The Church's Ranch

Florida Trend Magazine ^ | 8 January 2002 alert from friend | By Cynthia Barnett

[Rubber Duckie]

The Church's Ranch

The Mormon church runs one of the biggest and most profitable cattle operations in the U.S. on a 300,000-acre ranch covering parts of Orange, Brevard and Osceola counties.

By Cynthia Barnett

Just after a September dawn on the Deseret Ranch in central Florida, cowboys on horseback crack long leather whips to set hundreds of calves charging toward a sprawling complex of pens and runs. Once corralled, the animals let loose a cacophony of moos and bays. The cowboys, too, holler out as they position themselves along a tall, wooden maze to sort calves by size and type into one of five pens.

One cowboy prods calves quickly through a gate. As each calf thunders down a narrow alley, another cowboy calls out a number, one through five. This tells the next cowboy, positioned atop a turnaround, which of five doors to swing open to direct the calf into the right pen. From the pens, the calves will be run through another alley onto a huge scale for weighing. Then they will be rushed along again onto 18-wheel cattle trucks idling nearby that will haul them to feedlots or pastures in Texas, Oklahoma or Kansas.

By 9 a.m., the men have sorted 500 calves. By the end of the day, they'll have moved a total of 1,944 calves weighing 963,710 pounds onto 20 trucks. "This is payday," says Kevin Mann, the cowboy atop the turnaround. "This is what we work toward all year long."

The ranch won't disclose financial information, but last year it moved more than 16 million pounds of calves -- they are sold by weight, not by the animal-- which translated into about $16 million in revenues. For a cattle ranch, those numbers are huge, and not just by the standards of central Florida or even the cattle industry statewide. Deseret Ranch is the largest cow-calf operation in the U.S., with 44,000 head of cattle on 300,000 acres. Seen on a map of Florida, the sprawling ranch dwarfs neighboring metro Orlando, stretching 50 miles long and 30 miles wide over parts of three counties: Orange, Osceola and Brevard. Its northwestern tip is 10 miles from Orlando International Airport. Its southeastern tip stretches almost to Palm Bay.

But despite its size and its stature in the nation's cattle industry, most Floridians have never heard of Deseret Ranch. "We like to keep a low profile," says general manager Ferren Squires.

That profile is in keeping with the business style of the ranch's owner, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church. The fastest-growing church in the U.S., with a 4.7% annual growth rate, the church is also by far the richest per capita. While its media guide states innocuously that the church has a limited number of commercial properties and investments, a Time magazine financial analysis of the church in 1997 pegged its assets at a minimum of $30 billion. If it were a corporation, the magazine found, the church would fall in the middle of the Fortune 500, below Union Carbide and PaineWebber, but bigger than Nike and the Gap. Among others, the church runs media, insurance, travel and real estate companies along with agribusiness operations. In Florida, besides Deseret Ranch, the church also operates tomato and citrus farms in Ruskin, Naples and Clewiston.

The church's success in business is very much rooted in its history, scholars of Mormonism say. Members faced extreme ostracism and poverty before they made their trek from Illinois to Salt Lake City in 1847, the same year Brigham Young wrote that "the kingdom of God cannot rise independent of Gentile nations until we produce, manufacture and make every article of use, convenience or necessity among our people." Once in Utah, the Mormons' isolation forced them to build their own farms, factories and railroads. As they struggled through the Great Depression, they also began to build their famous welfare system, the largest non-public venture of its kind in the nation.

The church will not reveal precisely how it spends the money it takes in from its businesses and from members tithing contributions-- 10% of their incomes. But it says it uses the greatest portion to build churches. The rest is spent on worldwide humanitarian aid for which the church is well-known; its vast educational system, which includes Brigham Young University, and long-term investments in its private ventures.

Like its grain and other food-manufacturing operations, the church's agribusinesses, including Deseret Ranch, have another ecclesiastical role. Mormons believe that years of turmoil will precede the return of Jesus and that church members must prepare for self-reliance, storing long-term supplies, including food. In the future, Squires says, beef from the ranch could help feed people in case of a catastrophe. The church teaches its parishioners to always have on hand one year's salary and one year's food supply, so this is basically practicing what we preach, he says.

Church-going cowboy
Deeply tanned and covered in a fine layer of dust, Squires, 47, wears Wrangler jeans on skinny hips and drives his Ford F-250 at breakneck speed along the graded roads of the ranch. Down-to-earth and quick to smile, Squires seems like the prototypical cowboy. But he wears many other hats: A father of six, Squires speaks Japanese, a result of a proselytizing mission to Japan as a young man. He holds a masterfs degree in agricultural business from BYU, is a former official with the Mormons massive welfare headquarters in Salt Lake City and serves on the presidential council of the church's Cocoa stake, a Mormon organizational unit similar to a diocese.

Granting a rare tour, Squires drives along mile after mile of sprawling pastureland dotted with stands of palm trees and thick oaks. Only a sliver of the ranch, the eastern edge along the St. Johns River, is still densely wooded. Deseret is divided into 14 units, each with a couple of thousand cows and its own complex of pens, a barn and a cowboy office. The cowboys spend time on laptop computers as well as on horseback, entering every detail of their calves lives: The calves are born in January, February and March; summer is spent fattening them up and keeping them healthy; fall is the payday that Mann describes.

In the middle of the property, Squires pulls up to an old cracker house with hardwood floors, a stone fireplace and a wrap-around screened-in porch where ceiling fans turn lazily in the afternoon heat. The house serves as Deseret's history center and as temporary home to one of the five retired Mormon couples that volunteer on the ranch. The living room is furnished with brown leather couches, along with a stuffed Osceola turkey, wild boar and white-tailed deer. The book Florida Cowman shares the coffee table with The Book of Mormon. A stand in one corner of the room holds a handsome old saddle and whip; a stand in the other holds a guitar and songbook open to Mormon hymns. On the walls hang photos of famous Mormons, including a number of cattlemen.

After a visit to the Sunshine State in 1949, western cattleman and church leader Henry D. Moyle became convinced that Floridafs climate would make it an ideal place to raise cattle. (The key to the industry, as uncomplicated as it may seem, is growing grass.) Moyle pitched his idea for a Florida ranch to fellow members of the church's first presidency, the Mormons worldwide leadership council. The council bought the original 54,000-acre tract in 1950. In 1952, a dozen Mormon families sold their homes out west and moved to the property to help the church turn wetlands and tangled forests into roads and pasturelands.

It took nearly 50 years, but Deseret's managers eventually proved Moyle right. By cross-breeding cows for speedy growth, good reproduction and climate tolerance and by developing and perfecting grasses for central Florida, they have achieved some of the highest weights, and therefore some of the highest profits, in the industry. Deseret Ranchfs average weaning weight, a calf's weight at nine months, when it can be weaned and sold, has increased from 300 pounds in 1981 to 546 pounds last year. Statewide, the average is closer to 450 pounds, says Jim Handley, executive vice president of the Florida Cattlemen's Association.

Today's going market price is around 85 cents a pound, down from about $1 a pound earlier this year but up from 65 cents during an industry slump three years ago. According to Squires, Deseret spends about 62 cents to produce each pound it sells.

At the University of Florida in Gainesville, animal science professor emeritus Alvin C. Warnick says the church has achieved some of the highest profits in the industry because of its long-term commitment to the ranch . . .and its deep pockets. The ranch's heavy, healthy calves are a result of lots of years and lots of money spent on ultra-sensitive genetics and breeding work, he says. They have earned a reputation for calves that turn out good carcasses, grade well and do well in the feedlots, Warnick says. Their buyers are repeat buyers from all over the country.

The ranch's size and success help it attract some of the top animal-scientist graduates in the nation, Warnick says. Several of the cowboys hold bachelors or masters degrees. The church puts a premium on its workforce and manages with an employee-centered philosophy. Most of Deseret's 80 employees live on the ranch, which has 65 tidy homes scattered over its acreage. Pay is at or higher than the industry average, and the ranch offers profit-sharing as well as professional-development programs.

The Mormons, big on big families, are also big on family perks: The ranch hires employees children in a work program each summer and sponsors a pay-for-grades program that gives cash to employees kids on the A-B honor role. Other family amenities include horseback riding and an elaborate swimming hole with wooden docks, diving platforms, slides and rope swings.

Squires says while a good portion of Deseret's employees are Mormon, the ranch is an equal-opportunity employer. Still, non-Mormon employees clearly have to accept a work culture dominated by Mormons. There isn't a coffee machine to be found in ranch offices. No alcohol is allowed in common areas. Single employees canft have overnight guests of the opposite sex. And the swimming hole is closed on Sundays.

Back at the cattle drive, Kevin Mann, a non-Mormon cowboy who lives on the ranch, says Deseret's religious underpinnings made him leery of working there, but its reputation persuaded him to give it a try. Five years later, he says, he is glad he did, as much for the career opportunities as for the community that his wife and two young daughters enjoy. "You wonder if they're going to hound you, but they never have," Mann says of the Mormons reputation for proselytizing. The best side to it is that they're very family-oriented, so it's a great place to raise your kids even if you're not Mormon.

The ranch's neighbors, too, give it high marks. The ranch is among the biggest taxpayers in Osceola County. (The church pays taxes on all its private businesses and in fact has a policy of not accepting government subsidies, including farm subsidies. The policy is related to the church's welfare program, whose basis is individual self-reliance, not a handout that might rob the receiver of self-respect.

Osceola County Commissioner Chuck Dunnick describes Deseret as benevolent to the surrounding community, professional in its dealings with local government and a good steward of the environment. The ranch has its own staff of wildlife biologists and has worked with state and local agencies on a progressive wildlife-management plan, Dunnick says. "They've been very quiet over the years, but if they do want to talk about an issue, you know they're going to be highly professional and well-prepared," he says. They're great neighbors. If you could pick your own neighbors, I'd definitely pick them."

Ecclesiastical entrepreneurism
While the church is committed to stewardship of the land, it is just as committed to squeezing profits out of its private companies. And eventually, those two missions are sure to clash on this prime central Florida property. Real estate sources estimate Deseret's spread is worth some $900 million, though the assessed agricultural value is far lower than that. For decades, the family cattle ranches that once made up Osceola and outlying Orange counties have been gobbled up by housing developments, a pattern that is repeating itself throughout Florida and the nation. But because the church is so rich, it has not yet buckled to pressure to sell any of its Florida land to developers. Ten years ago, the church backed off a plan to develop 7,000 acres near the Bee Line Expressway under sharp criticism from environmentalists.

Often at odds in other parts of the country over issues such as animal waste and grazing, the tree-huggers and the cowpokes in central Florida have for now become allies. For example, environmentalists helped Deseret fight a huge landfill Brevard County wanted to put adjacent to the ranch. That area is also home to one of the largest bird rookeries in the state.

Squires says the church's long-term plans for the majority of Deseret Ranch are to keep it agricultural. But he acknowledges the business-savvy church will develop the fringes, particularly its property outside Orlando, as the land becomes more valuable. "The pressure is here," Squires says. "But we want to be responsible and be good neighbors." It is in his church's ecclesiastical and entrepreneurial missions to do so, he says.

[restornu]

That is wonderful it is good stewardship!

[Elsie]

profit, Profit, PROFIT, PROFIT, PROFIT!!!

BR>

profit, Profit, PROFIT, PROFIT, PROFIT!!!

Mark 8:36

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

[Elsie]

... and forfeit his soul?

"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned;

and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given,

and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned.

Brigham Young - JoD 3:266 (July 14, 1855)

I hope you SLC 'mormons' like the smell of BRIMSTONE!

[Elsie]

Poor Mormons: which of their very own Scripture do they FOLLOW???

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Mormon Doctrine	Book of Mormon
Heaven consists of three levels or "glories"; evil people go to the lowest, "hell" (D&C 76:81-90), the glory of which "surpasses all understanding. Only Mormon apostates do not go to heaven, but to "outer darkness" (D&C 76:31-39)	Only two possible fates after death: heaven or hell. Levels or degrees of heaven are not mentioned.
Jesus and God the Father are separate beings. (D&C 130:22)	Jesus and God the Father are the same. (Mosiah 3:8, 15:1-5, Ether 4:7, 12)
God has a body of flesh and bones. (D&C 130:22)	God is a spirit. (Alma 18:26-28)
God was once a man like us, and progressed to godhood. (TJS 342-345)	God does not change and has never changed. (Mormon 9:9, Moroni 8:18)
There are many gods. (TJS 370-373)	There is only one God. (Alma 11:28-30)
We can become gods ourselves. (D&C 76:58, TJS 342-345)	No mention of this idea.
We lived with God in a spirit world (a "premortal existence") before being born into this life. (D&C 49:17, 93:23-29, 138:55-56)	No mention of this idea.
God is the literal father of our spirits, conceived by him and our "Mother in Heaven" (MD 516)	No mention of this idea.
Mary conceived Jesus by natural means, namely, God the Father impregnated her. (MD 546-47, JoD 1:50-51, 8:115, 11:268)	Mary conceived Jesus "by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Alma 7:10), by being "carried away in the spirit" (1 Nephi 11:15-19)
Those who do not accept the gospel in this life will have the opportunity to do so after death, and can receive baptism by proxy (D&C 127, 128)	Salvation must be attained in this life; after one dies it is too late (Alma 34:34, 2 Nephi 9:38, Mosiah 2:36-39). No mention of baptism for the dead.
David and Solomon did nothing wrong by having many wives. (D&C 132:38-39)	The polygamy of David and Solomon was "abominable" to the Lord (Jacob 2:24)
Priesthood divided into an upper (" after the order of Melchizedek") and lower ("Aaronic") priesthood	No distinction between "priests" and "high priests"; priesthood is "after the order of [the Son of] God" (Alma 4:20, 13:1-12). No mention of "Aaronic" priesthood.
Salvation in the highest heaven ("exaltation") requires undergoing the "endowment" initiation ceremony in a temple, the details of which are kept strictly secret. The participants are required to take numerous oaths, which are also secret. Details	"Secret combinations" requiring secret oaths are condemned. (Mormon 8:27, 40, 2 Nephi 26:22, Helaman 6:22, and many others.) No mention of any such ritual as part of the gospel. No mention of "exaltation" or "endowment."
Exaltation requires marriage in a Mormon temple. (D&C 131:1-4)	No mention of this doctrine.
"Celestial marriage" lasts for time and all eternity. (DoS 2:58 ff)	No mention of this doctrine.
The "first resurrection" is only for the righteous. (D&C 76:64. 63:18)	The "first resurrection" is for all who died before Christ's resurrection, righteous and unrighteous alike (Mosiah 15:24, Alma 40:16-17)
The "idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart" is false. (D&C 130:31; verse 22 says that it is the Holy Ghost that "dwell[s] in us")	"The Lord" dwells in the hearts of the righteous. (Alma 34:36)
The Lord's Supper ("the sacrament") consists of bread and water.	The Lord's Supper should consist of bread and wine. (3 Nephi 18:1-9, Moroni 5)
Only the priest blessing the sacrament kneels.	The priest is to kneel with the church while blessing the sacrament. (Moroni 4:2; see also D&C 20:76)
Use of alcohol, coffee, tea ("hot drinks") is forbidden. (D&C 89)	No such commandment.
Church is governed by the three men of the "First Presidency," higher in authority than the Quorum of Twelve.	Jesus placed twelve disciples over the church he founded in America. (3 Nephi 12, passim) No "first presidency" mentioned.
Except for Joseph Smith, all prophets are promoted to that office by those above them in rank, and by seniority. They work their way up to the top.	Prophets are called directly by God.
The church is trying to befriend people of other religions with the message "All churches have some truth"; "The church has always extended a hand of friendship and fellowship to those of other faiths, and will continue to do so."	There are two churches only: the true church and the "church of the devil," "the whore of Babylon" (1 Nephi 14:10-12). A church which seeks to become "popular in the eyes of the world" is of the devil. (1 Nephi 22:23)
Since 1978 the church claims that it is not racist, that all races are equal and that the color of a person's skin has no religious significance.	A dark skin is a curse from God, a punishment for one's unrighteousness (or the unrighteousness of one's ancestors). A dark skin can become light through righteousness. (1 Nephi 12:23, 2 Nephi 5:21, Alma 3:6, Mormon 5:15, Jacob 3:8-9, 3 Nephi 2:15)
The church teaches that faith, repentance, baptism are the "first principles" of the gospel, but that in order to obtain the highest degree of heaven, much more is required (obedience, tithes, endowment, etc.)	Christ says that the gospel is faith, repentance, baptism ONLY. Any teaching beyond that will lead to hell 3 Nephi 11:31-40

(Abbreviations)

D&C - Doctrine and Covenants
DoS - Doctrines of Salvation, by Joseph Fielding Smith (3 volumes)
JoD - Journal of Discourses (26 volumes)
MD - Mormon Doctrine, 2d edition, by Bruce R. McConkie
TJS - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

Citations under "Book of Mormon" are to its various books

[Elsie]

Anyone wanna buy STOCK in this 'corporation'??

...and this corporation shall have power, without any authority or authorization from the members of said Church or religious society...

[restornu]

profit, Profit, PROFIT, PROFIT, PROFIT!!!

****

You are beginning to sound like a liberal....

The servants of the Lord increase the Lord’s talents....

[restornu]

Elsie continues the bla bla bla..:)

[Elsie]

Elsie continues the bla bla bla..:)

The

Doctrine and Covenants

 Section 75

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Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Amherst, Ohio, 25 January 1832 (see History of the Church, 1:242–45). The occasion was that of a conference previously appointed. At this conference Joseph Smith was sustained and ordained President of the High Priesthood. Certain elders, who had encountered difficulty in bringing men to an understanding of their message, desired to learn more in detail as to their immediate duties. This revelation followed.

1–5, Faithful elders who preach the gospel will gain eternal life; 6–12, Pray to receive the Comforter, who teaches all things; 13–22, Elders will sit in judgment on those who reject their message; 23–36, Families of missionaries are to receive help from the Church.

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1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I who speak even by the ^avoice of my Spirit, even ^bAlpha and Omega, your Lord and your God—

2 Hearken, O ye who have ^agiven your names to go forth to proclaim my gospel, and to ^bprune my vineyard.

3 Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be ^aidle but ^blabor with your might—

4 Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, ^aproclaiming the ^btruth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you.

5 And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many ^asheaves, and ^bcrowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.

6 Therefore, verily I say unto my servant ^aWilliam E. McLellin, I ^brevoke the commission which I gave unto him to go unto the eastern countries;

7 And I give unto him a new commission and a new commandment, in the which I, the Lord, ^achasten him for the ^bmurmurings of his heart;

8 And he sinned; nevertheless, I forgive him and say unto him again, Go ye into the south countries.

9 And let my servant Luke Johnson go with him, and proclaim the things which I have commanded them—

10 Calling on the name of the Lord for the ^aComforter, which shall teach them all things that are expedient for them—

11 ^aPraying always that they ^bfaint not; and inasmuch as they do this, I will be with them even unto the end.

12 Behold, this is the will of the Lord your God concerning you. Even so. Amen.

13 And again, verily thus saith the Lord, let my servant Orson Hyde and my servant Samuel H. Smith take their journey into the eastern countries, and proclaim the things which I have commanded them; and inasmuch as they are faithful, lo, I will be ^awith them even unto the end.

14 And again, verily I say unto my servant Lyman Johnson, and unto my servant Orson Pratt, they shall also take their journey into the eastern countries; and behold, and lo, I am with them also, even unto the end.

15 And again, I say unto my servant Asa Dodds, and unto my servant Calves Wilson, that they also shall take their journey unto the western countries, and proclaim my gospel, even as I have commanded them.

16 And he who is faithful shall overcome all things, and shall be ^alifted up at the last day.

17 And again, I say unto my servant Major N. Ashley, and my servant Burr Riggs, let them take their journey also into the south country.

18 Yea, let all those take their journey, as I have commanded them, going from ^ahouse to house, and from village to village, and from city to city.

19 And in whatsoever house ye enter, and they receive you, leave your blessing upon that house.

20 And in whatsoever house ye enter, and they receive you not, ye shall depart speedily from that house, and ^ashake off the dust of your feet as a testimony against them.

21 And you shall be filled with ^ajoy and gladness; and know this, that in the day of judgment you shall be ^bjudges of that house, and condemn them;

22 And it shall be more ^atolerable for the ^bheathen in the day of judgment, than for that house; therefore, ^cgird up your loins and be faithful, and ye shall overcome all things, and be ^dlifted up at the last day. Even so. Amen.

23 And again, thus saith the Lord unto you, O ye elders of my church, who have ^agiven your names that you might know his will concerning you—

24 Behold, I say unto you, that it is the ^aduty of the church to assist in ^bsupporting the families of those, and also to support the families of those who are called and must needs be sent unto the world to proclaim the gospel unto the world.

25 Wherefore, I, the Lord, give unto you this commandment, that ye obtain places for your ^afamilies, inasmuch as your brethren are willing to open their hearts.

26 And let all such as can obtain places for their families, and support of the church for them, not fail to go into the world, whether to the east or to the west, or to the north, or to the south.

27 Let them ^aask and they shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto them, and be made known from on high, even by the ^bComforter, whither they shall go.

28 And again, verily I say unto you, that every ^aman who is obliged to ^bprovide for his own ^cfamily, let him provide, and he shall in nowise lose his crown; and let him labor in the church.

29 Let every man be ^adiligent in all things. And the ^bidler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways.

30 Wherefore, let my servant Simeon Carter and my servant Emer Harris be united in the ministry;

31 And also my servant Ezra Thayre and my servant ^aThomas B. Marsh;

32 Also my servant Hyrum Smith and my servant Reynolds Cahoon;

33 And also my servant Daniel Stanton and my servant Seymour Brunson;

34 And also my servant Sylvester Smith and my servant Gideon Carter;

35 And also my servant Ruggles Eames and my servant ^aStephen Burnett;

36 And also my servant Micah B. Welton and also my servant ^aEden Smith. Even so. Amen.

 

[restornu]

Yep!

....the Spirit of the Lord depart from the bully Pulpit long ago and all that continues is bla bla bla....)

[GeronL]

Your profile page doesn’t even exist?

...

The LDS is most likely growing leaps and bounds in states around Utah

[GeronL]

Do they still believe that satan is Jesus' brother?

lol. Those wild and crazy Mormons, what will they think up next?

[GeronL]

Well they are tithing to men and not to God.

[Elsie]

....the Spirit of the Lord depart from the bully Pulpit long ago and all that continues is bla bla bla....)

---

The

Doctrine and Covenants

Section 107

Revelation on the priesthood, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, about April 1835. Although this section was recorded in 1835, the historical records affirm that most of verses 60 through 100 incorporate a revelation given through Joseph Smith on November 11, 1831. This section was associated with the organization of the Quorum of the Twelve in February and March 1835. The Prophet likely delivered it in the presence of those who were preparing to depart May 3, 1835, on their first quorum mission.

1–6, There are two priesthoods: the Melchizedek and the Aaronic; 7–12, Those who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood have power to officiate in all offices in the Church; 13–17, The bishopric presides over the Aaronic Priesthood, which administers in outward ordinances; 18–20, The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the keys of all spiritual blessings; the Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of angels; 21–38, The First Presidency, the Twelve, and the Seventy constitute the presiding quorums, whose decisions are to be made in unity and righteousness; 39–52, The patriarchal order is established from Adam to Noah; 53–57, Ancient Saints assembled at Adam-ondi-Ahman, and the Lord appeared to them; 58–67, The Twelve are to set the officers of the Church in order; 68–76, Bishops serve as common judges in Israel; 77–84, The First Presidency and the Twelve constitute the highest court in the Church; 85–100, Priesthood presidents govern their respective quorums. 64 Then comes the High Priesthood, which is the greatest of all.

 

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.

.

.

65 Wherefore, it must needs be that one be appointed of the ^aHigh Priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called President of the High Priesthood of the Church;

 66 Or, in other words, the ^aPresiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the Church.

 67 From the same comes the administering of ordinances and blessings upon the church, by the ^alaying on of the hands.

 68 Wherefore, the office of a bishop is not equal unto it; for the office of a ^abishop is in administering all ^btemporal things;

 69 Nevertheless a ^abishop must be chosen from the ^bHigh Priesthood, unless he is a ^cliteral descendant of Aaron;

 70 For unless he is a ^aliteral descendant of Aaron he cannot hold the keys of that priesthood.

 71 Nevertheless, a high priest, that is, after the order of Melchizedek, may be set apart unto the ministering of temporal things, having a ^aknowledge of them by the Spirit of truth;

 72 And also to be a ^ajudge in Israel, to do the business of the church, to sit in ^bjudgment upon transgressors upon testimony as it shall be laid before him according to the laws, by the assistance of his ^ccounselors, whom he has chosen or will choose among the elders of the church.

 73 This is the duty of a bishop who is not a literal descendant of Aaron, but has been ordained to the High Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.

 74 Thus shall he be a ^ajudge, even a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion, or in a stake of Zion, or in any branch of the church where he shall be ^bset apart unto this ministry, until the borders of Zion are enlarged and it becomes necessary to have other bishops or judges in Zion or elsewhere.

 75 And inasmuch as there are other bishops appointed they shall act in the same office.

 76 But a literal descendant of Aaron has a legal right to the presidency of this priesthood, to the ^akeys of this ministry, to act in the office of bishop independently, without counselors, except in a case where a President of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, is tried, to sit as a judge in Israel.

 77 And the decision of either of these councils, agreeable to the commandment which says:

 78 Again, verily, I say unto you, the most important business of the church, and the most ^adifficult cases of the church, inasmuch as there is not satisfaction upon the decision of the bishop or judges, it shall be handed over and carried up unto the council of the church, before the ^bPresidency of the High Priesthood.

 79 And the Presidency of the council of the High Priesthood shall have power to call other high priests, even twelve, to assist as counselors; and thus the Presidency of the High Priesthood and its counselors shall have power to decide upon testimony according to the laws of the church.

 80 And after this decision it shall be had in remembrance no more before the Lord; for this is the highest council of the church of God, and a final decision upon controversies in spiritual matters.

 81 There is not any person belonging to the church who is exempt from this council of the church.

 82 And inasmuch as a President of the High Priesthood shall transgress, he shall be had in remembrance before the ^acommon council of the church, who shall be assisted by twelve counselors of the High Priesthood;

 83 And their decision upon his head shall be an end of controversy concerning him.

 84 Thus, none shall be exempted from the ^ajustice and the ^blaws of God, that all things may be done in ^corder and in solemnity before him, according to truth and righteousness.

 

[Elsie]

78 Again, verily, I say unto you, the most important business of the church, and the most difficult cases of the church,

...is profit, Profit, PROFIT, PROFIT!!!

[Elsie]

Please note what Mormon prophets and church officials have had to say about the matter. From their writings it is clear that they believed and taught that Jesus and Lucifer were brothers.

 

 

 

Bruce R. McConkie, in his work The Mortal Messiah, Vol.1, Pg.407-408 under the heading " Lucifer and the Law of Temptation" has the following to say;

"Hence, there is -- and must be -- a devil, and he is the father of lies and of wickedness. He and the fallen angels who followed him are spirit children of the Father. As Christ is the Firstborn of the Father in the spirit, so Lucifer is a son of the morning, one of those born in the morning of preexistence. He is a spirit man, a personage, an entity, comparable in form and appearance to any of the spirit children of the Eternal Father. He was the source of opposition among the spirit hosts before the world was made; he rebelled in preexistence against the Father and the Son, and he sought even then to destroy the agency of man. He and his followers were cast down to earth, and they are forever denied mortal bodies. And he, here on earth, along with all who follow him -- both his spirit followers and the mortals who hearken to his enticements -- is continuing the war that commenced in heaven."

 

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.,the LDS prophet, wrote in his work, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, Pg.218 -Pg.219

"We learn from the scriptures that Lucifer -- once a son of the morning, who exercised authority in the presence of God before the foundations of this earth were laid -- rebelled against the plan of salvation and against Jesus Christ who was chosen to be the Savior of the world and who is spoken of as the 'Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.'"

 

In the Discourses of Brigham Young, on Pg.53-54 he lets it be known that Lucifer is the second son, the one known as "Son of the Morning."

"Who will redeem the earth, who will go forth and make the sacrifice for the earth and all things it contains?" The Eldest Son said: "Here am I"; and then he added, "Send me." But the second one, which was "Lucifer, Son of the Morning," said, "Lord, here am I, send me, I will redeem every son and daughter of Adam and Eve that lives on the earth, or that ever goes on the earth."

 

In the work of Otten & Caldwell, Sacred Truths of the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol.2, Pg.28 it is found that Lucifer rebelled against his "Heavenly Father."

"We also learn that Lucifer ... was in authority..." in the premortal life. (See D&C 76:25) Authority in the presence of God is known to us as priesthood. In other words, Lucifer held the priesthood. We know that Lucifer rebelled against his Heavenly Father. One of the great insights given in this vision was the way this rebellion was manifested."

 

Through reading John A. Widtsoe's work Evidences and Reconciliations, Pg.209, it is learned that Lucifer strove to gain the birthright of his Elder Brother, Jesus the Christ and became Satan, the enemy of God.

"The story of Lucifer is the most terrible example of such apostasy. Lucifer, son of the morning, through diligent search for truth and the use of it, had become one of the foremost in the assembly of those invited to undertake the experiences of earth. But, in that Great Council, his personal ambition and love of power overcame him. He pitted his own plan and will against the purposes of God. He strove to gain the birthright of his Elder Brother, Jesus the Christ. When his proposition was rejected, he forsook all that he had gained, would not repent of his sin, defied truth, and of necessity lost his place among the followers of God. He was no longer Lucifer, bearer of truth, who walked in light, but Satan, teacher of untruth, who slunk in darkness. He became the enemy of God and of all who try to walk according to the Lord's commandments. One-third of the spirits present in that vast assembly supported Satan and became enemies of the truth that they had formerly cherished. With him these rebellious spirits lost their fellowship with the valiant sons of God. What is more, they lost the privilege of obtaining bodies of flesh and blood, without which they cannot gain full power over the forces of the universe. In the face of that defeat, and that curse, they have sought from Adam to the present time to corrupt mankind and defeat the Lord's purposes."

 

James E. Talmage in his book, "Jesus the Christ," on Pages 132 & 133, discusses the council that is supposed to have taken place concerning "Free Agency" and the attack on it by Lucifer. He states that Christ may not have remembered the part He had taken in the great council of the "Gods" where the Firstborn Son's plan was chosen and Lucifer, the rebellious and rejected son's plan was refused.

"The effrontery of his offer was of itself diabolical. Christ, the Creator of heaven and earth, tabernacled as He then was in mortal flesh, may not have remembered His preexistent state, nor the part He had taken in the great council of the Gods; while Satan, an unembodied spirit -- he the disinherited, the rebellious and rejected son -- seeking to tempt the Being through whom the world was created by promising Him part of what was wholly His, still may have had, as indeed he may yet have, a remembrance of those primeval scenes. In that distant past, antedating the creation of the earth, Satan, then Lucifer, a son of the morning, had been rejected; and the Firstborn Son had been chosen. Now that the Chosen One was subject to the trials incident to mortality, Satan thought to thwart the divine purpose by making the Son of God subject to himself. He who had been vanquished by Michael and his hosts and cast down as a defeated rebel, asked the embodied Jehovah to worship him. "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him."

(From --->  http://bible-truth.org/jesusbro.htm )

[restornu]

78 Again, verily, I say unto you, the most important business of the church, and the most difficult cases of the church,

...is profit, Profit, PROFIT, PROFIT!!!

****

Apples and Oranges

LOL clearly it shows you have no knowledge nor understanding of what you are trying to do when it has no relationship to out burst of tirades of jealousy at those are successful in doing things the right in the ways of the Lord!

By this example teaching a man how to prosper helps to extinguish poverty.

But the real topic of D&C 107

This section was associated with the organization of the Quorum of the Twelve in February and March 1835. The Prophet likely delivered it in the presence of those who were preparing to depart May 3, 1835, on their first quorum mission.

Again thanks for trying have a nice day!:)

[Elsie]

But the real topic of D&C 107

I love it when a convert tries to explain what some MORMON 'scripture' is REALLY supposed to mean.

And; as I've already explained in Freepmail; I will NOT send you a picture of me with my shirt off.

[restornu]

OM so now you are doing selfie Elsie