From the article: On July 1, Stinson, in coordination with the Temple Institute, arranged for what was said to be a practice with a disqualified red heifer.
“The ceremony went perfect. With a perfect priest. In a place outside of the camp. And, in the opinion of those I respect, we used a perfect red heifer.”
The accounts from Stinson and King are enough to get us interested. But why would The Temple Institute, the most credible authority on the topic, claim it was not the actual ceremony if everything was legitimate and by the book?
I am a little confused. It was a practice ritual with a "disqualified red heifer", then said "a perfect red heifer". So was it a real sacrifice described as a practice ritual to fool the opponents?