Who was the highest up person to publicly defect?

I think it was Hans Mattsson.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/us/some-mormons-search-the-web-and-find-doubt.html?_r=0

In the history of TSCC, probably William Law

yeah, Law and Thomas Marsh, Oliver Cowdery, other apostles in the 1830's.

In the past 50 years, it'd probably be George P. Lee. I can't recall anyone as high up as him that's publicly left or been excom'd for apostasy.

In the early church, they lost apostles at a pretty fair clip.

The early apostles had a front row seat to the corruption and the chaos. Makes me wonder about the personality of William Clayton and whether he had a moral compass or not. Following around recording Joseph's life. Was he just a lackey or a sycophant? Anybody know about him?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_P._Lee

From Wikipedia:

"On September 1, 1989, the Church announced that Lee had been excommunicated for "apostasy and other conduct unbecoming a member of the Church." He was the first general authority to be excommunicated since 1943, when apostle Richard R. Lyman was excommunicated for adultery and unlawful cohabitation.

According to Lee, the action stemmed from his disagreement with LDS Church president Ezra Taft Benson over the role of Native Americans in the church. When he became church president, Benson had ended the church's Indian Placement Program, which Lee cited as a key to his personal development. Lee argued that Benson was not treating Native American Latter-day Saints in the way that Kimball would have approved. Additionally, Lee claimed the First Presidency had accused him of polygamy, immorality and teaching false doctrine. Lee's letters to the leadership of the LDS Church were turned over to the news media. The church did not publicly respond to Lee's letters or his public comments; it is the policy of the church to not publicize the details of an excommunicant's behavior which brought about the disciplinary action.

In 1993, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Lee had attempted to sexually molest a minor girl in 1989, and that this was one of the reasons for Lee's excommunication. "

I find the accusation of attempted molestation to be highly suspect given the church's well-known stance of protecting pedophiles and simply moving them to other wards ala the Catholic church's treatment of pedophile priests. These are known perverts, not "attempted" molestations.

I think they need to discredit all apostates and love to rewrite history after all the witnesses have died. And even before, because what they say is "inspired" and what you and I say is crap, even if you were an eye witness or a victim.


Kathleen Waters

Unfortunately Lee did molest the teenager.
I knew someone who was in the same therapy group as him at the ISAT center in St. George. He said the group did not cut him a break. Offenders know offenders. My friend said Lee was a very bitter man. He thought Lee knew other things.

It was probably things he knew the TSCC was doing and was unable to bring forward to the public or stop it.

His molesting wasn't known at the time of his excommunication. The church used the charges a few years later as a PR moment to divert public attention from the real reasons Lee was exed.

The church doesn't want anyone looking too closely at what Lee really knew and what his excommunication was based on.
It probably wasn't based on him molesting the teenager. That didn't come out until later. Besides the Church tends to protect sexual perverts.

Lee did molest the teenager.

Only one member of the Q15 stands the chance if going down in history as a hero. The rest will be recorded as deluded fools or frauds.

The one who breaks ranks first will be remembered as genuine. The rest will be embarrassed through history.

I wonder if they know this?

The president of the OKC temple and his wife resigned a few years ago.

There is also Tom Phillips.....Second Anointing and all!

Slightly not answering the OP question, but I've been reading 'Crisis of Conscience' recently by Raymond Franz. He defected from the Jehovah's Witness governing body (equivalent of Q15) in the '70s then wrote the tell all book. Complete with scanned documents.

It's a hard going read- he's not the best writer, but it has given me a glimmer that maybe a member of the Q15 might someday do the same...
Tori
x

Adam?

Actually, Eve, or even Lilith ought to get top billing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2014 01:41PM by Brother Of Jerry.

...and if you know the story/myth/legend, this is just funny!

Cain?
Judas Iscariot?

In modern times, I would suggest it would be the President and other leaders of the RLDS Church. They all deserve credit for their honesty and integrity.