The "Untouchable" Tom Phillips

For press release 5 February, 2014 7:00 PM EST

Secret Ritual Makes Prosecutor “Bulletproof” in Mormon Prophet Fraud Case?

Tom Phillips, a Mormon prosecuting the Mormon Prophet for fraud in UK, is claimed by some to be “bulletproof” against LDS Church retaliations because he received “a rare and secret ritual called the Second Anointing.”

Thomas S Monson is the worldwide leader of the Mormon Church

"Do not attempt in any way to discuss or answer questions about the second anointing." - LDS Church instruction manual

On February 5, 2014, The Telegraph (London, UK) reported that Mormon Thomas S. Monson, Executive of the Corporation of The President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is ordered to appear before British magistrate's court amid claims that the organization’s teaching amounts to "fraud". By some interpretation of LDS doctrine, the prosecutor Tom Phillips, also a Mormon, is “bulletproof” against LDS Church retaliations because he received “a rare and secret ritual called the Second Anointing.”

Phillips, acting as private prosecutor in the case, maintains that LDS President Monson committed fraud when he carefully groomed and trained legions of young "salespeople", and sent them out to spread demonstrable untruths among the British public in order to convert them and pay money to Monson’s corporation. Phillips argues the transactions depend upon acceptance by individuals of certain "truth claims" which must be received on the basis of partial information presented. According to his case, Phillips claims the Fraud Act 2006 requires a legal duty to disclose known, significant facts about a transaction where money will change hands if the seller knows that those facts are significant enough to alter the buyer's decision about the transaction. By failing to explain that there are alternative viewpoints on some of the core teachings in the Mormon Church, Monson, as Corporate Sole Owner and President, committed fraud every time it converted a new member and took their money.

In their General Conference, an LDS General Authority taught:  "if a destitute family is faced with the decision of paying their tithing or eating, they should pay their tithing."

And this was similarly taught as an object lesson in their flagship publication Ensign, December 2012 edition: "If paying tithing means that you can't pay for water or electricity, pay tithing. If paying tithing means that you can't pay your rent, pay tithing. Even if paying tithing means that you don't have enough money to feed your family, pay tithing."

A requirement, according to worthiness questions asked in LDS temple interviews, is that you must "sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys."  Also to "sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church."  And finally to be " a full-tithe payer."  Without meeting these obligations, you cannot receive ordinances (e.g., sacraments) that are required to enter the highest degree of heaven.  Likewise, you cannot be married, see relatives married or attend to other family functions without sustaining the teachings of your prophet and paying a full tithing, defined as ten-percent of your total income.  The fraud case connects the requirement to pay tithing to such benefits and that you are led into a belief in the Mormon system through false representations that can be proven false with modern science and history.

The Telegraph reports that the Westminster Magistrates Court in London issued the summons in response to a filing by Tom Phillips, an inactive Mormon who is the managing editor of MormonThink, a website that discusses issues with Mormon Church history and doctrine. The LDS Church disciplined the first two managing editors for apostasy, facing possible excommunication. Phillips has managed the critical website for over a year but says he does not face excommunication. 

The reason Phillips does not appear to be pursued for excommunications seems to be because, as the previous managing editor David Twede revealed, “Tom has received a bulletproof ordinance called the Second Anointing from a Mormon apostle years before he stopped attending church.”

According to the LDS website, the Second Anointing is an "'unconditional guarantee' ... that a person’s actions have been fully approved, that 'there are no more conditions to be met by the obedient person.' … he is ‘sealed up against all manner of sin’."

Twede explains that “Tom could commit any sin—even challenging Prophet Monson—and apparently they cannot do anything to him because he is sealed to go into heaven no matter what he does.”   

The LDS Church did not comment on this ordinance. In an online LDS instruction manual they prompt members: "Do not attempt in any way to discuss or answer questions about the second anointing."

According to Phillips, he is one of the very few people known to have received this secret ordinance and then speak about it openly.

As such, Thomas Monson, brought up on fraud charges by Tom Phillips, cannot discipline his member for challenging the prophet’s authority. This would become a showdown of Tom versus Tom in the UK Courts.

Oh, the fantasy land created by Mormonism...

I hope everyone appreciates the slightly tongue-in-cheek flavor of this "press release".  While there is a Second Anointing ordinance which doctrinally says the receiver is not held accountable for sin, this belief is from a bankrupt ideology.  No one getting it is bulletproof from anything except from the make-believe punishments and judgments doled out by the 12+3 myth guardians in Salt Lake City.  That is, if they even believe their bullshit themselves, which many of us doubt they all do.