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Letter from “Spencer” [Visions of Glory]

I’ve mentioned the book “Visions of Glory” several times in interviews, and on YouTube.

For those who need a refresher:

-It’s a book published by Cedar Fort (located in Springville, UT, and where Chad used to work). It was written by John Pontius. Pontius passed away shortly after its release in 2012.

-It is an account told to Pontius by a man named “Spencer”. Spencer is an alias, and Pontius shares Spencer’s near death experiences after interviewing “Spencer”.

-Both Pontius and “Spencer“ are LDS.

-It’s a controversial book. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not endorse, support or promote the book. It is not considered to be doctrinal correct.

-It’s been blamed to be much of what was taught by Chad and Lori Daybell, Julie Rowe, Mike Stroud, and others. These teachings include zombies and portals.

-Lori Daybell and Chad Daybell read the book and discussed it a lot. 

-Members of AVOW and Preparing A People discuss the book often, and many consider it truth.

-Chad Daybell mentions “Spencer” in his Preparing a People speech the day he met Lori Vallow. (That speech is on our YT channel)

-Chad, Julie Rowe, and Eric Smith all know Spencer, and have met him.

-There was a phone number in one of Chad and Lori and Alex’s burner phones labeled: “Spencer’s Wife” 

I learned the real Spencer is therapist named Thom Harrison, who lives in Salt Lake City. We‘ve communicated, and he mailed me this letter he wrote in 2014. 

In additon to the letter, I’m adding a chapter from ”Visions of Glory” that I found compelling.

I‘m happy to share more from the book if people are interested, or even do a reading. 

Let me know if learning more about Spencer and this book is of interest. I’d also love to know your thoughts on Spencer’s 2014 letter, and the chapter I’ve shared.

Lastly, please forgive typos. I’m posting from my phone today and it’s been difficult.


-Lauren 

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Comments

In the LDS church we believe the priesthood is God's power and authority on earth. We believe this authority was given to the biblical prophets, and to the apostles. And then to Joseph Smith and all the leaders since him. The priesthood is also given to all worthy men in the church who use this gift to bless others such as giving blessings of healing and comfort. But everything they do has to be the will of God. The men who preside over the church also have the priesthood. In this letter Tom/Spencer went to his local church leader to talk about his situation. I don't know for what purpose. Probably just to check in with him and tell him the whole story of the book situation. It would be similar to going to see a pastor or minister to ask for advice

lizzy s

Read it please, I am interested into what these knuckleheads where up to.

Bjorn

WOW Stephanie that's bad lol.

Jennifer Goode

Please, no reading.!! The book was so abominably awful, I threw it in the garbage to spare anyone else the trauma. Those are minutes of my life I will never get back. Would far more prefer to hear from Dr. John and his wisdom and impressions on folks such as these.

Stephanie Malmstrom

I'd love for you to do a reading of both the letter and the book!

TriciaTheTrucker

Thanks! This is super telling. I do feel for this man though. I am interested and I will probably buy this book, although o do believe and I would enjoy if you were to do a video on this. Thanks!

Crafty Criminalist

What is a priesthood ? Who holds priesthoods ? If anyone can explain I’d appreciate it. Thanks

Shari Farrow

I would love a reading of this bologna. But I have to point out the cadence and syntax of his letter is barf inducing. It reads exactly as any "Mormon" historical account of anything ever written. Just one aspect of the game that is easy to perfect I suppose. And that's not saying ANY thing about the actual book chapters, so let me say this about that: He legit barely mentions his wife and kids during this vision which makes me lol all the way home.

Lisa Karlson

How awful to live in a state of such extreme fear—the devil (many devils) always at your back—judging others so harshly—seeing the future so bleakly. I’m sad this man is a therapist. Lauren your recent interview with Shari showed how really horrible it can be to live so terrified even if you think you’re on the right side of things.

Lynette Butler

It seems like an immature response portraying himself as a victim. If he was concerned about the content that John didn't correct or interpreted incorrectly, he could have requested a second edition as indicated above. If there was some legal reason, he couldn't correct the book; he didn't do anything except hid behind his sudonum and let it fly. I wonder how much money he made on the deal. I bought the book when it first came out and couldn't finish it and threw it away.

Lara Eves

He starts off saying he had a meeting with his bishop then ends talking about how his membership was prized. It seems like he was trying not to get ex’d.

CC

Interesting. Do you still have the book? I haven't heard of that one. Great point about the foreword.

CC

I have to disagree -- Lori and Chad would have murdered if their religion had been Buddhist, Hindu or anything else. They used religion to justify the unjustifiable. Lori hated her husbands for figuring out she was narcissistic and, essentially, a bad person... and she wanted to kill them and profit from their deaths. Tylee had to go for the same reason gangsters kill their own - she was a loose end (plus she didn't hide her disdain for her mother and her mother's friends). I think Lori saw JJ as a major annoyance plus killing him did double duty by hurting Kay -- who received what Lori saw as "her" insurance payout. Chad was bored with his life and felt no one respected him (probably also narcissistic). He wanted a shiny new toy/woman to make him feel like a man again. The old wife (who loved and supported him but knew his faults and failures) had to go in order for that to happen. Profiting from his wife's death was a bonus in keeping the new toy at his side. I am not saying the religious beliefs didn't feed their narcissism and place them at the center of their own universe. It did. The religious stuff is crazy and immensely interesting. It informs me (a survivor of a malignantly-narcissistic mother who also tried to kill me) that there are many kinds of evil/crazy to watch out for in the world. But it didn't make either of them a murderer. It just gave them (what they told themselves was) a good cover for the crimes they wanted to commit.

L.A.

So so interesting. This is the first time I’ve read that letter. Thanks for sharing it. After reading the book in 2015, I wondered which apostle he was friends with and he answered that in this letter. And yes. He should have kept his dream and vision to himself and not try to interpret it. It has caused so many people grief. Broken families, credit maxed out that was spent on prepper gear. And murder. You did a great recap before the pictures Lauren.

ShaRee

First of all, it's very poorly written. Reading is supposed to be pleasurable, not torture. I did not finish it. I wholeheartedly agree with many of the comments above. These guys are not well. “All addictions are purely selfish” Say what?!?!?!? And this guy is a therapist? Sounds to me like he's a little more than obsessed with sex. The entire thing is a giant load of hogwash. It makes me very sad that real people read this and took it to heart.

Erica A. Zwick

After hearing that corrections from the alleged visionary didn't make it into the book, I almost didn't bother reading it. Even after death the transcriptionist's family could have published a corrected or updated 2nd edition. That said, the transcriptionist and possibly the visionary seem obsessed with evil to an unhealthy degree. In every situation good people en masse are thinking violent, evil, etc thoughts. Dudes need to stay away from the dance club if they think it's so full of medieval evil. From the chapter you provided, there's one more thing I'd like to add. The title of the book seems altogether wrong. It's more like Visions of Paralyzing Fearful Events than Visions of Glory, but maybe that was too long so they settled on Visions of Gory, and the typesetter "corrected" it.

B Sprak

I couldn’t read the whole thing, but read a large majority. Whoever conceived this book has some issues. I did find it interesting that angels may get special assignment and are limited to certain power but those evil ones, by gosh they’re always around. I also notice that the style seems similar to the way Chad story tells, I wonder if he copied that style. Very distorted and twisted minds.

Suki Pero

I’m wondering about the timeline a bit. “Spencer” wrote the foreword to Pontius other book “My Journey to the Veil” which was published after visions of glory. It is marketed as the “how to companion” to “Visions of Glory”. If Spencer felt misrepresented, why would he write the foreword endorsing the later companion book? A friend gave me the second book many years ago after telling me about “the body code” - the brand of energy healing that goes hand in hand with these last day ideas. I read a few chapters of “Journey to the veil” and lost interest. Looking back, I’m realizing how these ideas were woven into many friends and family members lives and I just didn’t see the full extent.

Cami Hurst

I would very much like to learn more about this book and what Chad and Lori are taking away from it.

Tracy Bunger

I will listen to you read this book. It is another layer to the onion.

Tamara Wakeman Sukohl

I got as far as “all addictions are purely selfish” and had to stop. So far this book seems firmly routed in the Middle Ages. Talk of demons is familiar to me, having gone to Catholic schools. I had thought as I slide into my seventies, that this was talk was strictly for horror films. I’m learning maybe not. A woman in a Facebook mother’s group in my area recently posted that she wasn’t going to be watching the Super Bowl Half Time Show because of the “demonic influences” that were there. Where in the name of all that’s holy is this coming from? How could Lori and Chad believe this shit and use it to justify killing kids? I just bought a book with the title “If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk.” Indeed.

Kate FitzGerald

Yes, please!

Becca Sellers

I would love for you to do a reading from this book or even a commentary. I actually have the audio version in my Amazon list but I was to cheap to go ahead and purchase it!!

Paula Harris

Yes, please share❣️

Debi

I am eaget to hear a reading or a commentary on the book. Especially with "Spencer's wife" being pn burner phones.

Jean van Asperen


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