On April 6th 1976 I and my associates encountered unmistakable evidence of a mafia-like presence on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. We determined that a corrupt racketeering organization was the real power of the church and that the church leaders were pawns, puppets or willing participants of that criminal entity.
Using religion as a front has been the modus operandi of crooks and scoundrels from the earliest times of earth's history. The reason being the eager credulity of humans to fall prey to any claims that "emanate" from "God".
Intellectuals of the church; many of whom over the years have written articles and letters to the leaders of the church attempting to reason with them have been dismayed by the total silence coming from those leaders. In fact the offices of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve are similar to the black hole theories of astrophysics when it comes to answering their critics.
Their offices have been alluded to as the Marble Palace Mob and the Temple of Deafening Silence. Mormons who have been faithful members doing their mind/time occupying allegiance to the church are of course the most desirous kind of membership blindly following the leaders, never questioning anything.
However, for a small percentage of members who have broadened their studies to the point that they wish to request a fuller examination of the issues of the faith which are not covered in the stilted and programmed plan of salvation, continued membership becomes a problem for them.
Descendants of early pioneers to the Salt Lake valley who have been so culturally bonded to the church because it is not merely a religion but a way of life; find that socially, it is better to remain silent and not mince words with other members for fear that they may become dis-fellowshipped or excommunicated resulting in social ostracism from the church and hence the society in which they have lived their entire lives. For them the cost of expressing intellectual integrity is too high a price to pay. Within the church there exists a significant group of such persons who privately will thank the visible dissident for his or her contribution to the cause for enlightenment while they, themselves, dare not be visible and for good cause.
Few others who were descendants of early converts have taken the risk of suffering excommunication for their visible outspoken efforts to bring intelligence, questioning debate and new learning into the church to correct perceived errors. These individuals both men and women suffered the rebuke of the local elders of the church by way of excommunication but never heard one word directly from the top leaders of the church to whom they had addressed their concerns.
Among those we can name C.D. McBride of Logan, Utah who was a boyhood playmate of the past church president Spencer Kimball: G.T. Harrison of Orem, Utah who challenged the leaders on the changing history and doctrines of the church only to be excommunicated and Dr. John Fitzgerald of Holladay, Utah who wrote letters to the editor of the Salt Lake Tribune challenging the church on its then racism only to be excommunicated. Each of these men had performed a mission for the church in their youth but like so many other returned missionaries, later learn the falsehood of the Mormon claim which they had preached and promoted.
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