According to Tribune reporter Brooke Adams, Warren Jeffs has resigned as “President of the Corporation of the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Inc.” All this really says is that Jeffs no longer is running the business side of things, which seems like a practical move considering his incarcerated position. I don’t know enough about FLDS theology to know what implications this has for Jeffs’ position as Prophet. Does anyone know how these positions relate to each other in the LDS church?
I have to wonder what this means for the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints. Is their Corporation of the President, like that of the LDS, a legal entity that very few know exists and consequently inconsequential to their everyday faith? Since the LDS Corporation controls Church departments like Curriculum, Correlation, and Physical Facilities, the power there, while not strictly ecclesiastical, is enormous. The Corporation controls both the course of study and the very places Latter-day Saints worship. But in a smaller organization like the FLDS, I doubt the bureaucracy has matured to that point. For that reason, I see Jeffs? resignation as being relatively minor to the FLDS rank-and-file.
Comment by Jeffrey Cannon — December 5, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
Actually, I believe in Jeffs’ case, the corporation owns every single piece of real estate where the Fundamentalists live. It owns their housing, land, etc.
Comment by Manuel — December 5, 2007 @ 11:13 pm
Is it appropriate to say, “I have no clue whatsoever”? *grin*
Comment by Ray — December 5, 2007 @ 11:23 pm
While I believe Manuel is correct, the FLDS Corporation does own a great deal of FLDS property, Jeffs is still the head of the FLDS church and probably holds sufficient sway with whomever is appointed as head of the Corporation that his resignation will be largely moot. Thanks for pointing that out, Manuel.
Comment by Jeffrey Cannon — December 5, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
It will be interesting to see who replaces Jeffs as the president of the corporation. That will give us an indication of the future direction of the FLDS. Jeffs removed a lot of people when he came to power and if one of these former leaders (a Barlow or a Hammon, for example) resurfaces it might mean a shift away from Jeffs and his group.
Or it might lead to further splintering of the FLDS. For several years the community on the other side of the road (Centennial Park) have been separated from the current (and former) FLDS leadership. The FLDS is not as monolithic as it once was.
Comment by John — December 6, 2007 @ 10:36 am
John: You raise a good point. In the court documents released earlier this year, Jeffs admitted that he usurped William E. Jessop’s position in the church a few years ago. I’m not sure, but I think that Jessop has remained faithful to Jeffs. With these new revelations, coupled with the opening of a powerful position, I think you’re right that we’ll see some power shifts and perhaps some additional splintering.
Comment by David Grua — December 6, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Being in Texas, I’m curious how this affects that compound in Eldorado, Texas.
Of course, I’ve been told (this is hearsay – though it’s hearsay from someone whose father was a member of Jeff’s group) that they’re also building another top secret compound in Nevada that no one has noticed.
Comment by Ivan A. Wolfe — December 6, 2007 @ 8:27 pm
I’m putting my money on the Hammons. It’s about time, anyway.
Comment by Steve — December 7, 2007 @ 12:29 pm