There are some doctrines which haven’t changed much since the beginning days of the Church, but which contain immoral principles. Regardless of who started these practices, whether it was a wicked Joseph or a wicked John or a wicked Russell, a Church of Jesus Christ should not practice non-Christian doctrines. There are two of great importance.
The Second Anointing
If you have heard of the Second Anointing, I applaud you. Most have not. Most will never hear of it. Most will never receive it.
It is forbidden to discuss it in any Church circles.
The Church’s Gospel Teacher Manual forbids any discussion regarding the second anointing. This may seem suspicious to some, but those who are unfamiliar with the ordinance would not give the passage a moment’s notice.
“Caution: Exercise caution while discussing the doctrine of having our calling and election made sure. Avoid speculation. Use only the sources given here and in the student manual. Do not attempt in any way to discuss or answer questions about the second anointing.” [1]
A search on LDS.org is futile. It is as if the Second Anointing doesn’t exist. But it does. It existed in the early restored church, and it remains today. It is, in my opinion, the single most non-Christian element of the Church. It is ruining.
The Second Anointing is a temple ordinance. It is an adjacent ordinance to the endowment. It is given only to successful members of the Church (general authorities, stake presidents, their wives, etc.)
In essence, the Second Anointing is an ordinance in which Celestial Glory is given to saints on Earth. A member of the Church, typically a man, who has achieved high enough status in the Church, may be selected to partake in this ordinance. The ordinance occurs in the temple. It guarantees salvation in the Celestial Kingdom, no matter the choices made on Earth, for the rest of the member’s life. The member’s “calling and election are made sure.” They are free to do as they please, for their eternal place has been decided and promised. The mansion has already been given. The mailbox outside has already got their name on the side.
It’s an ordinance that is rarely discussed. For good, reason, most leaders would say. They wouldn’t want the lay-member asking questions, or even asking to receive such a thing. The ordinance is by invitation only.
There are a few publicly recorded accounts of the Second Anointing. The most famous is one given by now-disaffected member of the Quorum of the Seventy, Hans Mattson. I will include only his account in part. There are others available from other disaffected members of the Church. The accounts are all the same.
“The ceremony was comprised of two separate parts: The first consisted of Elder Ballard washing the men’s feet. They were told that the foot washing represented that each participant would now be completely ‘clean and innocent from the sins of the world.’ Ballard said the concept comes from the New Testament, when Jesus washed the feet of each apostle prior to his crucifixion. The second part of the ceremony included Ballard anointing the men with oil similar to the ancient kings of the Old Testament. In connection with this anointing, a blessing was pronounced on Hans and the other men…Furthermore, the men were promised that each could become a god. They had received a ‘sure promise’ that they would indeed become gods.
Following the ordinances performed for the men, the women were anointed by Ballard to become queens and priestesses for their spouses.
Next, each couple was ushered to their own room, which contained a tub of water and a towel. The wife now washed the man’s feet. She placed her hands on her husband’s head and pronounced a blessing on him with words she felt inspired to say… One of Ballard’s primary directives was that no one share that they received the Second Anointing. He said uninitiated members shouldn’t even know the ordinance exists.
‘If anyone asks, deny any knowledge whatsoever,’ Ballard said.” [2]
Orson Pratt spoke of the Second Anointing, confirming the possibility of exaltation even in sin. He agrees. If you receive your Second Anointing, even if you sin, exaltation is guaranteed.
“In speaking of this, I will qualify my language by saying, that the Saint who has been sealed unto eternal life and falls into transgression and does not repent, but dies in his sin, will be afflicted and tormented after he leaves this veil of tears until the day of redemption; but having been sealed with the spirit of promise through the ordinances of the house of God, those things which have been sealed upon his head will be realized by him in the morning of the resurrection.” [3]
It is a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. And, worse than that, it is only given to a few.
My mother is a faithful member of the Church. She holds a calling. She gives generously to the Church. She, being a woman, and especially being a single woman, will likely never receive this ordinance. There is no man in her life to gain notoriety in the Church and subsequently receive the invitation. She will die, having repented nightly, never having received this blessing. It is not fair. It is not Christian. Christ does not have favorites, and He does not give “Get Out of Jail Free” cards.
Excommunication
Church leaders, since the beginning of the Restoration, have willingly—and often—participated in excommunications.
Excommunications are non-Christian, but they are necessary in a religion which seeks to control its members. The process of an excommunication has been given by Church leaders:
“The high council court under the direction of the stake president consists of the stake presidency and members of the high council. This court has the authority to conduct hearings for any member of the Church residing in the stake, including both Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood holders, and also the authority to impose a decision of excommunication where appropriate. Church members to be tried are notified in advance of the date, the hour, and the place the court will convene.” [4]
The purpose of an excommunication hearing is to judge a member’s worthiness, and serve a punishment, accordingly. The punishment for a crime, such as apostasy, plural marriage, or serious iniquity (such as homosexual relations, infidelity, murder, etc.,) is usually removal from the church—excommunication. It is a withdrawal from all spiritual blessings of eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom, from all temple blessings and ordinances, from callings, from tithing, from sealings, from partaking of the Sacrament, and from the Holy Ghost.
It is a condemnation, in the eyes of the judges, to an eternal life in a lesser kingdom, separated from one’s family. This punishment is given freely. It is given often.
The practice of excommunications is non-Christian. Christ, during His mortal ministry, never spoke of excommunications in His church. Rather, the only words He spoke on the subject seemed to contradict the very essence of the practice:
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” [5]
Christ went even further. He commanded his most faithful disciples to withhold any judgments. A sinner is unfit to judge. Judgment of sin by one who sins is hypocrisy.
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” [6]
Christ condemned judgement in all forms. The Christian concept of judgment gives all judgmental power to Christ Himself: He will judge at the last day. He’s the only one who can. He’s the only one who knows the true nature of the crimes. He’s the only one who can doll punishment. He’s the only one who doesn’t have a “mote” in his eye.
N. Eldon Tanner, of the First Presidency, reiterated Christ’s words.
“…[Christ] is saying that unless we are without fault, we are not qualified to judge.”
“’Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’” [7]
“The reason, therefore, that we cannot judge is obvious. We cannot see what is in the heart. We do not know motives, although we impute motives to every action we see. They may be pure while we think they are improper.” [8]
“The Lord seeth not as man seeth.” What about High Priests? Stake Presidents? Are they given the liberty to judge? They’re just ordinary men, too.
When the scribes and the Pharisees were attempting to punish the adulteress, Christ forbade it.
“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?”
“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” [9]
This was not a simple rebuke of the common man’s tendency to judge; rather, it was a rebuke of judgement of any kind.
“Scribes had knowledge of the law and could draft legal documents (contracts for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, mortgages, the sale of land, and the like). Every village had at least one scribe…Like the scribes, [Pharisees] were also well-known legal experts.” [10]
The biblical Christ condemned all judgements. He condemned judgements from men, from women, from lawyers, from earthly judges. He condemned every judgement that was given by someone other than himself. It is safe to say that Christ’s condemnation of judgement extended to stake presidents.
The Latter-day Christ, apparently forgetting his calls to non-judgement, delegated his judging power to common men.
Nevertheless, a high priest, that is, after the order of Melchizedek, may be set apart…to be a judge in Israel, to do the business of the church, to sit in judgment upon transgressors upon testimony as it shall be laid before him according to the laws, by the assistance of his counselors, whom he has chosen or will choose among the elders of the church.”
“Thus shall he be a judge, even a common judge among the inhabitants of Zion”[11]
The Judgement Seat of Christ must be quite large, if it is to fit all of its high ranking men.
A Church which preaches judgment of its members in the highest form is not a Christian Church. It is a high-control, punishing religion, which seeks to assert its own will over the will of its supposed Savior and Head.
There was once a Church of Jesus Christ. It preached kindness. It preached of Christ. The Christ of which it preached was kind. Merciful. Good.
It condemned polygamy. It condemned racism. It condemned riches. It was honest. It allowed questions, and it allowed answers to be found wherever answers were to be found, both inside and outside the Church.
The Church had revelation. Constantly. Continuously. The revelation was kind and loving and true.
This Church is not the Mormon Church.
I am often reminded of the words of the great Leo Tolstoy, who spoke of Christian Churches of his day. He believed them to be an abomination of Christ’s original Church. His words seem to point hauntingly at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“They [Christian Churches] go through the most elaborate ceremonies for the consummation of the sacraments, the building of temples, the sending out of missionaries, the establishment of priesthoods…for the performance of rituals; but they forget one little detail—the practice of the commandments of Jesus.” [12]
The Mormon Church is not special. It doesn’t have modern revelation. It doesn’t have righteous leaders. It doesn’t preach what Christ preached. It is just another Church. Just another money hungry, high-demand religion which claims to be different than all the others.
[1] Doctrines of the Gospel Teacher Manual, “Eternal Life,” p. 67
[2] Hans H Mattsson and Christina Hanke. Truth Seeking: The Story of High-Ranking Mormon Leader Hans Mattsson Seeking Sincere Answers from His Church But Instead Finding Contempt, Fear, Doubt … and Eventually Peace (Swedish title: Sökte sanning fann Tvivel). Stockholm, Sweden: Andersson & Isacson AB, 2018. Kindle Edition, 84–86.
[3] Orson Pratt, reported in Journal of Discourses Vol. 2, 7 Apr 1855
[4] Robert L. Simpson, “Q&A: Questions and Answers,” New Era, July 1975, 47–48
[8] N. Eldon Tanner, “Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged,” General Conference, April 1972
[10] Sanders, E.P., Pelikan, Jaroslav Jan. “Jesus”. Encyclopedia Britannica
[11] Doctrine and Covenats 107: 72-74
[12] Leo Tolstoy, My Religion, translated from the French, New York, 1885, p. 40
