"[33] On the other hand, Smith was willing to tolerate the presence of men "as corrupt as the devil himself" in Nauvoo, Illinois, who "had been guilty of murder and robbery," in the chance that they might "come to the waters of baptism When Brigham Young led the Saints from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Salt Lake valley beginning in the mid-1840s, he and his followers intended to establish a theocracy independent of the United States, where there would be no distinction between church and state. At one of their clandestine meetings behind the old Arsenal (on what is now Capitol Hill in Salt Lake) on December 11, Coleman was discovered by "friends" of the woman. Shortly after the interview, according to the film, she was found dead in her home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[84]. This was a faction from Alma Dayer's Colonia LeBaron. JOHN W. YOUNG, DANIEL H. WELLS, Counselors.[67]. Young's first discussion of blood atonement in 1845 concerned a man who may have been considered an apostate in Nauvoo, Illinois (Smith 1845). On March 16, 1856, Young acknowledged that it might seem, based on rhetoric from the pulpit, that "every one who did not walk to the line was at once going to be destroyed," but thus far, he said, nobody had been killed (Young 1856a, p. 245). eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The Mountain Meadows massacre of September 11, 1857 was widely blamed on the church's teaching of blood atonement and other anti-United States rhetoric by LDS Church leaders during the Utah War. In consequence of gross misrepresentations of the doctrines, aims and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called the 'Mormon' church, which have been promulgated for years, and have recently been revived for political purposes and to prevent all aliens, otherwise qualified, who are members of the 'Mormon' church from acquiring citizenship, we deem it proper on behalf of said church to publicly deny these calumnies and enter our protest against them. Blood atonement is a disputed doctrine in the history of Mormonism, under which the atonement of Jesus alone does not by itself redeem the Eternal sin. "[29] Years before making this remark, however, Smith was quoted as saying that the hanging of Judas Iscariot was not a suicide, but an execution carried out by Saint Peter. There seems to me to be no present significance as to whether an execution is by a firing squad or in some other way. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. One of the examples cited by critics of the church is a set of murders in Springville, Utah of individuals who, according to historical documents and court records, were "very questionable characters." "[14] In Mormon theology, Salvation is not the same as Exaltation which has more to do with "where in heaven" whereas Salvation is "being in heaven. This book documents the "Mormon Blood Atonement" killing that took place in Kirtland, Ohio during the 80's. [citation needed] The widely publicized massacre was a mass killing of Arkansan emigrants by a Mormon militia led by prominent Mormon leader John D. Lee, who was later executed for his role in the killings. (Young 1856a, p. 247) He said, "under such circumstances, I have no wife whom I love so well that I would not put a javelin through her heart, and I would do it with clean hands." When offered a choice of execution by hanging, firing squad or beheading, Denton claims that Lee’s “choice of execution by firing squad sent a clear signal to the faithful that he rejected a spiritual need to atone for any sins.”[76]. No_Favorite. [57] Because Young pleaded guilty to murder, his exact motive for the crime was never determined, but medical experts and the judge were of the opinion that Young was medically—though probably not legally—insane. [39], The most immediate precursor to the blood atonement doctrine stems from a controversial section of Mormon scripture dictated by Smith in 1843 commanding the practice of plural marriage (D&C 132). He had at least 13 wives in a plural marriage, several of whom he married while they were still … According to Penrose, "Murder is a 'sin unto death,' which prayers and repentance and ordinances will not wash away". The nine Mormons who were killed on November 4 that included women and children has been tied to the "blood atonement" killing from 1988 where a Texas family who had fled the polygamous The Church of the Lamb of God was butchered in execution-style, according to Click Two Houston. He believed he had a right to kill those who have sinned in the name of God, starting with his brother, Alma. [4] Young considered it more charitable to sacrifice a life than to see them endure eternal torment in the afterlife. Execution by firing squad was banned by the state of Utah on March 15, 2004, but because the law was not retroactive,[77] four inmates then on Utah's death row could still opt for this method of execution. }); The Church of the Lamb of God was established in 1972. Prior to the death of Brigham Young, blood atonement doctrine was taught primarily as a means for Mormon "covenant breakers" (usually adulterers and apostates) to pay for their sins, but a full list of sins requiring blood atonement was never given. In 1849, as Young and the Council of Fifty were drafting a plan for a proposed State of Deseret, Young spoke to the Council about what to do with thieves, murderers, and adulterers, and said, "I want their cursed heads to be cut off that they may atone for their crimes". Ervil Morrell LeBaron (February 22, 1925 – August 16, 1981) was the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group who ordered the killings of many of his opponents. (Young 1857, p. 219). In 1843, he or his scribe commented that the common execution method in Christian nations was hanging, "instead of blood for blood according to the law of heaven. Eternal sins that Young and other members of his First Presidency believed needed blood atonement, included apostasy, theft, fornication (but not sodomy), and adultery.[3]. [62] Therefore, "the only valid offering that the criminal can make is his own life's blood poured out upon the ground in willing expiation. Brigham Young, who was then a theocratic leader, began preparing church members for what they thought was the quickly-approaching Second Coming, and a time of "Celestial law" in the Utah Territory. Indeed, Young claimed that men had actually come to him and offered their blood to atone for their sins (Young 1856a, p. 53). This law, which is now the law of the State, granted unto the condemned murderer the privilege of choosing for himself whether he die by hanging, or whether he be shot, and thus have his blood shed in harmony with the law of God; and thus atone, so far as it is in his power to atone, for the death of his victim. During the 1860s and 1870s, there were widespread rumors that Brigham Young had a Danite organization that was enforcing the blood atonement doctrine. All we care to say is reply to both of these descendants of the original prophet and organizer of the Danite Band is, that when the leading members and officers of the church for many years teach and practice, by threats and murders, ascribed to the Danite Band, then we believe the public is justified in denouncing such language and conduct, and affirming it to be the doctrine of the church.[68]. The body was disposed of in less than three hours after its discovery. "[32] Sidney Rigdon, Smith's counselor in the First Presidency, also supported capital punishment involving the spilling of blood, stating, "There are men standing in your midst that you can't do anything with them but cut their throat and bury them. (Grant 1856, p. 51) Brigham Young spoke in agreement, stating: pg.acq.push(function() { Bruce R. McConkie (publ. In keeping with the idea that grievous crimes must be answered with bloodshed and that blood atonement should be voluntary, participants made an oath that rather than ever revealing the secret gestures of the ceremony, they would rather have "my throat ... be cut from ear to ear, and my tongue torn out by its roots"; "our breasts ... be torn open, our hearts and vitals torn out and given to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field"; "your body ... be cut asunder and all your bowels gush out" showing an entire refusal to accept the promises made in the washing and anointing ordinances. The gory wording was removed early in the 20th century and changed to a less explicit reference to "different ways in which life may be taken." Some had been shot at a close range, including two 6-month-old twins and one of their vehicles was burned to a crisp. As Mormon historian D. Michael Quinn has documented, Coleman was apparently secretly courting a white Mormon woman, contrary to both territorial law and contemporaneous Mormon teachings regarding people of African descent. were centered around a group called the Danites. The greatest covenant breakers were thought to be "apostates," who according to early Mormon doctrine would become sons of perdition and for whom "there is no chance whatever for exaltation." In her book Leaving the Saints, Martha Beck postulates the existence of a "Danite" band "disposing" of people who opposed Brigham Young: Brigham Young formalized and anointed these assassins as the Danites, whose mission included espionage, the suppression of information, and quietly, permanently disposing of people who threatened the Mormon prophet or the Latter-day Saint organization. (Young 1856a, p. 246) Though the "strict penalty of the law" dictated death to atone for breaking this covenant, Young said that the church would "not yet" enforce it (Young 1856a, p. 246). gads_event = event; hitType: 'event', } LDS Church general authority B.H. GRANT, JOHN W. TAYLOR, M. W. MERRILL, A. H. LUND, ABRAHAM H. CANNON, Members of the Council of the Apostles. (Young 1857, p. 220) Young warned these apostates that although "[t]he wickedness and ignorance of the nations forbid this principle's being in full force, ...the time will come when the law of God will be in full force," (Young 1857, p. 220) meaning that apostates would be subject to theocratic blood atonement. Instead, to atone for eternal sin, the sinner should be killed in a way that allows his blood to be shed upon the ground as a sacrificial offering, so he does not become a son of perdition. Though widely connected with the blood atonement doctrine by the United States press and general public, there is no direct evidence that the massacre was related to "saving" the emigrants by the shedding of their blood (as they had not entered into Mormon covenants); rather, most commentators view it as an act of intended retribution. Public talk of blood atonement diminished substantially by the end of the Mormon Reformation in 1858 when Young was replaced as territorial governor by Alfred Cumming. We believe in and teach the infinite and all-encompassing atonement of Jesus Christ, which makes forgiveness of sin and salvation possible for all people. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { As early as 1831 the law of the Lord was given to the church as follows: "And now, behold, I speak unto the church: Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.”[67]. (For Mormon theocratic political theory, see Theodemocracy). He said "we believe that execution should be done by the shedding of blood instead of by hanging," but only "according to the laws of the land." A master of hypnotic oratory, Lundgren used his own twisted interpretations of religious texts to justify any excess - … pg.acq.push(function() { This speculation was largely fueled by the fact that a notebook belonging to Hooper Young had been found at the scene of the crime, and "blood atonement" and supporting scriptural references was scrawled on one of the pages. }); The only point at which complaint may be justly laid in the teaching of the "Reformation" period is in the unfortunate implication that the Church of the Latter-day Saints, or individuals in that church, may execute this law of retribution. hitType: 'event', Mark Chynoweth and his brother Duane, along with Duane's eight-year-old daughter Jennifer had been killed in Houston on June 27, 1988, for leaving Ervil LeBaron's cult called the Church of Lamb of God. Clark added that Cynthia LeBaron's sister had been killed in Mexico and so Cynthia had feared for her life. Chynoweth discussed the murder of her husband, her brother-in-law and his 8-year-old daughter by her half brothers on 27 June, the 144th anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith. [10] However, the LDS Church has formally repudiated the doctrine multiple times since the days of Young. Dawna Langford, 43, and two of her children, Trevor, 11, and Rogan, 2, as well as for Rhonita Miller, 30, and four of her children: Howard, 12, Kyrstal, 10, and 8-month-old twins Titus and Tiana were killed and they were part of the LeBaron family. In the recent killings in Mexico, gunmen shot down three mothers and their children, who were traveling in three SUVs from Sonora toward Arizona. In 1978, Bruce R. McConkie, acting under the direction of President of the Church Spencer W. Kimball and the First Presidency, repudiated the blood atonement doctrine: You note that I and President Joseph Fielding Smith and some of our early church leaders have said and written about this doctrine and you asked if the doctrine of blood atonement is an official doctrine of the Church today. [58] In response, church leaders and journalists took an active interest in explaining and justifying the doctrine, and in countering the negative press. Prophet of Death: The Mormon Blood-Atonement Killings Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago This is the first `true crime,' that I've read in about four years. We are one of the world’s fastest growing Vestigial accompanying suggestive gestures were removed by the LDS Church in 1990. Former FLDS member Robert Richter reported to the Phoenix New Times that in his sermons, Jeffs repeatedly alluded to blood atonement for serious sins such as murder and adultery. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ AbeBooks.com: Prophet of Death: The Mormon Blood-Atonement Killings (9780688105846) by Earley, Pete and a great selection of similar New, Used and Collectible Books available now at great prices. Brigham Young was simply teaching that there were different levels of seriousness for sin, and this was important to understand as Mormon were at that time establishing a civilization on the wild frontier, the new state government of Utah. EMBED. The sermons of Brigham Young undoubtedly inspired his followers to commit murder, however unfair might have been the popular press's willingness to blame every violent act in the territory to blood atonement. Responding to Evans’s accusations regarding the alleged implementation of the practice of “blood atonement”, Joseph Fielding Smith restated the doctrine, but denied that it had ever been practiced by the church, claiming that any such accusation was a “damnable falsehood.” Smith wrote, Through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel...Man may commit certain grievous sins - according to his light and knowledge -that will place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of Christ. If by blood atonement is meant the shedding of the blood of men to atone in some way for their own sins, the answer is No. [1], In modern times, the concept of "blood atonement" has been used by a number of fundamentalist splinter groups as an excuse to justify the murder of those who disagree with their leaders or attempt to leave their churches. [50] While their claims remain controversial among Mormon historians, their writing does indicate that the concept of Danites remained in currency as late as the 1870s. Blood atonement as taught above was not to be used as a way to punish, but as a way for the sinner to make restitution for his sins. The Houston murders had occurred simultaneously at 4 pm. – Records published in the Deseret News, April 6, 1859. In the recent killings gunmen, believed to be from the drug cartel, shot down three mothers and their children, who were traveling in three SUVs from the Mexican state of Sonora toward Arizona. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ But it should also be pointed out that the majority of General Authorities did not preach the doctrine of blood atonement, though it was probably widely held. One of the most famous cases of blood atonement killings happened in my hometown, Springville Utah. [83], One of LeBaron's daughters, Lillian Chynoweth, related an account of some of these killings in the film The God Makers II. Again, not many Mormons know this detail of Church history, but every now and then, Utah papers record murders with uniquely Mormon flavoring (death by temple-sanctioned methods, for example), and the word that goes out on the Latter-day grapevine is Danite. [73], In an interesting contradiction, author Sally Denton in her book American Massacre, states that execution by firing squad was not considered a valid method for performing “blood atonement,” claiming instead that “beheading was the preferred method.” Denton recounts the execution of John D. Lee for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre. If a sealed person shed innocent blood, they would suffer the fate of David, who was redeemed, but fell short of his exaltation, and did not become a joint-heir with Christ (D&C 132:39), since a murderer is not forgiven in the sense that he will not enter the Celestial kingdom. According to Young: However, he lamented on the difficulty in applying this in a secular democracy, stating, "I wish we were in a situation favorable to our doing that which is justifiable before God, without any contaminating influences of Gentile amalgamation, laws, and traditions." As late as 1970, the church's First Presidency authorized a church publication that interpreted D&C 132:26 (Joseph Smith's written revelation authorizing plural marriage in 1843) as saying that even after repentance, "some sins may call for a most dreadful punishment even then—the destruction in the flesh and being turned over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption. }) (Grant 1856, pp. John Taylor, Young's successor, acknowledged in North American Review the "we believe some crimes can only be atoned for by the life of the guilty party"; however, he said, "all culprits worthy of death...should be executed by the proper civil officer, not by any exercise of the lex talionis or the intervention of ecclesiastical authority".[59]. This book is not a treatise on the Mormon religion, whether LDS or RLDS. 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