Are Chad and Lori Really Mormons
And Why Does It Matter? Part Three
Did Chad and Lori's beliefs give them the motive for murder?
July 31, 2020
Did you know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a preference for how the Church is referred to in print? Did you know they have a published style guide? I didn’t, and my ignorance was evident to some readers! Thanks to Janna N., now I know. She told me the improper references were like fingernails on a blackboard to Church members. I’m sorry; I know that feeling because I get it every time I watch a courtroom drama. One of the things I loved about my years has a criminal attorney was the chance I had to learn something new every day. I’m still learning and growing as I write the newsletter and research the book. I’m committed to accuracy, fairness, and respect as I tell the story. I appreciate it when any of you let me know where I need improvement; I’m counting on you to let me know when there are ways I can do better.
Why, in a newsletter focusing on the legal issues of the case, are we talking about how Chad and Lori’s beliefs differ from the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Because it goes to motive. Special Prosecutor Rob Wood does not have to prove motive because proving motive is never a legal requirement. That said, we humans are meaning-seeking creatures, and the why of a case is important to a jury if they are to make sense of the evidence Rob Wood presents to them.
Let’s talk about the Seven Missions Chad wanted to accomplish with Lori.
The seven things are:
Translate ancient records.
Write a book about the translation process.
Identify locations in northeast Arizona for white camps
Presidency of Church of the Firstborn
Help establish the food distribution as the tribulations start and delegate.
Ordain individuals to translation as the camps begin
Provide supplies to righteous members of families
Translate ancient records. I mentioned in part two of this series, the possible interpretation of this entry. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that their founder, Joseph Smith, found a collection of golden plates that were inscribed with text in an unknown language. Heavenly Father endowed Smith with the capacity to read and translate about half of those plates. According to the text that Smith translated, the remaining half of the plates were sealed. That sealed text was said to reveal “all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.” The visible text claimed the sealed portion would “not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.” The text that Smith translated became The Book of Mormon, which church members believe restores and amplifies the Bible. Church doctrine is based on the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other writings that comment and interpret those documents, such as Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. The latter two contain Joseph Smith’s personal modern-day revelations. Chad’s reference to ancient texts must refer to either, Biblical texts, yet undiscovered ancient documents or the sealed portion of the fabled golden plates.
It’s apparent from information coming to light about Chad that he believed he was ordained by God to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The history of the Church is replete with people who believe they are the “one mighty and strong.” In a letter written to William W. Phelps on November 27, 1832, Joseph Smith transcribed a revelation that he said he received from Jesus Christ:
“[I]t shall come to pass, that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the sceptre of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the Saints, whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children enrolled in the book of the law of God: while that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the vivid shaft of lightning... These things I say not of myself; therefore, as the Lord speaketh, He will also fulfill.” More about this when we get to item number four.
Write a book about the translation process. Chad writes books. Granted, they’re mediocre books, but that what he does. If Chad believes he is chosen by God to be the translator of heretofore untranslated ancient texts, then indeed, he will need to document the translation process for posterity. Chad’s expectation that he will be translating ancient documents makes sense, if, as has been suggested, he believes he was Joseph Smith and the archangel Moroni in past probations. It does leave one to wonder though, if he has already been such powerful and highly favored saints, isn’t a probation as plain old Chad Daybell a step backward?
Identify locations in northeast Arizona for white camps. What the heck is a ‘white camp?’ Here again, there could be more than one meaning. The book of Mormon says that the Church “shall be a white and a delightsome people.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website explains it thus: “During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood. One of these men, Elijah Abel, also participated in temple ceremonies in Kirtland, Ohio, and was later baptized as proxy for deceased relatives in Nauvoo, Illinois. There is no reliable evidence that any black men were denied the priesthood during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. In a private Church council three years after Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young praised Q. Walker Lewis, a black man who had been ordained to the priesthood, saying, “We have one of the best Elders, an African.”4 In 1852, President Brigham Young publicly announced that men of black African descent could no longer be ordained to the priesthood, though thereafter blacks continued to join the Church through baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Following the death of Brigham Young, subsequent Church presidents restricted blacks from receiving the temple endowment or being married in the temple. Over time, Church leaders and members advanced many theories to explain the priesthood and temple restrictions. None of these explanations is accepted today as the official doctrine of the Church.”
The meaning of Chad’s third entry may also have nothing to do with race. Chad’s friend-turned-foe, Julie Rowe, reported visions of camps of white tents that would provide refuge for the 144,000 chosen people during the time of tribulation. We know that Chad and Lori were active in groups like Preparing a People, that were openly planning for the end of days. These are groups that talk openly about the need to establish camps for the chosen, where they will be safe.
Presidency of Church of the Firstborn. Here is where Chad’s narcissistic delusions really shine. Why bother with the presidency of the world-wide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organization when you can be president of the Church of the Firstborn? Author Ivan J. Barratt, writes, “The Church of the Firstborn is Christ’s heavenly church, and its members are exalted beings who gain an inheritance in the highest heaven of the celestial world and for whom the family continues in eternity. He quotes Joseph Smith: ‘When persons have proved themselves faithful in all things required by the Lord, it is their privilege to receive covenants and obligations that will enable them to be heirs of God as members of the Church of the Firstborn. They are “sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise” and are those “into whose hands the Father has given all things” (D&C 76:51-55). They will be priests and priestesses, kings and queens, receiving the Father’s glory, having the fulness of knowledge, wisdom, power, and dominion (D&C 76:56-62; cf. 107:19). At the second coming of Jesus Christ, the “general assembly of the Church of the Firstborn” will descend with him (Heb. 12:22-23; JST Gen. 9:23; D&C 76:54, 63).’ In other words, members of The Church of the Firstborn will become gods, and Chad Daybell will be the president and leader of all of them.
Help establish the food distribution as the tribulations start and delegate. While it’s certain that Chad and Lori will have many more important things to do when the tribulation starts, Chad wants to be sure the food distribution system is in place for the faithful. The entry also appears to relate to item number seven, Provide supplies to righteous members of families. The entry implies that Chad and Lori will determine who is righteous, which determines which people receive supplies once the tribulation disrupts supply chains.
Ordain individuals to translation as the camps begin. Presumably, Chad, as the president of the Church of the Firstborn, will have the power to ordain people to translation. If you recall from part two of this newsletter, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that a few extraordinary figures from the Bible were “translated beings,” including the prophets, Enoch, Elijah, Moses, and the apostle John, whom they identify as John the Beloved. Translated beings cannot feel pain and cannot die. According to Chad, they also don’t need food or sleep, can’t reproduce, do not feel sorrow, and heal at an accelerated rate if injured. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained the role of translated beings: “Many have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God, and into an eternal fullness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial order, and a place prepared for such characters He held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets, and who as yet have not entered into so great a fullness as those who are resurrected from the dead” (TPJS, p. 170).” According to Ian Pawlowski’s notes, Chad said a person could be translated after being tested for three days. The tests may be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Chad seems to suggest that he and Lori should translate people so that they can lead the camps while Chad and Lori get about their important work. It seems to be another delegation of duties.
