In 1958, Robert Eaby wrote a two-page document with the scriptural reference that expanded the traditional Mormon view of seven dispensations of the gospel and, more importantly, portraited Ross LeBaron’s patriarchal work in cosmic proportions. The “ten weeks” described in the apocryphal Book of Enoch were identified by Eaby as ten dispensations of the gospel. QuotingContinue reading “Becoming The Head of the Eighth Dispensation”
Category Archives: Teachings
The LeBaron Family and The Patriarchal Keys
“It is true that the LeBaron Brothers have committed a lot of crimes, but so did the sons of Jacob”, wrote Ross LeBaron a few years after the death of his brother Ervil [1]. In Ross LeBaron’s perspective, even in the worst actions taken by his brother, the LeBarons would fit the ancient Israelite narrativeContinue reading “The LeBaron Family and The Patriarchal Keys”
Ross LeBaron: the Three Periods of Mormonism
For Ross Wesley LeBaron, the history of Mormonism could be divided into three periods of 60 years each. He believed to be living during the last period, presided by “the LeBaron keys’, holding the same priesthood that existed during the days of Adam. In this excerpt of his radio show on KSXX, from the lateContinue reading “Ross LeBaron: the Three Periods of Mormonism”
Was Ross LeBaron a Mormon Fundamentalist?
“I have been associated with the Fundamentalists since 1936” – Ross Wesley LeBaron wrote to Fundamentalist leader Margarito Bautista in December 1958 – “but have stood a hundred percent on my own feet.”[1] Almost 27 years later, LeBaron would give a more detailed – and probably more honest – account of his early association withContinue reading “Was Ross LeBaron a Mormon Fundamentalist?”
Ross LeBaron: Priesthood Expounded, 1985
Priesthood Expounded is the last tract published by Ross LeBaron during his lifetime. It contains, among other themes, his views on the different orders of the priesthood, his belief in the Adam-God doctrine and reincarnation, as well as an explanation of the coming of Elijah to the Nauvoo temple, an event LeBaron believed was essentialContinue reading “Ross LeBaron: Priesthood Expounded, 1985”
Ross LeBaron: Letter to J. Marion Hammon, 1958
On 17 December 1958, Ross Wesley LeBaron wrote a letter to J. Marion Hammon condemning the path taken by the Mormon Fundamentalist Priesthood Council: Whenever an organization casts out the thinkers of its membership, and only keeps the “yes men” and “blind followers”, it soon comes to an end. LeBaron is referring above to anContinue reading “Ross LeBaron: Letter to J. Marion Hammon, 1958”
Mormon Fundamentalism and the Sealing Keys of Hyrum Smith
Ross W. LeBaron claimed to have “the patriarchal keys of the lineage of the Prophet Joseph”. He considered his heirship to the Mormon Prophet “the highest title of birth, and the second order of priesthood,” as he stated to Joseph White Musser in 1951. Lebaron believed the Mormon Fundamentalist movement, on the other hand, operated underContinue reading “Mormon Fundamentalism and the Sealing Keys of Hyrum Smith”
Sunstone 2018: Ross LeBaron and The Church of The First-Born
On July 28, I`ll be presenting a paper on Ross LeBaron at the Sunstone Summer Symposium to be held this year at the Mountain America Expo Center, in Sandy, Utah. A religious innovator within the Mormon tradition, Ross LeBaron (1914-1996) organized The Church of the First-Born in 1955. Although commonly identified by outsiders as aContinue reading “Sunstone 2018: Ross LeBaron and The Church of The First-Born”
Ross LeBaron: Letter to Margarito Bautista, 1958
“Lehi was evidently the first-born of Manasseh; for he followed the patriarchal pattern[,]” wrote Ross LeBaron about the Book of Mormon patriarch. “His youngest son held the right of the first-born (evidently of the tribe of Manasseh). Lehi was patriarch to a new world, Jacob priest, and Nephi King.” A Mormon Fundamentalist, Margarito Bautista hadContinue reading “Ross LeBaron: Letter to Margarito Bautista, 1958”
Ross LeBaron: Brigham Young Speaks, 1975
Published by Ross W. LeBaron in 1975, the pamphlet Brigham Young Speaks was a compilation of statements on the Adam-God doctrine, without editorial comments. It was the product of Fred Collier’s research, then an adopted son of Ross LeBaron. Later, Collier republished the pamphlet under his name with the title Adam-God in a Nutshell. InContinue reading “Ross LeBaron: Brigham Young Speaks, 1975”