“When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done.” – Improvement Era, Ward Teachers’ Message June 1945
J Raymond Cope
In response to this message, a Christian minister was troubled by what control the Mormon church leaders had on the people of Utah. He was not a Mormon, but a Unitarian minister in Salt Lake City. After his time in Utah, he went on to First Unitarian Church of Berkeley where he helped shape the community at the University of California. The Harvard Square Library describes him in a biography:
Cope had character, charisma, modest friendliness, and intellectual ability combined with open-mindedness, inventiveness, and willingness to progress. He was sincere about himself but could always take a humorous approach to himself. He was not above doing a church maintenance or carpentry chore. To him, religion was a great and enduring human need. His concepts of God, morality, forgiveness, and conscience were taken over intact by many.
His sermons were interesting and challenging. Neither Humanist, Theist, nor Deist, he minimized differences between members’ philosophies and maximized what they had in common. He could inspire and lead the young as well as adults and the elderly. As with all strong personalities, he had some dissenters to his leadership, but, forgive the pun, Dr. Cope could cope better than most, and much of any minister’s life is coping.
The letter from J Raymond Cope is available along with the response from President George Albert Smith are both available at the Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library of the University of Utah, please send us a photo of them if you’re in the area and able to go for a visit. They have also been published in the Spring issue of Dialogue in 1986 with this note:
A 1945 Perspective
This 1945 ward teachers’ message on the obedience apparently required of Church members, the response it sparked from a concerned Salt Lake City Unitarian minister, and the response of Church President George Albert Smith to both documents seem appropriate accompaniments to the Newell essay (An Echo from the Foothills: To Marshal the Forces of Reason).
Minister J Raymond Cope’s Letter to President George Albert Smith
The letter expresses appreciation for the leaders of the LDS Church and their friendly and charitable demeanor. However, he then expresses concern and distress regarding the contents of the “Sustaining the General Authorities of the Church” teaching. He relates a story of a member of the church who was essentially brought to a state of faith crisis because of the message that members should not question or think independently.
“There was delivered to my door a short religious editorial, prepared by one of your leaders, entitled “Sustaining the General Authorities of the Church.” Its message amazed me a great deal, and with the passing of weeks my disturbance became very acute. It might have passed, except that several members of your Church have come to me to discuss the subject. The most recent was a prominent doctor, who, because of this tract, he affirms, is losing his religious faith. He is a large man, and I became impressed with his deep sincerity as he broke down and wept like a boy. I am convinced that he is undergoing a very dangerous experience.” – Unitarian Minister J Raymond Cope’s letter to President George Albert Smith
“Permit me to quote the passages which seem to be brought most in question: “He (Lucifer) wins a great victory when he can get members of the Church to speak against their leaders and to ‘do their own thinking” & “When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan–it is God’s plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy….”” – Unitarian Minister J Raymond Cope’s letter to President George Albert Smith
Cope states “I do not know who is responsible for this statement, but I am sure it is doing inestimable harm to many who have no other reason to question the integrity of the Church leaders. Many people are suffering because of this. My reply to each of those who have spoken to me is ‘please do not become disturbed, for this cannot be the position of the true leaders.”
“I do not know who is responsible for this statement, but I am sure it is doing inestimable harm to many who have no other reason to question the integrity of the Church leaders. Many people are suffering because of this. My reply to each of those who have spoken to me is “Please, do not become disturbed, for this cannot be the position of the true leaders.” And, from my knowledge of the early writings of your leaders, I must assume this to be non-representative.” – Unitarian Minister J Raymond Cope’s letter to President George Albert Smith
He then includes a quote from Brigham Young which emphasizes the importance of individuals seeking personal confirmation from God regarding their leader’s direction. He shows that the editorial contradicts the principles of individual spiritual inquiry and freedom found in the early statements of the Church leadership.
Below is the full letter from J. Raymond Cope of the First Unitarian Society of Salt Lake City sent to the President of the Church at the time, George Albert Smith:
Dear President Smith:
It has been one of the great privilege[s] of my life to have lived for the past four years in Salt Lake City, and to have become personally acquainted with many of the leaders of the L.D.S. Church. From them I have learned many things, and the spirit of friendliness which is found in our relationships is a source of unending delight to me. It is because I have found you and the other leaders so very charitable and sympathetic that I make so bold as to write you this letter.
May I first assure you of my good will; that there is not one note of hostility in attitude. I am confident that you will understand why I write, and that we have a common interest in the problem.
Last June there was delivered to my door a short religious editorial, prepared by one of your leaders, entitled “Sustaining the General Authorities of the Church.” Its message amazed me a great deal, and with the passing of weeks my distur[b]ance became very acute. It might have passed, except that several members of your Church have come to me to discuss the subject. The most recent was a prominent doctor, who, because of this tract, he affirms, is losting [sic] his religious faith. He is a large man, and I became impressed with his deep sincerity as he broke down and wept like a boy. I am convinced that he is undergoing a very dangerous experience.
Permit me to quote the passages which seem to be brought most in question: “He (Lucifer) wins a great victory when he can get members of the Church to speak against their leaders and to ‘do their own thinking[.]”
“When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan–it is God’s plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy….”
I do not know who is responsible for this statement, but I am sure it is doing inestimable harm to many who have no other reason to question the integrity of the Church leaders. Many people are suffering because of this. My reply to each of those who have spoken to me is “please do not become distrubed [sic], for this cannot be the position of the true leaders. And, from my knowledge of the early writings of your leaders, I must assume this to be non-representitive [sic].
Several years ago, when I first became acquainted with the L.D.S. Church, I read extensively in the texts, and there are many passages which may be used to give a better expression to the vision and genius of your Faith. I cite but one, although there are many others which are familiar to you.
Quoting from the Discourses of Brigham Young, as Selected and Arranged by John A. Widtsoe, in the Chapter on “The Priesthood”:
“I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by him. I am fearful that they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwa[r]t the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give their leaders did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whisperings of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.”
This quotation from Brigham Young is a wonderful passage, and it has been on the basis of such freedom that persons like myself have grown to have a deep feeling of kinship with the L.D.S. Church. It is in keeping with the high traditions of my Unitarian background that the gains made by my fellow workers are seen as gains for us all. It is a source of regret to all of us when one stone is discovered to bar the way to deeper faith within any soul.
With an assurance of my continued good-will and friendliness, Most cordially yours,
J. Raymond Cope.
George A. Smith Papers (Manuscript no. 36, Box 63-8A) Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
President George Albert Smith’s Response
President George Albert Smith responded to J Raymond Cope. The response has received some fanfare, but nowhere near the attention, the original message received. Sunstone magazine even formatted the response letter into a nicely formatted layout, sadly they didn’t do the same for the original letter from Cope. In his response, he agrees that the message of the pamphlet was incorrect and “General Authorities have been embarrassed”.
He confirms that Cope is correct in his letter and that the “When the leaders speak, the thinking has been done” ideology is not the true position of the church. “I am pleased to assure you that you are right in your attitude that the passage quoted does not express the true position of the Church. Even to imply that members of the Church are not to do their own thinking is grossly to misrepresent the true ideal of the Church”. He further clarifies that “the Church gives to every man his free agency, and admonishes him always to use the reason and good judgment with which God has blessed him.”
“To use the reason and good judgment with which God has blessed him” George Albert Smith’s letter response as formatted in Sunstone Magazine Issue 124 (October 2002) https://sunstone.org/issue-details/?in=124
Apologists use this response to detract from the authoritarian requirement of blind faith in the original statement, but the original has certainly made a permanent place in Mormon culture. Even though the church President at the time didn’t adhere to the teaching, he didn’t say anything other than in this private letter to clarify official church doctrine here, so damage seems to have been done.
Here is President George Albert Smith’s full response:
My dear Dr. Cope:
I have read with interest and deep concern your letter of November 16, 1945, in which you make special comment on “a short religious editorial prepared by one of our leaders entitled “Sustaining the General Authorities of the Church’”. You say that you read the message with amazement, and that you have since been disturbed because of its effect upon members of the Church.
I am gratified with the spirit of friendliness that pervades your letter, and thank you for having taken the time to write to me.
The leaflet to which you refer, and from which you quote in your letter, was not “prepared” by “one of our leaders.” However, one or more of them inadvertently permitted the paragraph to pass uncensored. By their so doing, not a few members of the Church have been upset in their feelings, and General Authorities have been embarrassed.
I am pleased to assure you that you are right in your attitude that the passage quoted does not express the true position of the Church. Even to imply that members of the Church are not to do their own thinking is grossly to misrepresent the true ideal of the Church, which is that every individual must obtain for himself a testimony of the truth of the Gospel, must, through the redemption of Jesus Christ, work out his own salvation, and is personally responsible to His Maker for his individual acts. The Lord Himself does not attempt coercion in His desire and effort to give peace and salvation to His children. He gives the principles of life and true progress, but leaves every person free to choose or to reject His teachings. This plan the Authorities of the Church try to follow.
The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: “I want liberty of thinking and believing as I please.” This liberty he and his successors in the leadership of the Church have granted to every other member thereof.
On one occasion in answer to the question by a prominent visitor how he governed his people, the Prophet answered: “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.”
Again, as recorded in the History of the Church (Volume 5, page 498) Joseph Smith said further: “If I esteem mankind to be in error, shall I bear them down? No. I will lift them up, and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better; and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do, only by the force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way.”
I cite these few quotations, from many that might be given, merely to confirm your good and true opinion that the Church gives to every man his free agency, and admonishes him always to use the reason and good judgment with which God has blessed him.
In the advocacy of this principle leaders of the Church not only join congregations in singing but quote frequently the following:
“Know this, that every soul is free To choose his life and what he’ll be, For this eternal truth is given That God will force no man to heaven.”
Again I thank you for your manifest friendliness and for your expressed willingness to cooperate in every way to establish good will and harmony among the people with whom we are jointly laboring to bring brotherhood and tolerance.
Faithfully yours, Geo. Albert Smith
George A. Smith Papers (Manuscript no. 36, Box 63-8A) Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Was this Publicly Clarified?
President George Albert Smith did state in his letter that “I am pleased to assure you that you are right in your attitude that the passage quoted does not express the true position of the Church. Even to imply that members of the Church are not to do their own thinking is grossly to misrepresent the true ideal of the Church”. But he only wrote this letter to clear up the doctrine after he was asked, and then he didn’t spread the word and correct the gross misrepresentation of the true ideals of the church that had gone out to members in the Ward Teachers’ Lesson. The Improvement Era published the lesson and it states it’s approved by the Presiding Bishopric!
As shown in the image below, the Ward Teachers’ Message for June 1945, like every other month, is “Conducted under the supervision of the Presiding Bishopric” so this message theoretically goes very close to the top of the church. There is the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric at the top who all manage and lead the church together. This isn’t a rogue editor who has come up with an idea from left field. All the members were to discuss this lesson with their teaching families and as we’re taught from our youth, “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38).
“When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan — it is God’s plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy. God works in no other way. To think otherwise, without immediate repentance, may cost one his faith, may destroy his testimony, and leave him a stranger to the kingdom of God.” – Improvement Era, Ward Teachers’ Message June 1945
These exchanged letters are used by some to rationalize away the harsh stance of blind faith and brainwashing from the message. But it was never publicly or actually rescinded, and today, it is more a part of the collective Mormon mind than ever. It’s now integrated into cultural leader worship as more leaders are referencing this and similar messaging to keep questioning doubting members in their place.
Although this message seems to have caused nary a ripple (at least publicly) among the general membership of the Church, others questioned. Dr. J. Raymond Cope, the leader of the First Unitarian Society in Salt Lake City wrote a letter directly to President George Albert Smith, informing him this ward teaching message was “doing inestimable harm to many who have no other reason to question the integrity of the Church leaders,” and voicing his hope that “this cannot be the position of the true leaders.”
Church Members Can Do Their Own Thinking
President Smith wrote back to Dr. Cope on December 7, 1945, assuring him that the passage from The Improvement Era “does not express the true position of the Church; that even to imply that members of the Church are not to do their own thinking is grossly to misrepresent the true ideal of the Church.”
So how did a ward teaching message so antithetical to everything the LDS Church stands for get published in an official Church magazine?
President Smith explains that “it was not prepared by one of our leaders. However, one or more of them inadvertently permitted the paragraph to pass uncensored. By their doing so, not a few members of the Church have been upset in their feelings, and General Authorities have been embarrassed.”
The Only Thing Necessary for False Doctrine to Triumph . . .
Now, one might think that if George Albert Smith felt so strongly about the official Church magazine depicting the prophet as despot, he would have done something about it. Especially given his claims that members of the Church were upset about it and General Authorities embarrassed.
One might expect he would have issued some sort of official public clarification or retraction of the erroneous doctrine.
But one would be wrong.
If it were not for President Smith’s response to Dr. Cope’s letter six-months after the article was published, we would never have known he disagreed with those sentiments.
Because President Smith did not publicly contradict and clarify the false doctrine published in The Improvement Era, it gained currency in the Church and was repeated later by other leaders
Still, there are plenty of faithful members and apologists who want to deny that the church follows the “When the leaders speak, the thinking has been done” ideology and cite George Albert Smith’s response. They call foul that “so many remember the” ideology, but “ignore the beautiful response from President Smith”. How can people ignore something they don’t know anything about? President Smith’s responded in a private letter and never clarified publicly to the church. Church leaders since have continued to quote the original sentiment and have neglected to set the record straight.
I especially like this: “The Church gives to every man his free agency, and admonishes him always to use the reason and good judgment with which God has blessed him.”
… It is a pity that so many remember the quote that titles this post, but ignore the beautiful reponse from President Smith.
Perhaps, the “beautiful response” has been “ignored” because it wasn’t shared with the church membership. President George Albert Smith may have said differently in private to a non-member Reverend that the church doesn’t require blind faith, but what did he say to members of his church? Not a word about it. Somewhat surprising though, since he mentions that “not a few members of the church have been upset in their feelings and General Authorities have been embarrassed”. In fact, no mention of the clarification and no one knows until years later in an archive his letter is shared. In order to find it you must search for the original quote, and question it, or read past issues of Sunstone or Dialogue. But in order to do this, you must first disregard the instruction found in the teaching itself, because it tells you not to question leaders, they’ve already done the thinking, so you don’t get to. We end up in a state of doublethink and must question our questions without realizing it.
This is reminiscent of when Gordon B Hinckley or Jeffrey R Holland misrepresented church doctrine and views when discussing with non-members. In interviews with news reporters Hinckley downplayed polygamy, denied that Mormons teach that they become gods, and even said that the financial transparency of other churches isn’t possible for the LDS church because the information belongs to those who made the contribution. None of this is true or represents the Mormon doctrine taught to members. Holland wasn’t as suave in his interview when he was caught telling lies about the death penalties in the temple. These examples all show that the church leaders will say what they please to outsiders and non-members, especially those with a following, like a competing minister or a journalist in order to keep appearances that the church is honorable and pure. When in reality the leader’s main goal is keeping church members in line and growing the bottom line.
This ideology of “when the leaders speak, the thinking has been done” has been echoed even when local members voice dissent regarding the decisions of local church leaders like Stake Presidents and Bishops. The church has an authority obsession and this mantra still persists and is baked into the demand for blind faith and submission to authority. No matter what any previous church President said in a private letter, it doesn’t change the culture of the church.
Have you experienced the “When the leaders speak, the thinking has been done” ideology in the church? Tell how it was placed on your own shelf or how it affected your faith transition.
