Utah Women Sue Religious Group for Fraud

SALT LAKE CITY - Two women claim they were bilked out of their life savings by an apocalyptic religious group that promised them land and a face-to-face meeting with Jesus Christ.

Kaziah Hancock and Cindy Stewart earlier won their lawsuit against Jim Harmston and The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of The Last Days in a district court, but it was thrown out by a judge.

In the appeal, the women's attorney, Don Redd, argued Harmston and the church should not be allowed to create a "religious cocoon" to protect themselves.

Harmston's attorney, Kevin Bond, said the promises were not to be fulfilled by Harmston, but by God, and that a ruling in the women's' favor would set a precedent for excommunicated church members of any faith to seek repayment of tithing.

The women first sued in 2002, when a jury awarded them $300,000. However, a judge ruled that the damages were unfair, and Redd refiled the lawsuit. A judge then dismissed three of five claims, prompting the appeal and a separate district court lawsuit.

The church — founded in 1994 by Harmston after his excommunication from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — preaches the practice of polygamy as one of its tenets. It made news in 2002 after posting a Web site declaration that the end of the world was at hand and only church members would survive

I agree. The descriptions I am finding on the net concerning this cult convince me that the head of this group, Jim Harmston, takes fraud to a new level. He claims to be the reincarnated (Multiple Mortal Probation) spirit of the Mormon cult founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. The crux of the law suit is whether or not consecrations made by plaintiff's Hancock and Stewert were donations [free and clear] or contracts [donations with a stipulation]. Ms. Hancock gave 67 acres of her farm, the house, and shares of water rights to the church for redistribution among members and along with her then husband, Doug Jordan, jointly consecrated approximately $250,000.00 contingent upon the fulfillment of the following promises: (1) a stewardship of land and animals, (2) membership in the "higher," Church of the Firstborn, (3) Calling and Election [an endowment ordinance in the Church of the Firstborn, (4) white temple apron [an item of clothing worn by worthy acolytes during a temple ceremony, the LDS apron is green], (5) a literal face to face meeting with the resurrected Jesus Christ at a specific time and place. The jury agreed that not one of these "promises" were fulfilled and that Hancock's donation was with stipulations.

Cindy Stewert testified that at the request of Jim Harmston, she "loaned" him $12,000.00 from her IRA account. Harmston said it was a donation. It was her word against Harmston and the jury rightfully believed her word.

the Mormon cult founder

The paper doesn't make it very clear here, for those not familiar with the Mormon Church, that this group has nothing to do with the Mormons.

In addition, I would hope people wouldn't call the Mormon Church a cult. It isn't - anymore than any other Christian Church - unless it's meant as listed in Roget's Thesaurus:

CULT: believers band, body, church, clan, clique, creed, denomination, faction, faith, following, party, persuasion, religion, school, sect

The cult that Harmston is leading has been described as a mutation from the Morman Church. I will not go into the teachings of his cult except to say that it is similar to David Koresh (alias Vernon Wayne Howell) of the Branch Davidians. Koresh believed he was the reincarnation of both King David and King Cyrus of Persia; he had been appointed by God to rebuild the Temple and destroy Babylon. In other words, Koresh claimed to be the Messiah. Harmston also believed he was the reincarnation of Joseph Smith, Jr. Koresh claimed he had 140 wives. Harmstan believes in a version of polygamy where wives should be passed on to the higher order of member. Harmston is in league with such cult con artists as Elizabeth Clare Prophet (Guru Ma)of the Church Universal Triumphant, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Charles Manson, J.Z Knight and Joseph Smith. All of these con artists have in one way or another convinced their followers to give them their wealth and follow them.

A cult is, in my opinion, the following by a group of people to a person who has misinterpreted the teachings of the Bible. For instance, the "Doctrine and Covenants" affirms the materiality of God the Father in one instance and denies the materiality of the Holy Spirit, a contradiction that Bible does not make.

If you were a Catholic, you would be horrified to find out that Brigham Young himself wrote in the "Journal of Discourses," that Jesus Christ was conceived not by the Holy Spirit as written in the Bible, but by a flesh-and-bones "immortal or resurrected and glorified Father." in an actual sexual act with Mary! Some much for the concept of the virgin birth as accounted by Matthew and Luke and predicted by the prophet Isiah:

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6).

Joseph Smith received a revelation of a "new and everlasting covenant" which his followers must obey or they "shall be damned" (Doctrine and Covenants 132:6). The revelation promoted what has been called the "plural wives" or "spiritual wife" doctrine. This doctrine has been applied to God himself.

The entire Mormon dogma of the preexistence of the soul, the polygamous nature of the gods, the brotherhood of Jesus and Lucifer, and the hierarchy of heaven (telestial, terrestrial, and celestial), and the doctrines of universal salvation, millennium, resurrection, judgment and final punishment, will unfold in a polygamous eternal paradise are all an intricate construct that rivals anything that any pagan mythology ever produced.

Harmston is in league with such cult con artists as Elizabeth Clare Prophet (Guru Ma)of the Church Universal Triumphant, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Charles Manson, J.Z Knight

I have a friend who, some years ago, almost at the age of retirement, sold her book store and family inherited home and moved across the country, gave all her money to JZ Knight - and ended up penniless and jobless. It has amazed me how these obvious Svengalis are believed. (I have a son who manages a national moving company for a large antiques outfit. In one delivery alone, they moved 4 million dollars worth of antiques. I thought about all the newly penniless people whose money bought all this(

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