The Pedersen Letter

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_hnpedersen
_Emeritus
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Re: The Pedersen Letter

Post by _hnpedersen »

. I am responding to the remarks made about the Pedersen letter i wrote in 1975 to president Ralph Bradley.
I met President Bradley under the most unusual circumstance when he was President of the Federal Heights Stake, not to be mentioned. He began to visit me often. Even inviting me to counsel with him on matters within the stake not to be mentioned. At the time i was working at Geneva Steel as General Foreman on the Blast Furnaces. After the furnace is cast out there is a twenty to forty minute cooling off period before the clean up is made for the next cast. I would read the scriptures in my office. The workers began coming in and asking questions active, inactive and nonmembers alike. It became like a short seminary class at times, especially on the swing and midnight shift.
As Elders president i visited every Elder once every three months with my counselors and secretary alternating with them. For three years very few became active, Then of a sudden the men at work began going to the temple, getting active and the non- members baptized. The inactive Elders became active with just one or two additional visits. I was happy as my wife and I attended the temple with them We received many letters from their families and rumors spread though out the valley, especially at work. I was being invited to speak at many firesides, sacrament meetings, fifth Sunday meetings, girls and boys camps. It got so bad i spoke on one Sunday in six meetings between Salt Lake City and Payson. Another Sunday I spoke at a stake priesthood meeting in Gunnison, two sacrament meetings and on the way home a sacrament meeting late in Payson ending up at a fireside in Lehi. I averaged that year three and one-half talks a week.
President Bradley hearing all the rumors asked how it all happened and asked to write a letter explaining it. The letter was written as it is. It has nothing to do with the making of one's calling and election sure or the washing of the feet or second anointings. It was a simple expanatio of the struggles one goes through as they repent exercising their faith By such a process everyone that does so receives an increase in spiritual ability and knowledge unto the convincing of men. Read D.C. 11: 21. I am now almost 87 and serve daily in the Mount Timpanogos temple It becomes a gift from God and as you teach from the scriptures it lends you the voice of authority nd the Holy Ghost witnesses to that listen. It is the ordinances of the priesthood in which the power of godliness is manifest to men in the flesh. Thank you for reading and i hoppe uyou understand.
_RockSlider
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Re: The Pedersen Letter

Post by _RockSlider »

Brother Pedersen,

It's good to hear you are still active and working at the Timpanogos Temple.

I assume you knew of the tales told of the sharing of the letter at that time and hence why you would say it had been your hell. There were many of those I knew who so looked up to you and used this letter as a kind of guide/expectation that we might follow your lead.

It was rumored/assumed that one would expect the most extreme of a trial of their faith before the promised blessing. I'm sure the gift of a testimony to the convincing of men was yours, but I'm still convinced it was about much more. I still remember your Especial Witness of Jesus Christ at that first years Christmas Devotional in the old Tabernacle, and how the spirit poured over me, over and over again like waves in an ocean during that testimony.

Pretty crazy how that fly interrupted your blessing upon me that night in your office. Fate/fore-ordination I suppose that crushed me at the time, and the trial of my faith has remained intense from that time forward. I remember so well the time of realization that the promised blessing, even those of sealing of which you spoke, would never be mine. The time the heavens turned to brass and it tore my soul wide open.

Whatever the original intent, that is how it spread, and I assume why it was intended to bury it. Especially at at time, unbeknownst to us that the Church was turning the Gospel ship as fast as possible from the old school teachings, and even the B.R.McConkie doctrines to the milk-toast correlated gospel of today.

I can only hope that others that dedicated their lives to this pursuit made out better than I, and to those that it did not, we deserve better than having this part of our life buried along with so many other things.

It is because of this I've captured this witness in a small corner of this brave new world. I put no blame on you for any suffering, you were simply the messenger.
_Jesse Pinkman
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Re: The Pedersen Letter

Post by _Jesse Pinkman »

Very interesting thread, Rock! Thanks for sharing this.

I have a question about one of your comments:

Rock wrote:Pretty crazy how that fly interrupted your blessing upon me that night in your office. Fate/fore-ordination I suppose that crushed me at the time, and the trial of my faith has remained intense from that time forward. I remember so well the time of realization that the promised blessing, even those of sealing of which you spoke, would never be mine. The time the heavens turned to brass and it tore my soul wide open.


Why do you feel that the promised blessings (Second Annointing and Calling and Election made sure) can never be yours? What specifically made you come to that realization?
So you're chasing around a fly and in your world, I'm the idiot?

"Friends don't let friends be Mormon." Sock Puppet, MDB.

Music is my drug of choice.

"And that is precisely why none of us apologize for holding it to the celestial standard it pretends that it possesses." Kerry, MDB
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_Dr. Shades
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Re: The Pedersen Letter

Post by _Dr. Shades »

Dear hnpedersen,

Thank you so much for joining us. What do angels look like, and what were the circumstances that required them to be entreated by you? Also, what did the scriptures that are yet to be written say?
"Finally, for your rather strange idea that miracles are somehow linked to the amount of gay sexual gratification that is taking place would require that primitive Christianity was launched by gay sex, would it not?"

--Louis Midgley
_Tobin
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Re: The Pedersen Letter

Post by _Tobin »

Dr. Shades wrote:Dear hnpedersen,

Thank you so much for joining us. What do angels look like, and what were the circumstances that required them to be entreated by you? Also, what did the scriptures that are yet to be written say?


I too would like to hear about your experiences with these beings. I have seen one of these beings and spoke with it and would be very interested to hear your account.
"You lack vision, but I see a place where people get on and off the freeway. On and off, off and on all day, all night.... Tire salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it'll be beautiful." -- Judge Doom
_grindael
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Re: The Pedersen Letter

Post by _grindael »

If man is truly nothing, then why the almost palpable worship complex for the "brethren"? It reeks of propaganda.
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One step where events converge may alter your perception.
_The Erotic Apologist
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Re: The Pedersen Letter

Post by _The Erotic Apologist »

Rockslider wrote:At the time this was not off the wall stuff at all, it was foundational in the likes of

Harmston leading members off to Manti. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_and_ ... _Last_Days)

Pedersen was also a bit of a "troubleshooter" for the Brethren and worked with many that went to Manti to try and get them to repent and return.

From the link: In 1998, two disaffected members accused Harmston of fraud when they failed to see Jesus.[12] In 2002, a court granted them $300,000, but the suit was later overturned. An appeals court in 2005 granted the two former members the right to a new trial.[13] The settlement was later reduced to $60,000 due to the church's financial hardship.[14]

Was this the inspiration for Tom Philips' lawsuit?
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