[Relief Society document]
... in order to prevent iniquitous characters from carrying their iniquity into effect; such, as for instance, a man who may be aspiring after power and authority, and yet without principle,— regardless of God, man, or the devil, or the interest or welfare of man, or the virtue or innocence of woman?
Shall the credulity, good faith, and stedfast feelings of our sisters, for the cause of God or truth, be impos'd upon by believing such men, because they say they have authority from Joseph, or the First Presidency, or any other Presidency of the Church; and thus, with a lie in their mouth, deceive and debauch the innocent, under the assumption that they are authoriz'd from these sources? [Underline: May God Forbid]! ...
We have been informed that some unprincipled men, whose names we will not mention at present, have been guilty of such crimes. We do not mention their names, not knowing but what there may be some among you who are not sufficiently skill'd in Masonry as to keep a secret, ... and all persons pretending to be authoriz'd by us, or having any permit, or sanction from us, are & will be [Underline: liars] & [Underline: base impostors], & you are authoriz'd on the very first intimation of the kind, to denounce them as such, & shun them as the flying fiery serpent, whether they are prophets, Seers, or revelators; Patriarchs, twelve Apostles, Elders, Priests, Mayers, Generals, City Councillors, Aldermen, Marshalls, Police, Lord Mayors or the Devil, are alike culpable & shall be damned for such evil practices; ...— Signed by
Hyrum Smith Joseph Smith, President of the church of Jesus Heber C. Kimball Christ of Latter Day Saints Willard Richards Vinson Knight[Del: s] Brigham Young, Prest. of the Quorum of the Twelve ...
[1.2.19 Copied Documents, March 31 and April 2, 1842, as quoted in Matthew J. Grow, Jill Derr, Carol Madsen, and Kate Holbrook, editors, The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women's History, The Church Historian's Press, 2016, https://churchhistorianspress.org/the-first-fifty-years-of-relief-society/]
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