The GA that breaks rank with the bretheren will soon be a former GA. He will probably retire for 'health reasons' and disappear from public life. The bretheren have undoubtedly thought of this contingency and planned ahead. I am pretty sure they carry a pretty big stick over eachother, collectively. I have often wondered if the GAs might have their own secret temple ceremonies, something that makes the pre-1990 endowment ceremony threats look comparatively mild. There is nothing like a threat of being murdered to keep someone in line. The morg has proven that they can get away with semi-veiled threats by calling them only symbolic, and protected by free speech. That would be in addition to the demand for payment of the forgivable million dollar loan they hold over them.
The early leadership were all Freemasons, such as Brigham Young, Hosea Stout, and many others, who took it very seriously, meeting secretly in the Council House. In his diary, Hosea Stout talks about going to the Masonic school, and attending regular prayer circles. It's highly likely that today's Morg elite are all staunch Masons with their own secret ceremonies, death threats included.
I cannot believe that the Brethren would be into something so evil as murder or ruining somebody's life.
But then I can't help thinking of the temple oaths. Those are pretty darn serious. Calling them symbolic just sounds like a bunch of b.s to me. Why have them at all if there is not some basis in reality? They may be symbolic for average Joe member. But for the higher ups? Not outside the realm of possibility that they are very real.
Again, I struggle to believe that, but I cannot discount it.
A guy I listen to on the radio talks about this kind of stuff, how these organizations have one set of ceremony for the masses, and save the real stuff for the elites. Could be.
In the temple, we pledge to give out Lives for the church. There is nothing symbolic in that. I never understood it to be so. But I don't think that any member really believes that it will ever come to that.
Yup, I've thought for years that they have a whole new level of secret ceremonies for the big guys. I'm sure they mention death, although they may keep it somewhat ambiguous, which makes it even more fearful.
They may also play on superstition to keep the new apostles in line. "President Lee was in good health, but he died suddenly in his sleep. You don't think that was an accident, do you?" That could explain the horrible wave of fanaticism that swept the church in the early Kimball years.
I believe that the president and other higher up figureheads are under strict surveilance by shadow controllers. I also believe that when they want someone out, or out of the running, that they have ways of bringing that about, including putting them down, either slowly, or quickly. There is no way they would allow Packer the top spot, due to his unpopularity with many members. He certainly has some very bizzare ailments. It would be very easy to order a side dish of drugs, or some other poison to be slipped into his meals to keep him incoherant and sickly.
This would work only if: The GA had documented evidence of top quorum dishonesty and knowledge. The GA went public, even taking his case to court to sue the church for fraud. The GA could implicate ALL of the top 15, not just some of them. The GA was himself dirty, and would suffer for his disclosures.
Anything less would be seen as fulfillment of last days prophecy... the very elect etc.
I wonder how much difference it would make overall. It would look like a pack of dogs fighting over a bone. Few of the Top 15 have unblemished reputations. The others could just say this guy is a loose cannon, look at what he did against our very beliefs, even the scriptures...
George Lee was selected as a Seventy precisely because he was a bully and a fanatic. Everyone was happy to see him go. It was, however, the final blow to the "Lamanite" fantasy. I think any renegade would simply take his own natural constituency with him. If Dieterdorf left, it would destroy the church in Europe. If Holland left, half the CES people would resign.
It starts a precident and makes it psychologically easier for other troubled leaders to follow.
It's like SPs they feel the pressure to resolve concerns and stay faithful despite having them same challenging questions the rest of us have. But when they hear that other SPs, a temple president, bishops, and an area authority have had the courage to take that step and place integrity and honesty first it makes it less psychologically onerous.
The Q15 member that breaks with the pack and comes clean in modern times will go down as a Martin Luther character. The others will then be left facing huge accusations of corruption and fraud.
Can anyone help me find this so called prophecy where in the last days "even the very elect will be led a stray" ? THis is what's making my TBM family cling harder to their beliefs since I've shared my issues and leaving recently...
As for the GA's, I have trouble understanding how these men could KNOW about the fraud and intentionally perpetrate it- I mean, they spend their lives dedicated to giving pointless talks, travel all over the world, all to live a lie- I could NEVER do that! What makes them do it? I'v eheard the argument that they think the churhc would be devastated if they didn't continue the charade, or that they get enough financial motivation to help them... but this last argument would be more compelling if their appointments weren't for life- as in, they get a chance to enjoy their financial rewards AFTER their term of service is over.
I guess they could just be evil and sick men who get off on the power they have over so many people, and the celebrity worship they are the benefactors of.