FLDS Priesthood History for 5th- 8th Grade Students

taught by Warren Jeffs - Alta Academy (Sandy, Utah)

Tape # 8 – November 22, 1995

Subject: Dispensation of Abraham
Young people, your bloodline is very important. For instance, if you had forefathers who
were Negroes, you couldn't be here. Also, if you had forefathers who were apostates, you probably
wouldn't be here. Where people have heard the gospel and then turned against it, they usually teach
their children to hate the priesthood also, and they put into their own being a hate for priesthood.
There are many bloodlines in the earth, many types of people. You and I are what we call the
believing blood. Born into our bodies, we naturally believe the truth, since we're part of the priesthood.
If you were to apostatize, leave this priesthood and then have children, you would then have children
who would be part of the unbelieving blood. Children who have the natural desire to believe, come
from parents that believe. You understand priesthood because were born as believers. Abraham was our
great forefather. Today, he has millions upon millions of children in the earth.
Abraham's father Tara, was a wicked man who worshipped idols. In that day, the rulers of the
earth would look up to the stars and they were go and talk to certain men called priests, who were
astrologers. They thought how the stars moved would decide what would happen here on earth. It was a
false and evil religion - astrology, but the kings back then believed it. Today, there are millions of
people on the earth that believe in astrology. What it really is, are people inspired from the devil, trying
to tell what will happen to others.
Their religion was that if something happened in the sky, something important would happen -
really a silly religion, but that's what they believed. The priests received revelations from Satan. You
know, the devil can tell a lot of truth to get one lie believed. They believed that the stars were telling
them that Abraham would one day rule over the whole earth, and his children would destroy all other
peoples. Nimrod, the king called his faithful servant Tara and said, "I will give you a room full of gold,
only bring your boy here and let me kill him." Tara brought to him a servant boy to be killed. Though
he was a wicked man, the Lord touched Tara's heart so that he wanted his son Abraham to live.
Abraham lived in the mountains until he was 10 years, then lived with the prophet Noah. When Noah
died, Shem became the prophet. All Abraham's life, he obeyed the prophet Shem, or Melchizedek. He
then received the high priesthood. His first mission was to teach that wicked people in the city where he
was born - who worshipped idols.
Lets look at you, maybe when you've taken something that wasn't yours, when you just wanted
something more than to obey. Maybe every one of you here has experienced that. If you go and do
something more than you should obey, you become an idol worshiper. The thing you love is what you
do, and people who are rebellious - who want things without being obedient - that thing that they want
is their idol. If your father says don't watch TV, and you go watch TV and be disobedient, you love that
tv more than your father. You are an idol worshiper. If you love money and you steal it when you're told
to be honest, well, you're an idol worshiper. You love that money more than your father and priesthood.
Whatever you love is what you obey. If you love anything more than Heavenly Father, more than
keeping sweet, you are an idol worshiper.
The prophets in our time have said today the people on this land are great idol worshipers. They
might not bow down and pray to their house or their money, but they love it more than Heavenly
1
Father, and that makes them an idol worshiper. People carved statues of stone or wood, or gold or
silver, because they could make up their own religion and say, "Oh, this statue says it's ok to steal, or be
evil and immoral."
If any of us become disobedient, we are making up our own religion and saying it's ok to do
bad, thinking the Lord is different from what He is. So, when you disobey, watch out - you might be
just like the people that bow down to statues, making up your own religion. The religion we live under
President Jeffs, is the very same one that father Adam taught his children. We worship the true and
living God by obeying His prophet.
The fiery furnace did not kill Abraham because he was obedient to the prophet Shem. Idol
worship is simply loving something more than Heavenly Father and His prophet. You are an idol
worshiper if you love anything more than obeying the prophet. You just need to know that.
Young people, you're not supposed to have little trinkets on your dresser, or the image of
anything in your home that is useless - things hanging on your wall that are just useless - images of
people or animals or whatever, those are idols. Uncle Roy says, when you have these little idols just
sitting on your dresser or in your drawer, you start to like them a lot, you prize them, you'll get after
your brothers and sisters if they break them. That proves your heart starts to be set on those things.
Uncle Roy said, don't have a picture of a car or movie actor or whatever - that's an idol. He said you
should have pictures of the prophets or of faithful people that will remind you how to be good. The
Lord said "You shall not make any graven image of anything above the earth, on the earth or under the
earth." They are all idols, and when you spend money for jewelry and for these idols, you waste that
which the Lord has blessed you with.
When you drive down the street, you can see idols in front of certain buildings. If you went into
the gentile homes, there you would find idols all over their houses - little statues - sometimes it's out in
their yard. All of those things are idols that we must stay away from. An idol is something you keep,
that is useless - that has no other purpose than to be looked at for a useless reason. You have what you
need and you give all surplus to the bishop, to the prophet, and not stack up idols or useless things.
Abraham dared stand up against the king, if that's what the Lord required him to do. He even
faced death rather than disobey the prophet. That's what you will be brought to. You must obey the
prophet no matter what.

November 23, 1995

Subject: Stories of Abraham Continued
The family of Abraham was given the Land of Promise by the Lord. Sarah was a rich woman
and a ruler under her husband. Many women served her, took care of her and did her chores. She knew
how to cook and do other things, but they had servants. Her servant girl became her husband’s wife.
This servant girl was going to have a baby before Sarah. Hagar mocked Sarah and said, “I’m better than
you, I’m going to have a child.” Sarah got upset and kicked Hagar out of the tent. Hagar was told by an
angel to go back and submit to Sarah, which she did. Hagar’s son Ishmael was about twelve years older
than Sarah’s son, Isaac. This event would affect some family experiences that Abraham would go
through.
Abraham’s wife, Hagar, was not an Egyptian. Abraham couldn’t have married a Negro girl. He
had many other wives and many other children, but we will be talking about a certain son Isaac.
2