising over mankind, because he has riches at his command. The Lord has seen this order long enough, and it is a stink in His nostrils, and He wishes it driven away from the earth, and He has given us instructions to do it away, and if we want to do it away, let us begin among ourselves first. I rejoice in this principle, because it takes away the idea of having so many poor in our midst. You know in the days of Enoch the Lord placed the people upon the high places and mountains, and they flourished, and He blessed them, and called them Zion because there was no poor among them, and the Lord was in their midst.
Now the Latter Day Zion is to be built up according to the same pattern, so far as circumstances will permit, for we expect that the Zion which was built up by Enoch, that had no poor in it, will come down again at the commencement of the Millennium to meet the Zion here, according to the song in the Book of Covenants, "The Lord has brought up Zion from beneath, the Lord has brought down Zion from above," and they shall gaze upon each other's countenances, and see eye to eye. When we get there how sadly we should be disappointed, if we should look forward upon all the vast extent of the Zion of Enoch, and all the Zions God has taken out of His creations to heaven, and should see no poor among them; and then we should look upon Zion brought up from beneath, containing poor and rich; should we not be ashamed? especially when we reflected that the law of God had been among us; we should not have boldness to gaze upon their countenances, unless we came into the same order of things that existed among them.
Let us prepare ourselves for the coming of Enoch's Zion, that we may have the same order of things among us that they had in the beginning. Then, again, it will be a glorious thing in many other respects. What is it that creates this great inequality that we naturally see in the world, in reward to the high and low? It is the difference of parentage in many respects. One man is so situated he can train up his children in all the learning of the day; he can take them into his carriage, and they can ride at their ease, and in their grandeur, while the poor and needy and destitute bow before them, or are trampled under their feet. There is no such thing as union there, because they were unequal to begin with. When the Saints have this established in their midst, you will see them all alike, where none can say that "such a person is richer than I am, and I have no right to associate with him." Neither can the rich look upon those that are poor, and say, "My children shall not marry with the poor, and unite with them in their festivities, &c., because I have more property than they;" all these things will be done away, and the principle of equality will be established, and all will be stewards of the Lord's property. That is what I wish to see-that when one family of children have the privilege of being educated, the rest should enjoy it; when one family are in possession of the good things of the earth, the rest should enjoy the same privileges also.
How do I feel, to take it home to myself? I long for the time to come when I can consecrate everything I have got; all the cattle I have; I have got some first-rate cattle, the Lord has prospered them. I want the time to come when I can consecrate every hoof of them; also my books, and the right and title I have to publish my words, also my wearing apparel, and my houses; they are not mine, and not being mine, I have no business with this property, only as the Lord sees fit to let me have it. When I have done this, if the Lord in His mercy will give me one team, five or ten teams, to make use of as His steward, I will endeavor to keep a record of that stewardship, of the losses and the gains of it, and will endeavor to render an account of it in time as well as in eternity, and an account of all things pertaining to it, and of my transactions in regard to it; for unless I am a wise and faithful steward in time, I never expect to inherit all things in eternity.
Having said this much, may the Lord bless you, and may His Holy Spirit be poured out upon you, and may your hearts be united to bring about this union; for if we unite ourselves together upon this principle, with all our hearts, mights, minds, and strength, laying aside all covetousness, there is not any power beneath the celestial kingdom that is able to prevail against us; we will prosper in all things, and the Lord will make us the richest of all people that have been upon the face of the earth for many generations, and He will bless our basket and our store, and increase and multiply the flocks and the herds in the fields, and cause them to flourish exceedingly, and make us mighty; and when we go forth He will make the nations to tremble before us, because His power and glory will be with us when we are doing His will and are united in one.
Journals of Discourses 2: pg96
Monday, July 7, 2008
The UEP Trust
In the 1930's a group of Mormon Fundamentalist men wanted to live the "United Order" or "All things in common" So they wrote up a Trust and all donated their lands around Short Creek, AZ into the "United Trust". John Y Barlow was the head of it, but the men were not united.
“Thursday Lewis [Kelsch] and I had a personal talk with Bro. John Y. Barlow. We pointed out our fears that under the present set-up the group could not prosper; that there seemed a disposition toward a one man rule; that the present arrangement was not in accordance with the spirit of the action of the Priesthood recently taken, whereby it was advised that Bro. Barlow resign from the Management of the affairs of the group and confine his labors more particularly to the spiritual field; that our work was especially along the line of keeping faith in patriarchal marriage alive, and not in the directing of colonizing. ” (Joseph Musser Journals November 8, 1936.)
"President Barlow went away for a day or two. This situation put me in mind of what Moses passed through when he went into the mountain ans was gone for several days, and the thought he was no more, so they built a golden calf to worship. Brother Barlow was out of this place for a few days. People got anxious, and they got together and formed an organization and voted a man in it to lead them. I remember, President Barlow came to me and he said "Roy, if I can get one man to stay with me, we can build up the Kingdom of God" I said, "You've got one man, John. As far as I am concerned, you've got one man that will stay with you." He went to two other men in the town, and they said the same thing. The result was, the others stepped aside. We hung together- three of us." (Leroy S Johnson 6/20/1960)
The United Effort Plan was a new Trust formed several years later, on November 9, 1942, centered around the homestead property of President Leroy S Johnson.
Forty-seven years later, in 1989, a lawsuit was filed in Federal Court against the leaders of the UEP by a group former members who left the FLDS church in 1984. Most of whom are part of the Centinnial Park fundamentalist group. The suit was based upon the fear that they had of being evicted. Saying they were told that the property was theirs if they built on it.
Utah Federal Court Judge Bruce (J.A) Jenkins ruled in 1990 for all of the church records, Bishops records, and personal records of the leaders of the FLDS be seized and turned over to the court and the attorneys of the apostate former members in an attempt to find UEP funds. After appeal, the records were still required to be given to Judge (J.A.) Jenkins for his personal perusal to see if they could be turned over to the apostates. The following was sent with the records.
Portions of a affidavit given by President Rulon T. Jeffs Given July 30, 1991:
"I am the only person now living who has personal knowledge of the deliberations that resulted in the creation of the United Effort Plan.... In 1942 Joseph Musser, then a member of the Priesthood Council of the fundamentalist church, asked me to be a member of a committee to help create an organization that would allow our people to live the United Order...
"Our purpose was to attempt to create an organization prominently mentioned by the early leaders of the church, such as Brigham Young and John Taylor which the lawyers could not pick apart and which would allow the people to live the law of consecration..."
"The purpose of the United Effort Plan was to allow all of the property of the people to be held in common, and to do away with the selfishness inherent in the concept of private ownership and the attempt to exclude others from what we have. It is our belief that the Lord owns all things and we are mere stewards of property, not the owners thereof.
"Therefore we provided in document that there would be no private ownership of property. Any representation to the contrary, as alleged by the plaintiffs, would be completely contrary to spirit and intent of the document..."
"The United Effort Plan provides that a person can be expelled for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Plan [unity of members] In our declarations, this directly relates to the instructions of the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 42:37, in which one who sins and repents not shall be cast out and shall not receive back that which he consecrated"
"The Plan is to assist the church in providing for the "just wants and needs" of the people, as set forth in scripture..."
"The primary purpose of the United Effort Plan was to hold real property that had been consecrated to the priesthood work. In the early days of the United Effort Plan, we attempted to operate other businesses, such as a sawmill at Mile and a Half Spring in the Kiabab National Forest, and a farm at Bloomington as provided in the Declaration of Trust, but these attempts were ultimately abandoned because they could not pay for themselves and became a burden on the consecrations of the people. Following the late 40's, the ownership of the United Effort Plan was limited to real property, which is still the case today.
"There are no UEP funds. There are funds of the church that are derived from the religious offerings of the people. The UEP itself does not generate any funds whatsoever. Therefore, it is impossible that any of the accounts could contain UEP assets, because those assets, for the last nearly 40 years, have been limited to real property..."
"At the time that the Declaration of Trust was drafted, we used the term "member" to describe those who participated in the Order. The term has reference to members of the Church who were found worthy to participate on the plan based on consecration that the trustees deemed adequate. We did not use the term "beneficiary" and the term was never used in our deliberations. It was not our intent to give persons rights that were not scriptural, nor to impose on ourselves any duties that the Lord did not require of his leaders.
"It was also a prominent item of our discussions that we were not trying to duplicate the law of consecration, but rather to form an organization that would allow the people to come closer to the concepts inherent in that law, with the hope that some day we would be able to live the complete law"
The records sat in the judges possession and were never released to the suers. The case was finally dismissed after three years, and the church records were returned to the FLDS in August of 1993.
Reed Lambert, lead attorney for the bitter former members said in open court just before the dismissal of the complaints:
"There's never been a time in this action, at least when I have stood before this court, and said this isn't a religious dispute in some measure. There is no question that these people are religious people, and had we been able to bring a cause of action to change the one man doctrine to the leadership of Council, we would have brought that claim. What I am telling you is there is a religious dispute underlying the division of the parties. Unfortunately, religion is a nice cloak to hide in some respects. What I'm telling you is that even if God Himself were to appear on the earth, at least He's assuming to civil laws. If He is to enter int a contract or make a representation on somebody upon which they rely on their detriment, it is going to be actionable by the law"
“Thursday Lewis [Kelsch] and I had a personal talk with Bro. John Y. Barlow. We pointed out our fears that under the present set-up the group could not prosper; that there seemed a disposition toward a one man rule; that the present arrangement was not in accordance with the spirit of the action of the Priesthood recently taken, whereby it was advised that Bro. Barlow resign from the Management of the affairs of the group and confine his labors more particularly to the spiritual field; that our work was especially along the line of keeping faith in patriarchal marriage alive, and not in the directing of colonizing. ” (Joseph Musser Journals November 8, 1936.)
"President Barlow went away for a day or two. This situation put me in mind of what Moses passed through when he went into the mountain ans was gone for several days, and the thought he was no more, so they built a golden calf to worship. Brother Barlow was out of this place for a few days. People got anxious, and they got together and formed an organization and voted a man in it to lead them. I remember, President Barlow came to me and he said "Roy, if I can get one man to stay with me, we can build up the Kingdom of God" I said, "You've got one man, John. As far as I am concerned, you've got one man that will stay with you." He went to two other men in the town, and they said the same thing. The result was, the others stepped aside. We hung together- three of us." (Leroy S Johnson 6/20/1960)
The United Effort Plan was a new Trust formed several years later, on November 9, 1942, centered around the homestead property of President Leroy S Johnson.
Forty-seven years later, in 1989, a lawsuit was filed in Federal Court against the leaders of the UEP by a group former members who left the FLDS church in 1984. Most of whom are part of the Centinnial Park fundamentalist group. The suit was based upon the fear that they had of being evicted. Saying they were told that the property was theirs if they built on it.
Utah Federal Court Judge Bruce (J.A) Jenkins ruled in 1990 for all of the church records, Bishops records, and personal records of the leaders of the FLDS be seized and turned over to the court and the attorneys of the apostate former members in an attempt to find UEP funds. After appeal, the records were still required to be given to Judge (J.A.) Jenkins for his personal perusal to see if they could be turned over to the apostates. The following was sent with the records.
Portions of a affidavit given by President Rulon T. Jeffs Given July 30, 1991:
"I am the only person now living who has personal knowledge of the deliberations that resulted in the creation of the United Effort Plan.... In 1942 Joseph Musser, then a member of the Priesthood Council of the fundamentalist church, asked me to be a member of a committee to help create an organization that would allow our people to live the United Order...
"Our purpose was to attempt to create an organization prominently mentioned by the early leaders of the church, such as Brigham Young and John Taylor which the lawyers could not pick apart and which would allow the people to live the law of consecration..."
"The purpose of the United Effort Plan was to allow all of the property of the people to be held in common, and to do away with the selfishness inherent in the concept of private ownership and the attempt to exclude others from what we have. It is our belief that the Lord owns all things and we are mere stewards of property, not the owners thereof.
"Therefore we provided in document that there would be no private ownership of property. Any representation to the contrary, as alleged by the plaintiffs, would be completely contrary to spirit and intent of the document..."
"The United Effort Plan provides that a person can be expelled for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Plan [unity of members] In our declarations, this directly relates to the instructions of the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 42:37, in which one who sins and repents not shall be cast out and shall not receive back that which he consecrated"
"The Plan is to assist the church in providing for the "just wants and needs" of the people, as set forth in scripture..."
"The primary purpose of the United Effort Plan was to hold real property that had been consecrated to the priesthood work. In the early days of the United Effort Plan, we attempted to operate other businesses, such as a sawmill at Mile and a Half Spring in the Kiabab National Forest, and a farm at Bloomington as provided in the Declaration of Trust, but these attempts were ultimately abandoned because they could not pay for themselves and became a burden on the consecrations of the people. Following the late 40's, the ownership of the United Effort Plan was limited to real property, which is still the case today.
"There are no UEP funds. There are funds of the church that are derived from the religious offerings of the people. The UEP itself does not generate any funds whatsoever. Therefore, it is impossible that any of the accounts could contain UEP assets, because those assets, for the last nearly 40 years, have been limited to real property..."
"At the time that the Declaration of Trust was drafted, we used the term "member" to describe those who participated in the Order. The term has reference to members of the Church who were found worthy to participate on the plan based on consecration that the trustees deemed adequate. We did not use the term "beneficiary" and the term was never used in our deliberations. It was not our intent to give persons rights that were not scriptural, nor to impose on ourselves any duties that the Lord did not require of his leaders.
"It was also a prominent item of our discussions that we were not trying to duplicate the law of consecration, but rather to form an organization that would allow the people to come closer to the concepts inherent in that law, with the hope that some day we would be able to live the complete law"
The records sat in the judges possession and were never released to the suers. The case was finally dismissed after three years, and the church records were returned to the FLDS in August of 1993.
Reed Lambert, lead attorney for the bitter former members said in open court just before the dismissal of the complaints:
"There's never been a time in this action, at least when I have stood before this court, and said this isn't a religious dispute in some measure. There is no question that these people are religious people, and had we been able to bring a cause of action to change the one man doctrine to the leadership of Council, we would have brought that claim. What I am telling you is there is a religious dispute underlying the division of the parties. Unfortunately, religion is a nice cloak to hide in some respects. What I'm telling you is that even if God Himself were to appear on the earth, at least He's assuming to civil laws. If He is to enter int a contract or make a representation on somebody upon which they rely on their detriment, it is going to be actionable by the law"
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The United Effort
The United Order, the economic order of Heaven, the effort of men and their families living in a community with all things in common; is the highest order between men ever established on earth. There is but one example of lasting success in history, and that is the Ancient City of Enoch. The Apostles in Jerusalem started to live it after the days of Christ. The Nephites lived it after Jesus came to them. But eventually these orders failed.
In order for men to live with all things in common they must overcome most every sin and weakness within them. Men have to devote their lives to God and the Priesthood more than they require their wives to devote themselves to them. It creates a family organization between men who have united families. Absolute sacrifices is required, absolute trust, absolute conversion, and great faith. Happiness comes from knowing you are doing Gods will.
The United Effort Plan was formed at the direction of the prophet John Y Barlow in 1942. This was a legal trust created to provide a sanctuary for the United Order. The original 600+ acres in the trust was land owned by Leroy S Johnson. He refused to take his property back from John Y Barlow at the failure of the first attempt by several men to hold their property in common. The UEP Trust was a document that Brigham Young spoke about:
"It is a matter that I am paying particular attention to, with some of my brethren, to see if we have skill enough to get up an organization and draw up papers to bind ourselves together under the laws of the United States, so that we can put our means and labor together and join as one family. As soon as we can accomplish this, and get an instrument that lawyers cannot pick to pieces and destroy, and apostates cannot afflict us, we expect to get up this institution, and enter most firmly into it" (JD 16:122)
The property was to be divided up into individual lots for the members of the church, designated by the trustees of the Trust. When a member of the church went to the trustees with his just wants and needs, he was given a lot as a stewardship, to build up the church under the Trust. Any building put onto the property became property owned by the Trust. In essence, it was a donation to the church , and thus to the United Effort Plan, by the men building on the property.
The purpose of the Trust being held as a Trust was to keep anyone who left the church from staying there and using their influence to attack the leadership of the church from the UEP property. And to preserve and protect the Unity of the men and women who would stay from the influences of the apostates and the world.
But bitter men, when they feel that they are injured, never assume they could be in the wrong. When they leave the “wrongs” of the church, they feel like they should be repaid everything they gave to the church through building upon the Trust lands. It is akin to demanding all of the tithes and offerings from any church a follower leaves. But a good man would leave in a moment if he felt like he needed to seperate from those who did not believe as he did. A good man would be glad to leave if he left for a good reason. A good man is a defender, not an attacker.
Brigham Young left behind several houses when he was persecuted in the east and driven to Utah. When the President of the United States sent the Army to stop the Mormons from wrongs that didn’t exist in 1857 30,000 Saints boarded up their homes and started to move away, some with straw on them ready to burn them down. When Leroy S Johnson and others finished building seven houses on Dayer Labaron’s property in Mexico, he freely left them when Dayer refused to let them live in them unless they accepted him as the head of the Kingdom of God. And recently after a judge confiscated the UEP to "help" the FLDS people, several men have walked away from very large and expansive homes. The keys are in Bruce Wisan’s pocket.
The FLDS trustees of the UEP did not evict anyone unless they had a place to go. The purpose of the trust was to preserve the unity of the faithful followers, those who no longer wanted to follow were expected to find somewhere else to live. But no one was evicted who did not have accommodations arranged for themselves elsewhere. The eviction notices were most often for those who moved away but tried to give the home to another dissadent. When Milton and Lenore Holm left the church, Milton’s brothers (my uncles) went to him and volunteered to help him pay for a new place off of the UEP anywhere he might want one, even up in Idaho where his mother and step-father (who had left the church several years earlier) lived. When the famous “historian” Benjamin Bistline moved off of the UEP property, he moved into a home in Cane Beds, AZ that the FLDS gave to him and refurbished for him. His wife said it was the best house she ever lived in. He was never evicted from the shack he lived in on the UEP, even though he had become embittered over ten years earlier. The only eviction notices ever given by the FLDS trustees were to those they knew had homes and accommodations elsewhere. No family was ever thrown on the street by the FLDS.
In order for men to live with all things in common they must overcome most every sin and weakness within them. Men have to devote their lives to God and the Priesthood more than they require their wives to devote themselves to them. It creates a family organization between men who have united families. Absolute sacrifices is required, absolute trust, absolute conversion, and great faith. Happiness comes from knowing you are doing Gods will.
The United Effort Plan was formed at the direction of the prophet John Y Barlow in 1942. This was a legal trust created to provide a sanctuary for the United Order. The original 600+ acres in the trust was land owned by Leroy S Johnson. He refused to take his property back from John Y Barlow at the failure of the first attempt by several men to hold their property in common. The UEP Trust was a document that Brigham Young spoke about:
"It is a matter that I am paying particular attention to, with some of my brethren, to see if we have skill enough to get up an organization and draw up papers to bind ourselves together under the laws of the United States, so that we can put our means and labor together and join as one family. As soon as we can accomplish this, and get an instrument that lawyers cannot pick to pieces and destroy, and apostates cannot afflict us, we expect to get up this institution, and enter most firmly into it" (JD 16:122)
The property was to be divided up into individual lots for the members of the church, designated by the trustees of the Trust. When a member of the church went to the trustees with his just wants and needs, he was given a lot as a stewardship, to build up the church under the Trust. Any building put onto the property became property owned by the Trust. In essence, it was a donation to the church , and thus to the United Effort Plan, by the men building on the property.
The purpose of the Trust being held as a Trust was to keep anyone who left the church from staying there and using their influence to attack the leadership of the church from the UEP property. And to preserve and protect the Unity of the men and women who would stay from the influences of the apostates and the world.
But bitter men, when they feel that they are injured, never assume they could be in the wrong. When they leave the “wrongs” of the church, they feel like they should be repaid everything they gave to the church through building upon the Trust lands. It is akin to demanding all of the tithes and offerings from any church a follower leaves. But a good man would leave in a moment if he felt like he needed to seperate from those who did not believe as he did. A good man would be glad to leave if he left for a good reason. A good man is a defender, not an attacker.
Brigham Young left behind several houses when he was persecuted in the east and driven to Utah. When the President of the United States sent the Army to stop the Mormons from wrongs that didn’t exist in 1857 30,000 Saints boarded up their homes and started to move away, some with straw on them ready to burn them down. When Leroy S Johnson and others finished building seven houses on Dayer Labaron’s property in Mexico, he freely left them when Dayer refused to let them live in them unless they accepted him as the head of the Kingdom of God. And recently after a judge confiscated the UEP to "help" the FLDS people, several men have walked away from very large and expansive homes. The keys are in Bruce Wisan’s pocket.
The FLDS trustees of the UEP did not evict anyone unless they had a place to go. The purpose of the trust was to preserve the unity of the faithful followers, those who no longer wanted to follow were expected to find somewhere else to live. But no one was evicted who did not have accommodations arranged for themselves elsewhere. The eviction notices were most often for those who moved away but tried to give the home to another dissadent. When Milton and Lenore Holm left the church, Milton’s brothers (my uncles) went to him and volunteered to help him pay for a new place off of the UEP anywhere he might want one, even up in Idaho where his mother and step-father (who had left the church several years earlier) lived. When the famous “historian” Benjamin Bistline moved off of the UEP property, he moved into a home in Cane Beds, AZ that the FLDS gave to him and refurbished for him. His wife said it was the best house she ever lived in. He was never evicted from the shack he lived in on the UEP, even though he had become embittered over ten years earlier. The only eviction notices ever given by the FLDS trustees were to those they knew had homes and accommodations elsewhere. No family was ever thrown on the street by the FLDS.
Friday, June 20, 2008
The UEP Attack
Summary by Samuel S. Barlow
“On July 29, 1963, J. Marion Hammon invited Harold Blackmore to move to Hildale, Utah. He was assigned a lot on United Effort Plan property, but soon became apostate, and demanded payment for the consecrations of materials and time he had made.
"The first day of spring 1968, he left after expressing his greed and denouncing the effort in unity. On June 8, 1976, Harold Blackmore made a demand for a deed from the United Effort Plan to his son James Blackmore, who had now joined him in his apostasy. They threatened a civil lawsuit in the courts of Arizona if the demand was not met. On July 22, 1976, a civil summons and complaint was served on the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson in an attack on the United Effort Plan. There then followed a barrage of letters to the public officials against the Priesthood Council, the public schools, the religious community in general, and the United Effort Plan. The Priesthood was publicly branded as the "Holy Mafia" by Blackmore.
"On July 17, 1977, a letter of complaint was sent from Harold Blackmore to the Attorney General attempting, through bold accusations and falsehoods to get the State of Arizona to take up a cause against the religious leadership of the United Effort Plan.
"On July 21, 1977, Harold Blackmore aired his gripes before the Utah Board of Education in an attempt to get them to take up his cause. There followed a media crusade, an investigation by a national syndicated columnist, and feature articles in the major newspapers of Arizona and Utah which were very negative.
"President Johnson made reference to Blackmore's activities in a sermon dated September 3, 1978, at Salt Lake City: "We are not out of the woods yet, and we are still being persecuted by the enemies of righteousness. We all know what went on a year ago when Harold Blackmore was trying to blackmail us."
New Apostates Seek Harold Blackmore's Help
"During the early 1980's, there was a group of apostates who rebelled against the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson. They joined with Harold Blackmore (who is without question the most vocal apostate of our time) in a conspiracy to destroy the United Order Effort which had been established in the Short Creek Valley since 1935.
"They selected Harold Blackmore as a guiding spirit because he had attempted to destroy the United Effort Plan in the courts of Arizona in the 1970's. The new generation of apostates now sought his leadership and began to participate with him.
"Blackmore's plan, as he described it in his sworn deposition testimony, was to activate the mass communication media and bring the world in upon us, and in this way put as much pressure on the elected governmental officials as they possibly could through allegations of criminal wrongdoing. They then planned to call on the public officials to do something that would destroy us or put a stop to our unity.
"They started a media campaign which went every direction. It attacked the local officials, the Bishop, the United Effort Plan, the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson, and the Prophet Rulon T. Jeffs. The apostates objected to every effort of progress appointed by the Prophet.
"They also objected to the formation of the Colorado City Town Corporation, and the organization of a High School District. They publicly lamented any adjustments that were made by the brethren in managing the United Effort Plan, such as requiring people to live properly.
"They conducted a very intense crusade of anonymous letters and negative news reports with reckless disregard for the truth. They alleged that assault weapons were cached on United Effort property, fanaticism, fear, and a forsaking of respect for life and property, predicting bloodshed, mass graves, etc.
"After they were unable to get any of the local officials, the county attorneys, or the County Sheriffs to take any action, they requested help from the State Highway Patrol, and the State Criminal Intelligence investigators, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who commenced an investigation and interviewed President Rulon T. Jeffs.
"Each new ear that would listen, they approached it in such a bombastic way that no public official dared turn a deaf ear to their inflated stories and complaints. But after comparing what was alleged by the apostates with the truth, all evidence of criminal wrongdoing was extinguished by the lack of evidence.
"In desperation, this coalition of apostates sought help from the Attorney Generals of both Utah and Arizona. They then went to the U.S. District Attorney trying to find a way to have some governmental agency carry the expense of their desired attack on the Priesthood work and the United Effort Plan.
"Because these efforts to stimulate a criminal investigation all failed, they came to a point in time when they decided to file a civil action in the Federal Court. Because of threats against religious leaders by the Ervil LeBaron followers, there was a major law enforcement coverage acting in the security and protection of the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson during that period of time, much to the disappointment of the apostates.
"The storm clouds were gathering during the latter part of Uncle Roy's administration as the one man on the earth who held the keys of the sealing powers of the holy Priesthood. Some of those who claimed to be brethren, some of them having high and holy callings, actually joined with the enemies. They were very active in promoting a program that would bring distress and destruction and dissolution of the United Effort Plan, and whatever possible hardship they could bring on the leaders of the Priesthood. They had become traitors. This was the environment when the Prophet Rulon T. Jeffs took the leadership of the Priesthood after the death of the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson."
Tenant-at-Will Letter -- Summary by Elder Samuel S. Barlow
"President Jeffs sent notice out to the people who lived on the United Effort Plan property, setting forth the UEP's policy in support of the building code that had been adopted by the newly organized town of Colorado City, Arizona, and the town of Hildale, Utah. This building code was the uniform state building code of the State of Utah and Arizona. This was designed to provide for orderly growth of the area, which included development on the United Effort Plan land.
"A great howl went up in the camp of the apostates because the words "tenant-at-will" were used to describe the occupancy of the land without a term lease. This phrase "tenant-at-will" was then used as a "bone of contention" by the coalition of apostates that had formed by this time.Harold Blackmore declared in deposition:
"But then they did us a marvelous favor. They wrote the Tenant at Will there, and that tipped the scale. And the suit that's filed is the result."
"He stated the base of opposition was broadened enough so that they could collect sufficient money to file a major lawsuit in the Federal Court. He also admitted to having gifted and loaned money to fund the initial filing of the federal lawsuit.”
Tenant-at-Will" Letter:
TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE RESIDING UPON UNITED EFFORT PROPERTY:
"As you know and as was explained to you in great detail when you became residents on the property, you are tenants at will and reside on the property at the pleasure of the trustees.
"Some or all of you have made improvements to the property with the consent of the administration of the trust. Any such voluntary improvements become part of the land and are not to be moved, transferred, demolished or assigned to other occupants without the consent of the United Effort Plan.
"The above policies have been in effect since the creation of the United Effort Plan and this letter is not intended to represent any change but merely the written clarification of pre-existing policy.
"Since the incorporation of both Hildale and Colorado City certain additional formalities are required before any improvements can be constructed on the property located in either of those towns. The United Effort Plan is most supportive of the governments of those towns and desires that all of the ordinances with regard to building permits and inspections be complied with. The United Effort Plan will require that building permits be issued by the proper authority before any improvements are made on the property. As the residents have no authority to improve the land without the consent of the United Effort Plan, the application for each building permit must be approved by one of the agents for the Plan and we are notifying the towns of Hildale and Colorado City of this fact and request that they not grant any building permit unless approved by an agent.
"The agents of the trust authorized to approve applications for building permits are the trustees of the Plan: (6 men listed)
"The willful violation of any of the policies set forth above shall constitute grounds to terminate the violator's tenancy at will on the property.
Very truly yours,
(Signed:) Rulon T. Jeffs
President of the United Effort Plan by order of the Board of Trustees. (Stamped USPS June 29, 1987)
“On July 29, 1963, J. Marion Hammon invited Harold Blackmore to move to Hildale, Utah. He was assigned a lot on United Effort Plan property, but soon became apostate, and demanded payment for the consecrations of materials and time he had made.
"The first day of spring 1968, he left after expressing his greed and denouncing the effort in unity. On June 8, 1976, Harold Blackmore made a demand for a deed from the United Effort Plan to his son James Blackmore, who had now joined him in his apostasy. They threatened a civil lawsuit in the courts of Arizona if the demand was not met. On July 22, 1976, a civil summons and complaint was served on the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson in an attack on the United Effort Plan. There then followed a barrage of letters to the public officials against the Priesthood Council, the public schools, the religious community in general, and the United Effort Plan. The Priesthood was publicly branded as the "Holy Mafia" by Blackmore.
"On July 17, 1977, a letter of complaint was sent from Harold Blackmore to the Attorney General attempting, through bold accusations and falsehoods to get the State of Arizona to take up a cause against the religious leadership of the United Effort Plan.
"On July 21, 1977, Harold Blackmore aired his gripes before the Utah Board of Education in an attempt to get them to take up his cause. There followed a media crusade, an investigation by a national syndicated columnist, and feature articles in the major newspapers of Arizona and Utah which were very negative.
"President Johnson made reference to Blackmore's activities in a sermon dated September 3, 1978, at Salt Lake City: "We are not out of the woods yet, and we are still being persecuted by the enemies of righteousness. We all know what went on a year ago when Harold Blackmore was trying to blackmail us."
New Apostates Seek Harold Blackmore's Help
"During the early 1980's, there was a group of apostates who rebelled against the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson. They joined with Harold Blackmore (who is without question the most vocal apostate of our time) in a conspiracy to destroy the United Order Effort which had been established in the Short Creek Valley since 1935.
"They selected Harold Blackmore as a guiding spirit because he had attempted to destroy the United Effort Plan in the courts of Arizona in the 1970's. The new generation of apostates now sought his leadership and began to participate with him.
"Blackmore's plan, as he described it in his sworn deposition testimony, was to activate the mass communication media and bring the world in upon us, and in this way put as much pressure on the elected governmental officials as they possibly could through allegations of criminal wrongdoing. They then planned to call on the public officials to do something that would destroy us or put a stop to our unity.
"They started a media campaign which went every direction. It attacked the local officials, the Bishop, the United Effort Plan, the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson, and the Prophet Rulon T. Jeffs. The apostates objected to every effort of progress appointed by the Prophet.
"They also objected to the formation of the Colorado City Town Corporation, and the organization of a High School District. They publicly lamented any adjustments that were made by the brethren in managing the United Effort Plan, such as requiring people to live properly.
"They conducted a very intense crusade of anonymous letters and negative news reports with reckless disregard for the truth. They alleged that assault weapons were cached on United Effort property, fanaticism, fear, and a forsaking of respect for life and property, predicting bloodshed, mass graves, etc.
"After they were unable to get any of the local officials, the county attorneys, or the County Sheriffs to take any action, they requested help from the State Highway Patrol, and the State Criminal Intelligence investigators, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who commenced an investigation and interviewed President Rulon T. Jeffs.
"Each new ear that would listen, they approached it in such a bombastic way that no public official dared turn a deaf ear to their inflated stories and complaints. But after comparing what was alleged by the apostates with the truth, all evidence of criminal wrongdoing was extinguished by the lack of evidence.
"In desperation, this coalition of apostates sought help from the Attorney Generals of both Utah and Arizona. They then went to the U.S. District Attorney trying to find a way to have some governmental agency carry the expense of their desired attack on the Priesthood work and the United Effort Plan.
"Because these efforts to stimulate a criminal investigation all failed, they came to a point in time when they decided to file a civil action in the Federal Court. Because of threats against religious leaders by the Ervil LeBaron followers, there was a major law enforcement coverage acting in the security and protection of the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson during that period of time, much to the disappointment of the apostates.
"The storm clouds were gathering during the latter part of Uncle Roy's administration as the one man on the earth who held the keys of the sealing powers of the holy Priesthood. Some of those who claimed to be brethren, some of them having high and holy callings, actually joined with the enemies. They were very active in promoting a program that would bring distress and destruction and dissolution of the United Effort Plan, and whatever possible hardship they could bring on the leaders of the Priesthood. They had become traitors. This was the environment when the Prophet Rulon T. Jeffs took the leadership of the Priesthood after the death of the Prophet Leroy S. Johnson."
Tenant-at-Will Letter -- Summary by Elder Samuel S. Barlow
"President Jeffs sent notice out to the people who lived on the United Effort Plan property, setting forth the UEP's policy in support of the building code that had been adopted by the newly organized town of Colorado City, Arizona, and the town of Hildale, Utah. This building code was the uniform state building code of the State of Utah and Arizona. This was designed to provide for orderly growth of the area, which included development on the United Effort Plan land.
"A great howl went up in the camp of the apostates because the words "tenant-at-will" were used to describe the occupancy of the land without a term lease. This phrase "tenant-at-will" was then used as a "bone of contention" by the coalition of apostates that had formed by this time.Harold Blackmore declared in deposition:
"But then they did us a marvelous favor. They wrote the Tenant at Will there, and that tipped the scale. And the suit that's filed is the result."
"He stated the base of opposition was broadened enough so that they could collect sufficient money to file a major lawsuit in the Federal Court. He also admitted to having gifted and loaned money to fund the initial filing of the federal lawsuit.”
Tenant-at-Will" Letter:
TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE RESIDING UPON UNITED EFFORT PROPERTY:
"As you know and as was explained to you in great detail when you became residents on the property, you are tenants at will and reside on the property at the pleasure of the trustees.
"Some or all of you have made improvements to the property with the consent of the administration of the trust. Any such voluntary improvements become part of the land and are not to be moved, transferred, demolished or assigned to other occupants without the consent of the United Effort Plan.
"The above policies have been in effect since the creation of the United Effort Plan and this letter is not intended to represent any change but merely the written clarification of pre-existing policy.
"Since the incorporation of both Hildale and Colorado City certain additional formalities are required before any improvements can be constructed on the property located in either of those towns. The United Effort Plan is most supportive of the governments of those towns and desires that all of the ordinances with regard to building permits and inspections be complied with. The United Effort Plan will require that building permits be issued by the proper authority before any improvements are made on the property. As the residents have no authority to improve the land without the consent of the United Effort Plan, the application for each building permit must be approved by one of the agents for the Plan and we are notifying the towns of Hildale and Colorado City of this fact and request that they not grant any building permit unless approved by an agent.
"The agents of the trust authorized to approve applications for building permits are the trustees of the Plan: (6 men listed)
"The willful violation of any of the policies set forth above shall constitute grounds to terminate the violator's tenancy at will on the property.
Very truly yours,
(Signed:) Rulon T. Jeffs
President of the United Effort Plan by order of the Board of Trustees. (Stamped USPS June 29, 1987)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Communist Dictator
The FLDS religion has three central tenants that distinguish it from every other religion on the planet, and although other religions and churches ascribe to parts or all of them in one form or another to a certain degree, no other religion ascribes to all three with the determination and devotion to them that the FLDS faithful do. These are in essence the crowning laws that if lived faithfully can create characters that will be worthy of the highest heaven:
1-The Holy United Order (referred to in the Bible and Book of Mormon as “All Things in Common”) This is the Economic Order of heaven. Also called the Order of Enoch
2-The Celestial Law of Marriage, including the plurality of wives. This is the Family Order of Heaven. Also called the Law of Abraham
I list the two highest laws for us to ponder upon. Many who may read this may be very vengeful about them, or at least indifferent to them, wanting me to get to the central one; the one that makes these two laws livable on earth. But I would like you to imagine yourself taking your entire life; stripping it of selfishness, and putting it into these two laws.
Men must overcome all jealousy to live the first one. It is the most difficult. Their effort must be completely selfless or the Order will not function. Masculinity is rather independent and confrontational, and these things must be subdued in the heart. In all of history, this economic order has only one lasting success story, found in the Pearl of Great Price. After the Savior came the early Saints set up this order in Israel and in America, but they did not last. The YFZ community in Texas is one of the central efforts set up today. There are others, but they all have this in common; unity of economic effort; giving all for the common good.
The second law requires the ladies to overcome their jealousy. That is easy for them. No lady has ever had a problem living polygny. OK! I am just joking! But ladies do have an inward ability to be more compassionate and caring, humble and religious. There are struggles, for sure, jealousy and selfishness cannot survive, but day to day life is easier for the ladies who share the duties of the home. It is not difficult when they can find a man who is stalwart and loyal to his leaders and an example of how to live pure. Joining forces with him is not as difficult as is portrayed by the few who abandon the idea.
Few people have any idea how wonderful the home and community is with those who are determined to overcome themselves and live these laws to their last breath. I have never seen a happier more peaceful people. But I must tell you, these two laws cannot be lived without the one that this post is titled after. I promise you, it is impossible.
The FLDS church is a family, and church organization under the wing of the Constitutional laws of the United States. The political order within the church itself is a Benevolent Dictatorship; in essence communism, or communalism.
Personal free will is what the war in heaven was fought over. It is what the American war of Independence was fought over. Almost every war that ever was, was one fought over freedom from tyranny and oppression. But by reading the Bible, you can see that God puts specific limits on our freedom, but only through benevolent love. The Ten Commandments are not the ten suggestions. While I know, and all who strive to follow those Commandments know that they are happier and feel more blessed when they follow those Commandments, God will force no one to follow them or any of His other laws like tithing. The Ten Commandments are a distinct list of what our Father in heaven commands us to do. What is our punishment if we don’t obey them?
If God was right next to you (as He is), what do you think He would do if he saw you lying? Or take His name in vain? Does He strike you dead, or damn you to hell? Are they not commandments? When you think of your Father in heaven, do you think of a tyrant, or one who loves you unconditionally?
He loves us unconditionally, but He blesses those who obey His commandments more than those who don’t. He will not force us to obey, but he will and does exclude us from the blessings of obedience. This is perfect merciful justice.
We believe that all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The Ten Commandments are the beginning and foundational laws, and the Law of Abraham and the Order of Enoch are the highest. In order to live the highest laws, men must have a central Priesthood authority for them to look up to and obey. The anxious, those who desire to throw off all selfishness seek to obey more and more; they are those who want to obey with all their hearts. Obedience is like delicious fruit to them. So they look for the man who they believe is the most like God; the one who they can trust to tell them what the Lord wants them to do. It is their belief in God that turns them to this one man.
I don’t know of a lady who does not want to be married. Motherhood is what most girls dream about. Marriage is the greatest step in a ladies life. I have never in my life even heard of a girl who was married before they wanted to be. That is until long after they were married and changed their mind, some decide to change their mind and remember that they didn’t date their husband and so they must have been forced.
No one can ever be forced to live their religion. No matter how big a gun you have pointed at their head, you cannot force someone to have faith in the prophet or God. It would be completely pointless to pressure someone to tell the truth against their will, let alone get married against their will. You can’t get to heaven unless you want to. The prophet would never even want to make you. The only thing that could be considered force in the gospel is the guilty conscience we get if we don’t obey it. You never will have a guilty conscience if you are innocent; the innocent have no reason to be worried.
Heavenly Father is a dictator, He dictates. If we will ask and listen, He speaks to each of us and tells us what we should do to govern our personal responsibilities. Each person is responsible for themselves, a mother is responsible for her children, a father is responsible for his home, and the prophet is responsible for the obedient church members.
“You may keep Plural Marriage and live it pretty strict, but you reject the United Order. United Order and Plural Marriage are the highest orders of the Priesthood. Whether we keep them or whether we reject them it is going to be up to us….
What difference does it make who the man is at the head? Who the man is doesn’t make a bit of difference. When he is placed there, God tells him to set certain men apart. What difference does it make who it is? I am well aware that I am not as good a man as Uncle John Woolley and Lorin. I haven’t had the experience yet. But I do know this Gospel is true and that these brethren here are called of God. I do know that every man that fights it. I don’t care who it is, will reject the counsel of God concerning themselves.” (John Y Barlow 9/14/47)
1-The Holy United Order (referred to in the Bible and Book of Mormon as “All Things in Common”) This is the Economic Order of heaven. Also called the Order of Enoch
2-The Celestial Law of Marriage, including the plurality of wives. This is the Family Order of Heaven. Also called the Law of Abraham
I list the two highest laws for us to ponder upon. Many who may read this may be very vengeful about them, or at least indifferent to them, wanting me to get to the central one; the one that makes these two laws livable on earth. But I would like you to imagine yourself taking your entire life; stripping it of selfishness, and putting it into these two laws.
Men must overcome all jealousy to live the first one. It is the most difficult. Their effort must be completely selfless or the Order will not function. Masculinity is rather independent and confrontational, and these things must be subdued in the heart. In all of history, this economic order has only one lasting success story, found in the Pearl of Great Price. After the Savior came the early Saints set up this order in Israel and in America, but they did not last. The YFZ community in Texas is one of the central efforts set up today. There are others, but they all have this in common; unity of economic effort; giving all for the common good.
The second law requires the ladies to overcome their jealousy. That is easy for them. No lady has ever had a problem living polygny. OK! I am just joking! But ladies do have an inward ability to be more compassionate and caring, humble and religious. There are struggles, for sure, jealousy and selfishness cannot survive, but day to day life is easier for the ladies who share the duties of the home. It is not difficult when they can find a man who is stalwart and loyal to his leaders and an example of how to live pure. Joining forces with him is not as difficult as is portrayed by the few who abandon the idea.
Few people have any idea how wonderful the home and community is with those who are determined to overcome themselves and live these laws to their last breath. I have never seen a happier more peaceful people. But I must tell you, these two laws cannot be lived without the one that this post is titled after. I promise you, it is impossible.
The FLDS church is a family, and church organization under the wing of the Constitutional laws of the United States. The political order within the church itself is a Benevolent Dictatorship; in essence communism, or communalism.
Personal free will is what the war in heaven was fought over. It is what the American war of Independence was fought over. Almost every war that ever was, was one fought over freedom from tyranny and oppression. But by reading the Bible, you can see that God puts specific limits on our freedom, but only through benevolent love. The Ten Commandments are not the ten suggestions. While I know, and all who strive to follow those Commandments know that they are happier and feel more blessed when they follow those Commandments, God will force no one to follow them or any of His other laws like tithing. The Ten Commandments are a distinct list of what our Father in heaven commands us to do. What is our punishment if we don’t obey them?
If God was right next to you (as He is), what do you think He would do if he saw you lying? Or take His name in vain? Does He strike you dead, or damn you to hell? Are they not commandments? When you think of your Father in heaven, do you think of a tyrant, or one who loves you unconditionally?
He loves us unconditionally, but He blesses those who obey His commandments more than those who don’t. He will not force us to obey, but he will and does exclude us from the blessings of obedience. This is perfect merciful justice.
We believe that all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The Ten Commandments are the beginning and foundational laws, and the Law of Abraham and the Order of Enoch are the highest. In order to live the highest laws, men must have a central Priesthood authority for them to look up to and obey. The anxious, those who desire to throw off all selfishness seek to obey more and more; they are those who want to obey with all their hearts. Obedience is like delicious fruit to them. So they look for the man who they believe is the most like God; the one who they can trust to tell them what the Lord wants them to do. It is their belief in God that turns them to this one man.
I don’t know of a lady who does not want to be married. Motherhood is what most girls dream about. Marriage is the greatest step in a ladies life. I have never in my life even heard of a girl who was married before they wanted to be. That is until long after they were married and changed their mind, some decide to change their mind and remember that they didn’t date their husband and so they must have been forced.
No one can ever be forced to live their religion. No matter how big a gun you have pointed at their head, you cannot force someone to have faith in the prophet or God. It would be completely pointless to pressure someone to tell the truth against their will, let alone get married against their will. You can’t get to heaven unless you want to. The prophet would never even want to make you. The only thing that could be considered force in the gospel is the guilty conscience we get if we don’t obey it. You never will have a guilty conscience if you are innocent; the innocent have no reason to be worried.
Heavenly Father is a dictator, He dictates. If we will ask and listen, He speaks to each of us and tells us what we should do to govern our personal responsibilities. Each person is responsible for themselves, a mother is responsible for her children, a father is responsible for his home, and the prophet is responsible for the obedient church members.
“You may keep Plural Marriage and live it pretty strict, but you reject the United Order. United Order and Plural Marriage are the highest orders of the Priesthood. Whether we keep them or whether we reject them it is going to be up to us….
What difference does it make who the man is at the head? Who the man is doesn’t make a bit of difference. When he is placed there, God tells him to set certain men apart. What difference does it make who it is? I am well aware that I am not as good a man as Uncle John Woolley and Lorin. I haven’t had the experience yet. But I do know this Gospel is true and that these brethren here are called of God. I do know that every man that fights it. I don’t care who it is, will reject the counsel of God concerning themselves.” (John Y Barlow 9/14/47)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Top 5 lies needs a 6th
After my perusal of the comments from many an article on the news sites I would like to refute one big gargantuan lie.
LOST BOYS
The assertion is they are gotten rid of to keep them from "competing for brides"
I already addressed this in these posts:
http://fldsview.blogspot.com/2008/05/lost-and-found-boys.html
http://fldsview.blogspot.com/2008/05/few-questions-from-bored.html
http://fldsview.blogspot.com/2008/05/flds-mother.html
Regarding the underage boys who did leave, this is the truth:
They were not abandoned without resources
Their parents did want to keep them home or at least in a safe environment.
Their parents were never "required" to abandon them.
All of them left on their own.
Regarding the majority who were young adult men who left:
Most left on their own without being asked, but some were asked out
They had jobs and income, except the freeloaders who had enough training to get one.
They KNEW what the requirements were to stay, and did not do them.
The overwhelming majority of "Lost Boys" were adults.
The term "Lost Boy" was coined by Shem and Dan Fischer, who were seeking ways to sue the church and the UEP out of vindictive hatred. They gathered the "boys" through word of mouth to Salt Lake for a party and a payday; they came and sat on the steps of the Capital building in Salt Lake City. Out of their so-called "400" they found six who were as bitter as they were. Most of the rest are now insulted by the term.
This "Lost Boy" Lawsuit was one of four lawsuits filed at the same time against Warren Jeffs and the United Effort Plan (A trust with no assets except the homes and property secured for members in good standing in the FLDS church, in an effort to live in the "United Order" or "All things in Common")
The cost of defending these lawsuits, filed in the court of a fairly new feminist judge named Denise Lindberg, who I believe was previously an attorney for Dan Fischer’s businesses; would have been extremely burdensome to the FLDS people.
The judge has since confiscated all of the homes and property and handed it over to her feduciary Bruce Wisan. To "protect" the "beneficiaries" of the UEP from Warren Jeffs.
His personal "fees" have given him ownership of the large Harker Ranch in Beryl, Utah that was donated to the church several years before. He is now seeking to steal the YFZ property in Texas as well.
LOST BOYS
The assertion is they are gotten rid of to keep them from "competing for brides"
I already addressed this in these posts:
http://fldsview.blogspot.com/2008/05/lost-and-found-boys.html
http://fldsview.blogspot.com/2008/05/few-questions-from-bored.html
http://fldsview.blogspot.com/2008/05/flds-mother.html
Regarding the underage boys who did leave, this is the truth:
They were not abandoned without resources
Their parents did want to keep them home or at least in a safe environment.
Their parents were never "required" to abandon them.
All of them left on their own.
Regarding the majority who were young adult men who left:
Most left on their own without being asked, but some were asked out
They had jobs and income, except the freeloaders who had enough training to get one.
They KNEW what the requirements were to stay, and did not do them.
The overwhelming majority of "Lost Boys" were adults.
The term "Lost Boy" was coined by Shem and Dan Fischer, who were seeking ways to sue the church and the UEP out of vindictive hatred. They gathered the "boys" through word of mouth to Salt Lake for a party and a payday; they came and sat on the steps of the Capital building in Salt Lake City. Out of their so-called "400" they found six who were as bitter as they were. Most of the rest are now insulted by the term.
This "Lost Boy" Lawsuit was one of four lawsuits filed at the same time against Warren Jeffs and the United Effort Plan (A trust with no assets except the homes and property secured for members in good standing in the FLDS church, in an effort to live in the "United Order" or "All things in Common")
The cost of defending these lawsuits, filed in the court of a fairly new feminist judge named Denise Lindberg, who I believe was previously an attorney for Dan Fischer’s businesses; would have been extremely burdensome to the FLDS people.
The judge has since confiscated all of the homes and property and handed it over to her feduciary Bruce Wisan. To "protect" the "beneficiaries" of the UEP from Warren Jeffs.
His personal "fees" have given him ownership of the large Harker Ranch in Beryl, Utah that was donated to the church several years before. He is now seeking to steal the YFZ property in Texas as well.
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