Secret Works of Darkness

A friend of mine isn’t bothered that Church discipline can be directed from the top down. The thinking is that the Church’s reputation and the flock must be protected. But what do the scriptures say about who should judge, and how? And has this happened before? The Book of Mormon records it more than once, and we have the benefit of those failures so that we don’t repeat them.

Rather than quote every scripture on how the Church is to handle discipline, I’d point you to two good papers on it: “The Latter Day Apostasy” and “The Doctrine Against Dissent.”¹ They take the subject further than I can here. I don’t agree with everything in either one, but both are worth reading slowly.

In June 2014 the Church answered news-media questions about discipline with a short statement.² Denver Snuffer, excommunicated the year before, quoted it on his blog and described what happened in his own case.³

SALT LAKE CITY —

The Church issued the following statement today in response to questions from the news media regarding Church discipline:

“The Church is a family made up of millions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and opinions. There is room for questions and we welcome sincere conversations. We hope those seeking answers will find them and happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Sometimes members’ actions contradict Church doctrine and lead others astray. While uncommon, some members in effect choose to take themselves out of the Church by actively teaching and publicly attempting to change doctrine to comply with their personal beliefs. This saddens leaders and fellow members. In these rare cases, local leaders have the responsibility to clarify false teachings and prevent other members from being misled. Decisions are made by local leaders and not directed or coordinated by Church headquarters.

“Actions to address a person’s membership and standing in their congregation are convened after lengthy periods of counseling and encouragement to reconsider behavior. Ultimately, the door is always open for people to return to the Church.”

It is not true that discipline involving controversial members is exclusively the responsibility of “local leaders” acting independent of influence from the hierarchy. The hierarchy imposes their will from the top-down by instructing the local leaders on what they must do. In my case the news came directly from Elder Russell M. Nelson of the twelve, who presides over the Strengthening the Members Committee. Usually the news comes through Elder Whitney Clayton, one of the seven presidents. He was also involved in my case, but the original pressure came through Elder Nelson directly.

The assertion by the church in their press release that “Decisions are made by local leaders and not directed or coordinated by Church headquarters” is false. In the case of public, controversial members, it is a lie. I am far more disappointed the church would lie about what they do than I am at their inappropriate top-down behavior. The reason they lie about it is because they are violating the scriptural pattern for discipline. LDS scripture requires discipline to be local. It isn’t, so they lie to make it appear that way. Morally, lying to cover up their wrong doing is worse than admitting they manipulate local leaders. Now they are responsible for doing both. They should be more honorable.

– Denver Snuffer

Last month a family in Arizona shared their own experience.⁴ Their stake presidency had told them that if they kept performing ordinances at home, every baptized member of the family would be excommunicated. The father wrote:

Following our meeting with our stake presidency my wife and I determined that we needed to make a statement of how we were proceeding in our worship, so I sent the following text to my Bishop and Stake President:

“Prez Barker and Bishop Walch, this is Jon Durfee and family. You told us to stop doing ordinances or all who are baptized members would be ex’ed. We as a family intend to continue to follow the doctrine of Christ as found in the scriptures including the ordinances that we may obtain the power to see His face and live. (D&C 84). If you must take action: “That thou doest, do quickly”.”⁵

Jonny

This is the reply from the stake president:

“Doesn’t read like a removal letter! . I did get some guidance from Salt Lake about children. The thought there was a that it did not make sense to have disciplinary Council for them. It seems like we could handle those as informal probation matters, taking away any recommends for the 12 year old and ups might have and restricting use of the priesthood. If they want to request a name removal as to the children, they can do that. That was the thought from the staff person in Salt Lake.

I will be visiting with Elder Greer and Elder Corbridge this week. Until then , other than having to address the removal letter from the (name withheld), let’s just stand still.

You are doing a terrific job!”

President Barker

Are you confused? So was I! Was he really praising me for “doing a good job”? What’s this about a removal letter? Was he expecting me to submit one? And what’s this about “guidance from Salt Lake”? I thought these excommunications were only from the local stakes and were local matters!? Are the leaders in Salt Lake lying to the public on this policy? If it’s local, and not central, why would he need “guidance” from the higher ups? He is “standing still” until he “visits with elder’s Greer and Corbridge (later) this week? If he stands still until he receives instruction on how to proceed, who is really responsible for any and all action taken against me and my family?

It’s like he was talking to someone else! Then came the next text:

“The message I sent was intended only for Bishop Walch. If it also went to the Durfee’s, as it now occurs to me it may have, that was not intended. It should be returned.”

President Barker

Oh. Ok. I’ll just return a text message? How do you do that? Too late! The damage is done! Apparently at least three quorums are involved in our excommunication! Incredible!

– Jon Durfee

If stake presidents are quietly taking direction from Salt Lake while the Church says decisions are local, more of these stories will come out. That isn’t the story the official statement tells. It concerns me, and I want to explain why.

The Book of Mormon is a book of prophecy. Stories and experiences were carefully selected by prophets who saw our day. They could have chosen hundreds of other stories and events to foretell what we can expect to experience during our day. So it is sobering to think that we can expect what happened in the Book of Mormon to repeat in our day.

As we are in the midst of many signs and wonders from heaven it makes one contemplate how close we really are to the Lord’s second coming. By looking at the events leading up to the Lord’s first coming, we can get an idea of what might happen before His second coming.

About 75 years before the coming of the Lord, Alma went to the Zoramites, a people who had fallen away. After he delivered his message, their rulers and priests set out to learn what the people were thinking, and they did it in secret:

And it came to pass that after the more popular part of the Zoramites had consulted together concerning the words which had been preached unto them, they were angry because of the word, for it did destroy their craft; therefore they would not hearken unto the words.

And they sent and gathered together throughout all the land all the people, and consulted with them concerning the words which had been spoken.

Now their rulers and their priests and their teachers did not let the people know concerning their desires; therefore they found out privily the minds of all the people.

And it came to pass that after they had found out the minds of all the people, those who were in favor of the words which had been spoken by Alma and his brethren were cast out of the land; and they were many; and they came over also into the land of Jershon.⁶

The people of Ammon would not cast them out. They “did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance.”⁷

This is what false prophets, false priests and false teachers do. About a hundred years later, just before the Lord came, the judges and those who had been high priests went a step further:

And there began to be men inspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land, preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, and testifying unto them concerning the redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his death and sufferings.

Now there were many of the people who were exceedingly angry because of those who testified of these things; and those who were angry were chiefly the chief judges, and they who had been high priests and lawyers; yea, all those who were lawyers were angry with those who testified of these things.

Now there was no lawyer nor judge nor high priest that could have power to condemn any one to death save their condemnation was signed by the governor of the land.

Now there were many of those who testified of the things pertaining to Christ who testified boldly, who were taken and put to death secretly by the judges, that the knowledge of their death came not unto the governor of the land until after their death.⁸

The Savior warned His disciples of the same: “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”⁹

The Book of Mormon warns that secret works will appear again in the last days, among the Gentiles who receive the book and in the churches of that day.¹⁰ Could that warning point to us? Could some of it be happening now?

In both stories, leaders worked in secret against those who testified. Nephi warned us that such things will happen again:

Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.

And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.¹¹

It will be the Lord who will destroy secret works:

Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.¹²

Thankfully in the end nothing will be secret:

There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed.¹³

The Lord gave a different pattern. When He taught the Nephites about the sacrament, He told them to forbid a man who was unworthy, and if he would not repent, he was not to be numbered among His people. But:

Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.¹⁴

The revelations to Joseph Smith start in the same place, close to home. An offense is first taken up between the two people; if that fails, it goes “unto the church, not to the members, but to the elders. And it shall be done in a meeting, and that not before the world.”¹⁵ The bishop is “a judge, even a common judge” among the people where he serves.¹⁶ A stake’s high council takes up difficulties “which could not be settled by the church or the bishop’s council.”¹⁷ Only then, and only if the member asks, does a case go higher: “Should the parties or either of them be dissatisfied with the decision of said council, they may appeal.”¹⁸ And the stake high councils “form a quorum equal in authority in the affairs of the church, in all their decisions, to the quorum of the presidency, or to the traveling high council.”¹⁹

Where in that pattern does a quorum in Salt Lake decide a case before the local council has met? And what does the Lord say happens when we use His priesthood to hide what we do?

… when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.²⁰

This post grew out of Denver Snuffer’s “Lehi’s Message.”²¹ The Book of Mormon is a revelation indeed. There is much to ponder.