In Mormonism, a group of men originally esetablished as equal authorities. They soon became rivals. Eventually the
one "of Twelve Apostles" gained ascendancy. There was a brief interim during which the Quorum of the First Presidency, in the person of Brigham Young, was the head quorum. After his death, the Quorum of Twelve Apostles gradually acquired
supreme authority. Other quorums and presidencies, such as the First Quorum of the Seventy, the Quorum of the Lord's Anointed, the Patriarch of the
Church, the First Bishopric, and so on, gradually become junior officers. The Quorum of Twelve Apostles with its First Presidency figurehead became the senior officers. By this time, the quorums all managed the
Mormon Church indistinguishable from a corporate enterprise such as Amway, Avon, or other companies that rely on door-to-door salesmen and motivation rallies. Although there is no Quorum of Tithing, Tithing does
play a very big role in the running of the
Church, including who gets to be a member, who gets to go to the temple, and who gets promoted.
