Forging a Dream: The Fabrication of Mosiah Hancock's Premortal Vision, a Paper by Jeremy Talmage

[Jaydes]

Forging a Dream: The Fabrication of Mosiah Hancock's Premortal Vision, a Paper by Jeremy Talmage


In Mormon theology a figurative veil of forgetfulness is placed over the minds of eternal beings, clouding their knowledge of what came before and obscuring their view of the world to come. Mormons also believe that visionaries, both ancient and modern, have peered into the eternities to reveal the economy of Heaven. Though authoritative statements about the afterlife can be found, relatively little is known about the soul's prior existence. As with any mystery, this enigma has piqued the curiosity of inquisitive minds. Increasingly, a vision experienced by Mosiah Hancock that divulges details about the sociality and purpose of the pre-earth life in heaven has steadily gained popularity and acceptance among Mormons because it explains the nature of the premortal realm. As it turns out, however, the widely published account of Mosiah Hancock's revelation is not his at all, but a modern forgery. 

Biography of Mosiah Hancock


Mosiah Lyman Hancock was born on April 9, 1834 in Kirtland, Ohio, into the heart of the developing Mormon movement. Less than a year after his birth, his father Levi, was called as one of the first seven presidents of the Seventy, a calling he would hold for nearly fifty years. This connection all but ensured Mosiah Hancock would never be far from important events in Mormon history.

Mosiah Hancock's prominence in the LDS church has led some to speculate that he was a secret polygamist child of Joseph Smith, though these claims have been repudiated through DNA evidence. Included in Hancock's writings are otherwise unknown details about one of Mormonism's most hotly contested issues: the initial phase of plural marriage. Since Joseph Smith's first polygamous marriage to Fanny Alger was shrouded in extreme secrecy, most could only speculate about the nature of their relationship. Rumors ran rampant in Kirtland, Ohio, about the prophet's affair with his house servant, yet Smith fought bitterly against the allegations that the relationship was adulterous. Nevertheless, he never outright denied his association with the girl. Alger herself refused to discuss the union and only said "that is all a matter of our own. And I have nothing to communicate." Mosiah Hancock, however, was Alger's cousin and privy to information other outsiders lacked. In his account, Hancock included crucial details about both the courtship process and the marriage itself. He indicated, for instance, that Levi Hancock, Mosiah's father, officiated at the marriage ceremony.


At times, the privations of the early Mormon experience were all too real. Hancock recalled that as a young child he arrived in Missouri with nowhere to stay, spent the first winter without any shelter from the snow, and foraged for any source of nourishment.
He also vividly remembered hearing the Missouri mob "swearing that they would kill every man, woman, and child belonging to the Mormons." This fear reached a climax when a group came searching for survivors of the Battle of Crooked River hidden on the Hancock property. He emotionally described his feelings, explaining that with his parents armed with axes, "I stood on the floor in front of the fire while those three dark figures stood outside our door. I felt sure my mother would get one of them even if they killed my father. I shudder to think of those dark times." The threat of mob violence, Hancock assures us, was not overstated. At one point, he reported seeing "a thing in the shape of a man grab an infant from its mother's arms and dash its brains out against a tree!" Another time, Hancock saw "fiends tie a young person to a bench, she was scarcely sixteen years of age, and fourteen things in human form performed 'that' upon a victim which would cause a hyena to revolt at their fiendish orgies! It continued long after their fainting victim had become unconscious." These crimes, combined with "other things too numerous to mention," Hancock claimed, finally convinced Mormons to abandon their homes and planned temple. After fleeing the state of Missouri, Hancock made his way barefoot in snow "deep enough to take me to the middle of the thigh" to Quincy, Illinois, only to nearly drown when the frozen ice of the Mississippi River collapsed during his crossing. In Nauvoo, Hancock interacted frequently with Joseph Smith and at one point served as his bodyguard. As persecution of the Mormons increased, he was once again forced to emigrate, this time across the plains with the pioneers on their trek west. Years later, Hancock was conscripted to fend off the advancing federal troops of Albert Johnston's army during the Utah War and reluctantly participated in the Walker Indian and Black Hawk wars. Conflicts with the Native Americans were particularly painful for Hancock, as he had been called as a Mormon missionary to the Indians. Taken together, Hancock's first-hand account of the horrors of the Missouri persecution, anecdotes concerning Joseph Smith, memories of the emigration westward, descriptions of settling what would become Utah and Arizona, and recollections about the frontier Mormon dilemma of trying to convert Indians while being forced to wage war against them form an invaluable source of information about key events in early Mormonism.

This opinion is not universal. Richard Howard has challenged the reliability of Hancock's statements, dismissing them as late reminiscences that contain inaccuracies.

The Vision

Mosiah Hancock's contributions to Mormon history, while significant, have been considerably overshadowed by his exposition of the pre-existence. Hancock related that in Payton, Utah, in 1855 he experienced a dream or vision of the glorious divine abode. In this vision, Hancock claimed he was miraculously transported to heaven and beheld God the Father. His vision also included a personal conversation with Jesus Christ about the reason for the creation of the earth and fascinating details concerning the society of the celestial community. According to Hancock, pre-existent souls were organized into classes to learn both the sciences and the arts, Once individuals became competent in an area of knowledge, they advanced from class to class so as to not hamper their development, the epistemological implication being that knowledge acquired on earth is just relearning of information repressed at birth. The final scene of the vision is one familiar to Mormons. In it, God, desiring the development and advancement of his children, convened a council and presented a plan. A savior appeared and presented himself as a redeemer if necessary, offering all the chance to attain God's glory. He was opposed by another, whose plan, deemed superior by some, promised to save all. In an unfamiliar episode, a platform materialized for the conflict that ensued, in which Hancock described his own participation. Two versions of Mosiah Hancock's visionary experience exist. An abbreviated account appeared within the text of Hancock's autobiography, The Life Story of Mosiah Hancock, and an expanded version was attached as an addendum. This addendum, with its vivid details and convenient theological explanations, is the one oft cited due to its controversial conclusions. 

It is not immediately apparent which of the two versions came into existence first. The addendum could be an augmentation of the narrative account, or conversely the addendum might be the original and the narrative a redaction. Most likely, though, the narrative account was created sometime before the addendum. The critical textual rule of lectio brevior potior ("the shorter reading is preferable") suggest the shortest version is nearly always closer to the original because of the human tendency to exaggerate rather than omit. 

The two accounts of Mosiah Hancock's vision ostensibly appear to be written by Hancock himself. Both describe the same event and have many details in common, though the addendum includes additional information. It is only when these differing accounts are examined side by side that Mosiah Hancock's authorship of the addendum becomes problematic. 

Internal Inconsistencies


The first thing that raises suspicion about the addendum is its existence in the first place. Referencing his vision, Hancock in his narrative account wrote, "I do not expect to give it in full: for to me it is sacred, beyond expression, especially some things I have no power to describe in words or to express in writing." Though it is possible that he changed his mind later in life, this statement indicates that Hancock was reticent to share parts of the vision. Why would Hancock attempt to write out a detailed account when he had already stated that he would not and could not adequately communicate it? Other small details call into question whether the same author wrote both accounts. In the narrative account, Hancock mentioned numberless females at God's right side. The addendum described God's wives on his left. The first possible discrepancy here is whether the women are generic females or more specifically God's wives. In the narrative account it is not entirely clear who these females are, and it is very possible that they could be God's wives since they are associated with him. The second point of contention, however, is more difficult to sort out. Were the females on God's right or the left hand? The difference between the right and left hand of God is a significant Christian metaphor. The narrative account seems to elevate these females into a position of honor on God's right, while the addendum places them in an inferior position on his left. Hancock was surely acquainted with the religious connotation of these terms. This symbolism is prevalent throughout the New Testament.

It is possible that this was a simple mix-up between the two tellings, but if Hancock was unsure of this minor detail, why include it at all? The minimization of female characters is a consistent trend in the addendum version of Mosiah Hancock's vision. For example, in the narrative account, pairs of souls, each consisting of a male and female, are brought before the throne of God to receive their respective names. Hancock related, "As they came up to the throne of the Grand Eternal the mothers seemed to name the females." It is not entirely clear if these mothers are the same females mentioned before, but in any case, these mothers play an exceptional enough role in this sacred naming ceremony to deserve mention. In the addendum, there is no reference at all to these mothers. Their role in the divine drama is either entirely outsourced or overlooked. The addendum only states that "pairs, male and female...passed in front of the Eternal Father who named them." The Addendum's depreciation of women does not end there. In the narrative account the males and females appear to hold equal standing, both before God and in the sight of each other. Hancock related, "Oh! The respect they seemed to entertain for each other as they marched forth. The right elbow of the female seemed to touch the left elbow of the male." Standing side by side, both sexes donned similar robes of a light color, comparable to the garment of the Savior. Males and females, however were not seen as exactly the same, since the schooling of these souls in heavenly classes was tailored to the strengths of each sex. While both learned oratory, literature, and mathematics, the females were also taught to weave, knit, and sew. The classes were also at time segregated with "the male overlooking the males and his female overlooking the females.: According to Hancock's narrative account, this arrangement proved very successful. He noted, "It seemed as if the female always kept with her companions for they were always together, for I never saw one fall behind." The addendum vision paints quite a different picture. In this rendition, in direct conflict with the narrative account, the classes were arranged with the "males sitting in front and the females behind them." No longer are both sexes standing side by side; instead, the female partner is relegated to the background. Also absent in the addendum are female instructors; they are completely replaced by named male tutors. While the narrative account makes frequent mention of women and places prominence on the role of female spirits, the addendum shifts the emphasis entirely to the males.

Unwarranted Additions


The addendum vision markedly expands upon the details presented in the narrative account. Not only are particulars added, but the entire focus of the story also takes a surprising turn into a complicated theological justification for polygamy. It does so largely through the embellishment of the premortal conflict, often referred to as the "war in heaven." The first emendation introduced is an abundance of information about the actors involved. The agitator, referred to as "another" in the narrative account, suddenly has an extensive backstory. This holds true for other characters in the vision. In the narrative version, participants have relative anonymity; males and females are talked about in general terms, and even Jesus Christ is referred to as one "looked up to as the Savior." The addendum, on the other hand, consistently speaks in specifics, naming characters such as Michael, Abraham, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff. Interestingly, the identity of one of the few named characters in the narrative version, Hancock's mother, Clarissa, is omitted in the addendum version, consistent with the androcentric bias of the document. We are told this previously unnamed character was no ordinary citizen of heaven, but rather a "very high military officer." It is further explained that "this one was Lucifer, a son of the morning, for many had been with the Father for countless ages, and learned their lesson well, and he had been no dull scholar." According to the addendum, this erudite general hatched a coup, and in the ensuing battle we learn the true origin of polygamy. The pre-existent souls who remained loyal to God "had a white star upon [them], and the others chose a red star, about one third of the males and females would not accept of either star, but withdrew from the conflict, the females taking the males by arm, 'Come, let us not take part with either side. Let us retire.'" A footnote states, "This sentence was changed to clarify its meaning, although the meaning was not changed in any way." This is one of three vague footnotes that I assume were only added to the addendum to lend plausibility to it being a transcribed text from Hancock. These neutral spirits were punished for their lack of gallantry, and it was determined that those who abstained from the conflict, both the males and the females, would become a "race of servants" on earth and be eternally banished from heaven. The connection between this neutral "race of servants" and the African race is assumed. Mirroring the language of Genesis 9:25 in which Noah cursed Canaan as "a servant of servants," the addendum builds upon a long tradition of interpreting black skin as a sign of divine displeasure. 

Most intriguing, though, is the fact that no women sided with Lucifer in the addendum's adaptation of the events. After the losing faction was ejected from heaven, a serious problem remained. Due to the surplus of females, God decreed, "Hear, O ye my children...for every male that has kept his first estate and fought valiantly for the Father and the Son, there are two females." Here is the unequivocal sanction of polygamy. From this statement, however, it would seem the ideal order would constitute marriages of exactly two females to every male. This was not to be the case. In due time "some males, even there in heaven would neglect their females. ...They would go off, arm in arm, as men now go, not having any desire for their duties." At this God lamented, "Oh, my neglected daughters, gather around these my faithful servants who have been faithful in teaching you the principles of righteousness and of our kingdom." Thus, the noblest males accumulated a large number of female partners until "every one of those neglected daughters was provided for." These additions present in the addendum lay out a complicated etiology for polygamy. Mosiah Hancock himself was a practicing polygamist, but it is curious that he would find it necessary to provide so much rationalization for a practice that was the norm during the period in question. Throughout his own history Hancock frequently mentioned polygamous marriages without paying any special attention to them. For example, at one point in his history Hancock emotionlessly reports, "President Young gave my father another wife." Also suspicious is the addendum's insistence on the divine injunction of polygamy "until every one of those neglected daughters was provided for," which seems inconsistent with his own experience. A plural wife of Hancock recalls that after approaching him in 1878 (twenty-three years after the purported dream) about the possibility of marriage, he responded that "he hadn't thought of taking another wife and that he must give the subject much thought and prayer before he could decide." Only after receiving a miraculous sign did he agree to the proposal. 

Textual History 


Hancock's vision of the pre-existence appears in The Life Story of Mosiah Hancock, published by his daughters Amy E. Baird, Victoria H. Jackson, and Laura L. Wassell. This manuscript, written in the first person, details Hancock's life up until 1865. The text does not read like a journal and is likely a reminiscence composed by Hancock at some later date. Scholars have estimated that the Life Story was created as early as 1876 or as late as 1901. Howard apparently based his 1901 date on Hancock's statement that "now after sixty-three years have passed, these are my thoughts concerning the liberty of the saints". Immediately preceding this remark Hancock describes events taking place in 1838, hence, sixty-three years later would be 1901. I believe, however, that Hancock's comment does not reference the material that precedes it, but rather serves as an introduction for the material that follows; a lifelong reflection on the subject of persecution. Therefore, I suggest Hancock composed the Life Story during his sixty-third year, in 1897 or early 1898. This seems probably since Hancock donated his father's history, which also contained a great part of his own story, to the Church Historian Office in 1896.  Hancock likely envisioned the Life Story as a continuation of his previous history and drafted this section the following year. The addendum vision was surely written after 1887. The addendum mentions Latter-day Saint leaders Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff in that order. Before 1887, the year Woodruff assumed leadership of the church, his inclusion in list would have been unusual. The Location of the original manuscript for the Life Story, including the addendum is unknown. Victoria Hancock Jackson, a daughter of Hancock remarked, "the latter part of the history written by himself is unobtainable." From this brief comment, it can be inferred that at one time a handwritten manuscript of Hancock's Life Story existed. As such, it is impossible to perform any handwriting analysis to definitively determine the authorship of either Life Story or the addendum.

His daughters, apparently for the benefit of his posterity, printed the narrative account sometime before 1943. The Church History Library in Salt Lake City possesses a microfilmed copy of the Life Story with handwritten edits by Martha Mariah Hancock Riding. Her handwriting matches notes also present in the history of her mother, Martha Mariah Mayer Hancock. Martha Riding died on May 1, 1943, setting the terminus ante quem for the Life Story's completion. Other than this, very few facts exist about the publication's creation. In 1953, the Church History department microfilmed a copy of the Life Story belonging to a descendent of Hancock. This copy belonged to Nyda Riding Hertig, the daughter of Martha Mariah Hancock Riding and granddaughter of Mosiah Hancock. The addendum is conspicuously absent from this early copy. The University of Utah and Brigham Young University are also in possession of early copies sans addendum. Almost a decade later, in 1962, a book containing Mormon visions and prophecies cites Hancock's Life Story, but appears to have no knowledge of the addendum of the vision.  And as late as February of 1969, an article examining the Life Story was clearly unaware of the addendum's existence. This was written by Richard Howard who was serving as the official RLDS Church Historian. He specifically calls into question Hancock's comments about polygamy in the text of the Life Story since at the time the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actively denied any sort of spiritual or scriptural basis for polygamy. If he was aware of the addendum, he certainly would have commented on it. The first documented appearance of the addendum did not occur until the latter part of 1969, and coincided with the death of Laura L. Wassell, Hancock's last descendant who had compiled the original Life Story, leaving no one to question the addendum's veracity. At this juncture, multiple copies of the Life Story with the addendum exploded onto the scene, all of which lack references to a publisher or date of publication. These copies all have a pink paper cover, a black-taped spine, and identical font, suggesting a single publisher.

The University of Utah acquired a copy, in which the first due-date stamp reads December 1969. The addendum's pagination varies slightly among the copies. Most copies have the addendum on pages numbered 71-74, but in this 1969 copy and one donated to the Church History Library in March of 1970, the addendum appears on pages numbered 1-4, and the pagination was changed in subsequent editions to make it appear as if the addendum was part of the narrative. Also added to later additions was a brief list of contents.  In 1970, the Church History Library, the University of Utah, and Brigham Young University each obtained additional copies that included the addendum. Widespread dissemination began around the same time.  The spring 1970 copy of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought listed the Life Story as being available for sale under "Selected Works of Mormon Interest." Noting the absence of a named publisher, Dialogue assumed "the Mosiah Hancock Journal" was "probably a reprint of the typescript at Brigham Young University Library." By simply tacking the provenance-less document onto the end of Hancock's Life Story, an anonymous author legitimized he addendum as authentic.

Context


Added to the Life Story in 1969, the addendum was almost certainly created around the same time, since its content displays commonalities with other attempts by Mormons to leverage aspects of their religious traditions during the cultural debates of the 1960s. For example, the addendum's description of the righteous arrayed in white stars with the wicked adorned in red stars distinctively matches the Cold War mentality of the era. Leaders of the LDS Church at the time were actively engaged in interpreting communism as a battle between the forces of good and evil on a cosmic scale. Ezra Taft Benson, a Mormon apostle, warned in a general conference of the church that communism was "turning out to be the earthly image of the plan which Satan presented in the pre-existence. The whole program of socialistic-communism is essentially a war against God and the plan of salvation. The very plan which we fought to uphold during the 'war in heaven.'" Benson clarified that not only was communism a "vast, worldwide 'secret combination,'" but also an "evil, satanical, priestcraft of Lucifer."  It would seem the addendum's satanical allusion to the diabolical origins of communism merely echo the rhetoric of right-wing Mormons during the sixties. Reflecting the attitudes of their leaders, Mormons during the 1960s saw communism as a larger threat than the general population. The notion that blacks were neutral in the pre-existent, which features prominently in the addendum, also better fits a twentieth century context. Noting statements by Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, and B.H Roberts, and because of its inclusion in non-Mormon descriptions of church theology, historian Lester Bush concluded that the so-called preexistence hypothesis "gained wide acceptance among the Mormons" during the nineteenth century. The prevalence of other contemporaneous theories, though, suggests adoption was far from universal. While this explanation for the church's priesthood restrictions existed during the lifetime of Mosiah Hancock, Brigham Young, an idol and mentor to Hancock, flatly rejected it.  Young's justification for denying blacks the priesthood did not come from unique Mormon beliefs, but rather popular interpretations of the Bible. Adopting common American assumptions that blacks were descendants of Cain and that black skin was the mark placed upon Cain's posterity. Young reasoned blacks were still under the divine curse and ineligible for the blessings of the priesthood. Young is recorded as saying, "There was No Nutral spirits in Heaven at the time of the Rebelion. All took sides. He said if any one said that He Herd the Prophet Joseph Say that the spirits of the Blacks were Nutral in Heaven He would not Believe them for He herd Joseph Say to the Contrary." Subsequent church presidents John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff abstained from blaming blackness on premortal unworthiness, while Lorenzo Snow explicitly rejected this reasoning. Elijah Able and Jane Manning James, both black Mormons, petitioned Taylor and Woodruff in 1879 and 1894, respectively, for permission to receive Mormon temple ordinances. Both requests were denied. Neither Taylor nor Woodruff justified their reasoning by referencing neutrality in the preexistence. Matthias Cowley recalls Snow telling him "that he did not believe that the Negroes were born into black bodies because of neutrality in their pre-existent state." By the turn of the century, Joseph Fielding Smith noted that the belief that "the negro race had been cursed for taking a neutral position in that great contest" had become "quite general," although he summarily dismissed it as "merely the opinion of men."

In 1949, a statement issued by the presidency of the LDS church hinted that "the conduct of [Negro] spirits in the premortal existence" may have "some determining effect upon the conditions and circumstances under which spirits take on mortality" but again relied mostly on other explanations. Not until the 1958 publication of Mormon Doctrine by General Authority Bruce R. McConkie does this theory become cemented as quasi dogma. McConkie offered the following opinion: "Those who were less valiant in the pre-existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are known to us as the negroes...but this inequality is not of man's origin. It...grows out of the lack of spiritual valiance of those concerned in their first estate." McConkie was not alone in this assessment. Other church leaders around the same time increasingly expressed similar sentiments. Though Mormons have always believed that choices made in the premortal world had mortal effects, it is only in the years leading up to the addendum's appearance that unique understandings about the preexistence gained currency as the standard theological framework for interpreting contemporary sociopolitical events. The addendum's author, like other Mormons, construed the turmoil surrounding the culture wars as a resurgence of the drama in the premortal realm. Instead of presaging the future, the addendum mirrors commonplace, conservative Mormon attitudes about communism and the spiritual standing of blacks during the 1960s.

The Addendum's Authorship 


Whoever authored the document was most likely interested in inventing a past for the present. As a leading scholar on religious forgery observed, historically "probably the most common reason for forging a document in someone else's name...was in order to receive a hearing for one's views." Publishing the content of the addendum vision as part of Hancock's Life Story masked the identity of the real author, but gave credence to the doctrines contained therein. The practice of pretending to be "someone else, a well-known author, a famous figure, an authority," has often been employed by religious counterfeits "to defend religious institutions or practices or to defend one's religious claims against those of opponents." It is clear that whoever authored the addendum vision of Mosiah Hancock needed a theological justification for the practice of polygamy. While conclusively proving authorship of the addendum is impossible since there is no extant manuscript and it only exists as a typescript attached to the Life Story, knowing the date of its publication makes it much easier to narrow down who might be responsible for its introduction. Coinciding with the appearance of the addendum in 1969 was an influx of pro-polygamous literature from Pioneer Press, run by Mormon fundamentalist Ogden Kraut. Excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972 for teaching and engaging in plural marriage, Kraut authored numerous self-published books starting in 1969. Though Kraut was not excommunicated until 1972, his involvement with polygamy began well before then. In 1966 people were already seeking him out for information about polygamy because of his interest in the subject and connections with polygamist groups. Even at this early date, Kraut's belief that the justification for polygamy could be traced back to the premortal realm is present. He relates a story of John Taylor counseling an unhappily married woman who asks him to petition God about her situation, and as a result Taylor "inquired of the Lord and found out that the woman had made a covenant to [another] man in the pre-existent state." Kraut reports that Taylor advised her to leave her legal husband and enter into a polygamous marriage with this other man. The press, located in his home, was funded in part by printing local church materials like calendars and newsletters; but its main function appears to have been printing works advocating for the reintroduction of polygamy. The first major publication from the press was the book Jesus Was Married, in which Kraut claims the historical Jesus was a practicing polygamist.

Interested in publishing the journals of Mormons that practiced polygamy during the nineteenth century, Kraut became aware of the Life Story shortly before the first appearance of the addendum. Around the same time as Pioneer Press published The Life Story of Mosiah Hancock, Kraut published excerpts from the journals of Mary E. Lightner and Charles Walker, which contained statements supporting polygamy. Kraut would later publish similar selections from the writings of Emily Partridge, L. John Nuttall, Elizabeth Brotherton, Benjamin F. Johnson, Cordelia Cox, Sarah Leavitt, Amasa Lyman, Eliza Partridge, Mary Ellen Kimball, and Wilford Woodruff. Writing to an acquaintance in May 1968, he disclosed, "I am trying to get a copy of the Mosiah Hancock Journal (Levi's son) which is one of the best journals around. Almost had the other day." By June Kraut had located a copy, but he was unable to publish it due to his other commitments. Finally, in the latter part of 1968, Kraut revealed "The Mosiah Hancock Journal should be done soon and I'm real excited about geting it out too." In response, Kraut's associate enclosed a check for ten advance copies of the Life Story. Contained within the copies he recieved is the earliest appearance of the addendum vision. Whether the addendum was written by another fundamentalist or Kraut himself authored the addendum and inserted it at the end of the Life Story, he nevertheless attempted to conceal his involvement with its publication. As noted earlier, Kraut's 1969 edition of the Life Story failed to include any reference to the publisher or date of publication. In his extensive list of publications, Kraut consistently refrained from taking credit for publishing the Life Story. Kraut's website lists numerous journals published under "Other Publications' but also fails to include the Life Story. Though in his pamphlets and books he quoted at length from Hancock's vision at least seventeen separate times, when citing the addendum he usually only mentioned that it was found in Mosiah Hancock's journal. 

At other times, wishing to lend credibility to the Hancock's statements, Kraut would direct his readers to the copy residing in the Special Collections at Brigham Young University. Only decades later, likely by accident, did Kraut connect the addendum to Pioneer Press. Only one known copy of the Life Story notes the publisher as Pioneer Press. Obtained by the Church History Library in 2008 and lacking a year of publication like the others, this copy was likely printed soemtime during the late 1980s or early 1990s. Recording the address for Pioneer Press as being on Highland Drive in Salt Lake City, this copy was published after the press moved from Dugway to Highland Drive and before it relocated again to Fort Union Boulevard in Cottonwood Heights. In his Kingdom of God series, he cited the addendum vision as "Mosiah Hancock Jrnl., Pioneer Press, p.72" Kraut was apparently proud of the prodigious output of his own press, and these citations conclusively show that Pioneer Press published the 1969 copies of the Life Story containing the addendum. In a few other works Kraut also references The Life Story of Mosiah Hancock as published by his press. The attitudes present in the addendum vision also parallel certain teachings particular to Kraut. While many Latter-day Saints during the sixties accepted their leader's teachings that the ban on priesthood ordination for blacks originated in the preexistence, they also held out hope for its eventual removal. In 1969, the same year as the addendum's appearance, the presidency of the Mormon church released a statement that claimed "Negroes...were not yet ready to receive the priesthood, for reasons which we believe are known to God, but which He has not made fully known to man," but "sometime in God's eternal plan, the Negro will be given the right to hold the priesthood." Kraut disagreed.

After the Mormon priesthood was extended to all raced in 1978, Kraut published an angry letter addressed to church president Spencer W. Kimball. In it he explained, "The skin of blackness was a cursed given to the Negro race because of their disappointing weakness int he pre-existence....if they are still being born black, they must still be of that class to whome the curse was given int he pre-existence." What set Kraut apart from other Mormons was his peculiar insistence that "African Negroes...in the resurrection receive not a Celestial glory" due to their "evil actions" in the spirit world. This attitude aligns perfectly with the addendum's adaptation of events in which blacks were eternally banished from heaven for their neutrality with "no power to return." Kraut was also confident that the excess of women in heaven necessitated polygamy on earth, since no women followed Satan, subsequently throwing off the rations of partners.  He stressed, "women in the pre=mortal life were not rebellious...no such coevant was made between the devil and any of the female hosts in the Pre-Existence. He didn't get to take any women with him- not even a prostitute, a whore, nor a witch. Not even the worst pre=mortal woman fell for his lies and big promises. Without polygamy, Kraut believes a great multitude of women would be denied an opportunity to gain eternal glory. Kraut's writings likewise prominently featured the Soviet red star. It appears that he harbored a deep disdain for communism, even going as far as calling it a "diabolical conspiracy." In a lengthy treatise condemning the evils of communism entitled The Coming American Revolution, published shortly after the appearance of the addendum, Kraut clarified that "communism is not from men but from the devil." In the addendum, Satan was the first to wear the red star, vaguely suggesting a relationship between Satan and communism, though it is only implied.

In Kraut's other writings, however, he makes the connection certain. He remarked, "At this point it should be noted that the symbol used by the United States is a white star. It is posted on all American aircraft, tanks, and other military forces. It is significant that Russia and China use a red star on their military equipment. Later he explained that these tokens have eternal significance: "It is interesting that symbols, emblems and ensigns have always been important to people. Even in the Pre-Existence it was recorded that they had a special meaning. ...The star symbol carried over into mortality and was used on many flags. It became a significant part of all the United States flags." The addendum's anachronistic emphasis on the red star's timeless significance is remarkably congruous with Kraut's teachings.

The Addendum's Legacy


As the LDs Church reconsidered the origins of the racial priesthood ban, distanced itself from its polygamous past, softened language on communism, and began proselyting in eastern European countries, Ogden Kraut used the addendum's premortal explanations to justify his dissent. Today, the LDS church officially "disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin...reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life" and "believes that monogamy- the marriage of one man and one woman- is the Lord's standing law of marriage." Kraut, who referenced the addendum vision over a decade before any other known author, eventually introduced it to others through literature published by Pioneer Press. For many contemporary Mormon fundamentalists, the addendum version of Mosiah Hancock's vision vindicates their continued opposition to the mainstream LDS Church on these matters. Kraut continued publicizing the addendum vision until shortly before his death in 2002. His son, Kevin Kraut, who currently runs Pioneer Press, continues to advertise and distribute the addendum vision in print and online. In 2006, Pioneer Press released a new edition entitled Levi and Mosiah Hancock Journal Excerpts. 

In an online promotion of the book, Kevin Kraut divulges that it was his father's wish that these journals be reprinted. He commented, "Out of all the jounrals, probably in Mormon history, this one has some of the most valuable resources and valuable material in it." Immediately following this remark, he cited exitensively from the addendum. The addendum also lives on in the writings and revelations of Art Bulla. A convert to the Mormon church in the early 1970s, Bulla had a falling out with the Latter-day Saints following the announcement of the rmeoval of the priesthood restriction in 1978. Likely attracted to Ogden Kraut because of his position on this issue and other fundamentalist teachings, Bulla obtained a copy of the addendum vision sometime after meeting Kraut in 1981. Kraut found a promising disciple in Bulla, who was enamored with his ideas and writings, though their relationship soured after Bulla started recieiving revelations that Kraut "be subject unto [Bulla] in all things." Bulla would go on to claim he was the prophesied "one mighty and strong" in Doctrine and Covenants 85, found a separate fundamentalist church in 1983, and produce his own anthology of scripture known as The Revelations of Jesus Christ. The prophecies in Bulla's holy book make specific references to Hancock's addendum vision and, in God's voice, reiterate that due to the "surplus of females it was ordained by me, that my sons who were valiant and deserving should gather up these lone females, who had no mate." Five years after founding his own church, Bulla had not yet been able to find any woman willing to practice polygamy. Eventually, Bulla claimed to have endorse. a divine commandment to canonize the addendum vision by adding  it to The Revelations of Jesus Christ. Bulla's emendations include introducing versification to the text and adding a preface dedicated to Hancock. Today, Bulla actively runs a website and podcast where he continues to endorse the addendum and Kraut's other writings in an attempt to attract potential followers. Bulla extolled Kraut's writings as being "of inestimable importance" and claimed "no one does this better than Ogden Kraut." Incorporating Kraut into his own messianic mission, Bulla called Kraut a forerunner, "an Elias for The One Mighty and Strong. His mission, saith the Lord, was to detect and preserve true doctrine so it would not be destroyed in the revisionism going on due to the influx of liberalism."

Also of note is a work entitled What Was the Life Mission of Mosiah Hancock?: Or the Mosiah Hancock Sermon by John Haws Burrell. In this manifesto Burrell attempts to lay out the theological justification for polygamy by extensively examining the addendum vision. He even recounted the miraculous manner in which he was able to obtain a copy of Mosiah Hancock's vision. Not surprisingly, Burrell remarked that he became aware of it through Pioneer Press. This was Burrell's last act as a free man. At the same time he was expounding on the addendum, he was also molesting thirteen-and fourteen-year old children. Four months after publishing his book, he was convicted on twelve counts of sexual battery, three counts of rape, and two counts of coercion of a witness. According to Burrell, God's revelation to Mosiah Hancock recorded in the addendum validated his actions.

Conclusion


The addendum vision of Mosiah Hancock is almost certainly a forgery. Created to rationalize the continued practice of polygamy, it reflects widespread Mormon attitudes unique to the 1960s about the premortal origin of communism and the race-based priesthood proscription. Ogden Kraut attached the addendum to a new edition of the Life Story toward the end of 1969 and from there quoted it frequently to support his own views concerning plural marriage.

Whether Kraut or some other fundamentalist Mormon ultimately authored the addendum is indeterminable, though Kraut's affinity for the addendum, his attempts to conceal his involvement in its publication, and his proclivity to share it with others all point to his personal investment in its propagation. At first, even the controversial aspects of the addendum version of Mosiah Hancock's premortal vision failed to generate much attention. During the latter part of the twentieth century, however, the addendum vision has seen an explosion in interest, in part because of the emergence of the internet. Used widely by fundamentalist Mormons to support their continuance of polygamy, by critics of the Mormon church to expose its supposed hypocrisy, and even by serious scholars of Mormonism who are attracted to its details about premortality, the addendum has gained gradual acceptance. While Hancock's Life Story is a valuable resource for students of early Mormon history and the original recital of his visionary experience provides interesting insights about what might have preceded Earth life, the addendum account, as strange as some of its episodes seem to us, doubtlessly would have been even more unfamiliar to Mosiah Hancock.

Manuscript Vision


"About the time I was one and twenty years of age, I know not whether to call it a dream or a vision; some have classed it a dream. I do not expect to give it in full: for to me it is sacred, beyond expression, especially some things I have no power to describe in words or to express in writing. Me thought I was taken away somewhere to Oh! such a Glorious Realm. I saw He whom at that time we Reverently spoke of as The Great Eternal. I saw the females at his right side. I have no idea of their number. I there saw the Savior; and calling me by name He said, "Mosiah, I have brought you here that you may know how it was before you went to yonder earth." Thinks I, What earth? for it seemed to me that I had no knowledge of an earth. He said, "As it is written in the Beginning, God created man, male and female, created He them." "And know you that no man is man without female, and that in the Lord. And no female is female without the male, and that in the Lord." I shall not attempt to tell how they were formed...suffice it to say, they were created in pairs, the male and his female. And as they came up to the throne of the Great Eternal the mothers seemed to name the females, and Oh! the respect they seemed to entertain for each other as they marched forth. The right elbow of the female seemed to touch the left elbow of the male. I should judge the males, generally to be about six feet two inches in height, and the females some three or four inches less. Their forms seemed as perfect as a new born infant, with no interference. They marched forth clothed in robes of a light color, tied in front.
They were instructed in everything that could be imagined, the finest oratory and everything of literary turn, including astronomy, trigonometry, surveying and the use of most delicate machinery. The females were taught to weave, to knit, to sew and to work in everything in their departments. Oh! the music of those spheres; I seem inadequate to touch upon the least of those accomplishments of the Heavenly Characters. Yet they were so orderly and harmonious that it seemed as if one could hear a pin drop. I saw some who became more efficient in science or other knowledge and they were advanced from class to class. It seemed as if the female always kept with her companion for they were always together, for I never saw one fall behind. Even those who had been placed to overlook the classes were always together. The male overlooking the males and his female overlooking females. I even had a companion with me that needed no prompting. It seemed that I had been with the Savior so long, it seemed that I wore the same vesture as his. All at once a Heavenly voice seemed to reverberate, as it were, through the immensity of space and said: "Hear all ye, Oh my children! We have a world for you on which you can dwell and you can have the chance on coming up as we have come up." We then gathered together in counsel to devise means of redemption, should it be needed. One arose whom I had always looked upon as the Savior and said that he would go down and lay before the Children of men the gospel that they might have the chance of attaining the glory as the Gods had done by the obedience to the Divine Plan of Life. Then I saw another who supposed his plan to be superior to the plan of the first for he said that he would save all; only that he wanted the glory. I saw that he and his plan were not accepted, so there was considerable commotion. At last I saw, as it were, a platform extended where the contest could be decided. I was indignant at the opposition as we fought with our opponents. The one called Levi became my father, and the one called Clarissa was my mother here on earth. My father seemed a savior as he strove to bring me up in the admonition of the Lord; and blessed be the name of my parents. Clarissa became my mother and she certainly did a christian duty to me. But there are others who have no right with me or mine, that I cheerfully leave in the hands of One that I know doeth all things well. Although I have been weak at times, I trust that I can be worth of Glory hereafter."

Addendum Vision


"When about twenty-one years of age, I was permitted by the power of God, to go into His presence and into my former abode. I saw the Eternal Father on His throne and His wives on His left side, all shining in glory, I saw the Savior and knew Him. It takes the power of the Holy Ghost to tell the difference between the Father and the Son, they look so much alike Jesus said: 'Mosiah, I have brought you here to show you how it was befor e you went to the earth.' I had been to the earth; everything looked so natural and familiar. I seemed to have been a companion of the Savior and talked with him like a friend. Again, He spoke to me and said: 'Look and see man as he came forth.' I looked in the direction indicated and saw an innumerable line of God's children extending further than I could see. They were arranged in pairs, male and female, and passed in front of the Eternal Father who named them; and they were clad in long white robes with girdles tied around the waists; each pair seemed to have been created mates.

"When thus clothed; they were arranged in classes of about two hundred; the males sitting in front and the females behind them. They were taught in the arts and sciences, and everything necessary to make the heart happy The teachers of the classes received the instruction they imparted from certain notable ones, who in turn got their directions from the Father and the Son- I thought I was one to overlook the classes; I also saw Joseph, Brigham and many others engaged in this work of education. I thought as some became more efficient than others they were advanced from class to class I thought my name was Mosiah, and the names of the other brethren there were the same as upon the earth. All at once there was a gathering of these spirits and the voice of the Great Eternal (for that is what we called God there) spoke: 'Oh, ye my children,' and His voice penetrated throughout space, so countless were His offspring 'We have an earth prepared for you, on which you can dwell and have a chance to come up, thru obeying our Heavenly laws.'
"I there heard the question asked: 'Who will go down and set an example of humility and faithful ness to these my children, that they may be brought, thru obedience to our laws, back into our presence?'
"I thought I saw one in the express image of the Father say, 'Father, I will go down and set a pattern of humility and patience that your children, thru my example, may be brought back again.' How noble, I thought, He looked when He offered Himself so patient before the children of our Father.

"I saw another, who seemed to be a very high military officer who arose and said: 'I will go down to yonder earth and surely I will bring all your children back to you so none of them shall be lost.'

"The plan of the first was accepted as being the only sure plan for an exaltation The plan of the second was rejected with great kindness, but the second was not satisfied; and while the first stood in great humility by the side of the Father, the sec ond with many who stood in with him, went about among the Heavenly hosts to advocate the plan, that was put forth as the rights of the second. This one was Lucifer, a son of the morning, for any had been with the Father for countless ages, and learned their lessons well, and he had been no dull scholar. Finally Lucifer openly rebelled against the Father and the Son and six other mighty ones who stood faithful with them and declared, 'I will have it my way.' I saw the faithful ones gather around the Father and the Son, and Lucifer's workers gathered around him, when one of the notable ones, who was called Michael, arose and said, 'We will decide the contest' It seemed that a platform was extended into space,. upon which we could operate, by what power I could not tell. We who were faithful to the Father and the Son, had a white star upon us, and the others chose a re d star, about one third of the males and females would not accept of either star, but withdrew from the conflict, the females taking the males by the arm, said, 'Come, let us not take part with either side. Let us retire-' (When they were cast out after the manner of spiritual warfare,) they had no power to return. When they were all cleared from the platform and Satan and his followers were all cast down, their female companions wept, and we all wept.
"No females took part against the Father and the Son, but all took sides in their favor, except the. neutral ones already mentioned.  After the tears were dried, from our eyes, the voice of the Great Eternal spoke again and said, 'Hear, O ye my children;' His voice penetrating the immensity of space so that all could hear it; it is decreed by the Great Eternal that the females shall not follow their ma les in their banishment, but for every male that has kept his first estate and fought valiantly for the Father and the Son, there are two females. Again it is decreed that those males who have taken no part in this great conflict shall keep their females and a race of servants shall they be.' I then saw that the notable ones who had taken such an interest in the rights of the Father and the Son were appointed to gather up those lone females whose companions had been cast down They were again placed in classes. each man having two females in the ranks behind him. I there saw that they were again taught in their classes, which now contained about three hundred. I next saw Michael and his companion proceed a long way off, to people the earth where Lucifer and his FOLLOWERS HAD BEEN CAST. As time passed, other notable ones followed as they were appointed. During all this time the classes met frequently, being taught by instructors appointed. Each member knew his or her own-place, and took it each time, and the best of order prevailed. They were asked, first the males, and then the females behind them, 'Will you obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when you go to that earth?' Some would answer, yes, but not all. Some could be asked, Will you obey that law which placed the Gods on high? And in very few cases I would hear the females say, 'I want my own mate' Sometimes the question would be asked of a male, 'Will you obey that higher law? and he would answer, 'I wish to enjoy myself with the females' Sometimes when the question would be asked of the females she would reply 'I wish to enjoy myself with the males.' Again the question would be asked of the males, 'If you will not join the Church of Christ, what do you wish to be? He would som etimes say, 'I wish to be a judge, or an officer of high rank among the people ' Then he would be asked, 'Will you sustain the laws of God and also the rights of all mankind?' and the answer in every instance was, 'yes. ' I saw there that those who were proficient in their classes were advanced more rapidly until they became most perfect in those heavenly teachings, but some males, even there in Heaven would neglect their females and their classes and not meet with them. They would go off, arm in arm, as men now go, not having any desire for their duties. I never saw a female leave her place in the class assigned her by the Heavenly powers. I saw Abraham, when he came back from the earth, and many of the notable ones, when they came back to be crowned I saw them step upon the platform of the Gods and receive their crowns, and enter into their exaltations. At last I s aw the time when Joseph was to go forth, and the voice of the Great Eternal said, 'Oh, my neglected daughters, gather around these my faithful servants who have been faithful in teaching you the principles of righteousness and of our kingdom, that others may come up and have the chance to be glorified-' I saw many of them gather around Joseph and form a ring with him and the Savior in the center.  They made a covenant with him that they would meet him on the earth and help him establish that great work upon the earth. I saw many of them gather around Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and many other notable ones, and around many who have not become so notable. They formed rings around each of them with Christ in the center each time, for He rehearsed to them the Covenant. They would take each other by the hand, in the circle and bow their faces down to Him, in the center, and in the most solemn manner agree to meet them here, until every one of those neglected daughters was provided for; and they were filled with such joy that their songs made a paradise of the realm.  

"At last The time came for me to go to the earth. The Savior came to me and said, 'Mosiah, it is time for you to prepare to go. You have been faithful so long here it is time for you to go, that you may return and be as we are.' As I beheld Him, I thought, 'How is it that I am not as you are now? For it seemed, that I knew nothing of the earth or the changes a probation there would make in me. However, I said, 'Who will go down to that earth, and be my father, and help me that I may be brought in the ways of truth and righteousness?' A male by the name of Levi stepped forth, in the presence of the Son, and said, 'I will go down to yonder earth, a nd by the help of the Great Eternal, I will try to do as well by you as you have done for me, for I am grateful to you for all your kindness to me.' He returned to his place, being an instructor of a class. I was one among others who was appointed to instruct him and the other teachers of classes. A female came out of the class and bowing before the Savior and me, said, 'I will go down and be your mother.' In a short time the man disappeared and was immediately followed by the woman. I knew my departure was near at hand and I asked, 'If on my return I could have the same position I then held.' Then the Savior said, Yes, and greater, but you have to go down to the earth, and take a lowly position and be misunderstood by man, even your brethren and endure many hardships ant set many examples of humility and patience, that you may return and enter the glory, even such a s I have.' He then added, 'Your time is now come to take your mission to the earth,' and He laid His hands on my head, as He had done to others, and set me apart for that important mission. He again said to me, 'I will see you safely thru until you return again.' I fully believe on that promise. It seemed as though a way was opened before me, and I dived down toward the earth with the speed of lightening and awoke while sailing thru space.

The End.

Mosiah Hancock"

[FrankOne]

although i have no ax to grind on this subject, I slowly skimmed the post above and observed that someone took alot of time to create the treatise for a personal reason. An ax to grind. The treatise is chock full of maybe's, innuendo, and biased assumptions in order to create a presumed conclusion. That author has no idea if the Hancock journal is authentic or not, but he certainly had motivation to prove it false.

I decided to post this because in today's world , for every historical document that exists, there is someone saying "It's fake". KlOwN world.