I have read about the truth of ETB's health being kept from the general membership of the church, but I haven't read what the reason for that action was.

Was it not possible to pass the mantle to Howard W Hunter even though ETB was still living, given that he could not function as prophet? Or were those in charge reluctant to allow HWH to become Prophet and President of the Church? Did they hope that by delaying, ETB would outlive HWH? HWH was an outsider in terms of lineage.

. . . was passed to ETB/s First Presidency counselors, Hinckley and Monson--in secret and via ETB's signature machine, without ETB even being present during the transaction.

The reason why ETB was retained in his non-existent "prophet" role until he died was in order to provide window-dressing designed to perpetuate the myth (for the benefit of the believing, cash-cow Mormon masses) that God's "one and only true church" was being led by a living prophet.

ETB was living, but not functioning. To keep the hope alive in the hearts of the believers so that they would continue to tithe, ETB was propped up, as one observer told me, "like a dime-store mannequin," being showcased as "The Prophet," while those behind the scenes actually ran the Mormon Church as they waited for him to die.

When ETB finally breathed his last, Hunter (being the next in line as the senior survivor in the Mormon Church's version of successional musical chairs), became "The Prophet."

This process is rotely and falsely perpetuated in order to keep the rank-and-file members content in their brainwashed, obedient state that this is how the Lord's "true church" is divinely-managed

Hunter sure didn't last long, now, did he?



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 04:32AM by steve benson.

So what happens when a prophet goes comatose, catatonic, or vegetative? What if he can still speak but it's sort of nonsense half the time even to the members? Do they just hide him away?

Here's a breakdown of the details that, in and of themselves, should be enough for any honest Mormon to leave the lying LDS Church:

--I informed historian D. Michael Quinn of this surreptitious power thievery, which Quinn found significant enough to write that Monson and Hinckley secretly conspired to angle themselves into the position of operating as the de facto Mormon Church president, in clear violation of official Mormon Church governing procedure:

"By May 1989 . . . counselors [Hinckley and Monson] felt it necessary to execute legal documents giving them Ezra Taft Benson's 'power of attorney [which] shall not be affected by his "disability" or "incompetence.'"

"However, Benson was already affected by that 'disability.'

"Despite a notarized statement by the First Presidency's secretary, President Benson did not sign those documents himself. A signature machine produced Benson's identical signatures on these legal documents.

"Without public acknowledgment, this machine-signed document formally ended an official provision for dissolving the First Presidency that had been in print for ninety years. Since 1899 the book 'Articles of Faith,' 'Written By Appointment; and Published By the Church,' had specified that the 'First Presidency is disorganized through the death or disability of the President.'

"However, this 1989 document specified that the counselors would not dissolve the First Presidency or surrender their powers despite the fact of the church president's 'disability' or 'incompetence.'

"The current apostles have supported this policy, even though the officially published 'Articles of Faith' continues to specify that when there is 'disability of the President, the directing authority in [church] government reverts at once to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles." (D. Michael Quinn, "The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power" [Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books], pp. 58-59,; fn 243-245, p. 432)


--The “Salt Lake Tribune” affirmed the story through its own investigative reporting efforts:

"In the years before his death President Benson suffered from poor health, suffering from blood clots in the brain, strokes, and heart attacks. During this time, Benson almost never appeared in public, and First Counselor Gordon B. Hinckley took on many of Benson's official duties, as he had done as Second Counselor in Kimball's last years.

"Joining Hinckley in this task was Thomas S. Monson, and the two of them received legal power of attorney to act in Benson's behalf in LDS corporate affairs. Important ecclesiastical and family documents continued to be signed in Benson's name, with the aid of a signature machine.

"There was some controversy as to whether Benson's actual mental health during this time was accurately portrayed by the Church. According to Church spokesman Don LeFevre, Hinckley and Monson reviewed major church decisions with Benson in his home, where he was attended by a staff of nurses.

"However, according to Benson's grandson Steve Benson, who later became a vocal, anti-Mormon critic of the church that he quit, the elder Benson by about 1993 was living in a sweatsuit, fed by others, and incapable of recognizing others or speaking coherently.

"Steve Benson stated that in a private meeting with apostle Dallin H. Oaks, Oaks explained to the younger Benson that the apostles rotated in pairs each week to visit the elder Benson at the apartment socially, but that Benson was incapable of conducting official business. . . .

"The fact that President Benson's counselors did not have a great deal of confidence in his ability to function became evident when documents filed with the state of Utah were examined by the 'Salt Lake Tribune':

"'Documents on file with the state of Utah are strong evidence that the parent corporation of the Mormon Church no longer is being directed by its president, Ezra Taft Benson.

"'It is the first time since the corporation was founded 70 years ago that anyone other than the church president has obtained total authority over Utah's most powerful corporation.

"'The documents, at the Utah Department of Commerce, were signed with a machine that duplicates the signature of 94 year-old President Benson. They were filed six months before President Benson . . . made his last public speech.

"'Church leaders said this week the filings and the use of a signature machine were routine, and done with President Benson's approval.... Today, the corporation owns all church assets--including a multi-billion dollar portfolio of financial and property holdings. . . .

"'Entitled "Certificates of Authority' and dated May 23, 1989, the documents say Presidents Hinckley and Monson can keep those complete powers--even if President Benson becomes disabled or is determined by a court to be incompetent. . . . the church made no announcement of the change. It has continued to portray President Benson as the ultimate power behind church affairs. . . .

"'Fran Fish, notary public administrator for the state Department of Commerce, said signatures written by machine are legal . . . .

"'Still, Ms. Fish . . . said use of a signature machine on state corporate filings 'is certainly out of the norm.'. . . Steve Benson . . . has said that his aging grandfather no longer possesses the mental faculties to handle church affairs.

"'"The church has misrepresented the condition of President Benson and stated flatly that his role as prophet has in no way been impeded," Steve Benson said this week. "My grandfather has become a storefront mannequin while the business of the store is conducted behind closed doors."

"'He said a signature machine has replaced his grandfather's hand on all personal and family correspondence.”Evidently," Steve Benson said, "the signature machine had not been programmed to sign, 'Grandpa.'"'"('Salt Lake Tribune,' August 15, 1993)"

(To view the actual signature machine-created signature of Ezra Taft Benson on the incorporation documents mentioned above, see "Hinckley Monson and Ezra Taft Benson's Signature Machine," by "cricket" [Steven Clark], 30 December 2006, at: http://www.salamandersociety.com/legal/; see also, Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Mormon Inquisition?: LDS Leaders Move to Repress Rebellion," under "Non-Functional Prophets," in "Salt Lake City Messenger," No. 85, November 1993, at: http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no85.htm)


--The journalism trade magazine, “Editor & Publisher” also reported on the backroom power transfer:

"[Steve] Benson's views seemingly were verified by an article in the Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City. A reporter at the paper sifted some eye-popping information from Utah's corporation records. The published report said the corporation that manages the church effected in 1989 a transfer of power from Ezra Taft Benson to his two counselors, Gordon Hinckley and Thomas Monson. That was done the same year that his grandfather last was seen in public, Benson said.

"'This is what's so ironic,' he said.’The church leaders and members are saying, 'Steve, where's your faith? Don't you have faith God could raise Ezra Taft Benson to speak and lead the church?' But in secret the leaders of the church had amended the faith that God would do that. . . . They put their faith not in God but in the lawyers who transacted the papers and who actually assured the transfer of power to them.'" (Walt Jayroe, "Drawing the Line on Religion," in "Editor & Publisher," 1994, at: http://www.lds-mormon.com/benson1.shtml)


--Further reporting:

"[Mormon] Church leaders acknowledge[d] that during the past four years Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson have held absolute control, legally, of the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though a signature machine was used to append Benson's signature to documents transferring control from Benson to Hinckley and Monson, the two certificates of authority filed in May, 1989, were declared legal (in 'Salt Lake Tribune,' 15 August 1993, p. C 1)." (Timothy Oliver, Rick Branch, and James Walker, "Historical Events, Notable Doctrines: Mormonism Overview," in "Watchman Expositor," vol. 13, #4, 1996, at: http://www.watchman.org/lds/ldshst96.htm)


--Hinckley, plain and simple, lied to Mormon Church members in General Conference about the extent and severity of ETB's rapidly failing health.

Notice how, in this Mormon Church account of a Hinckley October 1992 General Conference talk, he mentioned nothing about ETB's deteriorating and debilitating mental condition indeed, he spoke only of his weak physical state, thereby misleadingly implying that ETB was still mentally functional--which was not the case at all. (If ETB had, in fact, been regarded as being mentally functional enough to make adminstraive decisions as Mormon Church president, there would have been no need for a surreptious power hand-over by signature machine to Hinckley and Monson):

“President Gordon B. Hinckley's account of a dramatic experience aboard a jetliner as it approached the airport set the tone for his Sunday morning address.

“President Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, was returning from a regional conference when the captain announced that there was an emergency and asked passengers to obey crew members' instructions. An off-duty pilot, recognizing President Hinckley, told him, 'The primary control system has failed, but I think we are going to be all right. They have managed to get the landing gear down and the flaps down.'

"'Strangely, I felt no fear,' President Hinckley recalled. 'I knew that a redundancy system had been built into the plane to handle just such an emergency, and that the crew had been well-trained.'

“The congregation laughed when he said, 'I also knew that the effectiveness of that redundancy system would be known in a minute or two when the rubber hit the runway.'

“The aircraft landed without mishap. 'The crew were appropriately applauded, and some of us expressed to the Lord our gratitude,' President Hinckley related.

"'I have reflected on this experience in terms of the Church of which we are members.'

“Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, but the earthly head is the prophet, he explained, adding that while President Ezra Taft Benson holds all the keys of the priesthood, he has reached an age that places limitations on his PHYSICAL activities [emphasis added], as have prophets in the past.

"'Some people, evidently not knowing the system, worry that because of the president's age, the Church faces a crisis. They seem not to realize that there is a backup system. In the very nature of this system, there is always on board a trained crew, if I may so speak of them. They have been thoroughly schooled in Church procedures. More importantly, they also hold the keys of the eternal priesthood of God.'

“Each of the 15 men ordained as apostles holds the keys of the priesthood, but only the president has the right to exercise them in their fullness, President Hinckley explained.

“'We who serve as counselors recognize and know the parameters of our authority and our responsibility. Our only desire is to assist and help our leader with the tremendous burdens of his office. The Church is growing large, with more than 8 million members now. . . . The responsibilities are many and varied.

"'But I can say that regardless of the circumstances, the work goes forward in an orderly and wonderful way. As it was during the time when President Kimball was ill, we have moved without hesitation where there is well-established policy. Where there is no firmly established policy, we have talked with the president and received his approval before taking action. Let it never be said that there has been any disposition to assume authority or to do anything or say anything or teach anything which might be at variance with the wishes of him who has been put in his place by the Lord.'

“Quoting D&C 107:23-24, President Hinckley said the Council of the Twelve Apostles form a quorum equal in power and authority to the First Presidency, but they are always under the direction of the First Presidency.

“President Hinckley contrasted the work of the Lord with the process of electing government officials: 'No member of the Church in his right mind would think of applying for ecclesiastical office.' Rather, he said, Church officers are called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority.

“He expressed confidence that all General Authorities confess to the Lord their weaknesses and plead for strength and wisdom.
“He said the Brethren pray together and periodically partake of the sacrament together, and from various backgrounds and experiences, discuss problems and ways to improve and strengthen the work.

"'At the outset of these discussions, there may be various points of view. But before the discussion is ended, there is total unanimity, else no action is taken. The Lord Himself has declared that such unity is an absolute necessity.'

“He affirmed that the General Authorities would never lead the Church astray because the Lord Jesus Christ has the power to remove any found remiss in his duty or teaching that which is not in harmony with His divine will.

"'I say for each and all of us that we have no personal agenda. We have only the Lord's agenda. There are those who criticize when we issue a statement of counsel or warning. Please know that our pleadings are not motivated by any selfish desire. Please know that our warnings are not without substance and reason. Please know that the decisions to speak out on various matters are not reached without deliberation, discussion and prayer. Please know that our only ambition is to help each of you with your problems, your struggles, your families, your lives.'"

(“Built-in 'Backup' System Keeps Church on Course,” Gordon B. Hinckley, sermon at LDS General Conference,” published in “Church News,” 10 October 1992, at: http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/21783/Built-in-backup-system-keeps-Church-on-course.html


Hinckley continued the same deceptive theme throughout the same Conference, having kicked of the Saturday session with the same misdirect:

“My brethren and sisters, President Benson ordinarily would speak to us in the opening session of the conference and extend his warm welcome. We regret that he is not with us. He would wish to be here, and we wish that he were here. It is becoming increasingly hard for him to get out. His age makes public appearances difficult. He is now in his ninety-fourth year. It is not easy for him to do what he once did with such vigor and enthusiasm. His strong and vibrant voice has stirred all of us in times past. His eloquence in expounding the gospel and his tremendous testimony of this work, persuasive in its tone and cogency, have lifted all who have heard him. We miss him and pray that the Lord will comfort him and bless him that he may enjoy much of happiness for the remainder of his life.

“His burdens became much heavier when his beloved companion, Sister Flora Amussen Benson, passed away on August 14. They had been married for nearly sixty-six years. They have been an example to the entire Church. He now feels the terrible loneliness that comes to a man with the death of a gifted and beautiful wife, the mother of his children, his great support and comfort.

“Our hearts reach out to him in sympathy and love. We pray that the Lord will comfort him and sustain him and bring gladness into his heart while he yet remains with us as the prophet of God.

“He has asked that we go forward with the conference. We do so with his encouragement and with a prayer in our hearts that we will be blessed of the Lord—all who speak—that there may be a great spiritual outpouring among the Saints who will meet in many places and under a great variety of circumstances.”

(“Sin Will Not Prevail,” Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1992 General Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, reprinted in “Ensign,” November 1992, at: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/1992/10/sin-will-not-prevail?lang=eng)
_____


My grandfather was not actually functioning as Mormon Church president in his last years slumped on the throne. He was merely a prop, not a prophet. When they felt it necessary to keep him stage-managed for PR purposes but to, in the meantime, run the Church from behind the curtain, that's when Hinckley and Monson seized power by means of the secret autopen playbook--then let ETB die, having effectively pushed him aside in order for the Mormon Church to go about its business.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 04:34AM by steve benson.

perceptual Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So what happens when a prophet goes comatose,
> catatonic, or vegetative? What if he can still
> speak but it's sort of nonsense half the time even
> to the members? Do they just hide him away?


THIS is what happens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wALvdgurB4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsudG4120Hw

Steve,

You said "To keep the hope alive in the hearts of the believers so that they would continue to tithe, ETB was propped up, as one observer told me, "like a dime-store mannequin," being showcased as "The Prophet," while those behind the scenes actually ran the Mormon Church as they waited for him to die."

Do you think it was to keep the hope of the people or was it that GBH and TSM didn't want to let go of the power they had? I've read almost if not all of your writing on this subject and that was enough to convince me that GBH was a power-hungry two-faced man.

From the first time I heard GBH speak at a GC I didn't really like him not did I understand everybody's fascination with him. Something that bothered me was that when HWH became president of the church it was a sustaining vote during GC and let's move on. The following year when GBH was sustained, it was a sustaining vote and then all those camera shots of him as we all sang "We thank thee O God for a Prophet". I was very uncomfortable during that song and kept thinking "I don't remember all this for Pres. Hunter". That was a major read flag I missed, that Mormons do worship their "prophets".

My point, what is your opinion of GBH? Was he a power hungry man? And TSM his side kick?

Thanks,

. . . into believng--through blatant lies by Hinckley, in particular, and also by deliberate misrepresentations to the press from Church PR hack, Don LeFevere--that ETB was still in charge. That allowed Hink-son to continue running the show--which they would not have been able to do had, per succession protocol, the First Presidency been dissolved due to ETB's inability to perform his duties. If the rules had actually been followed as prescribed, senior apostle Hunter would have then been moved into the position of acting Church president and, thus, the Hink-son pair would have been returned back to their respectively lower-level positions of seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve. The secret autopen headfake made sure that didn't happen.

By the way, when I personally confronted LeFevere in the Joseph Smith Building (formerly the Hotel Utah) on his lie to the media that ETB was leading the Church, he replied that all his PR pronouncements had been approved by his superiors. I answered by pointing out that just because those statements had been approved by superiors didn't make them true. LeFevere paused then answered, "Steve, this is a difficult job."

Yeah, Don, lying for the Lord ain't for the faint-hearted.



Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 01:40PM by steve benson.

Thank you for your reply. It just reinforces what I thought that Hinckley was always the man running the show and many the top are very aware of what is going on.

Hunter probably didn't have a choice in selecting counselors, I'm sure he was 'strongly advised' to keep the existing ones at the time.

What follows if a very good example of that, based on my own personal experience:

My grandfather was quite keen on the idea of me doing an undergrad BYU research paper on what he called "the follies of organic evolution." He told me he would try to get then-Church president Spencer W. Kimball to sign off on an official First Presidency statement to all members of the LDS Church (based on my research) regarding its position on organic evolution, with particular emphasis on aiding young Mormon students in their religion and science courses.

However, after months of encouragement and helping to open up doors for me in my research efforts, all of a sudden ETB reversed his position 180 degrees--doing so completely out of the blue--and emphatically discouraged me from proceeding any further on the paper for which I had already done a considerable amount of investigation and fact-finding (involving, among other things, corresponding with President Spencer W. Kimball, speaking directly with Kimball's First Presidency secretary D. Arthur Haycock, corresponding with Apostle Mark E. Petersen, meeting one-on-one with Apostle Bruce R. McConkie and corresponding with Church Director of Correlation Roy W. Doxey).

Without going into any detail whatsoever, my grandfather bluntly told me that there would be no official Mormon Church statement issued on organic evolution and urged me to move on, saying it that studying the issue was "not necessary for your salvation." Talk about a bridle yank. I got the distinct impression that ETB had gotten a bad case of instaneously-cold feet, but didn't want to tell me why--although I suspect he could see that my research was not headed in the direction he wanted it to. That, and the real possibility that ETB was taking orders from above (and I don't mean from Kimball).

I am absolutely convinced it was Hinckley who intervened to put the kabosh on this evolution research project of mine/official Mormon Church statement of the First Presidency. Informed sources familiar with Hinckley's behind-the-scenes modus operandi on management matters when it especially came to shepherding the Church presidents for whom he worked as an advisor, said this episode had Hinckley's fingerprints all over it--thus reinforcing my suspicion that Hinckley was indeed calling the shots, making the decisions and drawing the lines.

Hinckley was most certainly calling the operational shots during ETB's First Presidency regime when he, as First Counselor, and Monson, as Second, secretly employed ETB's signature machine to transfer power to run LDS, Inc. from ETB to GBH and TSM, even though ETB wasn't even dead yet and even though this secret act clearly violated LDS Church-established procedure on succession to the presidency.

You don't do that unless you've got the cajones--combined with a well-known and perhaps feared track record of power deployment--to pull off such a stunt. Hinckley was a master manipulator at this kind of stuff.



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 06:50PM by steve benson.

Heavenly Father certainly didn't waste any time in nailing HoHu's ass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQo7j4jTCSk&t=8m1s

Steve

Brigham Young was an accidental prophet. He was just more popular than anybody else, yet the the missionaries say it was revealed by God that he would be it. In fact, there was a disagreement and some chunks of the church broke off and made their own fanatical leaders.

. . . for three years in order to move himself to the top of the heap in a hotly- and viciously-contested quest for power--orchestrating, manipulating and positioning himself behind the scenes, then topping it off with his loyal supporters conveniently claiming that they saw his face transfigured before their very eyes into that of Joseph Smith's while Young was giving another one of his performance pitches to the faithful Mormon flock.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 03:45AM by steve benson.

Bingo. Quinn's "The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power" is a very interesting read that covers all of the angles and tactics employed by Young as well as a good summary of all the other contenders for the presidency of the church.

There was noting accidental about Young taking leadership of the church.

Another Great Post!

Way didn't Hunter protest? Or did he? Is that why Monson has counselors with less seniority? Having been part of the power play, did he protect himself from the same kind of treatment? Can you imagine Boyd K Packer standing for that kind of power grab by Monson's counselors?

Everyone on the inside who counts knows how the game is played, where Mormon Machiavellians make and break the rules as necessity requires.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 01:39PM by steve benson.

It was strange how little time he was prophet... I always wondered if they killed him. but, when I was TBM I thought that maybe he wasnt being a good prophet so God killed him. *eyeroll*

We used to think the opposite, that he was such a good man God kept him alive just a little longer so that he could finally be the prophet.

I just remember him for his Bomb threat and the fact that he played trumpet on a ship instead of serving a mission.

ETB was not the first to be in this situation. There was, I believe, a long period when McKay was in a similar situation and not in control. About 1970, I had occasion to be in the apartment of Joseph Fielding Smith interviewing his wife Jesse Evans Smith. It was quite apparent to me that JFS didn't know what day of the week it was.

James E. Talmage had written some years ago that the first presidency dissolved upon death or disability of the president. ETB was a divisive personality before his ascension to the presidency. Many extremely conservative members of the Church hoped that he would steer the Church in a right wing sort of way, or at least prevent it from moderating or moving to the left. I think the functional members of the FP and 12 were concerned that if they declared the FP dissolved because of ETB's disability, the extremely conservative wing of the Church might revolt. That they might compare HWH's decisions with the writings of ETB whom they would regard as the "real president" of the Church. We might have had a "two Pope" scenario, which our RCC friends have, except that the "retirement" of ETB would have been involuntary.

. . . up in the thread. The rules are broken when personal and institutional interests, combined, are determined to take precedence over honesty and consistency. It's called continuing deception masquerading as continuing revelation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 01:37PM by steve benson.

Steve, Thank you for the information, I have always wondered how that happened. I still wonder how they silenced HWH, but I guess we will never know. He was probably so used to being odd man out that it really didn't matter to him.

I bet it would be a different story with BKP.

"Oh, no, my dear; I'm really a very good man, but I'm a very bad Wizard."

I think that the lying and manipulative antics of Mormon Church operatives working behind the scenes proves that they are neither very good men or very good Wizards.

In the end, the truth will out.

That's why I think the Mormon Church is pretty much headed for the dustbin of history.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 06:59PM by steve benson.

. . . with him tell me that he is not doing well at all, physically speaking; that he is essentially physically immobilized and wheelchair-bound: that the effects of his childhood polio are becoming increasingly evident; that his power and influence in matters of broad Church governance is waning; that he is essentially being marginalized as the Mormon Church attempts behind the scenes to move past his problematic legacy; and that, for all intents and purposes, he knows (because his mental powers are still sharp) that his day has come and gone.

In other words, the sun is rapidly setting on Packer's pernicious era of callous and clueless savagery.

We shall see.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 08:20PM by steve benson.

more like an incidental prophet

I had a dear friend who was a Stake Patriarch. He called me one day and stated President Hunter had given him a call. Evidently they were very good friends. President Hunter was asking if my friend was still alive. Of course they laughed and Pres Hunter stated he had the same health issue as my friend and when my friend died, he knew he would die a few months after(they were the same age). Well, the Patriarch died in Nov. 1994 and President Hunter died March 1995. I have never forgotten this story.