From: press2@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (barry.o.olson)
Subject: McLellin Collection Suppressed PT 9 of 10
Organization: AT&T
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 03:55:53 GMT
Keywords: Tanner Nov. Newsletter/Hoffman bombings/suppresion



This is the ninth article broken down into 10 parts from Gerald
and Sandra Tanner's November "Salt Lake City Messanger" newsletter.
For those who need this info and couldn't obtain by hard-copy.
This is an FYI only production. Critique as you like.



SALT LAKE CITY MESSENGER          (Issue #83 - November 1992)
Utah Lighthouse Ministry
Po Box 1884,
Salt Lake City, Utah 84110


        Mormon Leaders Suppress "Key" Item in Murder Case
  The True McLellin Documents Found in First Presidency's Vault!



TESTING THE PROPHETS

        If the leaders of the Mormon Church did not make such
extravagant claims concerning their prophetic ability to detect
and fight off evil influences, it might be easier to accept the
idea that they were martyrs in the Hofmann scandal. Joseph Smith,
the first Mormon prophet, maintained that in his youth he had
seen a vision of both God and Christ. In this vision he was told
that all other churches were corrupt. The following statement by
Smith is taken from the Pearl of Great Price, one of the four
standard works of the church:

                "...I asked the Personages who stood above me in
        the light, which of all the sects was right... and which
        I should join. I was answered that I must join none of
        them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who
        addressed me said that all their creeds were an
        abomination in his sight; that those professors were all
        corrupt; that: 'they draw near to me with their lips, but
        their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines
        the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but
        they deny the power thereof.' He again forbade me to join
        with any of them..." (_Pearl of Great Price, Joseph
        Smith-- History_ 1:18-20)

        Mormon leaders teach that all other churches are in a
state of apostasy. More than fifty pages of the Introduction to
the _History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints_
are devoted to proving that all churches except the Mormon Church
are in apostasy. The following is found on page XL: "Nothing less
than a complete apostasy from the Christian religion would
warrant the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints." Church members are taught that only men who
hold the Mormon priesthood have the authority to administer in
the ordinances of the gospel. Consequently, those who perform
baptisms in other churches do not operate with any authority and
such baptisms are invalid in the sight of God.

        The Mormons, as we have pointed out, claim to be led by
revelation from God. Apostle Bruce R. McConkie made these claims
regarding Mormon revelation:


                "Our Lord's true Church is established and
        founded upon revelation. Its identity as the true Church
        continues as long as revelation is received to direct its
        affairs... without revelation there would be no legal
        administrators to perform the ordinances of salvation
        with binding effect on earth and in heaven.... Since The
        Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's
        true Church; and since the Lord's Church must be guided
        by continuous revelation ... we could safely conclude...
        that the Church today is guided by revelation.... the
        Spirit is giving direct and daily revelation to the
        presiding Brethren in the administration of the affairs
        of the Church.... The presence of revelation in the
        Church is positive proof that it is the kingdom of God on
        earth.... For those who reject these revelations there
        awaits the damnation of hell." (_Mormon Doctrine_, 1979,
        pages 646, 647, 650)

        Apostle McConkie also stated: "Members of the First
Presidency, Council of the Twelve, and the Patriarch to the
Church--because they are appointed and sustained as prophets,
seers, and revelators to the Church--are known as the living
oracles." (Ibid., p. 547)

        Unfortunately for church leaders, Mark Hofmann has put
the claim of revelation in the church to the acid test and found
that the "living oracles" are just as fallible as other men.
Because of this, President Hinckley, Apostle Oaks and other
Mormon leaders find themselves in a very embarrassing position.
At a time when revelation was really needed, they seemed to be
completely in the dark as to what was going on.

        In his youth Mark Hofmann undoubtedly was taught that
Mormon Church leaders were led by revelation and had the gift of
discernment to detect deceivers. The prophet Joseph Smith, in
fact, claimed he received a revelation from God himself warning
him that his enemies were falsifying an important religious
document (see _Doctrine and Covenants_, Section 10). Hofmann,
however, finally came to the conclusion that the church was not
led by revelation and that he could even deceive the "living
prophets" and the top Mormon scholars. In his confession, Mr.
Hofmann said that he could "look someone in the eye and lie" and
didn't believe that "someone could be inspired" in a religious
sense as to what "my feelings or thoughts were." He claimed that
he "had lost faith in the Mormon Church" and that he "wasn't
fearful of the Church inspiration detecting the forgery."
(_Hofmann's Confession_, pages 99, 112)

        Not only did church leaders fail to forsee through
revelation the threat Hofmann presented to the church, but they
completely ignored the many warnings about Hofmann's documents
which began appearing in our newsletter about eighteen months
before the bombings. In _Victims_, page 89 Richard Turley
commented about this matter: "Surprisingly, the article [in the
Salt Lake City Messenger, March 1984] concluded, 'While we would
really like to believe that the [Salamander] letter attributed to
Harris is authentic, we do not feel that we can endorse it until
further evidence comes forth....'" The _Los Angeles Times_,
August 25, 1984 reported that "The Tanners suggestion of forgery
has surprised some Mormons, who note that the parallels in
wording also could be taken as evidence of authenticity."
Thirteen months before the murders, September 1, 1984, the
church's own Deseret News printed the fact that "outspoken Mormon
Church critics Jerald and Sandra Tanner suspect the document is a
forgery, they told the Deseret News." In an article published in
the New York Times after the bombings Robert Lindsey wrote:


                "In a newsletter that he publishes with his wife,
        Sandra, Mr. Tanner began raising questions about their
        authenticity, in some cases comparing the texts with
        known Mormon writings.

                "But if senior Mormon officials were aware of his
        warnings they apparently paid little attention. Several
        of the church's highest officials have acknowledged
        negotiating to acquire documents from Mr. Hofmann until
        the day of the first two bombings." (_New York Times_,
        Feb. 16, 1986)

        Richard Lindsey has a quotation from Hugh Pinnock, the
Mormon General Authority who was working on the McLellin
transaction, which indicates that church leaders still believed
in Hofmann two or three days after the bombings. Writing on April
17, 1986, Pinnock observed: "'It seems that Hofmann has left a
trail of evidence. The only effective manner to understand this
situation is to realize that M[ark] H[ofman] was well considered
before 10-17 or 18th even though he fooled us all. M[ark]
H[ofmann] did not internalize the gospel.'" (_Victims_, page 271)

        Apostle Dallin Oaks met with Mark Hofmann just hours
after he had killed Kathleen Sheets and Steven Christensen. Oaks
never suspected that Hofmann was involved in the bombings and
encouraged him to go on with the McLellin transaction. On page
153 of Victims, Richard Turley wrote: "Oaks asked Hofmann if he
still intended to proceed with the closing on the collection...
Oaks told him he ought to get in touch with David E. West,
Sorensen's attorney, who would doubtless wonder how Christensen's
death would affect the transaction.... Oaks thanked Hofmann for
his work in discovering church documents and for his willingness
to sell the McLellin collection to someone 'friendly' to the
church."

        Apostle Oaks later made a feeble attempt to explain why
church leaders were unable to detect Hofmann's evil plans (see
_Confessions of a White Salamander_, page 64). He commented: "But
why, some still ask, were his deceits not detected by the several
Church leaders with whom he met?" Oaks maintained that Church
leaders "cannot be suspicious and questioning" of the many people
they meet with every year and noted that if "they fail to detect
a few deceivers... that is the price they pay to increase their
effectiveness in counseling, comforting, and blessing the
hundreds of honest and sincere people they see."

        Apostle Oaks never really answered the question. Mark
Hofmann was not meeting with church leaders for "counseling,
comforting, and blessing." He was meeting with them for the
express purpose of deceiving them so that they would give him
large amounts of money and authentic documents in exchange for
his fraudulent documents. Furthermore, he had many visits with
high Mormon officials. These meetings went on for years, yet
church leaders were unable to discern the wicked plan that
Hofmann had in his heart.

        While the Mormon leaders claim to have the same powers as
the ancient apostles in the Bible, their performance with regard
to Mark Hofmann certainly did not match up to that of Apostle
Peter when he caught Ananias and Sapphira red- handed in their
attempt to deceive the church with regard to a financial
transaction: "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled
thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of
the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3)

        In a revelation given by Joseph Smith on March 8, 1831,
the Lord warned against being "seduced by evil spirits, or
doctrines of devils... beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye
may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts... it is
given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of
operations... to others the discerning of spirits.... And to the
bishop of the church, and unto such as God shall appoint... are
to have it given unto them to discern all those gifts lest there
shall be any among you professing and yet be not of God."
(_Doctrine and Covenants_ 46:7,8,16,23,27)

        Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie proclaimed that church
leaders did have the gift of discernment: "...the gift of the
discerning of spirits is poured out upon presiding officials in
God's kingdom; they have it given to them to discern all gifts
and all spirits, lest any come among the saints and practice
deception.... There is no perfect operation of the power of
discernment without revelation. Thereby even 'the thoughts and
intents of the heart' are made known.... Where the saints are
concerned... the Lord expects them to discern, not only between
the righteous and the wicked, but between false and true
philosophies, educational theories, sciences, political concepts
and social schemes." (_Mormon Doctrine_ page 197)

        It would seem that if these powers were really
functioning in the church today, the "Prophet, Seer and
Revelator" would have received a revelation warning him
concerning Mark Hofmann's "cunning plan" to defraud and disgrace
the church. Furthermore, a revelation regarding his deception
would have prevented two people from dying.

        Spencer W. Kimball, who was the prophet and president of
the church at the time Hofmann first began deceiving church
leaders, was supposed to be a "seer" and have the power to
"translate all records that are of ancient date" (Book of Mormon,
Mosiah 8:13). The Book of Mormon also says that "a seer is
greater than a prophet... a seer is a revelator and a prophet
also; and a gift which is greater can no man have... a seer can
know of things which are past, and also of things which are to
come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall
secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to
light..." (Mosiah 8:15-17)

        When Mark Hofmann brought the forged Anthon transcript,
which was supposed to contain characters Joseph Smith copied from
the gold plates of the Book of Mormon President Kimball was
unable to translate the characters. Instead of using the "seer
stone," he examined the characters which appear on the transcript
with a magnifying glass. Not only did he fail to provide a
translation, but he was unable to detect that the church was
being set up to be defrauded of a large amount of money and many
historical items out of its archives. Moreover, he entirely
failed to see the devastating and embarrassing effect this
transaction and others which followed would have on the Mormon
Church. If ever revelation from the Lord was needed, it was on
that day in 1980 when Mark Hofmann stood in the presence of
President Kimball.

        As President Kimball grew older, he became less able to
function and President Gordon B. Hinckley took over many of his
responsibilities and became to all appearances the acting
president of the church. Hinckley, who posed with Mark Hofmann,
President Kimball and other church leaders in a photograph taken
in 1980, was also deceived on a number of occasions by Mr.
Hofmann. He, together with Apostle Boyd K. Packer (also shown in
the picture) approved many of the deals the church made with
Hofmann.
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