The Lincoln Myth(89)

“We will change our world,” he said.

The other men seemed pleased.

“We will accomplish what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and every other pioneer failed to do.”

He paused.

“We shall finally be independent.”





FIFTY-ONE





OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN


SALAZAR SETTLED INTO THE LEATHER SEAT AND BEGAN TO enjoy the in-flight meal provided by the catering service. A combination of lamb and vegetables, which Cassiopeia had reheated, serving them both in the spacious main cabin. Of all his possessions, the Learjet was his favorite. He spent a lot of time moving from one place to another, so it was important he travel in comfort.

“I promised you an explanation,” he said.

She smiled. “You did.”

His two associates sat aft, near the galley and restroom, eating their own lunch. He kept his voice low, though the roar of the engines helped with privacy.

“It’s hard to know where to start. But the best way to summarize is that we intend to finish the establishment of Zion. What Joseph Smith and BrighamYoung began, we will complete.”

“The church is a vital organization,” she said. “A worldwide entity. Seems that mission is complete.”

“Not in the way they truly envisioned. We’ve always been required to conform—to be like everyone else. We migrated to the Salt Lake valley so we could live by the prophets, following the Book of Mormon, a true Zion on earth. But that never happened.”

“To accomplish that would mean having your own country.”

He smiled. “And that’s precisely what we intend to create. The nation of Deseret, headquartered in Salt Lake, encompassing the boundaries of the former American state of Utah, and other land that may want to join us.”

He could see she was intrigued. He remembered when he first heard Elder Rowan’s plan. His heart had been filled with joy tempered with confusion. But all doubts had been erased when Rowan described how the White Horse Prophecy would finally come to fulfillment.

“Remember what I read to you from Rushton’s journal? The White Horse Prophecy makes clear that Saints hold the key to the Constitution. In 1854 Brigham Young made a speech at the Salt Lake Tabernacle. He said, Will the Constitution be destroyed? No. It will be held inviolate by this people and, as Joseph Smith said, ‘The time will come when the destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction.’ It will be so. Prophet Brigham said that fourteen years after the White Horse Prophecy was revealed and seven years before the Civil War. His words became truth during the Civil War, as Saints did save the nation from destruction.”

She listened as he explained about a bargain made between Brigham Young and Abraham Lincoln, one that was sealed by Lincoln when he provided a document, signed by the Founding Fathers, that said individual states possessed the right to leave the union  .

“Prophet Brigham never revealed that document to the South,” he said. “Instead, he hid it away and allowed the union   to survive. The American Civil War was fought over whether a state could secede. What would have happened if those wayward states knew that the founders of their nation sanctioned their act? I would say that the Constitution truly did hang by a thread. But the church, as the White Horse, allowed the United States to survive.”

“Amazing,” she said. “Considering how the federal government had treated them.”

“Which only demonstrates our commitment to the Constitution.”

“And that doesn’t exist anymore?”

“Of course it does. But the White Horse Prophecy makes clear that we should stand by the Constitution of the United States as it was given by the inspiration of God. That means the document, in its entirety, as intended by its drafters. The world has changed, Cassiopeia. The American government has changed. From all I’ve seen and read, there are many in the United States who would love to be rid of their federal government. We are just one group, but the time has come for the church to go a separate way. Elder Rowan will lead the secession of Utah. Those states you noticed on the map in my study? They will follow our lead.”

She stopped eating and seemed to focus on what he was saying. “What will you do if you’re able to actually leave the United States?”

“We shall live as the prophets intended. We have managed our resources wisely. The church owns billions of euros in assets all around the world, with little to no debt. We are smart, capable, and self-sufficient, more solvent than any government in the world. We also have extensive management expertise. It will be nothing at all for us to take charge of our own government.”