View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Denver Snuffer/Excommunication/Criticism of Church leaders

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|H=Response to Denver Snuffer's Online Claims regarding his Excommunication: Criticism of Church leaders
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|H=Response to Denver Snuffer's Online Claims regarding his Excommunication: Criticism of Church leaders
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|L1=Response to claim: "I quoted from past church leaders’ diaries, journals, talks, letters or writings. But I did not criticize"
|L2=Response to claim: "I was and am able to a pass temple recommend interview. I can answer all the questions in the right way"
|L3=Response to claim: Snuffer claims God has called him to preach his doctrines
|L4=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders = Popes
|L5=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders foster "cult of personality"
|L6=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders believe they should be "adored"
|L7=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders guilty of spiritual "murder" and "priestcrafts"
|L8=Response to claim: David O. McKay liked to be 'lionized'
|L9=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders = Proud
|L10=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders only "administrative apostles"
|L11=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders use "Babylonian methods"
|L12=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders = not true messengers
|L13=Response to claim: "Instructions from above" are not from Salt Lake City
|L14=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders wish to hide the Church's desire to accommodate the homosexual agenda
|L15=Response to claim: Latter-day Saint leaders wink at homosexual lust
|L16=Response to claim: LDS leaders cannot bear proper testimony of the resurrection
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==Response to claim: "I quoted from past church leaders’ diaries, journals, talks, letters or writings. But I did not criticize"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Denver Snuffer's online claims
|claim=Snuffer told his stake president and the First Presidency: "I was shown a section of the Church Handbook of Instructions that mandated discipline for criticizing the church’s leaders. I explained I hadn’t done that. I quoted from past church leaders’ diaries,  journals, talks, letters or writings. But I did not criticize.<ref>Snuffer to First Presidency, Letter (13 September 2013), reproduced in {{CriticalWork:Snuffer:Mesa|pages=42}}</ref>
|note=
}}

==Response to claim: "I was and am able to a pass temple recommend interview. I can answer all the questions in the right way"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Denver Snuffer's online claims
|claim="I was and am able to a pass temple recommend interview. I can answer all the questions in the right way."<ref>Denver Snuffer, "Ten Points," from the desk of Denver Snuffer (blog), 14 September 2013, {{antilink|http://denversnuffer.blogspot.ca/2013/09/ten-points.html}}</ref>
|note=
}}
This question would not be raised if Snuffer had not repeatedly made it an issue. He told the First Presidency:

:I was and am worthy of a Temple Recommend.<ref>Snuffer to First Presidency, Letter (13 September 2013), 2 reproduced in {{CriticalWork:Snuffer:Mesa|pages=42}}</ref>

He even enlists the stake president in this claim:

:The stake president ''admitted to me and my wife'' before the Council began, that I was then worthy of a temple recommend (italics added).<ref>{{CriticalWork:Snuffer:Mesa|pages=7}}</ref>

One temple recommend question asks if the member sustains the President of the Church, First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his local leaders. Snuffer has made it clear he does not sustain any of these leaders because:

* he has repeatedly criticized them (see [[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Denver Snuffer/Excommunication/Criticism of Church leaders|here]]);
* he claims that the prophet and the apostles do not have the priesthood keys that they claim to have (see [[Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Passing the Heavenly Gift/Source of authority of Brigham Young and the apostles after Joseph's death|here]]);
* he has refused to refrain from publishing what his stake president referred to as "mischaracterized doctrine" in a book whose "thesis is in direct conflict with church doctrine"<ref>M. Truman Hunt to Denver Snuffer, “Notice of Disciplinary Council,” letter (21 August 2013), 1–2. Online at Denver Snuffer, “Don’t call me. (Yes, that means you too!),” from the desk of Denver Snuffer (blog), 23 August 2013, {{antilink|http://denversnuffer.blogspot.ca/2013/08/dont-call-me-yes-that-means-you-too_23.html}}</ref> He has done so even when he knows that a member of the Quorum of the Twelve has reviewed the book.<ref>Snuffer claims that "the Seventy and Elder Christofferson of the Twelve were going to review the book and President Hunt was to “stand down” until he heard further....President Hunt called me in again after he had received further direction from the hierarchy and 
told me there was church ordered compulsion to withdraw the book from publication or face discipline." [Snuffer to First Presidency, Letter (13 September 2013), 1&ndash;2; reproduced in {{CriticalWork:Snuffer:Mesa|pages=41-42}}] Thus, Snuffer knows that an apostle and others do not wish him to continue to make the claims that he is making, but he does not stop doing so.</ref>
* he has refused to comply with disciplinary council procedures, despite his stake president's request. He had so little respect for the procedures that he refused to attend when his demands were not met (see [[Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Denver Snuffer/Excommunication/Sustaining Church leaders#Snuffer.27s wife claims revelation on how disciplinary council should be conducted|here]]).

Snuffer's claim is false&mdash;by his own description of his behavior, he was not "worthy of a temple recommend." He either does not understand the temple recommend questions, or he is being dishonest with his readers, the First Presidency, and perhaps himself.

He also says:

:I had a current temple recommend at the time of the disciplinary council. I was not asked to return it before the council, nor asked to return it even after the council’s decision. It expired in March, 2014, six months after excommunication.<ref>{{CriticalWork:Snuffer:Mesa|pages=7n9}}</ref>

Snuffer's recommend would have been automatically deactivated upon his excommunication; this is done electronically, and should not be interpreted to mean&mdash;as Snuffer implies by raising it&mdash;that he was known to be worthy and no one dared say otherwise.

Snuffer's letter from his stake president (published on his website) makes it clear that he may not wear temple garments or exercise priesthood functions: both prerequisites for entering the temple:

:You should not engage in activities which require an exercise of priesthood power. You should not pay tithing or wear the temple garment.<ref>Truman Hunt, letter to Denver Snuffer (18 September 2013), posted on Denver Snuffer, "No Title," from the desk of Denver Snuffer (blog), 20 September 2013, {{antilink|http://denversnuffer.blogspot.ca/2013/09/no-title.html}}</ref>

==Response to claim: Snuffer claims God has called him to preach his doctrines==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Denver Snuffer's online claims
|claim=Snuffer claims God has called him to preach his doctrines.{{nw}}<ref>{{nc}}</ref>
|note=
}}

The scriptures tell us that one may not preach the gospel ''or'' build up the Church without known authority:

:Again I say unto you, that it shall '''not be given to ''any one''''' to go forth to '''''preach my gospel''''', or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is '''known to the church that he has authority''' and has been '''regularly ordained''' by the heads of the church ({{s||D&C|42|11}}).

Not only does Snuffer have no authority from the heads of the Church, he certainly not been "regularly ordained." Instead, he has been excommunicated for apostasy.

His teachings and claims violate the scriptures he claims to uphold.

{{:Mormonism and church leadership/Criticizing Church leaders}}

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[[Category:Denver Snuffer]]