THE SMART FAMILY MELTDOWN
Author Unknown
HUMAN SACRIFICE?
If satanic ritualistic abuse is actually being practiced in Utah, as the evidence seems to suggest, it is possible that some of the ideas came from the teachings of Aleister Crowley. Crowley, who has been called "the Devil's chief emissary on earth," had a very significant effect on the world of the occult. In his book, Biographical Dictionary of American Cult and Sect Leaders, 1986, pages 59-61, Dr. J. Gordon Melton gave this information: "Aleister Crowley... rebelled against his strict upbringing and earned the label 'The Beast 666' (from Revelation 13-18) given by his mother... Crowley... was accepted into the highest levels of the O.T.O.... the O.T.O. taught a form of sex magic... The O.T.O. had previously created ten degrees, including ones for the practice of autoerotic (VIIIº) and heterosexual (IXº) sex magic. Crowley's new rituals added an experimental degree for homosexual... magic (XIº)...."
Although Aleister Crowley did not call himself a Satanist, he did write the following: "Before I touched my teens, I was already aware that I was THE BEAST whose number is 666." (Magick, by Aleister Crowley, 1976, page 130) Francis King informs us that "Crowley began his first serious experiments in sexual magic on the very last day of 1913. These operations were not the normal heterosexual magic of the ninth degree of the O.T.O., they were homosexual magic of Crowley's own devising... " (Sexuality, Magic and Perversion, page 108) On page 113 of the same book, King speaks of the use of a 'goat' in the sexual magic Crowley was engaged in. The goat was eventually used as a 'blood-sacrifice.' Crowley even recorded some of his bizarre "sex magic" (including homosexual acts) in his diaries. As some of Crowley's teaching became known, many people began to consider him the "most evil" man in the world.
In his book, Magick, Aleister Crowley noted that "the highest spiritual working" required the sacrifice of a male child:
"It is necessary for us to consider carefully the problems connected with the bloody sacrifice... the bloody sacrifice has from time immemorial been the most considered part of Magick....
"It would be unwise to condemn as irrational the practice of those savages who tear the heart and liver from an adversary, and devour them while yet warm. In any case it was the theory of the ancient Magicians that any living being is a storehouse of energy... At the death of the animal this energy is liberated suddenly.
"The animal should therefore be killed within the Circle, or the Triangle, as the case may be, so that its energy cannot escape.... For the highest spiritual working one must accordingly choose that victim which contains the greatest and purest force. A male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence is the most satisfactory and suitable victim...
"Those magicians who object to the use of blood have endeavored to replace it with incense....
"But the bloody sacrifice, though more dangerous, is more efficacious; and for nearly all purposes human sacrifice is the best... The method of killing is practically uniform. The animal should be stabbed to the heart, or its throat severed, in either case by the knife." (Magick, pp. 217, 219, 220, 222)
In 1966, Anton Szandor LaVey founded the Church of Satan in San Francisco. Like Aleister Crowley, LaVey took a very strong stand against Christianity. Three years after he founded his church, LaVey published The Satanic Bible. In this book LaVey wrote the following: "6 I dip my forefinger in the watery blood of your impotent mad redeemer, and write over his thorn-torn brow: The TRUE prince of evil -- the king of the slaves!... I gaze into the glassy eye of your fearsome Jehovah, and pluck him by the beard; I uplift a broad-axe, and split open his wormeaten skull!" (The Satanic Bible, 1969, page 30)
Although LaVey says that "Satanism condones any type of sexual activity which properly satisfies your individual desires -- be it heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, if you choose " he claims that "Satanism would not intentionally hurt others by violating their sexual rights. Satanism does not advocate rape, child molesting, sexual defilement of animals, or any other form of sexual activity which entails the participation of those who are unwilling..." (The Satanic Bible, pp. 67, 70) In his book The Satanic Rituals, 1972, p. 206, LaVey claimed that "Satanists... have no wish to offend further the sensibilities of the self-righteous by luring apple-cheeked boys and girls into 'unholy rites and unspeakable orgies.'... we recognize the importance of working within the legal framework of society."
Anton LaVey tries to down play the idea of human sacrifice by Satanists. He, in fact, claims that they would not want to sacrifice a baby:
"The use of a human sacrifice in a Satanic ritual does not imply that the sacrifice is slaughtered 'to appease the gods.' Symbolically, the victim is destroyed through the working of a hex or curse, which in turn leads to the physical, mental or emotional destruction of the 'sacrifice' in ways and means not attributable to the magician....
"The only time a Satanist would perform a human sacrifice would be if it were to serve a two-fold purpose; that being to release the magician's wrath in the throwing of a curse, and more important, to dispose of a totally obnoxious and deserving individual.
"Under NO circumstances would a Satanist sacrifice any animal or baby!...
"When a person, by his reprehensible behavior, practically cries out to be destroyed, it is truly your moral obligation to indulge them their wish." (The Satanic Bible, pp. 88-90)
Al Carlisle, a Utah State Prison psychologist, does not agree with the statement that Satanists would not "sacrifice any animal or baby." According to the Salt Lake Tribune, August 3, 1986, Dr. Carlisle "said individuals who are at the cult level have no qualms about killing others. 'I know one guy who witnessed a dozen sacrifices back east,' he said. 'They believe the prime energy in a person is in the blood. They sacrifice the person and believe that those who consume the blood will receive the power.' "
Dr. Susan J. Kelley observed that although "devil worship has existed as long as Christianity, modern satanism began as an occult revival in the last century.... because Christianity believes that children are special to God, satanism, which negates Christianity, considers the desecration of children to be a way of gaining victory over God..." (Cultic Studies Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, 1988, page 229)
After we published Bishop Pace's memo, some Mormons who were victims of satanic ritualistic abuse contacted us about the matter. The following is taken from a letter by a woman who was involved in the cult:
"On the subject of 'ritual abuse' -- Issue #80... I was such a person who was disfellowshipped, and then excommunicated from the Mormon Church[.] Page 4 of Bishop Glenn L. Pace's Memorandum describes my situation. To say anything more would be moot. Take care not to 'witch-hunt[.]' These groups (Satanic) take great delight in getting people to 'chase their own tails' -- It's called 'creating chaos' -- and this 'chaos' is one of the things that makes them thrive. Also note: The Mormons aren't the only ones to face this -- There are Christian denominations all over the U.S. that have had to deal with this... If I can be of assistance let me know." (Letter dated Nov. 20, 1991)
The observation that the "Mormons aren't the only ones to face this" is certainly true. Satanic ritualistic abuse, in fact, is reported in many parts of the country and in a number of churches. Some feel, however, that Utah has a large number of victims reporting ritualistic abuse when that number is compared to the population of the state. An investigation in Utah, where there appears to be a concentration of cases, could undoubtedly throw important light on cases throughout the United States.
Bishop Pace has indicated in his report that Mormon victims claim that they were "baptized by blood into the satanic order which is meant to cancel out their baptism into the Church." (page 3) Since Mormons believe their children do not reach accountability until they are eight years of age, they do not baptize them until they arrive at that age. Significantly, a number of the survivors report ritualistic abuse around the time they were baptized at the age of eight. For example, Dawn House wrote the following concerning one of the victims:
" 'Perhaps I'll always remember the baptism because it clicked into my self-esteem,' she said. 'One minute I was white and pure, then made to be black. I thought that I can look like I'm pure but I'm really not.'
"She remembers a man marking her face and breasts black in a mock religious ceremony, shortly after her baptism in the Church... when she was 8 years old.
" 'My mother told me this was another part of my baptism and to... be a good girl. The man took me into a big room and told me to remove my clothes. He put a black cloth over my head and marks on my body.
" 'We went to another room where adults were dressed in black. There was a star drawn on the floor... I was placed in the middle of the star... I looked around to see candles and then, a baby calf in a cage. I heard the animal cry, almost like a baby. Part of the ritual was killing the calf.
" 'I was given a vial of red liquid, perhaps blood, to drink. There may have been a drug in it because I passed out. When I woke up, I was bleeding from the vagina. I remember seeing my mother staring at me, and I wondered why she was doing this to me, but I was too frightened to do or say anything. I was trying so hard to be a good girl.' (Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 3, 1991)
We were recently told by the mother of one of the survivors that her daughter was gang raped in the basement of a Mormon ward house when she was eight years old. Another victim we talked to claimed that when she was eight years old she was also taken to the basement of a Mormon ward house and raped by a number of men and was forced to drink blood. This woman claims that in her case those involved were not wearing black robes but rather white Mormon temple apparel.
Critics of satanic ritualistic abuse sometimes point out that accounts given by victims throughout the United States and other countries are remarkably similar. From this they conclude that the victims borrowed their stories from accounts given by others. While this has undoubtedly occurred in some cases, it is hard to believe that all of these people are borrowing from others.
The stories given by Mormons regarding Satanic abuse are similar in many respects to those related by victims in other parts of the United States. However, it appears that the rituals have been modified to fit Mormon beliefs. That a number of victims would claim they were "baptized by blood" or abused when they were eight years old seems important. It is highly unlikely that the three women mentioned above knew each other's stories. They lived in different parts of the United States and were separated by hundreds of miles. It would be interesting to know how many other cases of this phenomenon Glenn Pace found in his research.
Even more significant is the fact that the Satanists appear to have incorporated portions of the Mormon temple ceremony into their rituals. Bishop Pace wrote the following, in his memo:
"I'm sorry to say that many of the victims have had their first flashbacks while attending the temple for the first time. The occult along the Wasatch Front uses the doctrine of the Church to their advantage. For example, the verbiage and gestures are used in a ritualistic ceremony in a very debased and often bloody manner. When the victim goes to the temple and hears the exact words, horrible memories are triggered. We have recently been disturbed with members of the Church who have talked about the temple ceremony. Compared to what is happening in the occult along the Wasatch Front, these are very minor infractions. The perpetrators are also living a dual life. Many are temple recommend holders." (Memo by Glenn Pace, page 4)
Satanic ritualistic abuse is so extremely brutal that many of the victims develop amnesia. Their minds simply cannot face what has happened. Later in life, however, something can trigger the horrible memory which has been blocked out. Although they do not involve satanic ritualistic abuse, examples of this were reported in Time Magazine, Oct. 28, 1991, page 86: "Last November in Redwood City, Calif., George Franklin was convicted of killing an eight-year-old girl in 1969; the case was based largely on the testimony of his daughter Eileen Franklin-Lipsker, who had repressed the memory of her playmate's murder for 20 years. This month in Pittsburgh, Steven Slutzker is scheduled to go on trial for the 1975 fatal shooting of John Mudd Sr. Slutzker was charged after the victim's son, who was 5 when his father died, claimed he had a flashback memory of the murder.... at least a dozen states since 1988 have amended their statute of limitations for bringing charges to allow for delayed discovery of childhood sexual abuse."
On page 87 of the same article we find that Eileen Franklin-Lipsker remembered the murder of her playmate after "A glance from her own six-year-old daughter, who bears a striking resemblance to the murdered child, brought back scenes of the chilling event. Experts say emotional, evocative moments can often exhume long-buried memories."
Bishop Pace's statement that "many of the victims have had their first flashbacks while attending the temple for the first time" certainly raises some serious questions. Pace freely admits that when "the victim goes to the temple and hears the exact words, horrible memories are triggered." It is clear, then, that Bishop Pace is convinced that Satanists are using portions of the Mormon temple ceremony in their abusive rituals. According to Dawn House, the "nightmares" of the victim she interviewed "were triggered when she attended a Mormon temple ceremony for the first time. She said the temple handshakes, oaths and clothes brought back memories.
" 'Every time I went, I came back crying,' she said. 'My bishop said it was Satan trying to tempt me, telling me I shouldn't go.' " (Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 3, 1991)
Before Mormons go through the temple endowment ritual they must pass through the washing and anointing ceremonies. A victim of ritualistic abuse told us that she became terrified when she went through the washing and anointing ceremonies. After that her mind blanked out and she went through the rest of the ritual in a zombie-like state.
According to a psychiatrist, a woman he treated reached the part of the Mormon temple ceremony in which a man playing the role of Lucifer threatens those who are going through the ritual that "If they do not walk up to every covenant they make at these altars in this temple this day, they will be in my power." (Evolution of the Mormon Temple Ceremony: 1842-1990, page 127) This undoubtedly triggered a flashback concerning what happened to the woman when she was ritually abused. In satanic ceremonies a man sometimes poses as the devil and, according to one witness, Satanists chant, "Satan has all power." The idea of someone playing the role of the devil and threatening those going through the temple ceremony that he could have them in his "power" could be terrifying for those who have previously passed through satanic ceremonies. Although the devil is commanded "to depart" in the Mormon temple ritual, the woman mentioned above had already had the flashback and was absolutely devastated by the threat.
We talked to the son of another woman who had been satanically abused. This woman also had her first "flashback" when passing through the Mormon temple ritual and was deeply disturbed by the matter. Unfortunately, her son did not know exactly which part of the ritual caused the trauma.
Since Glenn Pace has stated that "many of the victims" received their first flashbacks in the temple, his research would undoubtedly throw important light on exactly which portions of the ceremony brought back memories of satanic rituals. It should be remembered that Bishop Pace is a General Authority in the Mormon Church. Because of his important position in the church, it seems highly unlikely that he would want to admit that Satanists had been able to infiltrate the church and use "the exact words" of the temple ritual in their degrading ceremonies. One can only conclude that the evidence that this has taken place must be overpowering. Some of this information may be found in Glenn Pace's 40-page report on the subject.
While Pace's 12-page report is certainly shocking, the statements made by the victims themselves, which came forth after we published the memo, contain details that are even more appalling. If we accept these accounts as authentic, we are forced to conclude that one of the most diabolical conspiracies one could ever imagine has gained a real foothold right in the shadow of the Mormon temple.
With regard to human sacrifice, Glenn Pace stated in his memo that of the "sixty" people he interviewed, "forty-five victims allege witnessing and/or participating in human sacrifice." (p. 1) This would mean that 75% of these Mormons declared that they had witnessed murder! This figure seems to be close to that derived from a study conducted by Walter C. Young, Roberta G. Sachs, Bennett G. Braun, and Ruth T. Watkins. They studied thirty-seven different victims of ritual abuse in "four separate hospitals across the country" and found that 83% of the patients claimed they witnessed human sacrifice. ("Patients Reporting Ritual Abuse in Childhood: A Clinical Syndrome," published in Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 15, page 183)
DEATH OF BABY X
In the last issue of our newsletter we pointed out that it would be extremely difficult to cover up all of the human sacrifices which are alleged to have occurred in satanic rituals. We went on to suggest that it would be possible to actually stage a fake human sacrifice and explained how this could be accomplished. Since making this suggestion, however, we have heard some accounts of human sacrifices which contain such graphic details that it is more difficult to explain them away in this manner. In any case, whether the sacrifices are real or fake, most of the victims believe they have witnessed ritualistic murders and this has a profound effect on their lives.
With regard to David Raskin's charge that there is a paucity of hard evidence on ritualistic abuse, it is interesting to note that some important information has been uncovered in Idaho. This information could relate to what has been going on in Utah. From what we can learn, charges of satanic activity have surfaced in Provo, which is the home of the Mormon Church's Brigham Young University, Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Ogden and Logan. We have been told that Bear Lake is also a place where Satanists are active. This lake begins in northern Utah and stretches up into southern Idaho. To the west of Bear Lake is the town of Rupert, Idaho. Rupert appears to be only about forty miles from the Utah border.
On the first page of his memo, Bishop Glenn Pace wrote that he had questioned three victims from the state of Idaho, and on November 8, 1991, KTVX (Channel 4) reported that Pace had, in fact, interviewed people from the city of Rupert with regard to satanic abuse. This information becomes rather important when we consider the case of "Baby X." On October 23, 1990, the Seattle Post-Intelligence carried an article concerning the "Killing of Baby X." In this article we find the following:
"RUPERT, Idaho -- ... No deed was fouler than that perpetrated on Baby X.
"When her tiny, charred corpse was found in a garbage dump almost a year ago, Baby X was hardly recognizable as human. An autopsy produced an even more horrifying discovery.
"Before she was burned, Baby X... had been disemboweled and mutilated.
"There long had been rumors of satanic cults in southern Idaho, of ritual killing and sacrifice.
"But never in the memory of anyone in local law enforcement had the body of a possible victim ever been found.... Then, in July, there was a sudden and unexpected development 1,000 miles away, in California. A 10-year-old boy told authorities there he had witnessed the ritual sacrifice of an infant in his home state, in Idaho....
"His bizarre story and crude drawings bore striking similarities to a possible Baby X death scene, investigators said....
"Kerry Patterson, a forensic pathologist... was called to assist the county coroner with the autopsy....
"The remains were those of a girl, no more than 3 weeks old.... The abdominal organs had been cut out. Only the lungs and a portion of the upper heart chamber were left. Both feet were cut off, as well as the right arm from the shoulder.
"The infant was dismembered before she was burned with gasoline, Patterson concluded."
While it has been suggested the baby could have died of pneumonia and that a predator might have been responsible for the missing body parts, no one seems to contest that the baby's body was burned.
On January 4, 1991, the South Idaho Press reported that Sgt. Tim Hatcher of the Minidoka Sheriff's Department traveled to California to interview the boy who claimed he saw a child sacrificed: "Hatcher said... that the boy very closely described a scenario similar to the Baby X case.... The boy also used words like 'witch, sacrifice and devil' and drew a picture of a barrel with fire and a baby, according to Hatcher."
The boy also claimed that he was a victim of ritual abuse. The following was printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, on September 16, 1991: "RUPERT, Idaho -- Authorities say drawings and descriptions by a child questioned in an abuse investigation indicate the child may have witnessed and been a victim of satanic rites.... Rupert police obtained the drawings last year. The child drew five pictures for Rupert Police Detective Terry Quinn... The detective was not prepared for what he saw.
Ghostly people, some frowning, others blank-faced, fill the pictures. One drawing shows people gathered around a table on which someone lies with male genitals exposed.... Another drawing shows two people on a table, hearts exposed.... After drawing the pictures, the child explained what they showed, Quinn said. 'They put me on a table with a Bible. The devil is there. They pray to the devil. The devil makes these people hurt me. They hurt me so bad. They hurt me in the private parts. They have hurt me so many times.' "
On November 8, 1991, KUTV reported that this boy's house was located only a few miles from where Baby X was found! It is also interesting to note that after we published Pace's memo, a victim of ritualistic abuse gave her story on KTVX (Channel 4). She claimed that her grandfather (a bishop in the Mormon Church) and her grandmother (who was president of the local ward Relief Society) were leaders in a satanic cult. She maintained that she saw her baby brother murdered and that she was forced to have a ritualistic abortion. As in the case of Baby X, her baby was burned!
WHY IN UTAH?
In the last issue of the Salt Lake City Messenger we stated that we concurred with Bishop Pace's statement that the Mormon Church was a victim of a group of pernicious deceivers. While we have no reason to believe that the church itself is involved in promoting this evil conspiracy, the extent of satanic ritualistic abuse in Utah seems to raise some important questions about Mormonism.
One, since the Mormon leaders claim to have the same powers as the ancient Apostles in the Bible, why were they unable to detect that "bishops, a patriarch, a stake president, temple workers, and members of the Tabernacle Choir" (Pace Memo, page 5) were involved in these evil practices? Ezra Taft Benson, the thirteenth prophet of the Mormon Church, has boasted that church leaders have special discernment which is far superior to "earthly knowledge." Why, then, did it take psychiatrists and psychologists to ferret out the facts concerning ritualistic abuse?
Two, why is it that the Mormon Church, which claims to be the only true church on the face of the earth, is so vulnerable to infiltration by occultists?
In the last issue of the Messenger, we pointed out that there are some things in LDS Church history and doctrine that make the church susceptible to deceivers who would use it for their own wicked purposes. One of the church's most important problems has been with regard to polygamy. Unfortunately, Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet, declared that God gave him a revelation that he was to enter into plural marriage. This revelation is still published in the Doctrine and Covenants, one of the four standard works of the church. We find the following in that revelation: "Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph... if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery... And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery... therefore is he justified." (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 132, verses 1, 61-62) Joseph Smith was obedient to the commandment and proceeded to marry dozens of plural wives before he was murdered in 1844.
Today, the Mormon Church does not allow its members to practice polygamy, and those who do so are excommunicated. But since church leaders never really repudiated the doctrine itself, teach that it will be lived in heaven, and still retain the revelation on polygamy in the Doctrine and Covenants, many Mormons have secretly entered into the practice. These people are known as Mormon Fundamentalists. Unfortunately, in some cases the practice of polygamy seems to open up the door for other sexual practices which are extremely harmful to children and young women. We have, in fact, learned that a number of women who are involved in the polygamous movement are also being treated for satanic ritualistic abuse.
From the accounts we have studied, it appears that incest plays an important role in cases of satanic ritualistic abuse. While the present leaders of the Mormon Church condemn incestuous relationships, during the time of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young some strange things were taught concerning this matter. Joseph Smith, for instance, "married five pairs of sisters." and even a "mother" and her own "daughter." (No Man Knows My History, p. 336) In her book, Intimate Disciple, p. 317, Mormon writer Clair Noall verified that Smith did marry a mother and her daughter: "Sylvia Lyon, Patty's daughter and the wife of Windsor J. Lyon, was already sealed to Joseph. This afternoon she was to put her mother's hand in the Prophet's." Fanny Stenhouse, who at one time had been a firm believer in Mormonism and had even allowed her husband to take another wife, wrote the following: "Marriages have been contracted between the nearest of relatives; and old men tottering on the brink of the grave have been united to little girls scarcely in their teens; while unnatural alliances of every description, which in any other community would be regarded with disgust and abhorrence, are here entered into in the name of God... It is quite a common thing in Utah for a man to marry two or even three sisters.... I know also another man who married a widow with several children; and when one of the girls had grown into her teens he insisted on marrying her also... and to this very day the daughter bears children to her step-father, living as wife in the same house with her mother!" (Tell It All, 1874, p. 468-69)
The anti-Mormon writer Joseph H. Jackson charged that Joseph Smith himself "feigned a revelation to have Mrs. Milligan, his own sister, married to him spiritually." That Smith believed that a man could be married for eternity to his own sister has been confirmed by an entry added to Joseph Smith's private diary after his death. It appears under the date of October 26, 1843, and reads as follows:
"The following named deceased persons were sealed to me (John M. Bernhisel) on October 26th, 1843, by Pres. Joseph Smith
Maria Bernhisel, Sister
Brother Samuel's wife, Catherine Kremer
Mary Shatto (Aunt)...
'Recorded by Robt. L. Cambell
July 29, 1868[.]" (Joseph Smith's Diary, October 26, 1843, Church Historical Department)
The reader will notice that Bernhisel claimed that he was sealed to his sister by Joseph Smith. Now, if the doctrine of Celestial Marriage were true, in the resurrection John Bernhisel would find himself married to his own sister, Maria Bernhisel!There is evidence that John Taylor, who became the 3rd prophet of the Mormon Church, promised his own sister that she could be sealed to him. Under the date of February 25, 1889, L. John Nuttal, a very prominent Mormon recorded the following:
"...Agnes Schwartz & her daughter Mary called this morning to see Prest. Woodruff... She said that her brother John the late President John Taylor had told her some 30 years ago that if She could not be reconciled to continue with any of her husbands she might be sealed to his brother William or himself. and she now wanted to be sealed to him." (Journal of L. John Nuttal, vol. 2, p. 362-63 of typed copy at Brigham Young University Library)
Benjamin G. Ferris, who was Secretary of the Territory of Utah, reported the following concerning Brigham Young's views on incest:
"Their system of plurality has obliterated nearly all sense of decency... There are a number of cases in which a man has taken a widow and her daughter for wives at the same time. One has a widow and her two daughters. There are also instances of the niece being sealed to the uncle, and they excite no more attention than any ordinary case.... Brigham Young stated in the pulpit, in 1852, that the time might come when, for the sake of keeping the lineage of the priesthood unbroken, marriages would be confined to the same families; as, for instance, the son of one mother would marry the daughter of another by the same father... Why should not the blood of the priesthood, like that of the Incas, be kept pure?" (Utah And The Mormons, 1854, p. 252-53)
As early as 1852 Brigham Young, the second prophet of the Mormon Church, did comment on brothers and sisters marrying: "I feel like swearing by the Gods, and all the Holy Angels. I will just keep myself to myself and not mingle with them and I mean to say to my sons and daughters, marry one another and keep together, but that would be considered as treasonable and wicked by the world. I expect they would hang me before they passed sentence on me." (Sermon by Brigham Young, February 22, 1852, as published in The Teachings of President Brigham Young, Compiled and Edited by Fred C. Collier, vol. 3, p. 60)
Joseph Smith, of course, contended that "God himself, who sits enthroned in yonder heavens, is a man like unto one of yourselves..." (Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-14) He also taught that God was married and had billions of spirit children in the pre-existence. In other words, according to Smith's theology, we were all born to God and his wife and lived as his sons and daughters before coming to earth. Brigham Young reasoned that since all people who come to the earth were originally brothers and sisters, that there is really no problem with brothers and sisters marrying. On October 8, 1854, Brigham Young made these controversial comments:
"Then I reckon that the children of Adam and Eve married each other; this is speaking to the point. I believe in sisters marrying brothers, and brothers having their sisters for wives. Why? Because we cannot do otherwise. There are none others for me to marry but my sisters.
" 'But yo[u would] not pretend to say you would marry your father and mothers daughter.'
"If I did not I would marry another of my sisters that lives over in another garden... Our spirits are all brothers and sisters, and so are our bodies; and the opposite idea to this has resulted from the ignorant, and foolish traditions of the nations of the Earth....
"This is something pertaining to our marriage relation. The whole world will think what an awful thing it is. What an awful thing it would be if the Mormons should just say we believe in marrying brothers and sisters. Well we shall be under the necessity of doing it, because we cannot find anybody else to marry." (The Teachings of President Brigham Young, vol. 3, p. 362, 368)
The strange teachings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and other early Mormon leaders concerning polygamy and incest have caused confusion in the minds of many Mormons and may have helped open the way for satanic ritualistic abuse in the church.
See also http://www.helpingmormons.org/sexabuse.htm
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