I recently watched a documentary about a Reformed Latter Day Saints community in the west and their new leader (referred to as Prophet).  The community had lost their last Prophet when he was arrested and convicted of child sexual abuse. Sent to prison, he eventually lost contact with his followers.  They went several years without a Prophet, thus without a leader.  Things were chaotic for a few years until a former member of the community appeared and claimed the former Prophet was now speaking through him.

He showed up with several wives and children.  Soon he had command.  Men actually “gave” him all of their daughters as wives…a couple of them even “gave” him their own wives. I asked myself how such a thing could happen. I can somewhat understand how grooming a female from birth (brainwashing) to believe she must always obey men, and especially their husband, then keeping them isolated from the real world, could lead to some of the ungodly practices, but grown men; Smart men with successful businesses?

 There are several reasons, but the most important one is that, in all cults (and this is a cult), there is one leader who wields all power and authority.  His “revelations” from God may be different from the last Prophet and the people accept that. Their current Prophet is never wrong. By the way, most new revelations somehow seem to benefit the Prophet more than the common member…this new one went from being evicted from a house several years before to owning two Bentleys, a Range Rover and two large homes.  He also married several underage girls and is serving a 50-year prison sentence.  I wonder if his time with power, wealth, and multiple molestations was worth it.

There will be no new revelations and no new scriptures.  And there will be no one with power and authority over you except Jesus Christ. As Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “but test them (prophecies) all, hold on to what is good.”