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Hans Mattsson

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Swedish Mormon leader This article is about a Mormon leader. For the Swedish-American politician, see Hans Mattson.
Hans Mattsson
3rd Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
April 15, 2000 (2000-04-15) – May 1, 2005 (2005-05-01)
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Hans H. Mattsson is a former member of the Seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Europe.

Mattsson is one of the few members of the LDS Church to publicly discuss his experience receiving the Second Anointing ritual.

LDS historian Greg Prince described Mattsson as "the highest-ranking church official who has gone public with deep concerns" about the LDS Church.

Biography

Mattsson was raised in the LDS Church. As a young man he served as a missionary, as is common in the LDS Church, and was assigned to the Central British Mission headquartered in Birmingham, England. There he learned English, despite some difficulty, and felt his religious convictions grow. After returning to Sweden he married Birgitta, a convert to the church, and they have five children.

Mattsson and his twin brother Leif were both called in senior positions as leaders in the LDS Church. First Hans, then Leif, served as stake presidents in Gothenburg, Sweden. In April 2000, Hans became the first Swede to serve as an area seventy. He held a secular job in technology marketing, but traveled widely in Europe at weekends, overseeing the church. He was released from the position of area seventy in April 2005 when he had heart surgery.

Members began asking Mattsson about criticisms that they had read on the Internet, including the many wives of church founder Joseph Smith, the authenticity of the Book of Abraham, and the exclusion of black people from the priesthood until 1978. Mattsson was dissatisfied with the answers that he in turn received from the church's highest authorities in 2010, and in 2013 he publicized his own doubts on John Dehlin's Mormon Stories Podcast and in the New York Times, stating that "I don’t want to hurt the church … I just want the truth."

In 2013, Mattsson and his wife moved to Spain for health reasons.

Mattsson again appeared on the Mormon Stories Podcast in 2018, where he and is wife Brigitta discussed their experience receiving the Second Anointing ritual.

Public Discussion of the Second Anointing

Mattsson is one of the few Latter-day Saints to publicly discuss the Second Anointing ritual, the highest ordinance practiced in the Church.

Mattsson and his wife Birgitta appeared on the Mormon Stories Podcast in 2018 where they divulged details of this highly secretive ritual. During the ritual, which took place in the Frankfurt Temple, Mattsson had his feet washed by Elder M. Russell Ballard, before being anointed as a King and a Priest to the Most High God, and guaranteed salvation and godhood in the Celestial Kingdom. Then Elder Ballard anointed Mattsson’s wife, Birgitta, to be a Queen and Priest, guaranteed the same salvation as her husband.

Then Mattsson and his wife went into a private room where his wife washed his feet again, and placed her hands on his head to give him a Priesthood blessing.

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. "The Sustaining of Church Officers: April, 2000". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. Church News Archives (11 January 2024). "New Area Authority Seventies". The Church News. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  3. "Truth Seeking with Hans and Birgitta Mattsson Pt. 2 - Mormon Stories #985". YouTube. Mormon Stories. 27 September 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  4. "984-985: TRUTH SEEKING WITH HANS AND BIRGITTA MATTSSON". Mormon Stories. 27 September 2018.
  5. ^ Goodstein, Laurie (July 20, 2013). "Some Mormons Search the Web and Find Doubt". The New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  6. Hans Mattsson (December 2004). "Book of Mormon Principles: How Could I Testify?". Ensign. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  7. Erik Nilsson (July 2000). "Göteborg, Sweden: A Second Harvest". Ensign. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  8. Thomas S. Monson (April 2000). The Sustaining of Church Officers. General Conference. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  9. Thomas S. Monson (April 2005). The Sustaining of Church Officers. General Conference. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  10. Dehlin, John (July 22, 2013), "Hans Mattsson — Former LDS Area Authority Seventy (Sweden)", Mormon Stories Podcast
  11. Hodge, Channon (July 20, 2013), "A Mormon Doubts", The New York Times
  12. "Truth Seeking with Hans and Birgitta Mattsson Pt. 2 - Mormon Stories #985". YouTube. Mormon Stories. 27 September 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  13. "984-985: TRUTH SEEKING WITH HANS AND BIRGITTA MATTSSON". Mormon Stories. 27 September 2018.
  14. "Truth Seeking with Hans and Birgitta Mattsson Pt. 2 - Mormon Stories #985". YouTube. Mormon Stories. 27 September 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  15. "984-985: TRUTH SEEKING WITH HANS AND BIRGITTA MATTSSON". Mormon Stories. 27 September 2018.
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