The LeBaron family, led by Alma Dayer LeBaron, had been involved with Mormon fundamentalist leader Joseph White Musser since 1936. In 1944, the LeBarons were excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for teaching and practicing plural marriage. For the next 11 years, the LeBarons associated themselves with Rulon C. Allred's Apostolic United Brethren in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.On 21 September 1955, Joel LeBaron and his brothers Ross and Floren visited Salt Lake City, Utah, and there organized the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, with Joel being ordained President of the Church, with Floren as first counselor in the First Presidency and Ross as head patriarch. Shortly thereafter, Joel reported being visited by nineteen former prophets, including Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Joseph Smith, Jr. Joel LeBaron claimed his priesthood line of authority from his father Alma, who had been ordained by Alma's grandfather Benjamin F. Johnson, who had received the priesthood from Joseph Smith. LeBaron invited Allred and his followers to join their new organization, but their invitation was rejected.
In early 1956, the LeBaron brothers returned to Chihuahua. Their father Alma and brother Ervil became the fourth and fifth members of the new church; their mother Maude also eventually joined. Several months later, Ervil LeBaron published a pamphlet entitled Priesthood Expounded, which became a foundational text for the church.
Gee remember the good old days when the only time you heard about these creeps was when they were murdering each other ? Maybe that could have been a clue .
As Forrest’s mother used to tell him: “Stupid is as stupid does.”
There goes lunch.
I never think of Jesus as a prophet, but as the Son of God (and as God as well). I thought a prophet spoke for God, but was not God. Do many Christians consider Jesus a prophet?
susie
Johnson was one of Joseph Smith's brothers-in-law. Johnson said that Smith told him that polygamy was the only way in which prostitution could be eliminated.
We have some FReeper folks who still defend polygamy...who have married into the Johnson family line: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2003594/posts
From post #268: My husband is a descendant of Benjamin Franklin Johnson and his whole biography is online. When Joseph Smith asked him for permission to marry his sister, Benjamin told him that if he ever learned that Joseph had deceived him on the principle, then he would kill him. Benjamin went on to have many wives and dozens of children. I dont’ feel any shame about our past, and how I reconcile it was that the whole history of humanity contains ample evidence that poligamy was and is practiced by good god fearing people, sometimes happily and sometimes not….as I said, it is not about sex, it is about taking care of women and children.
Well some folks contend that polygamy had "nothing to do with sexual debauchery," why did Benjamin F. Johnson recall that Joseph Smith taught him that plural marriage was the only means by which prostitution could be eliminated. (B. Carmon Hardy, A Solemn Covenant, p. 16)
So--not from a personal perspective necessarily (between couples) but from a Joseph Smith policy perspective--Johnson's remembrance shows that a true purpose of plurality (not the only one) was in effect to have an "in-house" prostitute. How base is that for 19th LDS to have embraced that vantage point? Hardy cited other LDS who thought that mass polygamy would "eliminate sexual wickedness" and LDS general authority/legislator, William Gibson, who after-the-fact claimed to have voted against the Manifesto, called it "the best antidote to sexual sin." (A Solemn Covenant, p. 145, citing William Gibson, who was quoted in "Polygamous Issues," DN, March 28, 1896.)
"The need for prostitution...was seized on by Mormons as evidence that monogamy was manifestly an incorrect system of marriage...From the 1850s until the end of the century, Mormon writers and speakers struck at what they considered their detractors' hypocrisy for criticizing Mormon marriage when, as the First Presidency affirmed in 1886, adultery and prostitution were the consequences of the monogamic arrangement.... (A Solemn Covenant, p. 89, citing "An Epistle of the First Presidency..." March 1886, Messages 3:68...Hardy cites in the same footnote about 8 other sources from Heber C. Kimball to Brigham Young to John Taylor to George Q. Cannon to apostle Erasmus Snow).
So there ya go! The embracing of polygamy naturally led to an elitist position where polygamists looked down upon, frowned upon, and even openly dismissed or criticized "monogamy!" When you have an LDS "prophet" in 1886 claiming that adultery and prostitution were the consequences of monogamy, that's a major, major problem!!!
Talking about presenting a "base" (low) position of monogamy! Hardy devotes a full chapter to how LDS regarded polygamy as sexually superior--not for erotic or orgy reasons--but for what they regarded was the "opposite"--associating prostitution and the resulting ill-health with monogamy, etc.
Well there you have it. Must be legit then. I mean it's not as good as having a visit from an angel named Moron, or having 13 witnesses to gold tablets, even if 12 did recan't and leave your church. But it's right up there.
Horrible things happen when you start using both Deliverance and The Da Vinci Code as scripture.
Mike Watkiss, the reporter mentioned, has been reporting on this issue for many years. You might be able to find something if you do a google on “The Polygamist Diaries”.
Don't forget, for all kinds of source links and info, check out the FLDS Daily Thread.
Breed incestuously..
That is sickness right there. The father looks at his offspring as something to "breed."
Well, this officially creeps me out.
Whatever you have to tell youself to keep impregnating(raping)young girls I guess.
Derangement is as derangement does.
Looks like we have found one of the Brain Damaged ones!
Well they sure didn’t get that doctrine out of the scripture. Wonder what writings were used to gin that one up ??????