Utah resembles Vatacin

[SeanPdineen]

What if Mormon prophets, really fased competive elections like Popes.
Instead of just automatially electing the oldest Apostle, when the prophet passes, what if The council of 12, really did a Catholic style conclave.
That would be interesting, the former RLDS, even though they kept the Presidency among Smith's desendences, encouraged compitation.
Even thought the Mormons were organised in 1830, I list this here because the unwritten rule began in 1900.

 

[The Archduke]

The eldest apostle becoming the president happened four times before 1900: Brigham Young in 1846, John Taylor in 1880, Wilford Woodruff in 1889, and Lorenzo Snow in 1898. How is this not an already established policy?

Brigham Young convinced the majority of the Mormons to follow him West stating that Joseph Smith taught that the most senor apostle was to succeed upon the death of the prophet. This has always been the policy.

I don't know how there would have been a conclave in the Utah Territory considering the Mormon's frontier conditions, but by 1900, the policy was definitely and firmly in place.

Technically the next Prophet is the most senior apostle in terms of time served as an apostle, not the oldest in years

so basically this should be before 1900 and I am not sure how or why the Mormons would have emulated the Catholic church considering that they considered them apostates.

 

[SeanPdineen]

just an interesting concept

I know President Young and Talyor were personally popular, I don't know enough to say about Woodruf. I just found the concept intriging, because theie have been factions, for a while. I wonder how things might have turned out. As A catholic, terrerestial kingdom bound, I focus on these things.

 

[GeneralHouston]

I think that it depends on who is voting. Is it just the Quorum of the Twelve, with maybe the former First Presidency, or is it the Twelve and the First Quorum of the Seventy, or the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve and both the First and Second Quora of the Seventy?

I think that the Twelve, as such a small body, would still tend to decide largely based on seniority. A larger electorate might allow more ideological divisions to develop.

I can't, however, see the United States allowing the development of an independent state like the Holy See on American territory--even if it were limited to an area as small as Temple Square. The general policy in the US is that once an area becomes American, it's American forever. The US would never allow the secession of a Mormon state, even it it hadn't been centered on polygamy as the Church was at the time. That whole idea is quite a bit ASB.

 

[SeanPdineen]

This is challenging and fun

I had in mind the General authories en masse voting.
I didn't mean an attempt to create state soveringty, as much as a national headquarters. The idea of high brass, meeting behind closed doors early in the morning just seemed pleasurable to my historically bent mind. I have been fasinated since my best friend, one of the founders of American physical therapy, was brought from new jersey, to treat President Mackay, in the late 60's. Facinating story, two great leaders, going around and around.