The Importance Of Doing as He Is Bid

Why does He insist on doing what the Lord requires? Even though at times it is an unenviable task, the Prophets must do what they are asked of God or be removed out of their place. WSJ is a man who WILL do it no matter what men may think of Him, just as Joseph would as indicated in the previous post.

v1 And, behold there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth-el; and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
v2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
v3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
v4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
v5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
v6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
v7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
v8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
v9 For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
v10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.
v11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el; the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
v12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
v13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon,
v14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
v15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
v16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place;
v17 For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
v18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also, even as thou, and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water, that I may prove him; and he lied not unto him.
v19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
v20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back;
v21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,
v22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.
v23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
v24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him; and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass.
v25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
v26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord; therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto me.
v27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.
v28 And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass; the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass.
v29 And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
v30 And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
v31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones;
v32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.

I Kings Ch.13

The Vital Point

I have written about this before. Here and Here and Here Please read them again before reading this.

To clarify, it is part of the FLDS religion to have a prophet leader, and the way and reason he becomes the prophet leader is what qualified him to the FLDS PEOPLE. He doesn't have to qualify to you for him to be MY leader. We know his character, we know how much he has done FOR the purification of the people as a whole, and for Heavenly Father, (who IS COMING). We know how close he was to his father in all things, including perfect obedience. And we know what his goal, and purpose is, and the overriding point of why he has done what he has done. That is why none of us are worried, and why the crusaders, the CULT of bigots, have made the private words public, with their own evil spin. They actually think they can destroy our faith with them. That is the reason the government has arrested him and put him in jail, and that is the purpose behind all the persecution. To try to get his followers to stop. To me, all the crusaders do is make me feel sorry for them. They are only making themselves more dark and filled with hate. They only serve the devil in their crusade.They cannot harm my faith, or keep me from supporting this man, only I can do that.

I won't read the private words of my best friend, they are none of my business. I have already qualified him as my leader, and I will follow as long as the words he gives to me are the words that I believe correspond with the scriptures, and they do. I wont be listening to him through his (and thus my) enemies, if those are even his words.

These are commandments to the FLDS from God, to us. They are an important part of our religion.

“And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.” (Exodus 4:16)

“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter [Warren], and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19)

“Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he recieveth them, walking in all holiness before me; For his word you shall receive as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith” (D&C 21:4-5)

“Cursed are all those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord, and cry they have sinned when they have not sinned before me, saith the Lord, but have done that which was meet in mine eyes, and which I commanded them. But those who cry transgression do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves.” (D&C 121:16-17)

“For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my church, through him whom I have appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations from my hand. And this ye shall know assuredly- that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me. But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him; for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead.” (D&C 43:2-4)

“Verily, if a man be called of my Father, as was Aaron, by mine own voice, and by the voice of him that sent me, and I have endowed him with the keys of the power of this priesthood, if he do anything in my name, and according to my law and by my word, he will not commit sin, and I will justify him. Let no one, therefore, set on my servant Joseph [Warren]; for I will justify him; for he shall do the sacrifice which I require at his hands for his transgressions, saith the Lord your God.” (D&C132:59-60)


It is a benevolent dictatorship, this FLDS religion is. God is our leader, and he reveals His will through one man to us, and his name is Warren Jeffs. If you don't believe that, fine, go and enjoy your life, and do the best that you can, and live your own religion in peace. For just as the Prophet Joseph said to his own brother who had physically attacked him:

“As it regards what course you shall pursue hereafter, I do not pretend to say; I leave you in the hands of God and His Church. Make your own decision; I will do you good, although you mar me, or slay me. By doing so, my garments shall be clear of your sins. And if at any time you should consider me to be an impostor, for heavens sake leave me in the hands of God, and not think to take vengeance on me yourself.” (Joseph Smith DHC 2:343)

-Al Holm

A prayer for our Prophet

O God, thou God who rules on high
Bow down thine ear to me
Listen, O, to my cry
Hear thou my fervent plea

Forgive the heartless wicked clan
That wish Thy servant harm
Protect him from the power of man
By Thy Almighty arm

Let unseen watchmen wait around
To shield thy servants head
Let all his enemies be found
Caught in the net they spread.

Thy grace like prairie dews distilled
To all his needs apply
And let his upright heart be filled
With Spirit from on high

O, hide him in Thy secret fold
When on his path they tread
Safe as Elijah who of old
Was by the ravens fed

Bring his accusers deeds to light
And give Thy people rest
Eternal God gird up thy might
And succor the oppressed

The work is Thine Thy promise sure
Though Earth and hell oppose
Roll, roll it onward and secure
Thy Prophet from his foes

-Eliza R Snow

*Sent to me by one who calls themself "Sweety"

The Vital Point

You’ve hear of them, Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, David Koresch, and FBI most wanted and the most hated man in America; the one no one can stand to hardly mention because of the “atrocities” that he has committed on American soil, Warren Jeffs. To many that is a group of terrible men. To me that is a list of two demented suicidal Cult leaders, a strange man who the government tortured and killed children to get rid of, and the most humble man alive I have ever met. The first three taught that they themselves were the chosen one, while the last would teach the importance of purity, virtue, covenant keeping, and obedience to scripture and other still greater Christ-like men. The first three do not hold a religious candle to my best friend, and do not belong in the same planet, let alone the same conversation.

Most people cannot figure out how it is that a man such as I could love Warren Jeffs after what he “did” to me. That is only because they do not know what he did FOR me. And perhaps a few in the FLDS wonder if I love him at all. If I wrote the whole truth, it would be a sound bite and a quote on all of the anti-FLDS blogs and a central topic for them ad nauseam. What I already personally have said FLDS101 and others have quoted as at least three different men, all with an indignant, evil, spin. And then they wonder why the FLDS people “answer them nothing”?

Warren Jeffs changed absolutely nothing about the FLDS religion or life. He did not change the rules, the laws, or anything of the kind. No, he only did exactly what he believed was right. Few people know what that man has done to increase the peace and virtue of the FLDS Church as a whole. He did only what his father wanted done. I have known that man for a long time, and was acquainted with him personally every day for six years when I went to Alta Academy, and the year that I went back and volunteered to teach six years later. I have listened to him for more hours than most people hear their own father, and I have never once heard him speak about himself, except in introspection and a desire to do better. Not even once. In all of the Anti-FLDS quotes that have been lifted from his school teaching courses, the ones that mention prophet, obedience, submission, or revelation to one man, he was not speaking of himself; not one time.

I will tell you all, if you can breathe through your own fear and bigotry, that Warren Jeffs had absolutely no desire to be the Prophet leader, and because of that humility, and his daily, tireless, continuous, anxious obedience to his father and the gospel of Jesus Christ, he was most qualified for the position God, and the FLDS people put him in. They have not followed blindly, but they have sought to follow and obey because they are not blind. They each and all have perfect free will to change their minds and walk away at any time, but because they have their eyes wide open, most don’t. Many Anti-FLDS constantly repeat, “Just say “I hate Warren Jeffs” we will celebrate and leave you alone”
They can’t even see how ridiculous and absurd that sounds.

And even if the powers that be, and all the devils who desire his death, got their wish and killed him, it would change nothing about the FLDS Church. He had taken upon himself the responsibility of the virtue of the people as a group, and because of that, and the very real need for a people that can live as Zion (the holiest pure people) in Zion (the City of the Saviors return) here and now, have his actions been rushed and seemingly impatient with doe-heads and slow pokes like me. I know what he has been through because of me. I know that mans heart, and I know what my actions have done to hurt him and those we both love. I know he has suffered because of me. He cares, and perhaps like me he may have made mistakes, but his mistakes are not mine or my business, for it was not for any other reason except his desire to follow the Gospel of his father and bless those who seek and love to obey the gospel. God does not make mistakes, He gives us tests. At times those tests are from our mistakes, and at times those tests come from others. A curse is a test. This whole life is but a test.

If you would kneel before your God, a being who is your FATHER, and realize without a doubt that He does hear you, and knows you, and cares very deeply about you, and you pray with all the energy of your heart, and sacrifice to Him all your feelings, cares and worries for an hour. And then use your conscious mind throughout the rest of the day to speak to God about everything, having nothing else in mind; to literally think through prayer. No entertainment except revelation through the scriptures and what you can make yourself with children or uplifting friends in peace. No worldly drum filled music but music of prayer, no Television or video but real life, no associations except what is needed for your responsibilities, no idle time except in the peace of talking to God, and knowing you are doing His will to the best of your ability. Remove all selfishness, and pride, and the need to justify yourself. Complain to no one, except God. Remove all malice and forgive every single human being without exception. And do these things all the rest of your life; in essence do exactly what Warren Jeffs has done since I ever knew him, you will understand eventually.

In the early 1880’s our Church was being hounded severely by the government; men and women were disenfranchised for their beliefs, men were put in prison and there were none in government who would allow them to live the tenets of their faith, not even the Supreme Court. From those times very similar to today, I copy these words:

George Q Cannon
August 12, 1883 JD 24:276
“Now, this is the great point. I look upon it as one of the most vital points connected with our existence in these mountains. I look upon it as a test. It may be said that it will test the Latter-Day Saints as they never have been tested -- this vital doctrine of obedience to the Priesthood of the Son of God.

“There is no point today against which so many assaults are directed by the wicked. They make it the main object of their attacks. They would like to destroy confidence in your hearts in the Priesthood of the Son of God. If they could weaken your confidence; if they could undermine your faith; if they could by any power or means in their possession wean you from the Church, and sow the seeds of distrust and suspicion in your minds concerning the Priesthood, or those who bear it, they would obtain the object of their view.

“The man who holds the keys is always the object of assault. His life is the life that is most sought after. He is the man they would strike down if they had the power. They seek to weaken the confidence of the people in him, by all manner of slanders, and every sort of falsification. It is the main object of our enemies to sow the seeds of distrust and suspicion in the midst of the Latter-Day Saints, and to accomplish this they relate all manner of falsehoods concerning those who bear the Priesthood of the Son of God. They contort every act. They misrepresent every word and every council that is given. They endeavor to put everything in a false light. And those who read those things continually begin to believe by degrees, that there is foundation for them, that there is something wrong, that this man or the other man is not to be trusted, and that they are doing wrong in yielding obedience to the counsels of the Priesthood, and in submitting to its control. You are aware these attacks are constantly directed against the Priesthood, and it is, as I say, the vital point today.”

Who am I?

I have published this blog to tell you my side of the story. The true one.

Who am I? A Victim?

I had an adorable wife, gorgeous little children, brothers, sisters, parents, load’s of extended family, almost innumerable amount of friends, a cozy home, and a job I loved. But in a matter of ten seconds, I lost them all.
All of them.
Everything.
With the calmest and quietest of voices, a great man said to me “You have no Priesthood”; which I already knew. To describe the experience closest is to calmly walk up, have a cannon pointed at your chest, and fired. My ability to walk, and speak, stayed with me long enough to load some of my belongings in my little van, and drive away, ...barely.

Am I a victim? Of a crime? Only if you call justice a crime; only if you call all choices that are painful, bad ones. I don’t, because I deserved it. I earned it. The loss that I feel, the absolute death of soul that I have felt, the pain that hurt me the very most, is the loss of the confidence of my best friend, Warren Steed Jeffs.

Anyone who has lost the greatest job they ever had, I know how they feel.

Anyone who has lost their own home, I know how they feel.

Anyone who has had close friends and family avoid you, I know how they feel.

Anyone who has lost their entire family of cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles, brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents all in an instant, like watching them climb into a bus and watch the bus drive over a cliff, and be left alone on the dirt road wondering why, knowing it was you who pulled the brake line. I know how they feel.

Anyone who has left their adorable, loving wife sobbing on the couch, gathered with her little ones, and to never see or hear from her again, I know how they feel.

Anyone who has had a child hold on to their neck, tightly, and then lost that child, I know how they feel.

Anyone who has stood looking at the empty spot where their van containing everything they owned was parked only an hour before, three days after losing everything else, I know how they feel.

Anyone who loves their parents desperately, but dreads the visit because it will only be another agonizing goodbye, I know how they feel.

Anyone who has had hurt so bad in their heart that they prayed to God to let them die, somehow, to release the pain, I know how they feel.

The pain, the longing for the grave, the fierce hell that I felt, and still feel at times, is because I love those who I am not worthy of.

I know what it is like to lose your soul.

But here is the truth that no one else will tell you. IT WAS MY OWN FAULT. I know it, God knows it, Warren Jeffs knew it, and now YOU know it. The blame is on no one but myself. I must answer for what I have done. I am the reason I am not home in the FLDS Church with my family, and no one else is. I did what I knew would take me out of what I know is heaven on earth.

I was a member of the FLDS Church, a group of people of which to me there is no comparison. The unity, the love, and the effort of purity of that people are the greatest in the world. I have met a lot of people, I travel all over the country, some do come close, but there are none who compare. Ladies who are angels in every sense of the word, dignified men who would work day and night on your home for nothing and ask only to do more; a people who desire God’s will and nothing else, and a determined goal unlike any other in the world, and that is to become Zion, the pure in heart, here and now; a group of pure fathers, with pure mothers, and pure children; under the direction of one prophet; striving to become a community where the angels in heaven, and Jesus Christ Himself would want to live.

I was in their way; and others were in their way.

Some people who leave the FLDS called it tyranny to obey. They feel they have "escaped". I guess to those raised in heaven, the requirement to do good when you don’t want to is a tremendous burden. But are they victims? When the only thing they seek to escape is heaven and their testimony of it?

Some people who were asked to leave call it torture to not be allowed to stay and interfere with the effort. They want you to think they were cast out for no good reason, which is a lie, are they victims? I am not a victim of anything but my own actions. And neither are they.

I believe in God, the Omnipotent Creator of the Universe, and I believe that He was born into this world and died on the cross for our sins, to give us the resurrection and the power to repent. I believe in His justice, and His mercy, that He is the judge of us all, and anytime we blame anyone for what we experience, we blame Him. He loves us, each individually, and He has a reward for us according to our ability to overcome our sins, a reward far beyond our imaginations.

Keeping Sweet is just that, it is a smile in our trial. It is the effort of prayer, forgiveness, repentance, humility, hope, obedience, and pure love; to never let an outside influence adjust our trust in God; and to trust Him, completely, absolutely, and without exception; to look to Him, and He alone, for solace and courage. Then we will learn to be worthy to be lifted up at the last day, even you, and even me; Saint, Jew, Gentile, Negro, and Oriental; Atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, and Mormon. God loves us without exception, but He will reward us not only by His love for us, but by our ability to love Him enough to be just like Him, and obey Him all the time, no matter what, no matter who wants to stop us, no matter what we live through.

I feel very compelled to tell you the very difficult time I have in writing this blog. I have a difficult time because I love those who hate Warren Jeffs. I have no desire to put them down in any way. I wish nothing for them that I do not want for myself. I only write things against them to stop them from hurting the innocent and keep those who want to believe the truth from believing their lies.

When I think of those who have become filled with apostasy, whose rage is blinding and whose greatest fear is the whole truth, I think of an angry child with matches, who catch themselves on fire. They may light things on fire and hurt the innocent they hate, but it is they who are covered in gasoline. I forgive and feel sorry for them.

I may be a fool, I may be a coward, but let it never be said of me that he did not forgive all!

I have said things on this blog that I didn’t want to. I have written things in emails, on blogs, and even in this post that I probably shouldn’t have. Sometimes I fee like Peter who made a great error with his sword when the soldiers came, and then soon made the opposite error standing at the fire. I have shown my weakness, and shown it to all.

But to all who read this, I sincerely plead, that with your hearts, your desires, your anxiety to do something. Do not give me advice on how to treat my best friend, or my best friend advice on how to treat me! Forgive us. Turn all of your feelings to love, and do something to BUILD UP OTHERS!

Thank You FATHER!

True Religion

“The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence…He knew of the fall of Adam, the iniquities of the antediluvians, of the depth of iniquity that would be connected with the human family, their weakness, and strength,… their righteousness and iniquity; He comprehended the fall of man, and his redemption… He knows the situation of both the living and the dead, and has made ample provision for their redemption, according to their several circumstances, and the laws of the kingdom of God, whether in this world, or in the world to come.” (TPJS pg 220)

“The plans of Jehovah are not so unjust, the statements of holy writ so visionary, nor the plan of salvation for the human family so incompatible with common sense; at such proceedings God would frown with indignance, angels would hide their heads in shame, and every virtuous, intelligent man would recoil.

"If human laws award to each man his deserts, and punish all delinquents according to their several crimes, surely the Lord will not be more cruel than man, for He is a wise legislator, and His laws are more equitable, His enactments more just, and His decisions more perfect than those of man; and as man judges his fellow man by law, so does God of heaven judge “according to the deeds done in the body.”

"To say that the heathens would be damned because they did not believe the Gospel would be preposterous, and to say that the Jews would all be damned that do not believe in Jesus would be equally absurd; for “how can they believe on him of whom they have not heard, and how can they hear without a preacher, and how can he preach except he be sent;” consequently neither Jew nor heathen can be culpable for rejecting the conflicting opinions of sectarianism, nor for rejecting any testimony but that which is sent of God [To them] for as the preacher cannot preach except he be sent, so the hearer cannot believe without the he hear a “sent” preacher, and cannot be condemned for what he has not heard, and being without law, will have to be judged without law.” (TPJS pg 221)

You will be judged by what God sends you here to do, not by what He sends ME or anyone else to do. We are all brothers and sisters, HIS children, whom He loves equally. Our bodies are given life by Him. That precious thing, called “LIFE”, is the Spirit of God. Everything that is alive has it to a certain degree, but in us, being His children, he also gave us the opportunity to become like Him, to CHOOSE to do the RIGHT that we were born knowing. The more we do right, the more we will gain that Spirit, and the more we will learn better what is right or wrong, and the happier we will be when we do it.

When you willingly do wrong, (Not MY WRONG, YOUR WRONG) you lose portions of that Spirit. You lose the ability to realize the difference between right and wrong, and eventually you tend to assume that those who are trying to do right are the ones who are doing wrong. You are miserable in your religion, or you become athiest.

I do not condemn atheism, I believe that it is actually a mercy from God, to preserve at least some of His Spirit in them, called happiness. Everyone thinks THEIR happiness is the best, and you know, THEY are right!

Even the devil was sent by God to do the work he is doing. The devil is here to prove us before our God. So those who seek Warren Jeffs life, those who want to destroy the work of life in the FLDS church, who want to stop the religion that Joseph Smith brought forth, that was continued on by John Taylor, John and Lorin Woolley, John Y Barlow, Leroy S Johnson, and Rulon Jeffs. They cannot help but be doing the work of the devil, who is doing the work that God is allowing him to do.

They cannot accomplish their desire to make this religion false.

And I pray, forgive them Father, for they do not know what true happiness is.

Matthew 5:
"8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

"Truth will Prevail"

Mr. Editor,-

“Sir, ever since I gave up the editorial department of the "Times and Seasons," I have thought of writing a piece for publication, by way of valedictory, as is usual when editors resign the chair editorial. My principal remarks I intended to apply to the gentlemen of the quill, or, if you please, that numerous body of respectable gentlemen who profess to regulate the tone of the public mind, in regard to politics, morality, religion, literature, the arts and sciences, &c. &c. viz. the editors of the public journals; or, if you please, I will designate them, the lions of the forest.

“This latter cognomen sir, I consider to be more appropriate, because of the dignity of their office, their lofty bearing and mien, their ascendancy and influence over all others, and because of the tremendous noise that they make when they utter their voice.

“It came to pass that as I went forth like a young fawn, one day, to feed upon the green grass in my pasture, an ass saw me, and brayed, and made a great noise; which a neighboring lion hearing roared, even as a lion roareth when he beholds his prey: at the sound of his voice the beasts of the field were alarmed, and the lions in the adjoining jungles pricked their ears and roared in their turn; and behold all the lions of the forest, alarmed by the noise, opened their mouths and uttered forth their voice which was as the roaring of a cataract, or as the voice of thunder; so tremendous was their roaring that the trees of the forest shook, as if they were shaken by a mighty wind; and all the beasts of the forest trembled, as if a whirlwind were passing. I lifted up mine eyes with astonishment when I heard the voice of the lions, and saw the fury of their rage. I asked, is it possible that so many lords of the forest, such noble beasts, should condescend to notice one solitary fawn, that is feeding alone upon his pasture; without attempting to excite either their jealousy or anger?

“I have not strayed from the fold, nor injured the trees of the forest, nor hurt the beasts of the field, nor trampled upon their pasture, nor drunk of their streams; why then their rage against me? When lo! and behold! they again uttered their voices, as the voice of great thunderings, and there was given unto them the voice of men; but it was difficult for me to distinguish what was said, among so many voices; but ever and anon I heard a few broken, incoherent sentences, like the following:-Murder! Desolation!! Bloodshed!!! Arson!!! Treason!!! Joe Smith and the Mormons!!! Our nation will be overturned!!! The impostor should be drove from the State!!!

“The fawn will be metamorphosed into a lion; will devour all the beasts of the field, destroy all the trees of the forest, and tread underfoot all the rest of the lions. I then lifted up my voice and said, hear me, ye beasts of the forest! and all ye great lions pay attention! I am innocent of the things whereof ye accuse me. I have not been guilty of violating your laws, nor of trespassing upon your rights. My hands are clean from the blood of all men, and I am at the defiance of the world to substantiate the crimes whereof I am accused; wherefore, then, should animals of your noble mien stoop to such little jealousies, such vulgar language, and lay such unfounded charges at the door of the innocent?

"It is true that I once suffered an ass to feed in my pasture: he ate at my crib and drank at my waters, but possessing the true nature of an ass, he began to foul the water with his feet, and to trample under foot the green grass, and destroy it. I therefore put him out of my pasture, and he began to bray. Many of the lions in the adjoining jungles mistaking his braying for the roaring of a lion, commenced roaring. When I proclaimed this abroad many of the lions began to inquire into the matter; a few possessing a more noble nature than many of their fellows, drew near, and viewing the animal found that he was nothing more than a decrepit, broken-down, worn-out ass that had scarcely anything left but his ears and his voice.

"Whereupon many of the lions of Quincy; the lion of Sangamo; the lion of Alton, and several other lions, for giving a false alarm, for dishonoring their race, and for responding to the voice of so base an animal as an ass. And they felt ashamed of themselves for being decoyed into such base ribaldry, and foul-mouthed slander. But there were many that lost sight of their dignity, and continued to roar, although they knew full well that they were following the braying of so despicable a creature.

“Among these was a great lion, whose den was on the borders of the eastern sea; he had waxed great in strength; he had terrible teeth, and his eyes were like balls of fire; his head was large and terrific, and his shaggy mane rolled with majestic grandeur over his terrible neck; his claws were like the claws of the dragon; and his ribs were like those of the leviathan; when he lifted himself up all the beasts of the field bowed with respectful deference; and when he spake the whole universe listened, and the cinders of his power cover creation. His might, his influence were felt to the ends of the earth; when he lashed his tail the beasts of the forest trembled; and when he roared all the great lions and the young lions crouched down at his feet.

“This great lion lifting up himself and beholding the fawn afar off, he opened his mouth, and joining in the common roar, uttered the following great swelling yelp:

“ -Joe Smith In Trouble.-
“By a letter which we published on Sunday, from Springfield, Illinois, it appears that Joe Smith, the great Mormon Prophet, has at last given himself up to the authorities of Illinois. He is charged with fomenting or conspiring to assassinate Governor Boggs, of Missouri, and is demanded by the functionary of that State, of the Governor of Illinois. He has taken out a writ of habeas corpus, denying the fact, and is now waiting the decision of the court at Springfield. This will bring Joe's troubles to a crisis. In the mean time, why does not Joe try his power at working a miracle or two? Now's the time to prove his mission-besides being very convenient for himself."

“When I heard it, I said poor fellow! How has thy dignity fallen! and how has thy glory departed! Thou that once ranked amongst the foremost of the beasts of the field, as the lord of the forest! Even thou hast condescended to degrade thyself by uniting with the basest of animals, and to join ion with the braying of an ass. And now, friend B., allow me to whisper a word in thine ear. Dost thou not know that there is a God in the heavens that judgeth? that setteth up one and putteth down another according to the counsel of his own will? That if thou possessest any influence, wisdom, dominion, or power, it comes from God, and to him thou art indebted for it? That he holds the destinies of men in his power, and can as easily put down as he has raised up? Tell me when hast thou treated a subject of religious and eternal truth with that seriousness and candor that the importance of the subject demands from a man in thy standing, possessing thy calling and influence?

“As you seem to be quite a theologist, allow me to ask a few questions, why did not God deliver Micah from the hands of his persecutors? Why did not Jeremiah "work a miracle or two," to help him out of the dungeon? It would have been "very convenient." Why did not Zechariah, by a miracle prevent the people from slaying him? Why did not our Savior come down from the cross? The people asked him to do it; and besides he had "saved others," and could not save himself, so said the people. Why did he not prove his mission by working a miracle and coming down? Why did not Paul by a miracle prevent the people from stoning and whipping him? It would have been "very convenient." Or why did the saints of God, in every age, have to wander about in sheep skins and goat skins? Being tempted, tried, and sawn asunder; of whom the world was not worthy. I would here advise my worthy friend, before he talks of 'proving missions," "working miracles," or any "convenience" of that kind, to read his Bible a little more, and the garbled stories of political demagogues less.

“I listened, and lo! I heard a voice, and it was the voice of my shepherd, saying, listen all ye lions of the forest; and all the beasts of the field give ear; ye have sought to injure the innocent; and your hands have been lifted against the weak, the injured and the oppressed. Ye have pampered the libertine, the calumniator, and the base. Ye have winked at vice, and trodden under foot the virtuous and the pure. Therefore hear, all ye lions of the forest. The Lord God will take from you your teeth, so that you shall no longer devour. He will pluck out your claws, so that you can no longer seize upon you prey. Your strength will fail you in the day of trouble, and your voice will fail, and not be heard afar off; but mine elect will I uphold with mine arm, and my chosen shall be supported by my power. And when mine anointed shall be exalted, and all the lions of the forest shall have lost their strength, then shall they remember that the Lord he is God.”
-Joseph Smith.

[Times and Seasons Vol. IV. No. 7.] CITY OF NAUVOO, ILL. FEB. 15, 1843

How To Tell a Story

First I want you to know that these two stories are absolutely true from my memory.

THE BEATING

Warren Jeffs, the master over the innocent unsuspecting children of Alta Academy, commanded me to go and stand in front of the whole high school class. I was terrified with fright. At the same time he sent a red headed muscular adult man, who had a snarkey grin on his face, to face me and the three or four other soon to be victims; one of them being an innocent underage girl. The crowd was on the edge of their seats with sinister glee in that they were not forced to the front, and a sick curiosity as to what was going to happen next.

Then, just as we who were commanded to the front began to interact with one another in conversation, the red-headed muscular man pulled out an over sized club and began beating us! The club made its heavy effects upon my poor head and back. The other victims each felt the same effects. If we made any protest against the abuse the massive weapon crashed down upon our skulls with all the more reckless abandon.

And while we were here the most tender and vulnerable, moaning and groaning in poor anguish, the onlookers roared with sadistic laughter! Not the least of those entertained by the spectacle, was the ominous dictator of the class Mr. Warren Jeffs

THE SKIT

When I graduated from Alta Academy I and my brother of the same age were 18, legal adults. In our senior year we were both in the high school Chorus and Home Entertainment class taught by Mr. Jeffs. One day he called on us to perform a skit. One we would have to invent ourselves. He gave us a few days to gather props and costumes.

The skit, we decided, would be a United Nations Assembly. I was the delegate from England, my two other brothers and my sister for other countries. My red headed brother, the same age as I, decided to be an aborigine from Rwanda. The topic of our assembly was one of tremendous world importance, “What are we going to have for lunch”.

“As the head of this assembly, I would like to have you all realize the grave urgency that we must come to a conclusion! We must not spend days and weeks as we have so many times before, only to realize the fact that fish and chips are the only logical choice!” I said (in my aingleesh awksent). My red headed brother pulled out a foam waffle-ball bat and whacked me over the head. “No! Twinkies!” he yelled. So I sat down quietly. Each delegate stood to make their speech and they all received the same treatment. It ended with a barrage of argument out of turn and thuds of a foam bat. Mr. Jeffs stopped us because, well, it was dumb. “Give them a hand” he required the class so we wouldn’t feel so embarrassed.

---
Both of those stories are of the same event. The first one I exaggerated the fear, pain, and most especially the laughter. The second one I exaggerated my speech giving ability.

The first one is how Carolyn Jessop and Elissa Wall would write it, or Kathy Jo Nicholson and Jaleena Fischer would describe it. The second version? The only thing that has going for it is…, well…, accuracy.

Warren Jeffs, my best friend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Case Against the Prophet

If you could have planned for years to create a case trying to convict the leader of the FLDS church, you could not have had a case better than the one they had. The things that happened before the marriage, the ages of the “victims”, the timing of when Warren Jeffs became the leader, the split within the FLDS, who left the church and became witnesses in the case, besides what happened to him while in custody, could not have been scripted more precisely to make him look guilty.

He was guilty.

You may think I believe that he was guilty of the charges against him. I don’t. He wasn’t. In fact his conviction should put every priest or justice of the peace who performs a marriage in fear that they could be convicted of rape. And any family councilor who suggests a wife to stay with her husband is in danger of being convicted of rape as an accomplice.

Warren Jeffs is, was, and always will be guilty of believing his father was the prophet of God. And I am guilty of that too. If there was a death penalty for being guilty of that, please come and string me up.

Elissa Wall claims she was the victim of unwanted advances from her half cousin Allen Steed, the victim (as she refers to him) who she married. Warren performed the wedding even though he was not the one who arranged it. That fact, and the fact that he taught on tape that married people should have children if possible, was all the evidence they needed to convict him on the first count of “Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly solicited, requested, or commanded her to have sexual intercourse without her consent”. Five years to life.

The second count is much less legitimate than the first. Sometime between May 2001 and September of 2003 (28 months), she came and asked to be divorced from Allen, telling Warren that she didn’t like Allen touching her. According to her (in “plig” language) this meant “He’s going to rape me!” Add another five years to life for telling her that if he wasn’t mistreating her she should stay true to her vows.

I am not positive that Elissa knew that she did not have to marry Allen, or anyone else for that matter, but even if she did not know she had a choice does not mean that she did not have that choice. If she had gone to the classes they played the audio of during the trial she would have known. If she would have read the book they quoted during the trial she would have known. Every time the Prophet was approached for marriage and he gave a name it was by way of suggestion, not commandment. His only desire was to bless; to help, to make you smile. He often said he was in the “happiness business”. If you weren’t happy about it, of course he wouldn’t perform the wedding. I know several that did that very thing.

If Elissa didn’t agree at first, Warren may have thought she was wrong, and tried to convince her that it was best. He had no doubt that his father was right, but he would have given her the final say. I wasn’t there, but that sounds more like the Warren Jeffs I know. Her own mother and sister Rebecca, I am sure, put more pressure on her than he did. I knew them both and I know how excited women get when a marriage is about to happen.

I don’t deny some of what Elissa went through before the wedding. Her second thoughts when she found out it was that “mean” boy who squirt her with cow’s milk back on grandpa’s farm, or that she was crying (happy? excited? nervous?) when she was being fitted with her wedding dress etc. But I still don’t believe she thought she was too young or sincerely objected to being married to Allen, until much later. I have absolutely no doubt that Uncle Warren did not know she objected. Her two bitter sisters said she didn’t want to marry, but her own mother was a defense witness. Only ten of the forty defense witnesses were put on the stand. The jury completely ignored them because they were all “brainwashed” FLDS. Part of "them", not "us"

The case would have gone absolutely nowhere except for her age at the time of the "crime". But that fact was not supposed to be even a consideration in a rape charge, the judge’s instructions plainly stated to the jury that the law was: “With respect to the crime of rape, a 14 year old is capable of consenting to an act of sexual intercourse” The jury ignored that and centered on the non-marriage law: “A lawful marriage cannot occur between first cousins or when on of the parties is younger than age fifteen” Yes, according to the law they could not have been married, but that is not proof of what they convicted him of. There is no life sentence for performing a marriage that cannot be licensed by the state.

The jury was hung and very heated until one of the jurors admitted to lying on the questionnaire. She was replaced, and the alternate ended the deadlock.

Allen Steed is a really nice guy, even if he was a little backward and had a hard time expressing himself. I enjoyed being around him because he was always smiling and asking if he could help. I know that Elissa has no desire to see him go to prison, unless keeping him out might help the Prophet Warren Jeffs get out.