Mormon Coffee

John Singer was a Mormon with seven children. He and his wife, Vickie, lived west of Salt Lake City on their 2.5 acre farm in Marion, Utah. Dissatisfied with the public school system in the 1970s, Mr. Singer confronted school officials after seeing a picture in one of his children’s textbooks. It was a photo depicting blacks and whites together and, in Mr. Singer’s opinion, this was proof that his children were being subjected to “immoral secular influences.” (At this point in history the LDS Church held to a doctrine that claimed blacks were cursed by God.) Mr. Singer pulled his children out of school, breaking a state law. This began a chain of events that eventually led to his death.

Due to his defiance of the law, the LDS Church excommunicated Mr. Singer. Not long after, in 1978, Mr. Singer received a revelation directing him to enter into plural marriage with Shirley Black. Shirley was already legally married and had four children. Nevertheless, she left her legal husband, Dean, and moved with their children onto the Singer farm. Mr. Black went to court. He was awarded a divorce from Shirley and temporary custody of their children; Mr. Singer, however, refused to surrender them. Three months later, in January 1979, Mr. Singer was confronted by Utah law enforcement officers outside his home. Mr. Singer threatened the officers with a gun and was subsequently shot and killed.

A young man in central Utah paid close attention as this story unfolded. Described as an “excommunicated Mormon” and a “budding Fundamentalist,” nineteen-year-old Addam Swapp had held John Singer in awe; he believed Mr. Singer and his family had been unjustly treated. Mr. Swapp visited the Singer home in early 1980. Within a few years he had married two of the Singer daughters. Addam Swapp and his wives took up residence at the farm in Marion, Mr. Swapp assuming John Singer’s vacated role of family patriarch.

The anger and sense of injustice over John Singer’s death continued to grow and fester. Addam Swapp, along with the rest of the Singer/Swapp family, harbored deep-seated hatred which grew to encompass not only the government of Utah, but also the LDS Church.

On January 16, 1988, based on a revelation Addam Swapp believed he had received from God, Mr. Swapp planted a bomb comprised of eighty-seven sticks of dynamite in a nearby LDS Stake Center. As intended, the bomb exploded at 3:00 a.m., harming no one but causing $1.5 million worth of damage to the building. The message was sent and received: a required atonement for John Singer’s death was in motion.

Soon there were 100 law enforcement officers–local and federal–surrounding the Singer/Swapp compound. Addam Swapp refused to communicate with the law, but did tell his cousin about the revelation which was now guiding his behavior. Addam Swapp believed he had been told by God to seek an armed confrontation with the lawmen because, at the moment the police would attack, John Singer would be resurrected to come to the aid of his family:

“John Singer’s resurrection would trigger the downfall of corrupt government and religious institutions and clear the way for the second coming of Jesus Christ.”

About ten days into the siege Addam Swapp wrote a letter to Utah’s governor. It said, in part,

“I stand on the truth and declare my independence from this government and society…We are independent and separate from your wicked society… Take a warning — any man of yours which attempts to cross the boundaries of this place, without our permission, will be treated as an aggressive act on your part against us and we will defend ourselves in any manner we see fit… I now must warn you and anyone else involved… leave this valley immediately… Those who would come against this my people, will I verily cause to be destroyed.”

The standoff continued for another three days, ending on January 28 in a shoot-out that left one officer dead. The Singer/Swapp family finally surrendered, Addam Swapp explaining to authorities that since blood had been shed, John Singer’s death had been atoned.

Addam Swapp was convicted of several crimes and has been serving out his prison sentence these past two decades. Last week he had his first parole hearing. Asserting that he was sorry for what happened in 1988 and that something like that would never happen again, Mr. Swapp claimed to be a changed person. He said he has asked for God’s forgiveness and now wants to follow the example of Jesus Christ in pursuing peace. He still subscribes to fundamentalist views, but, he said, he is first and foremost a Christian. He also explained that the whole 1988 altercation between himself and the police could have been avoided if the person who killed John Singer would have apologized for it.

“If they would have just said they were sorry, it would have been like throwing cold water on a fire,” he said.

Is Mr. Swapp denying he ever received the revelation from God that he believed, at the time, justified his violent actions? He doesn’t say, but this must be the case. Else why would he have sought forgiveness from God and now choose to follow the example of Jesus Christ? At the time of the crimes Mr. Swapp believed blood needed to be shed to atone for John Singer’s death, but now says all would have been well if someone had just said, “I’m sorry.” At the time Mr. Swapp believed God told him the confrontation with law officials would spark John Singer’s resurrection and usher in the second coming of Christ which, of course, didn’t happen. What does Mr. Swapp think about this? Does he recognize himself to be a false prophet?

Some years ago journalist Christopher Smart wrote for the Salt Lake Tribune,

Utah has its special brand of religious fanaticism that has cropped up again and again. Often it is associated with polygamy, which the LDS Church disavowed in 1890 and for which members are excommunicated…The belief that anyone can receive revelation is a thread that runs through many of Utah’s most bizarre crimes, said historian D. Michael Quinn. “It will probably always be a problem, I would say, in Mormon culture because Mormon culture maintains this faith that God continues to speak both to individuals as well as to the church as a whole.”…

“The Mormon community is alive with one essential position of faith, that God continues to reveal new things, new doctrines, new words,” said Quinn. “That leads to the possibility of disruption.”

John Singer and Addam Swapp are sad examples of the LDS belief in continuing revelation run amok. They are not the first; this sort of thing has plagued the entire history of the Mormon Church.

Interesting to me is that many elements in the lives of these two men have approved parallels in LDS history.

For example, John Singer’s plural marriage to an already married woman by reason of revelation echoes the actions of several early LDS leaders, including the Prophet Joseph Smith. Mr. Singer’s appropriation of another man’s children and unwillingness to give them up recalls similar events that led to LDS Apostle Parley Pratt’s death in 1857.

Addam Swapp’s plural marriage to a set of sisters also followed the example of Joseph Smith, who married at least three sets of sisters between July 1842 and May 1843. Mr. Swapp’s declaration of independence from the government and warning to any who would set foot on the Singer/Swapp property brings to mind the tirades of Brigham Young as the U.S. army marched toward Utah to put down the “Mormon Rebellion” in 1857.

In the LDS Church and Mormon culture these actions by early LDS leaders are considered honorable and righteous, while similar actions by Mr. Singer and Mr. Swapp are condemned.

Ann House, the widow of the officer killed in the Singer/Swapp shoot-out, reflected on Addam Swapp’s incurred debt:

As for Swapp’s promise to pay restitution to the Houses, Ann said the best thing he can do is to make sure whatever ideas caused his actions should never be passed to his children or grandchildren.”Certainly he can never go back and undue [sic] all the harm that will last for generations [in our family],” she said. “The best he can do is let his old beliefs go and become a productive member of society.”

The bedrock ideas that caused Mr. Swapp’s actions are firmly rooted in the history and doctrines of Mormonism. They are passed on from generation to generation, a proud legacy within the LDS Church.

Mr. Swapp initially chose to follow the examples of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, a tragic choice with an infinitely high price tag. If only he had chosen, from the beginning, to follow Jesus Christ.

Information for this article came from the following sources:

Utah History Encyclopedia

Richard S. Van Wagoner, Mormon Polygamy — A History, 212-214

Christopher Smart, “Religious Zeal a Common Theme in Broken Minds”

Utah Highway Patrol

Jason Bergreen, “Church bomber apologizes for actions”

Ben Winslow, Swapp is sorry for crimes

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On the newly revamped LDS web site there is a section titled Core Beliefs: Why and How Are Mormons Different? I really appreciate the effort of the LDS Church to acknowledge its doctrinal differences with historic Christianity, though I believe much of the information provided is severely lacking in clarity. I think this is due to an effort on the Church’s part to acknowledge but minimize the significance of these differences.

At any rate, the web site says,

Representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often asked whether the Church is becoming more “mainstream” over time.If the term “mainstream” means that Latter-day Saints are increasingly viewed as a contributing, relevant and significant part of society — particularly in the United States, where there are now some six million members — then, of course, the answer is “yes.”

…If being described as “mainstream” means the Church loses the very distinctiveness of the beliefs that are at the heart of its message, the answer is different. While respecting the divergent views of other people of faith, Church leaders want to be clear about the beliefs that help define Latter-day Saints.

The following are some of the more important differences in belief and practice between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Christian churches.

One of the eight topics listed is this:

Plan of salvationLatter-day Saint theology embraces what Mormons refer to as the “plan of salvation.” The topic covers the pre-mortal state of all mankind, the reasons why God created the world, the nature and purpose of our life here and what future awaits us in the next life.

Another way to state what the LDS Plan of Salvation encompasses might be this: “Where did I come from, why am I here, and where am I going?”

These are some pretty significant doctrinal issues.

• The nature of man
• God’s purpose in creation
• God’s requirements for reconciliation with Him
• The nature of eternal life

Mormonism’s disparity from “other Christian churches” on just this short list of core beliefs, not even taking into account the other seven listed topics, must be distressing to those who say members of the LDS Church believe the same things “other Christians” believe. The lion’s share of the Christian worldview is represented within this short list. Even if we could find other areas of doctrinal agreement, Mormonism and Christianity are literally worlds apart.

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I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.-Romans 16:17-18-

Some years ago a non-denominational church invited a popular “Christian” group of musicians to make a guest appearance and lead worship. But there was a problem. Unbeknownst to the church leadership, this particular group of musicians held to a faith that did not affirm the essential Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Rather than being “Christian,” they fell into the category of “heretic”; therefore, according to the church’s codified principles, these musicians could not occupy the pulpit or platform of the church.The musicians, when questioned about their beliefs, dealt deceitfully with the church’s leadership. They deftly sidestepped direct questions and answered others with carefully crafted sentences that employed liberal use of double entendre.

The church investigated the charges of heresy brought against the musicians over a period of several weeks, examining strong, documented evidence that clearly supported the allegations. Eventually, church leadership reached the conclusion that the charges were false. Ignoring the documented evidence they had seen, they reasoned thus: The musicians were nice folks, they sang of Christ, and they insisted they’d been falsely (and maliciously) accused; nice people who sing of Christ don’t lie. Therefore, since these nice musicians were telling the truth — that they were orthodox in their beliefs — they were welcomed to lead worship at the church.

I was reminded of this experience today as I viewed this five-minute portion of a sermon by John Piper. Preaching on the Bible passage above, Dr. Piper explained that people who depart from true doctrine do not appear to us as monsters, mean and brash and pushy. Rather, the words Paul used in his description indicates false teachers win followers by appearing to bring a blessing. Their speech is pleasant, plausible and kind — totally winsome. They are nice, gentlemanly, fair-minded and humble.

In the scenario I wrote about above, it was these sorts of attributes that won the day for the non-Trinitarian musicians. Unwelcome evidence was set aside in favor of enjoyable fellowship. One church leader explained, “I don’t think they deny the Trinity. I’ve had dinner with them, and they are really nice people.”

Sometimes what we want to believe has such a strong hold on us that we turn a blind eye to what is truly evident. Someone is nice, so we trust him. Someone is a pleasure to listen to, so we automatically accept what he says. Someone is fun to be with, so along we go; wherever he goes, we follow.

“Watch out for them,” writes Paul. “Avoid them.” Because they don’t serve the Lord Christ; instead, they deceive the hearts of the naive (i.e., those who are undiscerning; those who ignore the evidence). It’s a warning to be heeded for, as Jesus taught, “if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14).

I appeal to you, friends: Watch out.

The National Council of Churches Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2007 edition has just been released, reporting new church membership numbers and growth trends on 224 “national church bodies.” An online press release

provides a taste of the information contained in the 439-page Yearbook, including membership and growth statistics for 25 of the largest denominations or communions in the United States.

Of these 25 church bodies, only 6 reported growth in membership since the 2006 Yearbook reports; 8 reported losses, and 11 reported no change at all.

The 6 American church bodies that reported an increase in membership are listed here in order of reported growth percentage:

1. The Churches of Christ reported a whopping 9.30% increase in membership, reflecting 139,500 additional members. However, their previous reported figures were in 1999, so this number reflects growth since that time. Unfortunately, this statistic doesn’t allow an accurate comparison with the other churches on the list, whose reported increases reflect changes over a one year period.

2. The Catholic Church, the largest church in America, reported an increase of 1.94% — adding 1,315,699 members.

3. The Assemblies of God reported an increase of 1.86%, growing by 51,692 members.

4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported an increase of 1.63%, reflecting an addition of 91,270 members.

5. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church reported .53% growth — 7, 594 additional members.

6. The Southern Baptist Convention reported the smallest increase: .02% or 3, 253 additional members.

I remember not long ago the LDS Church claimed to be the fastest-growing church in America. More recently this claim has been tempered a bit and is now more often stated in terms of the LDS Church being one of the fastest growing churches in America.

Last month journalist Richard Ostling noted:

It’s often said that Mormonism is the fastest-growing major religious denomination. There are nearly 12.6 million members worldwide, of whom about 5.7 million are in the United States. However, a 2005 series by The Salt Lake Tribune indicated that many members on the church’s rolls are inactive.

I’m not sure how all of the statistics on active vs. inactive membership settles out in regards to actual LDS Church growth, but at least in this recent NCC report it’s evident that the LDS Church is neither the fastest- nor slowest-growing church body in America. It doesn’t hold a remarkable place in the field of growing churches; it turns out that LDS Church growth is…well, it’s average.

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The Fastest Growing Church in the World? by Bill McKeever:

“Does accelerated growth of a group somehow validate that what the group teaches is true? To many Latter-day Saints, the growth (or perceived growth) of their church is evidence that the restored gospel of Mormonism must be true.” Read more…

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Last Friday the results of a Gallup Poll about Mormonism was released to the public. The survey included the opinions of 1,018 adults solicited nationwide at the end of February via telephone.

The results of the poll show that 46% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the LDS religion while 42% hold a favorable opinion of that faith.

The results of the poll are precise and pretty interesting, providing a detailed look at how different cross-sections of our society view Mormonism. The two “key findings” the Gallup News Service put at the top of the list are these:

• Americans who are more religious (as measured by frequency of church attendance) and those who are Protestant have highly negative views of the Mormon religion. The differences in views of Mormons among groups defined by their church attendance are significant. There is a net negative view of -21 points among Americans who attend church weekly, contrasted with a net positive view of +10 among those who seldom or never attend church.
• Protestants are significantly more negative in their views than Catholics, who are the most positive group by religion.

Furthermore,

The two most frequently occurring categories of impressions of Mormons among those who have unfavorable opinions would appear to be the long-time association of the religion with polygamy (mentioned by 20% of those with unfavorable opinions) and top-of-mind impressions based on the Mormon religion’s beliefs and doctrines. These responses suggest that the negative impression held by many may be a fairly straightforward result of disagreements on doctrine.

Please note that all the Gallup Poll questions asked about the Mormon religion, not about the members of that religion. Keep that in mind when reading the above synopses; the impressions noted by the Gallup News Service were not actually “impressions [or views] of Mormons,” but impressions of the religion. The unfavorable opinions were centered in doctrinal issues.

Mormon Church-owned Deseret News reported,

LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter issued a brief statement Friday afternoon in response to the poll.”Many religions in the world are not well understood, and we believe that the survey reflects the fact that many people know little or nothing about the doctrine, teachings and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he said.

I disagree with Mr. Trotter. I think the survey reflects that those who place a high value on spiritual truth claims (doctrine and teachings) — those who, by virtue of consistent and committed church attendance, are at least somewhat aware of the doctrinal differences between Protestant Christianity and Mormonism — are the very people who hold unfavorable opinions of the Mormon religion.

Of those polled who expressed an unfavorable opinion of Mormonism, 40% had top-of-mind impressions that fall into the “Beliefs and Doctrine” category, while only 25% of the “favorable” group mentioned doctrine. I don’t think a better understanding of the theological beliefs promoted by the LDS Church would improve the Church’s public image — certainly not among Christians, anyway. And this is as it should be.

God calls His church to be a discerning people. When it comes to belief systems, we are to test the prophets (Matthew 7:15-20), try the spirits (1 John 4:1), and discern what is the good and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

I’m all for the idea of providing people a better understanding of the doctrines and teachings that comprise Mormonism; not in order to elicit unfavorable opinions of the LDS Church, but rather to help people discern the differences between Mormonism and biblical Christianity. And this so they might live in obedience to the Word of God, that they might choose to “walk in the light, as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).

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A Mormon high school freshman who was being peppered with put-down questions about her faith before she told them, “That’s so gay,” was officially warned by her school’s principal for using “hate speech.” According to an Associated Press report, the student, Rebekah Rice, used a common teen comeback (which generally means “that’s so stupid”) when she was being teased with insulting questions, including, “Do you have 10 moms?”The question is, what punishment will the teasing teens receive for their initiating comments? After all, if we’re going to consider Rebekah’s comment to be hate speech, why shouldn’t they also be reprimanded for making fun of a person’s religion?

Some of my LDS friends might be surprised at my support for the LDS teen, but it’s no secret that people of religious faith–whether Mormon, Christian, even Muslim–are oftentimes harassed in public settings just for their religious preference and nothing more. I remember going through a California state college being mocked by both faculty and classmates for taking a stand in a class, such as insisting there was a God or that morals were absolute (God forbid!).

I’m not sure why the homosexual lobby gets special preference here. First of all, the article does not indicate if the people at whom Rebekah aimed her comment were homosexual. And if they were, where’s the “hate”? And just where will we stop with this idea of “hate speech”? Should we haul in a third grader who calls another kid a “moron”? Do we police everything anyone says? Is there not a First Amendment?

I’m not suggesting that there isn’t inappropriate speech, because there certainly is. Yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre (or the like) should not be tolerated. But c’mon, a defensive retort (and a common one, at that) to insulting questions should not be something in which a principal or attorneys need to become involved. As one attorney said, “Reasonable people should say, ‘Let’s put a stop to this kind of search-and-destroy mission by school officials for everything that is politically incorrect.’” Well said. Free Rebekah!

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