Splinter Group Apostolic Brethren Part 2

Viewpoint is mainly to examine the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism on your host Bill McKeever Felder director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at M. R. M.

If you're familiar with the reality show sister wives are probably very familiar with the star of that series. Cody Brown, you might say they brought in some people's estimation a little bit of respectability to plural marriage, although I certainly wouldn't agree with that conclusion, but Cody Brown is a part of the apostolic United brethren, and yesterday show we introduce the founder of this movement, a man by the name of Rulon C. Allred to organize this group in 1954. Let's just be honest that Browns are public figures because they let the cameras and having discussions on a number of issues everything from financial to marriage problems.

The kid problems and so there open-ended as far as people been able to see what exactly this family is about, but they seem halfway normal because we all have the same foibles of the same kinds of issues that they're dealing with. But what I think a lot of people might think they do bring respectability to the religion that they belong to many people probably couldn't tell you if the apostolic United brethren known as the AU be the work. The group the priesthood or the Allred group. They probably couldn't tell you those nicknames that these are not people who are wearing prairie dresses. They're not wearing overalls there looking like normal people. So for a lot of people they probably think the Browns are a good case for maybe why polygamy ought to be allowed yeah and I'm certainly no fan of plural marriage, that's for sure. I caught a few of the shows very early on that I never really became a fan of it. Even with its connection to: quote Mormonism but they did tend to try and make plural marriage like it. Not a bad thing. And of course if you're not really familiar with a lot of the downside of plural marriage, you can easily walk away looking at them and say she was so wrong with this now as you mention the show. From what I understand did bring out some of the some of the downside of being in a plural relationship in this group certainly is known for practicing polygamy. Let's get back however to what we were discussing yesterday it was found by a man by the name of Rulon C. Allred Allred was murdered in 1977, and one of his murderers was a plural wife of approval (and as I mentioned yesterday show they did a TV show a TV movie on herbal LeBaron, the actor who played LeBaron was Brian Dennehy who passed away in April 2020 was called profit of evil, the Irvine LeBaron story. There were two women who were disguised to went into Allred's chiropractic office in Salt Lake City and shot him to death because it was not rivalry between Allred's group in the LeBaron group.

Allred is killed and ON all red takes over and that is Rulon all red brother Owen. He passed away in 2005, and as we mentioned, it is currently being run by man by the name of Lynn a Thompson, who was born in 1940.

Let's look at some of the doctrines and you'd mentioned yesterday Eric that it was very difficult to find out a lot of information on this group. Like many of the groups who practice polygamy. They don't advertise a lot of their teachings, this one in particular does not have a website and so it's very hard to find out exactly what they do believe that we do know that before 1978 when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints open the priesthood to all worthy male members, including those of color that the apostolic United brethren, who at one time told their people to stay. Members of the LDS church. If that was their background to remain in the LDS church to keep their temple recommend. Which means that they would have to be typing to the LDS church. They were encouraged to be a part of the LDS church.

But in 1978. After that position was changed regarding Blacks and the priesthood. That's when the apostolic United brethren told those members to disassociate themselves with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now they do have a temple in Mexico but we really don't even know what goes on in that temple when you say Eric that it probably would be somewhat at least safe to assume that some of what they do in their temple is very similar to what was done in LDS temples simply because they were encouraging their members to remain in the LDS church in order to utilize those buildings. I think that's a pretty safe assumption, but you are asking off air why in the world that they build this in Mexico and most of the membership lives, the United States and I don't have an answer for that. But that was built in the 1990s for members to be able to travel down there to do this work that apparently is important for them that in your research and in the article that we have on our website and give the address to where people can find this article go to MRM.org/a you be AU B stands for apostolic United brethren in your article you say that this decision to allow Blacks to hold the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints led to many people converting to the AU be now again confirming that with primary sources and names and faces is a bit difficult but this is what has been assumed by some who have gone on record and they're saying that that decision by the LDS church is what caused many to move over to the AU be our apostolic United brethren, and one source that I read said that perhaps a lot of the members of the LDS church who were associating themselves with the AU be decided they would have to just leave their membership and sucking a leader membership in the LDS church than they're going to come over here and so the church actually grew as far as being affiliated with them now in August 2009, the Utah Atty. Gen. put together what was known as a guidebook for law enforcement and human services agencies who offer assistance to fundamentalist Mormon families way today that that whole title would be politically incorrect because Latter Day Saints don't use the word more men and they don't like connecting the word fundamentalist with Mormon. This was a guidebook for law enforcement and that didn't contain some information that helps us get an understanding of where they are coming from, and in this area when it comes to families. They certainly do not practice some of the things let's say that the Kingston group practices as far as arranged marriages. What were some of the things that are included in this document that was prepared by the Utah Atty. Gen. and you mention the latter-day Church of Christ, the Kingston group.

We covered that in a previous broadcast as well as the fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints recover those two groups. The way that they do marriages in the AU B is much different than what happens in those two groups because they do not arrange marriages. They don't tell you who you should marry the other two groups that I mentioned do and so in this document. This is what they wrote sex is only allowed between married couples and children are not recruited. The church discourages first time marriages under the age of 18 and no plural marriages can take place under 18. The leaders do not organize the marriages and the potential husband must get the approval from his other wives before taking another wife while the husband and father is considered the patriarchal leader. The church suggests consulting with the wives before making decisions. So when it says the potential husband must get the approval from his otherwise before taking another wife in LDS circles, at least in the early years of polygamy that was known as the law of Sarah that you had to have permission that Joseph Smith didn't follow it, but certainly that was something that was in the early years when the LDS people were practicing polygamy. What else is found in this Utah Atty. Gen. guidebook and it's interesting because this is the Utah Atty. Gen. and polygamy in 2009 as it is today is not legal. And yet they're acknowledging that there is polygamy there just wanting to be able to understand better how do they deal in the human service agency with the people that come from this group there. Quoting from the church from 2008, and this statement comes out 2009.

First off we are and always have been. The church says holy opposed to abuse and oppression of any kind, and we feel it is our duty to promptly report any suspected abuse to the proper law enforcement authorities. Second, we do not encourage or permit child bride marriages are arranged marriages. Instead it is a fundamental principle of our faith that it is a sacred privilege of all male and female when they are adequately mature to choose whom they will marry forced, arranged or assigned marriages are not a part of our belief or practice. Third, we try to encourage our people to take care of their own needs and to entirely avoid any reliance upon the government.

Though there are some members of our faith, who may have received government assistance. They are encouraged to become self-sustaining as soon as possible. Our teachers are to be honorable in our financial dealings, which includes full payment of all required taxes as well as avoiding debt limit just at this this sentence it says we try to encourage her people to take care of their own needs and to entirely avoid any reliance upon the government that would certainly be different that let's say the fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, led by Warren Jeffs because they even have a phrase for this. It's called bleeding the beast were you purposely took government assistance in order to pay for your practice of plural marriage and finally number four.

We believe in being honest in our financial dealings, and in providing for our own people.

We are appreciative of this good country in which we are allowed to worship Almighty God, and we willingly pay our taxes so that these and other freedoms may be enjoyed by all.

We do not condone underage assigned or incestuous relationships. We have poor compulsion and oppression in all its forms and support these laws that seek to properly address these issues and Bill going to say when it comes to fundamentalist groups and we use that term you have to ask the question what exactly does that mean because all the fundamentalist groups that were covering in this series with say that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God that Brigham Young was a true prophet of God. The third president of the LDS church. John Taylor was a true prophet of God and yet when you say fundamentalist. You can't lump them into any kind of category because the first two groups that we talked about do have arranged marriages. We have a problem with the FL DS that they have under age marriages that take place, there's trying to say we have nothing to do with them. I consider this to be the liberal fundamentalist groups and I'm in a tell you why they do not follow for instance the word of wisdom, not at all not at all day they're allowed to have hot drinks and alcoholic drinks or coffee, tea and wine is fully allowed. They don't do literal interpretation of the Scriptures and so they were normal close, you probably have met somebody from the AU B and you wouldn't have even known it so in this trip. The major characteristic is that it is polygamist, but one of the things that they don't do a very good job of is keeping their own children in the church because I read one statistic that said as many as 50% who grow up in this religion end up believing this religion if they're leaving this religion, there is an opportunity for us as Christians to be able to share with these folks. The truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ one more time. Where can our listeners find your research on all of the groups that we been talking about and go to MRM.org/splinter groups with a hyphen between splinter and groups. Thank you for listening you would like more information we guarding him in his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request our free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you join us again as we look at another viewpoint is you just listen to today's broadcast viewpoint I Mormonism did you know that you can hear previous shows at your convenience viewpoint and Mormonism podcast is free on the Internet and will help you learn more about the LDS religion. Feel free to listen on your computer or download to your favorite listening device. Just go to MRM.org and click on the right side where it says on air all of our shows are here so visit MRM.org today