Denver C. Snuffer Jr.

Denver C. Snuffer Jr. is a Utah lawyer and an author of books about the history and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), who has become an important figure in a schismatic movement that has divided the LDS Church. He was excommunicated by the LDS Church in 2013 for refusing to cease publication of his 2011 book, Passing the Heavenly Gift. He subsequently has been identified as a prophet by many of his followers, and several of his teachings have been canonized by his followers as scripture.^[1]

Snuffer converted to the LDS Church in New Hampshire in 1973. He received undergraduate degrees from Daniel Webster Junior College and McMurry University and a law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Media has interpreted Snuffer's main thesis in Passing the Heavenly Gift, to be that "every Mormon prophet, starting with Brigham Young, caved to social, political and legal pressures to accommodate mainstream American society".^[2] Snuffer states in the book that he has seen and spoken with Jesus.^[2] A 2012 episode of Mormon Stories Podcast described Snuffer as a "progressive, fundamentalist, non-polygamist Mormon lawyer who claims to have seen Christ".^[3] Snuffer was not fully settled with sensationalism inherent in the title.^[4]

Snuffer's book, The Second Comforter: Conversing With the Lord Through the Veil, claims to outline the process for receiving a personal visitation from the resurrected Jesus.^[3]

In August 2013, Snuffer's Sandy, Utah, stake president informed him that the continued publication of Passing the Heavenly Gift specifically constituted apostasy since the "book's thesis is in direct conflict with church doctrine,"^[2] and that the only way he could avoid church discipline was to cease its publication^[2] and to cancel a planned speaking tour that was thought to be for promoting the ideas expressed in the book.^[5] Snuffer's negotiations with his stake president resulted in an impasse—with Snuffer claiming that his stake president received instructions from LDS Church leaders in Salt Lake City to proceed^[2]—and he was excommunicated from the church in September 2013.^[6] In November 2013, Snuffer said his appeal to the First Presidency of the church to have the excommunication reversed was denied.^[7]

In the past, Snuffer claimed that he intended Passing the Heavenly Gift and his other works to promote loyalty to the LDS Church,^[8][9] and that he would not be instrumental in starting a new religion.^[10] In 2014, however, Snuffer began to claim that "the Lord terminated the priesthood authority" of all church leadership who were involved in his excommunication,^[11] including the First Presidency. Since that time, Snuffer has been at the center of a loosely organized movement of followers who now see him as a prophet. As of 2017, approximately 50 organizations worldwide have registered on an affiliated website.^[12] Snuffer's adherents gathered in conferences in 2016 and 2017,^[13] the latter of which resulted in Snuffer's teachings being canonized as scripture.^[14] The movement's canon now consists of, among other texts, a reworking of scripture from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including the Book of Mormon, Snuffer's expanded translation of the Book of John, and several of Snuffer's own revelations.^[15] The movement is notable for a de-empahasis on hierarchy and organization, with some fellowships (for example, the movement's Minnesota fellowship) claiming to have no leadership.^[16]

The quickly-growing movement Snuffer has inspired appears to draw largely from members or former members of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has led some LDS Church authorities to identify Snuffer and his teachings as a vehicle for leading people out of that church. In 2017, the website MormonLeaks published a PowerPoint presentation that was shown in 2015 to that church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the mainstream LDS's church highest bodies of leadership. In it, Snuffer was identified as one of 17 "Issues and Ideas Leading People Away" from mainstream LDS doctrine.^[17]

Publications

• The Second Comforter: Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil (Mill Creek Press, 2006) ISBN 9780974015873
• Nephi's Isaiah (Mill Creek Press, 2006) ISBN 9780974015897
• Eighteen Verses: A Discussion of the Book of Mormon (Mill Creek Press, 2007) ISBN 9780979845529
• Ten Parables (Mill Creek Press, 2008) ISBN 9780979845574
• Beloved Enos (Mill Creek Pres, 2009) ISBN 9780979845581
• Come, Let Us Adore Him (Mill Creek Press, 2009) ISBN 9780979845536
• Removing the Condemnation (Mill Creek Press, 2011) ISBN 9780615438863
• Discoveries in Chiasmus - A Pattern in All Things (co-authored, Digital Legend Press, 2011) ASIN B00PV6PB0M^[18]
• Passing the Heavenly Gift (Mill Creek Press, 2011) ISBN 9780615528960
• Remembering the Covenant (5 vols., Mill Creek Press, 2013) ISBN 9780989150309
• Essays: Three Degrees (Mill Creek Press, 2014) ISBN 978-0989150354^[19]
• Preserving the Restoration (Mill Creek Press, 2015) ISBN 978-0989150361^[20]
• A Man Without Doubt (Mill Creek Press, 2016) ISBN 978-0989150378^[21]

See also

• Mormonism and history
• September Six

Notes

External links

• Denver C. Snuffer, Jr., "Denver Snuffer | Blogs, Books, Papers & Lectures".
• Gregory L. Smith, "Passing Up The Heavenly Gift (Part One of Two): Review of Denver C. Snuffer, Jr., Passing the Heavenly Gift", Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 7 (2013): 181–243.
• Gregory L. Smith, "Passing Up The Heavenly Gift (Part Two of Two): Review of Denver C. Snuffer, Jr., Passing the Heavenly Gift", Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 7 (2013): 245–341.
• Russell Y. Anderson, "Snuffer, 'Passing the Heavenly Gift' (reviewed by Russell Y. Anderson)", Association for Mormon Letters Discussion Board
• Julie J. Nichols, "Snuffer, 'Passing the Heavenly Gift' (reviewed by Julie J. Nichols)", Association for Mormon Letters Discussion Board