The Mormon Curtain
Inside Letter To First Pres: Gneral Authority Urgesthat Fellow GA's Book Not Be Published
Monday, Aug 19, 2013, at 08:46 AM
Inside Letter To First Pres: Gneral Authority Urgesthat Fellow GA's Book Not Be Published
Original Author(s):
Steve Benson
Filed Under:
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STEVE BENSON - SECTION 15
--Introduction: Mormon Church Apostle Assigned to Review and Report on the Problematic Writings of a Fellow General Authority
I have come into possession of copies of some very illuminating correspondence between a member of the Mormon Church Quorum of Twelve Apostles and the Office of the First Presidency. These materials were contained in a Mormon Church-produced, gray-colored, vinyl-covered three-ringed binder stamped on its cover with inset capital letters, "THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS." I received the correspondence through my grandfather and then-President of the Church, Ezra Taft Benson, who had previously made it available within Benson family circles.
The letter from the LDS Apostle was of a confidential nature, so indicated by the fact that it was directly sent as internal mail within the Church Administration Building from the offices of "The Council of the Twelve" (as noted by the Church stationery on which it was typed) to the "Dear Brethren" in the "The First Presidency." Further, it was "cc'd" to no one.
Upon examining the Apostle's letter, a well-respected, seasoned Mormon observer and trusted source of mine remarked, "It's a very nice glimpse into the workings of a system geared more to practicality than to fundamental truths."
The letter--dated 9 April 1987 to the First Presidency of Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson--was written by Apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin. It concerned the possible publication of a manuscript entitled, "The Book of Mormon and the Constitution," which had been authored by fellow General Authority, H. Verlan Andersen. (A copy of Andersen's manuscript was included in the binder, behind the letter from Wirthlin to the First Presidency.) Andersen was, at the time he wrote the manuscript, a member of the First Quorum of Seventy. Apostle Wirthlin had been assigned by the First Presidency to review Andersen's manuscript, then report back to them whether he (Wirthlin) would recommend approval for its publication.
Before proceeding further, some preliminaries.
--Church Employment Backgrounds of General Authorities Wirthlin and Andersen
Joseph B, Wirthlin rose through the ranks of the General Authorities to become a member of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1986. Prior to that, his Church duties included assignments directly linking him to Mormon interests and activities in Europe: From 1975 to 1978, he was the designated General Authority area supervisor for Europe, followed by assignment as president of the European area (including Communist eastern Europe) from 1984 to 1986 when Wirthlin was in the First Quorum of the Seventy, and where he oversaw the Mormon Church's European interests in collaboration with fellow Apostle Russell M. Nelson. It is not surprising, therefore, that in 1987 the First Presidency assigned Wirthlin to review Andersen's manuscript, which attacked Communism.
Before becoming a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, H. Verlan Andersen was a Professor of Accounting in BYU's College of Business. After retiring from BYU employment, he became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1986 and a year later produced his "Book of Mormon and the Constitution" manuscript which he hoped would be approved by Church leadership for publication. (General Authorities were asked to submit manuscripts to the First Presidency for pre-publication review.)
Andersen's ascendency into the Mormon Church hierarchy was reportedly facilitated through personal connections. According to well-placed and well-inforrned BYU sources, "the feeling around town, i.e. scuttlebutt" was that Mormon Church President Ezra Taft Benson was responsible for getting Andersen into the Seventies in April 1986. (ETB had become LDS Church president in November 1985, following the death of Spencer W. Kimball.) Andersen and Benson were known to be personal friends/acquaintances who shared common interests-notably, extremist right-wing, anti-Communist, pro-Constitution political views.
(Note: During my mission to Japan from 1973 to 1975, my grandfather sent me, as a Christmas gift, a copy of Andersen's book, "The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil" [Orem, Utah: SunRise Publications, 1972, 234 pp., with printings in 1988 and 1994 "by his Sons and Grandsons"]. This was the only book my grandfather sent me during my entire mission.)
In this book, Andersen claimed that the "Great and Abominable Church of the Devil" manifested itself in the form of "corrupted government." Specifically, he identified "the Devil's church" as Communist totalitarianism in the form of state-imposed "socialism" and "welfare" and--more particularly--in the form of "socialized education":
"Prompted by the statement of a latter-day prophet that 'the entire concept and philosophy of Communism is diametrically opposed to everything for which the Church [of the Lamb, i.e., the Mormon Church] stands,' and using a concise statement of this philosophy called the 'Communist Manifesto,' which had been drawn up by the so-called father of modem socialism, we examined the doctrines of the Devil's church. We found them to be as the prophet had stated--diametrically opposed to everything for which the Church stands.
"The program outlined therein proposes that believers in the Devil's plan, i.e., Communists, Socialists, and Welfare-statists seize control of government and then use it to destroy individual freedom by destroying the basis upon which it rests-the right and control of property. It also outlines plans for abolishing the Lord's three organizations-family, Church, and government". . . .
"There may be some who will take vigorous exception to comments made herein regarding public education. But once the decision is made that prostituted government is indeed, Satan's Great and Abominable Church, the conclusions reached herein regarding socialized education naturally follow, because to the extent that the devil is in control of government to that same extent will government schools teach his doctrines. No other result can be expected." (pp, 181 ff)
During his time at BYU, Andersen was known as one of Ezra Taft Benson's "boys on campus." Indeed, the power of Ezra Taft Benson to flex his muscle as Church president as late as 1987 (meaning before his rapid physical and mental deterioration took hold) in order to provide preferential treatment to political friends and personal family members was also well-known, resented and feared. According to BYU sources with first-hand knowledge, university president Jeffrey Holland was, so "anxious" about ETB, becoming "unhappy" that Holland agreed to arrange for ETB's son and oldest child, Reed (my uncle), to be promoted up the chain in the religion department, despite Reed not possessing the necessary academic credentials to justify the advancement.
To an uneasy Holland, ETB was clearly "still a force to be reckoned with." Others were not as impressed. News that Reed was going to receive an undeserved promotion to associate professor led some academic administrators to threaten to resign in protest. To prevent a mutiny, a proposal was made to BYU's academic vice-president team that Reed be given a teaching-professor title-i.e., one not entailing professorial status but as professional teaching faculty, more along "the lecturer line." The VP team agreed to the proposal, whereupon "word came back from Holland" that Holland would agree to the special arrangement if Reed would accept it-and as long as Holland's name was kept out of it. Reed was approached by certain members of the academic VP team and offered the "associate teaching professor" position. To their relief, "Reed was thrilled." That's all that Reed said he wanted to be--a teaching professor. Holland was also relieved, ETB was still "sufficiently with it" that those like Holland who "were very plugged-in" knew they had to "tread lightly.")
--Wirthlin's Concerns Over Anticipated Negative Effects of Andersen's Anti-Communist Views on Mormon Church Interests
As Wirthlin's letter to the First Presidency lays out, in some detail, he strongly urged that it not be published, warning that it was a sincere but ill-advised attack on Communist regimes in Eastern Europe that would harm the long-term political and religious interests of the Mormon Church. (My above-mentioned source offered a far more blunt assessment of Andersen's manuscript, describing it as "a screed in which he's trying to make arguments for pre-determined conclusions" adding that "[t]his guy [Andersen] is a fanatic.")
Anderson died on 16 June 1992 in Orem, Utah, without his manuscript having been authorized by the Mormon Church for publication. But that did not mean the manuscript was destined for its own death and burial. A CD ROM of Andersen's writings--including "The Book of Mormon and the Constitution"--was released in 2007. Even earlier--and most likely under rights extended by Andersen's family--three years after Andersen's death, his manuscript was self-published by Orem-based SunRise Publishing and Distribution under the title, "The Book of Mormon and the Constitution." (It was republished by the same company again in 2008.)
(Note: Andersen's son and political heir, Hans V. Andersen Jr., currently serves on the Orem City Council. As reported in the 13 June 2013 "Daily Herald," he told a fellow council member, "I think God will help; you and you get help if you follow his ways. God has economic principles we don't follow.")
Wirthlin's letter to the First Presidency evidenced his obvious concern that the Mormon Church not approve fellow-General Authority Andersen's desire that he be allowed to publish his anti-Communist "screed"-- this despite Andersen's insistence in the manuscript that the Book of Mormon was replete with divinely-inspired anti-Communist doctrine which had received Mormon Church endorsement by such top-ranking LDS leaders as Ezra Taft Benson, Bruce R, McConkie, David O. McKay, Heber J. Grant, and J. Reuben Clark.
Andersen's manuscript constituted a full frontal attack on Communism, one based on his extremist political reading of the Book of Mormon. Andersen compared Communism to secret combinations and corrupt governments as he said were described in the Book of Mormon. He likened Communism to the Gadianton robbers and declared it to be the source of what he regarded as the modern-day unconstitutional evils of welfare state laws, tax laws, occupational licensing laws (including laws making it illegal to practice medicine without a license), regulatory laws and a corrupted national currency.
Andersen further blamed the evils of Communism for the latter-day proliferation of sex crimes, including abortion, adultery, prostitution, fornication and homosexuality. These offenses, Andersen warned, would eventually lead God to destroy-as Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated by heavenly fire-all those who engage in such divinely-condemned criminality.
--Apostle Wirthlin's Letter to the First Presidency
Below is the full text of Wirthlin's letter to the First Presidency (with original spelling, punctuation and capitalization):
"THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
"The Council of the Twelve "47 East South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150
"9 April 1987
"The First Presidency B U I L D I N G
"Dear Brethren:
"Re: Manuscript for The Book of Mormon and the Constitution
"I appreciate the assignment you gave me to read the manuscript authored by Elder H. Verlan Andersen. I am sure he is very sincere in all that he has written. No doubt he has a good knowledge of the Book of Mormon. I feel, however, a sincere apprehension as to the publishing of this manuscript. My concern is even greater because it is authored by a General Authority of the Church. Misunderstandings could be had by Communistic governments and by a large number of faithful members of the Church.
"The following statements in the manuscript seem to be in question:
"1. (1.3) `The conclusion is drawn herein that almost all of us exercise unrighteous dominion, and that we do so by befriending unconstitutional laws which destroy free agency.'
"It seems to me that a definition, or example, should be given as to what is unconstitutional. Would an unconstitutional law be Internal Revenue, Social Security, national defense, traffic control, or drug enforcement? Does he mean that these are unconstitutional?
"2. (1.6) `President McKay delivered a discourse in the semi-annual general conference of 1967 entitled "A Plea for Unity." In this sermon, he urged Church members to become united, and to reject Communism with its divisiveness.'
"He is comparing today's Communism with the Gadianton Robbers, and secret combinations. While Communism is an evil political force, yet we must remember that we have more than 5,000 members of the Church in Communist-dominated countries.
"3. (8.4) `Communism has a greater appeal to the evil in men than any other political system. While enforced priestcraft provides government paid jobs for teachers, priests, educators and those who administer the system, under Communism where the state owns all property and all means for the production and distribution of goods and services, government jobs are created for every activity whatsoever and the opportunity to exercise unrighteous dominion is virtually unlimited. Furthermore those who control government also own and control all of `the things of this world,' which exist within its jurisdiction.'
"He described enforced priestcraft and Communism. This is all it would take to destroy the work that has been achieved in East Block countries. We learned this morning from Elder Russell M. Nelson that the East Block Communist countries are more friendly to us than are a large number of western countries. The Iron Curtain has been lifted in such a way that we have built a beautiful temple and other chapels in East Germany. The Minister of Religion of East Germany was asked by the Minister of Religion of Russia why his country favors the LDS Church. The answer was, `They are law-abiding citizens. They live high moral standards and set a good example for our citizens.' The other East Block countries are extremely interested in this comment about our Church and are now permitting missionaries to come to their various countries. They also said the uplifting spirit of the Church was good for their citizens. We can see from this report that we are now enjoying peaceful coexistence in these lands. The gospel is brooding over these Communistic countries. Several members of the Twelve declared in this morning's temple meeting that they feel we are on the right track to go into these countries.
"President Benson seemed to be pleased as to what is happening in these Communistic nations. He referred to DandC 84:62: `Therefore, go ye into all the world; and unto whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send, that the testimony may go from you into all the world unto every creature.'
"Great emphasis is being given on reading the Book of Mormon and seeing to it that all nations receive it. No doubt this sacred book would be banned in all Communistic countries. It would also place the Church and our loyal and faithful members in jeopardy of their jobs, jail sentences, or even their lives. It would close the borders of preaching the gospel to many nations. The East German (D.D.R.) saints are probably the most faithful of all the members of the Church worldwide. Sacrament meeting attendance in Freiberg and Leipzig is very high. Temple endowments and genealogical research are the highest per capita of any stakes in the Church. Therefore, I am more concerned about the publishing of this manuscript in relationship to the harm to our members than any other part that has been written.
"I totally reject Communism, Socialism, and the welfare state as much as Brother Andersen, but I feel that I have mentioned pitfalls that would harm the Church and its members in many countries. The expansion of missionary work and friendly governmental relations is absolutely necessary, rather than a broadside declaration against such governments, which would defeat the preaching of the gospel and slow our preparation for the Lord's coming. I believe it is our challenge to preach the gospel as energetically as we can without alienating governments under which many wonderful people are compelled to live.
"Faithfully your brother,
[signed]
"Joseph
"Joseph B. Wirthlin
"JBW/jc"
--Conclusion: The First Presidency Appears to Have Squelched General Authority H. Vernal Andersen's Manuscript
We do not have a copy of any response by the First Presidency to either Wirthlin or Andersen. They may not have replied to Wirthlin in writing but could have discussed the matter in a meeting or a telephone conversation. However, since the manuscript was not published until after Andersen's death, it is likely that the First Presidency did follow up with him and ask him not to publish this work, .
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