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In
June 1844 Elder Thomas Grover was on a mission in Michigan when he was warned
in a dream to return at once to Nauvoo. While on the way back, he met the same
group that were transporting the dead bodies of Joseph and Hyrum back to
Nauvoo. Brother Grover was asked to prepare the prophets body for burial. What
did Emma give to Thomas Grover for helping?
a.
The prophet’s horse
b.
The prophets sword
c.
Some of the prophets clothes
d.
A lock of the prophets hair
Yesterday’s answer:
A Italy
A
fascinating development during this incipient stage—one that has been
documented in other contexts as well—is the appearance of pseudo-Mormon groups
or individuals who adopted the name and selected teachings of the LDS Church
without authorization. According to the account of Leavitt Christensen
(president of the Italian District), in April 1965 he accompanied President
Russon and Paul Kelly (a U.S. Air Force officer stationed at Aviano airbase
near Pordenone and serving as a counselor in the Italian District presidency)
to meet with a “professor” who was making unauthorized use of the LDS Church’s
name. They traveled by car to Grisolia (near Cosenza), a remote hilltop village
at the end of a long drive in the dark along winding mountain roads. The three
Church leaders found a doorway with the name of the Church inscribed in large,
bold, red lettering. A man came to the door and invited the guests into his
small apartment.
For
the next ninety minutes, President Russon conducted a detailed interview about
the group’s origins and activities. The “professor” had heard about the Church
from an uncle in Boston and had received letters, pamphlets, manuals, pictures
of Church presidents, teaching aids, and roll books from Church headquarters in
Salt Lake City. Though unbaptized himself, he had baptized 300 “converts” to
Mormonism in a nearby river and counted several thousand other followers in
surrounding towns. The professor, it appeared, was collecting tithing from the
group to support himself and a clandestine political agenda. He expressed
interest in having the Mormon missionaries come teach his congregation; but
when Russon explained that membership would involve giving up wine, coffee
tobacco, and tea, he retorted: “I don’t
think the members would go for that. These things are needed in Italy.” The
visitors then noticed a picture of Adolph Hitler on the wall and asked the
professor about it. He arose and tore the picture down, stating that he had no
affiliation with the Nazis.
At
that point, Russon ended the interview and the visitors bade their host
goodnight. Russon and his two companions recommended in their report that the
LDS Church should exercise more caution when receiving such request and
investigate “similar movements prior to furnishing lesson materials and
supplies and prior to giving evidence of support in the form of official
letters. It is believed such letters if confiscated by the authorities in Rome
might prove embarrassing and possibly detrimental to the Church in its efforts
to gain official status in Italy.” It is not clear what became of this group,
as mission records contain no further references to its activities.
James
A. Toronto, The “Wild West” of Missionary Work” Reopening the Italian Mission,
1965-71, Journal of Mormon History, Fall
2014, 21-22.
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