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Close Topic OptionsWilliam E. Mclellin, Mark Hofmann & Mormons
William E Mclellin Mark Hofmann Mormons - Mormon Doctrine Studies - Posted: 24th Oct, 2015 - 1:13am
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The Mark Hofmann forgery... Did he fool Mormon leaders?
William E. Mclellin, Mark Hofmann & Mormons
William E. Mclellin, Mark Hofmann & Mormons
Years ago a man named Mark Hofmann decided that he would forge documents and sell them to the Church as being authentic from Joseph and other key Church historic figures. His plan worked up to a point (Church leaders did secure the purchase) until he tried to sell the McLellin journals to the Church, something the Church already had in its archive! Mark later committed murder and is now serving a life sentence in prison. The points of discussion is this... Why does the Church buy up every document it finds and why does it make more publicly available what it already has in its archive. After all the Church was trying to buy something it already had - did it not know what it already had?
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Mormons and Hofmann Mark Mclellin E William
QUOTE why does the Church buy up every document it finds and why does it make more publicly available what it already has in its archive. After all the Church was trying to buy something it already had - did it not know what it already had?
Elder Dallin Oaks was asked to talk about this matter in the Ensign 1987 (I bet they chose him because he was the one talking about this document before they found out it was forgery). Some extracts of his talk:
QUOTE "Are documents ever acquired by the Church and then closed to the public? Of course. This is true of most large archives, as any well-informed person should be aware. Like other archives, the Church Historical Department closes or restricts access to certain documentary materials it acquires from outside sources for such reasons as the following:
1. The donor has directed that access be restricted or prohibited for a certain period.
2. The contents are confidential. When materials are written or statements are made with the understanding that the communication will not be available to the public for a certain period of time, the Church Historical Department respects that understanding.
3. The contents are private. The laws and ethics of privacy forbid custodians from revealing information that may invade the privacy of living individuals. Examples would include diaries or minutes that discuss the private affairs of living persons. In addition, our belief in life after death causes us to extend this principle to respect the privacy of persons who have left mortality but live beyond the veil. Descendants who expect future reunions with deceased ancestors have a continuing interest in their ancestors" privacy and good name.
These same considerations apply to official Church documents, such as the minutes of confidential meetings and Church courts."
1. The donor has directed that access be restricted or prohibited for a certain period.
2. The contents are confidential. When materials are written or statements are made with the understanding that the communication will not be available to the public for a certain period of time, the Church Historical Department respects that understanding.
3. The contents are private. The laws and ethics of privacy forbid custodians from revealing information that may invade the privacy of living individuals. Examples would include diaries or minutes that discuss the private affairs of living persons. In addition, our belief in life after death causes us to extend this principle to respect the privacy of persons who have left mortality but live beyond the veil. Descendants who expect future reunions with deceased ancestors have a continuing interest in their ancestors" privacy and good name.
These same considerations apply to official Church documents, such as the minutes of confidential meetings and Church courts."
Some have asked, how was Mark Hofmann able to deceive Church leaders?
QUOTE As everyone now knows, Hofmann succeeded in deceiving many: experienced Church historians, sophisticated collectors, businessmen-investors, national experts who administered a lie detector test to Hofmann, and professional document examiners, including the expert credited with breaking the Hitler diary forgery. But why, some still ask, were his deceits not detected by the several Church leaders with whom he met?
In order to perform their personal ministries, Church leaders cannot be suspicious and questioning of each of the hundreds of people they meet each year. Ministers of the gospel function best in an atmosphere of trust and love. In that kind of atmosphere, they fail to detect a few deceivers, but that is the price they pay to increase their effectiveness in counseling, comforting, and blessing the hundreds of honest and sincere people they see. It is better for a Church leader to be occasionally disappointed than to be constantly suspicious.
The Church is not unique in preferring to deal with people on the basis of trust. This principle of trust rather than suspicion even applies to professional archives. During my recent visit to the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California, I was interested to learn that they have no formal procedures to authenticate the many documents they acquire each year. They say they consider it best to function in an atmosphere of trust and to assume the risk of the loss that may be imposed by the occasional deceiver."
In order to perform their personal ministries, Church leaders cannot be suspicious and questioning of each of the hundreds of people they meet each year. Ministers of the gospel function best in an atmosphere of trust and love. In that kind of atmosphere, they fail to detect a few deceivers, but that is the price they pay to increase their effectiveness in counseling, comforting, and blessing the hundreds of honest and sincere people they see. It is better for a Church leader to be occasionally disappointed than to be constantly suspicious.
The Church is not unique in preferring to deal with people on the basis of trust. This principle of trust rather than suspicion even applies to professional archives. During my recent visit to the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California, I was interested to learn that they have no formal procedures to authenticate the many documents they acquire each year. They say they consider it best to function in an atmosphere of trust and to assume the risk of the loss that may be imposed by the occasional deceiver."
William E. Mclellin, Mark Hofmann & Mormons Studies Doctrine Mormon
| QUOTE |
| It is better for a Church leader to be occasionally disappointed than to be constantly suspicious. |
Thanks for that response. I thought the above quote was quite interesting - I hope to commit it to memory as well as the response as an example for the future.
Mormons and Hofmann Mark Mclellin E William
This was really embarrassing for the church at the time. I remember many of my own friends in the church began to have serious doubts when even the prophet, Pres. Kimball at the time, could not decipher Mark Hofmann's scheme.
Mormons and Hofmann Mark Mclellin E William
I watched a documentary about Mark Hoffmann, it said that Mark donated fake documents before he sold the more serious documents, so when the Church wanted to authenticate the documents that Mark Hoffmann was selling, they were using his own forged documents to authenticate them.
William E. Mclellin, Mark Hofmann & Mormons
Mark Hoffmann was brilliant for his time and probably if he was able to exercise his skill he would still be ripping people off now - that's just the perfection of what he could do.
Post Date: 24th Oct, 2015 - 1:13am / Post ID: #
NOTE: News [?]
William E. Mclellin Mark Hofmann & Mormons
Expect another Mark Hofmann to emerge, says expert on rare LDS books
Mark Hofmann fooled experts around the nation with his forgeries, then killed two people 30 years ago this month to cover it up. The environment is ripening now for a new Hofmann, even as his influence continues to be felt within the LDS church. Ref. Source 2w
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