Apostate Ex-Mormons Launch "Private Prosecution" Against LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson For Fraud, British Judge Orders Him To Appear

Although the American mainstream media is just now starting to pick up this story, we have a report from several mainstream British media sources. The Telegraph and the Daily Mail report that an anti-Mormon activist, Tom Phillips, who runs the MormonThink website, has launched a private prosecution attempt in the United Kingdom on behalf of two apostate ex-Mormons, Stephen Bloor and Christopher Denis Ralph, claiming that President Monson fraudulently obtained tithing from them under Section 1 of the Elizabeth II Fraud Act 2006 on the basis of doctrinal teachings which the apostates claim are untrue. According to the Arizona Republic, Phillips alleged that the Mormon Church in the UK has received $257m (£157.5m, €190m) in member donations since 2007, and that these donations were "mandatory" for good standing in the church. As a result, District Judge Elizabeth Roscoe issued a formal summons for President Monson to appear at a hearing scheduled to take place at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on March 14th, 2014 and answer the seven allegations laid against him.

The summons was signed on January 31st, 2014 and issued under section 1 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, which specifies that upon receiving a formal statement alleging that someone has committed an offense, the court may issue a summons requiring that person to attend court, and even issue a warrant for that person's arrest if the alleged offense must or may be tried in the Crown Court, and if the alleged offense is punishable with imprisonment.

Two separate summons were issued, one on behalf of each plaintiff. They are otherwise identical, and a screenshot is posted below:

Click to enlarge

Ironically, although Tom Phillips is identified as the webmaster of MormomThink, the website currently and disingenuously states "The MormonThink website is not involved in this private legal action. We merely report the news" Yeah, surrre. LOL!.

Details of the Plaintiffs: According to IBTimes UK, Phillips, who lives in Portugal, formerly served as a stake president, area controller and financial director for the LDS Church's UK corporate entities, as well as other positions within the church between 1969 and 2002. Phillips also allegedly received the Second Anointing. Stephen Bloor was a third generation Mormon, a podiatrist who served as a bishop until he decided the LDS Church gave many "false representations". He penned a resignation as bishop and now writes a blog. Christopher Ralph was a Mormon convert since 1971, who served in bishoprics, and in 2012 helped write open letters to the European Area Presidency, the First Presidency, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on behalf of some UK Mormons who were troubled by questions and doubts. He supposedly received no response.

Worst Case Scenario: The summons declares that failure to attend could result in a warrant being issued for President Monson's arrest, although extradition would be required, and the offense must also be an offense in the United States for extradition to be approved. Once President Monson is processed by Westminster, the court could refer the case to Southwark Crown Court for further proceedings. According to Section 3 of the Fraud Act 2006, the maximum penalty for the allegations contained in the summons is ten years imprisonment and a fine for each offense.

LDS Church Reaction: The Church dismissed the summons as based upon bizarre allegations, and signalled that President Monson has no plans to attend. Malcolm Adcock, the church’s public affairs director for Europe, said, “The Church occasionally receives documents like this that seek to draw attention to an individual’s personal grievance or embarrass church leaders. These bizarre allegations fit into that category.” Unofficial LDS reaction is documented on LDS Freedom Forum.

LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson To Tour Germany After The Conclusion Of The October 2012 General Conference

Lately, anti-Mormons have been spreading rumors about the possibility that Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is in the early stages of Alzheimers. These rumors are propagated in three different posts on Mormon Curtain (HERE, HERE, and HERE), as well as on Recovery From Mormonism. They attempt to support their rumor-mongering by noting how President Monson has not showed up at certain key events during the past three months. On one Mormon Curtain post, a person puts forth the ludicrous proposition that "Elder Packer wants to stage a kind of 'coup' whereby the Brethren would vote to give Pres. Monson 'emeritus' status, thus allowing Packer to ascend to the throne in spite of the fact that Monson is still alive".

But if President Monson really had Alzheimer's, would he be preparing to make a trip to Germany and speak at four different stops? From October 13-20, just after the conclusion of the 182nd Semiannual General Conference, President Monson will tour Germany, and will speak in four different cities — Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. Supposedly the trip was only planned in late September, and there is a full week between the meetings in Berlin and Munich, which has reportedly fueled some speculation even among faithful Church members in Germany. But Germany is somewhat special to President Monson, because during the 1970s, he worked with officials of the then-German Democratic Republic to get permission to build a temple there. The Freiburg Temple was dedicated in 1985, and five years later, the Wall came down. Many Mormons believe there is a relationship between those two events. President Monson tells much more of this story in his book "To The Rescue".

A person with Alzheimers is unlikely to make an overseas trip where he is scheduled to speak at four different location over a period of seven days. But even if President Monson slowly becomes incapacitated, this would pose no problem for the Church, whose senior leaders have some experience in dealing with it. When President Ezra Taft Benson became incapacitated before his death in 1994, Gordon B. Hinckley, who was the first counselor, was able to act in his stead with the help of the Quorum of the Twelve. Before that, Spencer W. Kimball's health also decline noticeably during the closing years of his life, and his counselors were able to shoulder the additional burdens.

Besides, there's a new treatment for Alzheimers which can slow the progression of the disease. Researchers have discovered that intravenous immunoglobulin, normally given to people with immune system problems, may have remarkable effects on Alzheimers sufferers. A study by a team at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York involved 24 people, 11 of whom had infusions of IVIG for three years at various doses. All performed well in tests after three years, but those on one particular dose for the whole period showed no decline at all. Dr Anne Corbett, a research manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, said the treatment is thought to work by clearing toxic proteins called beta amyloid from the brain, allowing brain cells to function properly. The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver. If tests continue to be successful, there could be a specific drug available in as little as 10 years.

LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson Decries America's Drift Away From Faith Since The 9/11 Attacks

As the 10th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on America approaches, many prominent Americans are holding forth on the state of our nation since that time. Among them is the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson.

In an On Faith column entitled "9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild", published on September 8th, 2011 in the Washington Post, President Monson notes how Americans rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding after the attacks. But he decries the fact that since that time, renewal of faith has waned, and indifference has taken root once again. Yet God's commitment to us remains unwavering.

This cycle is not original -- the Book of Mormon repeatedly chronicles how the Nephites, whenever engulfed by adversity, would turn to God for deliverance. They would recover, keep the commandments, and become prosperous in the land. But inevitably they would get lifted up in the pride of their hearts unto the wearing of costly apparel, mistreating the poor and the faithful -- until once again, adversity would pay them a visit, usually clothed in the guise of an invading Lamanite army. Wash, rinse, repeat.

The "money shot" of President Monson's counsel, if you want to refer to it as such:

"If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season".

In closing, President Monson suggests that adversity and destruction addord us the opportunity to rebuild our lives in the way God teaches us, and to become something different than we were.

Public Reaction: A discussion thread has been started on Times & Seasons, where Julie M. Smith says she likes it more than almost anything she's ever read by President Monson. Most other reaction is also favorable, although one commenter complained that it didn't go into enough detail. But it was not President Monson's intent to recite a detailed litany of events since that time, but to focus strictly on one central issue -- the need for us to be constant in our faith whether it be during prosperity or adversity.

The Salt Lake Tribune also published a story on President Monson's column, which attracted the usually litany of scoffers and antis who infest any LDS story on the Tribune.

President Thomas S. Monson Delivers Commencement Address At Dixie State College On Its 100th Anniversary; Attitude, Integrity, And Service

Dixie State College in St. George, Utah had a special guest on May 6th, 2011 -- the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thomas S. Monson, who was accompanied by his daughter, Sister Ann Monson Dibb, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, showed up to help the school commemorate its 100th anniversary by delivering the commencement address. President Monson also received an honorary doctorate in humanities. KSL news video below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The Deseret News published a lengthier story, and Dixie State published their own report. President Monson's presence was particularly appropriate since Dixie State was founded by the LDS Church 100 years ago. In his address, President Monson spoke of three bridges that would help the 1,500 Dixie graduates in attendance safely navigate the chasms of life; the bridge of attitude, the bridge of integrity, and the bridge of service.

In summary, President Monson noted that attitude can make all the difference in our lives. He also noted that nothing requires more strength of character than swimming against the tide -- the ultimate test of integrity. And finally, he said that the ultimate in service is actually personal service -- face to face human interaction which goes beyond merely pulling out a checkbook. President Monson said the bridge theme was inspired by a sculpture in his Salt Lake City office inscribed with a poem titled "The Bridge Builder", originally written by Will Allen Dromgoole.

LDS Newsroom makes the complete text of President Monson's speech available HERE.

While students who spoke to the media afterwards were pleased withe President Monson's appearance, there were some who expressed opposition when the announcement was first made on March 29th, 2011. One student said he specifically chose Dixie State over BYU so he wouldn't have to listen to General Authorities speak on campus. Another student claimed that President Monson's appearance would "ruin" his graduation experience. But there were no overt signs of disagreement at the commencement itself.

LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson Number One On Slate's "80 Over 80" List Of Most Powerful Octogenarians In America For Second Year In A Row

President Monson and his wife

The influence of President Thomas S. Monson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to reverberate worldwide. For the second year in a row, President Monson was selected by Slate magazine for their "80 Over 80" list, representing those who Slate believes are the most influential people 80 years old and older in the United States. And for the second year in a row, President Monson ranks number one on the list. You can view the entire list in pictorial form HERE; mouse over each picture for the particulars.

Slate notes three critical facts about President Monson. He's regarded by 13 million Mormons worldwide as a prophet of God, he was at the center of controversy over the LDS Church's support of California Proposition 8, and has dedicated 10 new temples and announced plans for 16 more during his tenure.

President Monson also was number one on Slate's 2009 list, which you can view HERE. Surprisingly, his predecessor, Gordon B. Hinckley, did not make their first-ever list in 2008. Perhaps it was the controversy about Proposition 8 that made President Monson more publicity-worthy in the perspective of Slate.

To the best of my knowledge, no other Mormons made the list. As of this post, there's been no official reaction from the LDS Church to this story. However, there's an interesting article about President Monson entitled "Mormon Church President Thomas S. Monson's parents prepared him to serve" published on the Mormon Times.

One commenter to the Slate story, Darv Pamela Andersen, thought it was ironic to lump Thomas S. Monson and George Soros on the same list. But the list is merely of the most influential octogenarians, not necessarily the most righteous.