When Prophets Lie

I’m going to admit that this article has been difficult to write. In fact, most of the essays in the Exposing category are challenging to compose due to the nature of the content. The initial draft was finished several weeks ago and I didn’t really know what to do with it, so I sat on it. The energy was so messy. Most of the Exposing essays require unlearning much of the conditioning from my past. My only consolation is that by revealing hidden things, we will then be able to heal and progress to higher spiritual planes.

It is important to note, I’m not doing this to shame or soil a reputation. We are all imperfect and we all make mistakes. In reality, there are people affected by the policies and practices of the church that need healing. Ignoring the fact that certain events happened is a slap in the face of those affected by such policies. Another reason this is significant is because Dallin H. Oaks is slated to become the next “prophet” or president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The members have been conditioned for generations to believe that top-level church officials are unable to lead the church astray. What are we to think or feel when a church leader of his status is willing to lie about past events? I find this especially intriguing because Oaks is the same person who has written extensively on polygamy in church history and also on the official church narrative as to how Joseph Smith was murdered.

Electroshock (Aversion) Therapy

The impetus for this essay came from a video featuring a recent Q&A session at the University of Virginia on November 12, 2021. A student from the audience directs this question to Dallin H. Oaks:

“…what have you done to address some of the things you have done in the past, including some of the things that you said in overseeing the enforcement of electric shock and vomit conversion therapy for LGBT students at BYU?”

Oaks’ reply:

“Let me say about electric shock treatments at BYU, when I became president at BYU that had been discontinued earlier, and it never went on under my administration. Put that to one side.”

How truthful was he? It was either a blatant lie or he is extremely ignorant as to what was going on during his tenure as president of BYU. Given the plethora of evidence, I must admit that he was not being honest. Oaks was president of BYU from 1971–1980. Conversion or Aversion Therapy—which includes electroshock, injection, or visual therapies—began at BYU in 1959 and was moved off-campus in 1983, yet continued until the mid-90s.

The details of Aversion Therapy at BYU are quite horrifying. If you really want to know what happened in greater detail, you can visit this Wikipedia page, with particular emphasis on the following sections: Aversion therapy, Conversion Therapy, and the Timeline. Some of the policies enacted at that time, and the trauma of the therapy sessions, drove many gay students to commit suicide. In 1976, there was even a music professor by the name of Carlyle Marsden who committed suicide after being outed by an arrest for alleged homosexual activity. The point being, church leaders were very aware of what was going on, and this was a very significant issue at the university. The Wiki article noted previously specifically implicates Oaks and his knowledge of electroshock therapy:

“BYU mental health counselors, LDS bishops, stake presidents, mission presidents, general authorities, and the BYU Standards Office (equivalent to today's Honor Code Office) all referred young men to the BYU program. Although it is not publicly published whether all top LDS Church leaders were aware of the electroshock aversion therapy program, it is known that apostles Spencer W Kimball, Mark E. Peterson, and now apostle Dallin H. Oaks were, and leaders involved in LDS Social Services thought the therapy was effective.”

There was a documentary produced in 1996 detailing events surrounding Gay Conversion Therapy at BYU. The film “Legacies” details the personal stories of four men who were subjected to vomit, electrocution, and visual therapies at BYU.

So why care about this? Why talk about it? Why expose a lie? For one, acknowledgment of past wrongs helps in the healing process. Put yourself in the shoes of a young man or woman who went through these horrific therapy treatments. The president of the university at that time just told you that it never happened and to “put that to one side.” I also bring this to light in order to reinforce the doctrinal teaching of Jesus Christ as found in 2 Nephi 28:

26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!

30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

The church teaches that the PSRs (prophets, seers, revelators) will “Never!” lead us astray. They also teach that when the president of the church speaks “he speaks for the Lord.” These statements would only hold true if their words were ALWAYS ratified by the Spirit. Due to the fallible nature of man, it is ALWAYS possible that they can lead us astray. (In JST Mark 9 the Lord teaches that seers can transgress and lead astray.) Hence the need for the doctrine taught by the Lord. (Check out my essay on the Infallibility of Prophets to learn more on that subject.)

The only way I can see the church justifying the infallibility doctrine held for so long is because they think the Lord will never allow the institution to fall into apostasy before His second coming. Scholars may pick and choose a few select verses of scripture from D&C to reinforce this idea, but there is overwhelming evidence that ancient prophets testified of the corruption of the Gentile church, even the church that brought forth the Book of Mormon. It’s a sobering day when you realize the prophets in the Book of Mormon, including the Savior Himself, bore witness of the sins of the LDS church. For a more in-depth look at the connection between the Gentiles and the LDS church, I’d highly recommend the video titled “The Prophetic Book of Mormon” by Rob Fotheringham.

For those of you who are living somewhere along the path of same-gender attraction, please know that our Heavenly Parents love you. We are all created with masculine and feminine energy. A yin-yang composition if you will. One of the beautiful aspects of our existence is learning how to balance those energies. The same goes for how we perceive justice and mercy, strength and meekness, or knowledge and accountability. It is my belief that external and internal stimuli, both in spiritual and physical realms, can influence how male and female energies are manifest. I would invite you to spend time every day communing with your Heavenly Parents. Ask them about how they feel about you and your relationship with them. I don’t pretend to know what you are experiencing, but it is my belief that gender is part of our cosmic composition and eternal identity. Finding balance in how we express the masculine and feminine aspects of our creation is vitally important in helping us progress in the eternities.

Shalom

Disclaimer: Only a small portion of my thoughts and feelings are contained within this essay. It is nearly impossible to condense a lifetime of study, thoughts, and impressions, into a few paragraphs. I value and encourage the need for altering perspective as new light and knowledge is acquired. One of the best ways to know a person’s heart is to sit down and talk face-to-face, perhaps while consuming a mild barley drink.