B. H. Roberts

Ko Pilikihami Henelī Lōpetí (1857–1933) ko ha faifekau, tangata ako mataotao, ako fakalotu, fai hisitōlia, mo e Fitugofulu naʻá ne tohi mo fakatahatahaʻi ha ngaahi tohi lahi, ʻo kau ai e fuofua vōliume lahi e hisitōliaʻo e Siasí mo ha ngaahi tohi fakalotu lahi maʻá e Kōlomu ʻo e Kau Fitungofulú. Naʻe loto fiemālie pē ʻa Lōpeti ki he kau fakaanga ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná, ʻo ne fakapapauʻi ʻoku malava ʻe he moʻoni ʻo e tohí ʻo matuʻuaki e ngaahi fakaʻuhinga mālohi fakaʻatamaí. Ne ongoongoa ʻene ngāué ʻo ne maʻu ai e hingoa ko ha “tokotaha maluʻi ʻo e tuí.”¹

Ko ha tangata faʻu tohi lelei ʻa B. H. Lōpeti pea ko ha tangata lea ki he kakaí ʻo tānaki atu ki hono fatongia ko ha palesiteni misiona mo ha Taki Māʻolunga.

Ne fanauʻi ʻa Lōpeti ki ha fāmili masiva ʻi Lengikesihaea, ʻi ʻIngilani, pea faingataʻa ʻene tupu haké ʻo ne fakamatalaʻi kimui ko ha meʻa fakailifia mo fakamamahi, koeʻuhí ko hono ʻulungaanga ʻaki ʻe heʻene tangataʻeikí e pele paʻangá mo e inu kava mālohí.² Naʻe tuʻunga lelei e moʻuí hili e kau ʻene ongomātuʻá ki he Siasí, ka naʻe loto ʻene faʻē ko ʻAná ke mavahe mei heʻene tamaí ʻo fononga ki he Vahefonua ʻo ʻIutaá ke kau fakataha mo e Kāingalotu ʻi aí. Koeʻuhí ko e tūkunga fakapaʻanga ʻo ʻAná, ne ʻikai ke ne lava ai ʻo ʻave kotoa ʻene fānaú, pea tuku ai ʻa Lōpeti ne kei siʻisiʻi ke tokangaʻi ʻe ha fāmili fakalotofonua ʻi he 1862. Ne mavahe atu ʻa Lōpeti ʻi he 1866 mei ʻIngilani ke fakataha mo ʻene faʻeé pea papitaiso ia ʻi he taʻu pē hono hokó.

Ne ngāue ʻa Lōpeti ʻi ha ngaahi misiona lahi, ʻo kau ai ʻene ngāue ʻi he Misiona ʻi he Ngaahi Siteiti Fakatongá mo e Fakahahaké. Naʻá ne foki atu ki he Misiona ʻi he Siteiti Fakatongá ʻi he 1883 ko ha palesiteni misiona. ʻI he taimi ko iá, ne fuʻu fefeka hono fakafepakiʻi e kau faifekaú ʻi he tafaʻaki fakatonga ʻo e ʻIunaiteti Siteití. ʻI he 1884, ne fanaʻi ʻo pekia ʻa Viliami S. Peuli mo Sione H. Kipi ʻi Tenesī ʻe ha kakai ne tui fakapuli honau fofongá ʻi he meʻa ne ʻiloa ko e Tāmate ʻi Keini Kulikí. ʻI he hoko ʻa Lōpeti ko e palesiteni misiona leʻoleʻó, ne fakafatongiaʻaki ia hono ʻomi e sino ʻo e ongo faifekau ne pekiá ʻo fakafolau kinaua ki ʻIutā ke fakahoko ai hona meʻafakaʻeikí. Ke maluʻi hono tuʻunga totonú, naʻá ne fakapuli ʻaki e tele hono kavá mo tui ha vala motuʻa mo maikiiki.

ʻOku ʻasi atu heni ʻa B. H. Lōpeti ʻi he teunga fakapuli naʻá ne ngāue ʻaki he taimi naʻá ne ʻomi ai e sino ʻo e ongo faifekau ne fakapoongi ʻi he 1884 lolotonga ʻene hoko ko ha palesiteni misioná.

Ne ʻi ai ha taimi ne ngāue pōpula ai ʻa Lōpeti ʻi ʻIutā ʻo hangē pē ko e kakai tangata tokolahi ʻo e Siasí ʻi he konga kimui ʻo e 1800 koeʻuhí ko hono fakahoko e mali tokolahí. Hili ha māhina ʻe nima ʻene ngāue pōpulá ne tukuange ia ʻi he 1889, ʻo ne kau mālohi he ngaahi meʻa fakapolitikalé ʻo ne ngāue ʻi he fakatahaʻanga fakakonisitūtoné ʻi ʻIutā ʻi he 1895, ʻa ia ne aleaʻi ai ʻe he kau faʻu laó ha fokotuʻu ki he Sino Pule ʻo e ʻIunaiteti Siteití ke hoko ʻa ʻIutā ko ha siteiti. Ne fakafepakiʻi ʻe Lōpeti e totonu ʻa e houeʻiki fafiné ke filí neongo ne loto ki ai e fakatahaʻangá ʻi haʻanau manavasiʻi naʻa ʻikai ke fakamoʻoni e palesiteni ʻo e ʻIunaiteti Siteití he taimi ko iá ʻi he konisitūtone ne fokotuʻu atú ʻo kau ai e totonu ʻa e houʻeiki fafiné ke filí.³ Hili hono tali ke hoko ʻa ʻIutā ko ha siteití, ne feinga ʻa Lōpeti ki he lakanga ʻi he Paati Temokalatí pea faifai ne fili ia ki he Fale ʻo e Kau Fakafofongá ʻi he 1898. Koeʻuhí ko e kei tolonga e ngaahi tukuakiʻi kovi fakafonua ki he mali tokolahi ʻa e Kāingalotú, ne ʻikai ke tali ai ʻe he Sino Pule ʻo e ʻIunaiteti Siteití ke maʻu ʻe Lōpeti hono sea ʻi he falealeá.⁴

Naʻe ngāue faivelenga ʻa Lōpeti ko ha palesiteni ʻo e ʻUluaki Fakataha Alēlea ʻo e Kau Fitungofulú mei he 1887 ʻo aʻu ki heʻene pekia ʻi he 1933, pea naʻá ne hiki ha ngaahi tohi mahuʻinga lahi he taimi ko iá. Naʻá ne ui ʻene vēkeveke ke ngāue ʻo fakatahatahaʻi kotoa ʻene ngaahi fakakaukau fakalotú mo ʻene mahino fakasaienisí ko e, The Truth, the Way, and the Life: An Elementary Treatise on Theology, ko ʻene ngāue maʻongoʻonga tahá ia. Ka ʻi he taimi ne tipeitiʻi ai ʻe he kau laukonga ʻi he Kau Palesitenisī ʻUluakí mo e Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá ʻene ngaahi taukave mālohi ki he taʻu motuʻa ʻo e māmaní, tupuʻanga ʻo e ʻakaú mo e monumanú, mo e fakalakalaka taʻengatá, ne ʻikai leva ke toe loto ʻa Lōpeti ke fakaleleiʻi mo pulusi ʻene pepa ko iá. Neongo ia, ka naʻe hanga ʻe he Siasí ʻo pulusi ʻene ngaahi ngāue fakahisitōliá. Naʻe hoko ʻene fakaleleiʻi ʻa e vōliume ʻe fitu ʻo e History of the Church pea mo ʻene vōliume ʻe ono ʻo e Comprehensive History of the Church ko e tohi tefito ia ki he ngaahi tohi fakahisitōlia ʻa e Siasí ʻi he toenga ʻo e senituli hono 20.

Ngaahi Maʻuʻanga Tokoni ʻa e Siasí

John W. Welch, “B. H. Roberts: Seeker after Truth,” Ensign, Mar. 1986, 56–62.

Ngaahi Maʻuʻanga Fakamatalá

ʻOku ʻomai ʻe he ngaahi pulusinga ko ʻení ha fakamatala lahi ange fekauʻaki mo e tefito ko ʻení. ʻI hono tuku atu pe fakafehokotaki kimoutolu ki he ngaahi maʻuʻanga tokoni ko ʻení, ʻoku ʻikai ke mau poupouʻi pe fakapapauʻi atu e kanotohí pe ngaahi fakakaukau ʻa e kau faʻu tohí.

B. H. Roberts, Studies of the Book of Mormon, ed. Brigham D. Madsen (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1985).

Truman G. Madsen, Defender of the Faith: The B. H. Roberts Story (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980).

Ngaahi Tefito Fekauʻakí: Critics of the Book of Mormon, Quorums of the Seventy, Reed Smoot Hearings, Political Neutrality

1. “B. H. Roberts, Venerable Dignitary of the ‘Mormon’ Church, Is Summoned,” Logan Herald-Journal, Sept. 28, 1933, 1.

2. Truman G. Madsen, Defender of the Faith: The B. H. Roberts Story (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980), 1–10.

3. Vakai ki he Tefitó: Women’s Suffrage.

4. Davis Bitton, “The B. H. Roberts Case of 1898–1900,” Utah Historical Quarterly, vol. 25 (1957), 35–54; vakai foki ki he Ngaahi Tefitó: Utah, Political Neutrality, Reed Smoot Hearings.