Mormonism and violence
Mormons have numerous significant instances of violence throughout their history as a religious group.[1] In the early history of the United States, violence was used as a form of control. According to Mormon history, their members have faced persecution and forceful expulsion from where they have settled, such as being driven from Ohio to Missouri and from Missouri to Illinois during the lifetime of church founder Joseph Smith. Soon, those that followed one of Smith's successors Brigham Young settled in the Utah Territory and became the largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement, the LDS Church. Church history records that their migrations were accompanied by acts of violence that included massacres, home burnings, and pillaging.
One notable incident was the death of Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith. In 1844, Smith was jailed in Carthage, Illinois and killed by a mob outside the jail. Smith attempted to defend himself by using a small pistol which was given to him by church leader Cyrus Wheelock, but was shot while trying to escape by climbing through a window in the jail. His brother, Hyrum Smith, was also killed during the same incident.
There have also been instances in which Mormons were involved in acts of violence. For example, under the direction of Mormon leaders, the
The record of these incidences of violence have negatively affected both the history and the doctrines of the Latter Day Saint movement.[2]
History of religious violence against Mormons
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2018) |
The following lists instances of anti-Mormon violence which took place in early Latter Day Saint movement history.
Missouri
Jackson County
Shortly after the formal organization of the Church of Christ in upstate New York in 1830, hundreds of Mormons began to settle in Jackson County, Missouri. The rapid growth of the Mormon population and their distinct religious beliefs created tension with the existing non-Mormon residents. The Mormons' communal living, economic success, and their proselytizing among Native Americans heightened the fears and anxieties of the non-Mormon community.
In July 1833, a group of vigilantes issued an ultimatum demanding that all Mormons leave the county.[3] The Mormons were given a short amount of time to comply; when they refused to leave, a violent expulsion occurred. The Mormons were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighboring counties. The Missouri state government, rather than protecting the Mormons, largely turned a blind eye to the violence and displacement.[4]
Extermination order
In 1836, the state congress established Caldwell County as a place for the Mormons to settle. The church relocated its main headquarters in January 1838 from Kirtland, Ohio to Far West in Caldwell County. Mormon settlement increased as thousands of Mormons poured into Missouri from Kirtland and other areas into the new headquarters. Mormons established new colonies outside of Caldwell County, including Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County and De Witt in Carroll County. The earlier settlers saw expansion of Mormon communities outside of Caldwell County as a political and economic threat.
On August 6, 1838, in Daviess County, a brawl erupted between a group of Mormons and non-Mormon residents during election day. The perception that Mormons intended to vote as a bloc clashed with the opposition of non-Mormons who sought to prevent them from casting their ballots.[5] Meanwhile, the siege of DeWitt unfolded in Carroll County. As tensions mounted, a large mob of non-Mormons encircled the settlement, cutting off its supplies and demanding the Mormons' departure. Outnumbered and fearing violence, the Mormons sent appeals for assistance to other Mormon communities in nearby counties. The siege ultimately ended when a state militia unit arrived, and the Mormons agreed to evacuate the town.[6]
Hostilities culminated in 1838 when Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an executive order, commonly known as the Mormon Extermination Order. This order declared that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State." Just three days later, a militia unit
Conflict in Illinois
In Illinois, conflict was often based on the tendency of Mormons to "dominate community, economic, and political life wherever they landed."
Utah Territory and the Utah War
After Mormons established a community hundreds of miles away in the
Instances of theological violence
Historian Wallace Stegner wrote “It would be bad history to pretend that there were no holy murders in Utah and ... no mysterious disappearances of apostates".[8] One example cited by historians is in March 1857 when an elderly church member of high standing William R. Parrish decided to leave Utah with his family when he "grew cold in the faith", but had his throat slit near his Springville, Utah home.[9][10]
Mountain Meadows massacre
The widely publicized Mountain Meadows massacre occurred on September 11, 1857, during a period of
Brigham Young was accused of either directing the massacre or with complicity after the fact. When Young was interviewed on the matter and asked if it was related to his beliefs regarding blood atonement, he replied, "I do, and I believe that Lee has not half atoned for his great crime." 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".[11]
American troops who visited the site later constructed a cairn at the site, topped with a sign saying "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." According to a Mormon present at the event, when Young visited the site sometime afterward, he remarked "Vengeance is mine, and I have taken a little"; his party proceeded to destroy the cairn and memorial.[12]
Lists of acts of violence involving Mormons
Wars and massacres in the 1800s
This list of acts of violence includes some
Date | Location | Name | Deaths | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
November 4, 1833 | Jackson County, Missouri | Battle near the Blue River | 1 Mormon and 2 non-Mormons | Skirmish after several Missourians captured a Mormon ferry on the Big Blue River. Mormons were subsequently forcefully expelled from Jackson County.[13][14] |
1838 | Missouri | 1838 Mormon War | 22 LDS people (including 17 at Haun's Mill) | Also known as the Missouri Mormon War. Included the events of the |
1844–46 | Nauvoo, Illinois | Mormon War in Illinois | 3 LDS people (including the Death of Joseph Smith & Hyrum Smith)
|
Skirmish preceding the |
1849 | Battle Creek (Pleasant Grove, Utah) | Battle Creek massacre | 4+ Timpanogos people | Attack on an encampment of Timpanogos families after they took some Mormon cattle[21] |
1850 | Provo, Utah | Provo River massacre
|
40–100 Timpanogos people, 1 Mormon person | Mormon settlers laid seige to an encampment of Timpanogos families on the Provo River, and executed men who surrendered.[22] |
1851 | Skull Valley, Utah | William McBride Massacre | 9 Goshute people | Captain William McBride attacked a Goshute camp after they took some cattle.[24] |
April 1851 | Skull Valley, Utah | Porter Rockwell Massacre | 4 or 5 Ute people | In an attempt to find a group of horse thieves, Captain Porter Rockwell took 30 uninvolved Ute people prisoner. Later most escaped, but 4 or 5 did not and were executed.[25] |
1853 | Utah | Walker War
|
12 LDS people, ~12 Native Americans | Series of battles between Mormon and various indigenous tribes led by Walkara[26] |
1853 | Nephi, Utah | Nephi massacre | 7 Goshute men | Eight uninvolved Western Shoshone men were murdered in retaliation for the deaths of four Mormons at the hands of some Ute men.[27] |
1857 | Mountain Meadow, Utah | Mountain Meadows Massacre | ~120 non-LDS travelers | Nauvoo Legion laid siege to the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, then slaughtered all teens, women, and men when they surrendered.[2] |
1857 | Central Utah | Aiken massacre | 5 non-LDS travelers killed | Lynching of five Californian travelers reportedly at the orders of top leaders. One of the party of six escaped.[28] |
1857–1858 | Utah | Utah War | Some non-Mormon civilians | American troops coming into Utah after rumors of a Mormon rebellion[29] |
1862 | Kington Fort | Morrisite War | 10 Morrisite Mormons, 1 Utah militiaman | Battle between the Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite) and the Utah Territorial Militia[30] |
1865–72 | Utah | Black Hawk War (Utah)
|
140 Native Americans, ~70 LDS people | Series of battles led by Black Hawk involving various indigenous tribes[31] |
1866 | Circleville, Utah | Circleville Massacre | ~30 Paiute children, women, and men | Circleville residents captured and executed some Paiute families as tensions in the Black Hawk War escalated.[32] |
Acts of violence involving Mormon fundamentalists in the 1900s and 2000s
This list includes modern instances of violence in which Mormons have played a significant role on either side of the conflicts.
Date | Location | Name | Deaths | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1972—1977 | Sonora, Mexico
|
Ervil LeBaron murders | Several people | Church leader Ervil LeBaron of the Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God orchestrated the murder of several apostates.[33][34] |
July 24, 1984 | American Fork, Utah | Lafferty murders | 2 people | Fundamentalist Mormons Ron and Dan Lafferty under the direction of a purported revelation from God murdered their sister-in-law Brenda Lafferty and her child.[35] |
January 28, 1988 | Marion, Utah | Singer–Swapp standoff | 1 law enforcement officer | Mormon fundamentalist Addam Swapp and eight followers bombed an LDS church on January 16th and were then in a 13-day standoff with law enforcement in order to fulfill Swapp's revelation that his father-in-law John Singer would be resurrected after the battle.[36]: 11,13 Singer, also a polygamist, had died in a shootout with police 9 years earlier.[36]: 11 One officer was shot by John's son and others were wounded.[37] |
June 27, 1988 | Texas | 4 O'Clock murders | 4 people | Ervil's successor Heber LeBaron of the Church of the Firstborn led the murder of four apostates.[38] |
November 4, 2019 | Sonora, Mexico
|
LeBarón family massacre
|
9 Mormons | Mexican cartel members ambushed three vehicles of Mormon families headed to a wedding.[39] |
Mormon views on capital punishment
Capital punishment in Mormon teachings
Religious justification for capital punishment is not unique to Mormons.[42] Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was a strong proponent of capital punishment, and he favored execution methods that involved the shedding of blood as retribution for crimes of bloodshed. 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."[a] In a March 4, 1843, debate with church leader George A. Smith, who argued against capital punishment,[b] Smith said that day if he ever had the opportunity to enact a death penalty law, he "was opposed to hanging" the convict; rather, he would "shoot him, or cut off his head, spill his blood on the ground, and let the smoke thereof ascend up to God."[41][40] In the church's April 6, 1843, general conference, Smith said he would "wring a thief's neck off if I can find him. if I cannot bring him to justice any other way."[47] 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 & bury them."[41][48] 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 through repentance, and redeem a part of their allotted time".[49] Despite Smith's endorsements of capital punishment in March 1843, there is no evidence he ever authorized such punishment in Nauvoo, though his follower Robert D. Foster beheaded a man in near there in November 1843.[41] In 1844 Smith was killed by a mob in a shootout, during which Smith wounded three with a six-shooter.[41]
Brigham Young, Smith's successor in the LDS Church, initially held views on capital punishment that were similar to those of Smith. On January 27, 1845, he spoke approvingly of Smith's toleration of "corrupt men" in Nauvoo who were guilty of murder and robbery on the chance that they might repent and be baptized.[49] On the other hand, on February 25, 1846, after the Saints had left Nauvoo, Young threatened adherents who had stolen wagon cover strings and rail timber with having their throats cut "when they get out of the settlements where his orders could be executed".[50]: 597 Later that year, Young gave orders that "when a man is found to be a thief, ... cut his throat & throw him in the River."[50]: 597 [51] Young also stated that the decapitation of repeated sinners "is the law of God & it shall be executed."[52][53][54]
In the Salt Lake Valley, Young acted as the executive authority while the Council of Fifty acted as a legislature. One of his main concerns in the early Mormon settlement was theft, and he swore that "a thief should not live in the Valley, for he would cut off their heads or be the means of haveing [sic] it done as the Lord lived."[55] A Mormon listening to one of Young's sermons in 1849 recorded that he said that "if any one was catched [sic] stealing[,] to shoot them dead on the spot and [the shooter] should not be hurt for it."[56][57]
In the Utah Territory, there was a law from 1851 to 1888 that allowed persons who were convicted of murder to be executed by decapitation; during that time, no person was executed by that method.[58]
Blood atonement
"Blood atonement" is the controversial concept that there are certain
LDS Church leaders taught the concept of blood atonement well into the 20th century within the context of government-sanctioned capital punishment, and it was responsible for laws in the state of Utah that allowed prisoners on death row to be executed by firing squad (Salt Lake Tribune, 11 May 1994, p. D1). Although the LDS Church repudiated the teaching in 1978, it still has adherents within the LDS Church as well as adherents within Mormon fundamentalism, a schismatic branch of the Latter Day Saint movement whose adherents seek to follow early Mormon teachings to the letter. Despite its repudiation by the LDS Church, the concept also survives in Mormon culture, particularly with regard to capital crimes.[64] In 1994, when the defense in the trial of James Edward Wood alleged that a local church leader had "talked to [Wood] about shedding his own blood," the LDS Church's First Presidency submitted a document to the court that denied the church's acceptance and practice of such a doctrine, and included the 1978 repudiation.[64]
Discussions about violence in temple ceremonies
The Mormon temple endowment ceremony used to contain discussions of violence. Author and former Brigham Young University (BYU) professor[65] Brian Evenson stated "any book that spoke in any detail about the relationship of Mormon culture to violence needed to acknowledge the connection of the temple ceremony to violence."[66]: 99
Temple penalties
In Mormonism, a penalty is a specified punishment for breaking an
Writer J. Aaron Sanders stated that the temple penalties were a form of blood atonement.[66]: 94, 99 Author Peter Levenda linked Smith's introduction of the Masonic blood oaths into the temple endowment as a step towards later threats of blood atonement for other perceived crimes in Utah territory.[72] Historian Juanita Brooks stated that violent enforcement of religious oaths was a "literal and terrible reality" advocated by Brigham Young "without compromise".[73]
Oath of vengeance
After the
In 1877, Young stated what he viewed as a similarity between Smith's death and the blood atonement doctrine in that "whether we believe in blood atonement or not," Smith and other prophets "sealed their testimony with their blood."[76][77]
In October 1976, LDS Church apostle Boyd K. Packer gave a sermon, "To Young Men Only," in which he said a missionary had told him of his companion enticing the other missionary to "join [him] in immoral acts". The missionary punched his companion so hard he fell to the floor, to which Packer responded resulting in audience laughter, "thanks. Somebody had to do it".[78]: 382–384 [79][80] The sermon was later published as a pamphlet and was widely circulated to LDS young men.[81][82] Historian D. Michael Quinn criticized Packer's comments, saying they constituted an endorsement of gay bashing; he also argued that the church endorses such behavior by continuing to publish Packer's speech.[81][83] Others criticized the pamphlet as well.[84][85]
On July 5, 2015, the LDS Church issued an official statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. The statement said that proponents of same-sex marriage should be treated with civility and not disrespectfully.[86]
On August 23, 2021, in a controversial address to faculty and staff at BYU, apostle Jeffrey R. Holland called for "a little more musket fire from this temple of learning" in "defending marriage as the union of a man and a woman."[87][88]
Violence in Mormon scripture
War is a central, cyclical theme in the Book of Mormon. There are many wars mentioned in the Book of Mormon, depicted as the consequence of prideful or sinful behavior. Battles often occur between two peoples called the Nephites and Lamanites, but other groups attacked or drawn into battle include "secret combinations" (i.e., organized criminals), factions among the Jaredites.
The Book of Mormon concludes with a cataclysmic war between the Nephites and Lamanites. The final prophet of the Book of Mormon, a Nephite named Moroni, laments that his people have participated in sexual violence, torture, and cannibalism:
And notwithstanding this great abomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue—And after they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts, because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery.[89]
Several decapitations and dismemberments are also described in the Book of Mormon. In chapter 4 of the
In chapter 9 of the
See also
- Act in Relation to Service
- Act for the relief of Indian Slaves
- Antisemitism
- Christianity and other religions
- Christianity and violence
- Criticism of the LDS Church
- Gladdenites (Attempted move to Utah)
- Honor killing
- Islam and other religions
- Islam and violence
- Islamophobia
- Jewish religious movements
- Jewish schisms
- Jewish views on religious pluralism
- Judaism and violence
- Latter Day Saint martyrs
- Mormon Battalion
- Pace memorandum
- Persecution of Christians
- Persecution of Jews
- Persecution of minority Muslim groups
- Persecution of Muslims
- Religious fanaticism
- Religious discrimination
- Religious discrimination in the US
- Religious intolerance
- Religious persecution
- Religious segregation
- Religious terrorism
- Religious violence
- Right-wing terrorism
- Sectarian violence
- Sectarian violence among Christians
- Sectarian violence among Muslims
- Utah in the American Civil War
- Violence in the Quran
- War in the Hebrew Bible
Notes
- ^ This statement was written by Willard Richards in 1843.[43][44] 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.[45]
- ^ George A. Smith later changed his views on capital punishment, and would write the first code in Utah which allowed both execution by firing squad and decapitation.[46]
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- Stenhouse, T.B.H. (1873), The Rocky Mountain Saints: a Full and Complete History of the Mormons, from the First Vision of Joseph Smith to the Last Courtship of Brigham Young, New York: D. Appleton.
- Taylor, John (January 1884), "Ecclesiastical Control in Utah", North American Review, 138 (326): 1–13.
- Young, Brigham (February 5, 1852), Speech by Gov. Young in Joint Session of the Legeslature [sic], Salt Lake City: Utah Territorial Legislative Assembly – via Wikisource.
- Young, Brigham (May 8, 1853), "President B. Young's Journey South—Indian Difficulties—Walker—Watching and Prayer—Thieves and Their Desserts—Eastern Intelligence—Financial State of the Church—Gaining Knowledge, etc.", in Watt, G.D. (ed.), Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, Liverpool: F.D. & S.W. Richards (published 1854), pp. 103–120.
- Young, Brigham (March 2, 1856a), "The Necessity of the Saints Living up to the Light Which Has Been Given Them", in Watt, G.D. (ed.), Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, Liverpool: Orson Pratt (published 1856), pp. 221–226.
- Young, Brigham (March 16, 1856b), "Instructions to the Bishops—Men Judged According to their Knowledge—Organization of the Spirit and Body—Thought and Labor to be Blended Together", in Watt, G.D. (ed.), Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, Liverpool: Orson Pratt (published 1856), pp. 243–49.
- Young, Brigham (September 21, 1856c), "The People of God Disciplined by Trials—Atonement by the Shedding of Blood—Our Heavenly Father—A Privilege Given to all the Married Sisters in Utah", in Watt, G.D. (ed.), Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, Liverpool: S.W. Richards (published 1857), pp. 51–63.
- Young, Brigham (February 8, 1857), "To Know God is Eternal Life—God the Father of Our Spirits and Bodies—Things Created Spiritually First—Atonement by the Shedding of Blood", in Watt, G.D. (ed.), Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, Liverpool: S.W. Richards (published 1857), pp. 215–21.
- Young, Brigham (March 8, 1863), "The Persecutions of the Saints—Their Loyalty to the Constitution—The Mormon Battalion—The Laws of God Relative to the African Race", in Watt, G.D.; Long, J.V. (eds.), Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, Liverpool: Daniel H. Wells (published 1865), pp. 104–111.
- ISBN 0-548-11500-1.