While the church leaders temper and strong words at the pulpit earned him a reputation for coercion, in truth, those who knew him best often spoke of his caution and his abhorrence of bloodshed. He said, I was always Josephs friend; his enemies are my enemies.. Buy this book The curious mix of folklore, suspicion and myth that still attaches to the Mormon experience stems largely from the church that. When the United States claimed sovereignty over the area in 1848, Mormons petitioned Congress for recognition, and in 1850 the United States organized Utah Territory. He stopped at the cairn the U.S. Armys First Dragoons had raised in 1859 over the grave of the emigrants whose scattered bones they had collected and buried. Wouldnt these events have kindled Youngs anger and led him to seek revenge? An armed mob assassinated Smith in 1844, and Young and the other apostles took charge of leading the Mormon church. Why was the decision Roe v. Wade important for feminists? Rather than provide them with what they wanted, Lee chose to die like a man then [than] to live a villain.. Why Lee was selected as scapegoat remains unclear. As one of John D. Lees wives put it, The Mormons were so insulted and indignant over the death or murder of Pratt that they Raked untold Vengeance on the poor Emigrants.. Following Haights orders, Lee negotiated a cease fire with the wagon company on September 11. The attack occurred on April 6. By the summer of 1877, Youngs health was in decline, but he continued to play an active role in the Mormon church up until the end. Israeli settlers "torched dozens of cars and homes in a Palestinian town" as retaliation on Sunday evening, and one Palestinian was killed during the chaos, The Associated Press reported. John D. Lee leading elder in Mt. Every religion has less-than-savory moments hidden in its history. Brent L. Top,professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU, in an interview explained a little more about how these experiences influenced Brigham Young: In an article written by Top, he elaborates more on what Brigham Young taught about the life that awaits us after death: For more incredible insights into what prophets and apostles have taught about the spirit world, check out Life After Death: 6 Insights into the Spirit World. They primarily belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or LDS, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has more than 16 read more, When Brigham Young and his band of Mormon settlers marched into Utah in 1847, they saw a vast expanse of land they envisioned as a sanctuary. If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain [those of African descent], the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. The incident occurred late Saturday afternoon at . Immediately the German community attacked the schools for giving a false picture of German culture. Tracklist: 01. He was also the founder of Salt Lake City and the first governor of the Utah Territory, United States. The Center also supported student training for life-long temple and family history service. The last known version, the one in which he saw both God and Jesus, is the version contained in the Mormon book of scriptures known as the Pearl of Great Price and is the version taught both to the Latter-day Saint faithful and those considering converting to the faith. After guiding an exodus of thousands of Mormons westward to the Great Salt Lake Valley, Young founded Salt Lake City and served as the first governor of the Utah Territory. No evidence exists that the Indians at the council agreed to attack. Was brigham young stabbed by a son named Phineas? There are no other trains going south that I know of. Earlier versions featured only Jesus or angels appearing to Smith. That question stumped me for years, and like many other Mormon mysteries the clues have been carefully purged from the records of Utahs past. However, President Snow announced apostolic seniority should be gauged by the entry date into the Quorum of the Twelve, making Joseph Fielding Smith the next prophet. Fifty-three years ago Juanita Brooks classic study, The Mountain Meadows Massacre, concluded the crime was the result of one unfortunate circumstance after another. Brigham Young ( / brm /; June 1, 1801 - August 29, 1877) was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. Courtesy: Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Isaac Haights stake high council opposed the attack, and sent a messenger to Salt Lake City for Youngs advice on September 6. People make what they want of the facts in my book, Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, but for most readers, the evidence about who ordered the massacre is overwhelming. Finally, it is also a matter of historical record that none of the Indian leaders at the Salt Lake council were later at Mountain Meadows, except the Southern Ute leader, Ammon, who tried to prevent the massacre. In 1867, a group of non-Mormon pioneers from Missouri and Arkansas were trying to pass through Utah on their way to California but ran into trouble as they tried to get through the Beehive State. There were several times when Brigham Young's life was spared or his health inexplicably restored, according to BYU professor of Mormon History Donald Q. Cannon ("Brigham Young on Life and Death"). Brigham Young (pictured) is revered by Mormons as the second prophet of modern times. Seeking a place where they could avoid the persecution that had driven them from Ohio and Missouri, Young and the other apostles planned a westward exodus of thousands of Mormons from the settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley, then part of Mexico. In August 1857, Young reactivated the Nauvoo Legion, a militia first created in pre-exodus Illinois. Youngs fiery discourses calling for blood and vengeance, his encouragement of Indian attacks on wagon trains and the lies he told to cover up the crime all show he was intimately involved in fomenting a vicious act of vengeance. You must not meddle with them. [4] By 1841 he had relocated to Nauvoo. What are the 4 major sources of law in Zimbabwe? College volleyball's opening weekend ended with a fan banned from Brigham Young University's athletic facilities and statements expressing regret from two universities and the governor of Utah. Learning how Eleanor McLean Pratt got to Salt Lake City convinced me Brigham Young did it. The 12th Mrs. Pratt had buried her polygamous husband Parley in Arkansas the previous May, and she was obsessed with exacting vengeance from his murderers. Brigham Young Pioneer Prophet. After a standoff of several days, the Mormons called a truce, only to massacre most of the wagon train party, including some 120 men, women and children. He was the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death. In the video that Harrold recorded, the woman could be seen yelling at the teen and lunging at him during the Dec. 26 incident. In regard to emigrating trains arriving and passing through our settlements, he wrote in a letter designed to restore calm in Southern Utah, We must not interfere with them. These clear and difficult-to-misread words were rushed to Cedar City after Young received an express from local setters there telling him of pending trouble. Even though Young blessed it as a place to begin anew,his fears of continued religious persecution may have caused him to order a massacre. The footage showed the massive professional athlete throwing the victim around her home with brutal force in front of their then-5-month-old son. As a church leader, Brigham Young stood in marked contrast to his predecessor, the charismatic, idealistic, and theologically innovative Joseph Smith. Happyness (Skit) 05. Some of his brides were as young as 14, and he even married women who already had living husbands. The mob killed men, women and all but 17 of the smallest children . But that life would rest read more, Mountains, high plateaus and deserts form most of Utahs landscape. In this period, militia leaders at Cedar City and at Mountain Meadows changed their minds several times whether the killing should go forward. John G. Turner. What are the Physical devices used to construct memories? On September 11, 1857, 120 men, women and childrenpioneers from Arkansas headed for Californiawere massacred after being promised safe passage through a Southern Utah valley known as Mountain Meadows. They were reacting to events as they took place. Did Brigham Young Approve the Attack? Sources conflict. However, he was not the youngest apostle ever ordained. One of his wives alleged he ordered the deaths of people who tried to leave the faith. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. That progressed into a host of angels, then it evolved to God appearing to Smith in a pillar of fire. Brigham Young was probably the most oft-married man in 19th-century America. Haight then turned the gun on himself. Richards. The only ones spared were 17 children under the age of eight, who were taken in by local Mormon families, and would later testify they saw their parents clothes and jewels being worn by locals. The two main contenders were James Jesse Strang and Brigham Young. He was replaced as governor the following year by Alfred Cumming. Unfortunately, these actions and the menacing content of Sidney Rigdons July 4 speech led to Governor Lilburn Boggs signing an order to exterminate all Mormons in Missouri. For motives, they point to the persecution of the Mormon people and to the earlier killing of Mormon leaders Joseph and Hyrum Smith. In 1870, church leaders quietly excommunicated Isaac Haight, John D. Lee, and militia leader George Wood. The game in question was against Brigham Young University, as part of the Mountain West semifinals. After the extermination order, the Mormons left for Nauvoo, Illinois, but their bad experiences in Missouri would never be forgotten. The Mormons: Brigham Young. Apparently I succeeded, since critics in the employ of the LDS Church claim I dont prove Brigham Young ordered the murders. But Matt Easton, 24, political science valedictorian at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah said the timing was right to tell 10,000 people he was gay. On August 29, 1877, Brigham Young died in Salt Lake City at the age of 76. The family of a Boston man is speaking out after they say their 31-year-old son was struck from a waitlist for a heart transplant because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Then, his relationship with Joseph Smith (depicted above in a statue at the Temple Squares North Visitors Center) suffered due to a number of factors that strained the friendship including when Smith tried to marry Rigdons daughter (while Smith was already married) and his refusal to support polygamy. Sometimes, he would send the husbands on missions in foreign countries and marry their wives while they were away and unable to object. Salt Lake City would soon become the bustling center of life in theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Director Henry Hathaway Writers Louis Bromfield Lamar Trotti (screenplay) Stars Tyrone Power Linda Darnell Dean Jagger From Vailsburg To Vaudeville 04. When I began writing about the massacre, I realized trying to prove anything about this appalling crime would prove only that I was an idiot. From deeply disturbing acts by its founder, Joseph Smith, to atrocities committed in the name of God in Utah, Mormonism has some very dark secrets that even most members of the Church dont know about. Letters of Brigham Young to His Sons Dean C. Jessee Stanford J. Layton Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Layton, Stanford J. Anxiously awaited is a book due to be published in 2004 by three Mormon church historians that will exonerate Young. PBS: American Experience. An anti-Mormon mob killed Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage, Illinois. Phineas Young was an older brother of Brigham Young, who was the president of the LDS Church and the first governor of the Territory of Utah. The Utah War was resolved in 1858, with Young agreeing to step aside in favor of the new governor (though he remained de facto leader in the territory). Five days later the church president spoke to a congregation filled with many of the participants in the massacre. The nation was and remains horrified by what happened at Mountain Meadows. If I shoot, they get shot. Polygamy was utterly shocking to many non-Mormons and, as such, there was a. The massacre lasted less than five minutes, but when it was. It's time to Hike and Light the Y and attend the much-anticipated BYU Spectacular! A final investigation ultimately resulted in Lees execution in 1877, and other conspirators successfully going into hiding. If you happen to be named Brown or Jones or Spendlove or Lewis or Young or any name, it doesn't matter who your ancestors are. For instance, Joseph Smith was once attacked by an apostate from the Church, William Law, who "attempted to kill Joseph and fired a pistol at him six times at close range. Even in households where the men could afford their wives and offered them full financial support, sometimes jealousy and spite divided wives to the point that some would kill themselves to avoid having to live in heaven with their husbands and their sister wives. [5], Young was married to Lucy, the half-sister of Oliver Cowdery. But lets back up a little farther to see why. This applied to countries as well as individuals. According to a BYU Scholars article, His speaking talent, organizational and leadership ability, and political sagacity were given untiringly to the service of his church. Wild Bill Hickman, a famed gunslinger and friend of the Mormon leader, actually claimed that Young had ordered him to commit some of those murders. Isaac Haight's stake high council opposed the attack, and sent a messenger to Salt . In regard to emigration trains passing through our settlements, we must not interfere with them until they are first notified to keep away. On the other hand, Mormons have insisted that the massacre was perpetrated by local members acting without sanction from headquarters. The founder of the religion, Joseph Smith, began claiming he had been commanded by God to take additional wives after his first wife caught him having sex with their teenage maid in the barn. While it started with a small group of adherents, many historians regard read more, The political and religious leader Roger Williams (c. 1603?-1683) is best known for founding the state of Rhode Island and advocating separation of church and state in Colonial America. While several reasons for this statement may be suggested, most persuasive is the ebb and flow of the local decision-making during the weeklong event. Life After Death: 6 Insights into the Spirit World. The sheer variety of Brigham Young's marriages makes it difficult to make sense of them. It turns out that she was actually wife No. His views on religious freedom read more, In 1950, L. Ron Hubbardthe founder of Scientologypublished his bestselling book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Though he originally conceived of Dianetics as a science of the mind, Hubbard later adapted his theories into a more religious approach, calling read more, The Inquisition was a powerful office set up within the Catholic Church to root out and punish heresy throughout Europe and the Americas. Theres one answer to all these questions: Brigham Young ordered the murders as a righteous act of vengeance. Because of this and the expulsion from Missouri, the Mormons at the time felt very strong prejudice against people from those two states. No. Logically, the idea of ordering a massacre as 2,500 U.S. troops marched upon Salt Lake City is absurd. [3], In 1840, Young moved to Scott County, Illinois when the Latter Day Saints were expelled from Missouri. They are also among a cadre of doctors across the country who are confronting mounting intimidation on social media, and threats of violence. Niggas Sooooo Good 06. But I am determined by the help of God never to bear false witness against My Neighbour. Later, he complained that those who questioned him wanted lies, not truth. From 1864 through 1871 Young served as the bishop of the Salt Lake City 2nd Ward. The company that was used up at the Mountain Meadowes included the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters & connections of the men who murdered the prophets, he told John D. Lee, and they Merited their fate. The only thing that ever troubled Young was the lives of the Women & children, but that under the circumstances [it] could not be avoided.. setTimeout(function(){var t=document.createElement("script");t.setAttribute("src","https://sample.dragonforms.com/getEmbeddedClientScript.do?embeddedsite=TW_dispatch_nl"),t.setAttribute("type","text/javascript"),document.body.appendChild(t)},5); Become a subscriber today and youll recieve a new issue every month plus unlimited access to our full archive of backlogged issues. The Indians we expect will do as they please but you should try and preserve good feelings with them. . What was the favorite type of mule used in the Old West? According to Mormon doctrines, prophets speak to God and communicate Gods will to Mormons. Police are investigating. Young testified that Cowdery's last statements were on the truth of Mormonism as revealed through Joseph Smith. Will Bagley, a history columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, is the author of Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows published by the University of Oklahoma Press. Brigham Young tried to stop the massacre. Brigham Young, second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as the Mormon Church, ranks among the most influential and important historical figures not just in Mormon, but also in American history. The Christian faith centers on beliefs regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead I tried to tell the story as honestly and accurately as possible and let readers make up their own minds about who ordered the slaughter of more than 80 women and childrenand why. However, Smith told as many as 10 versions of the story and many had serious contradictions. In 1832, he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the religion founded by Joseph Smith in 1830 based on the Book of Mormon, a scripture that Smith claimed to have translated from gold plates given to him by an angel named Moroni. Phineas' wife Clarissa was also baptized about this same time. [2] Shortly after their baptisms, Phineas Young and Joseph Young became ordained elders in the church began preaching as missionaries in New York and Upper Canada. show. At first, it blamed Indians; later, it claimed a rogue church official was responsibleand after two trials, Mormon militia leader John Lee was hanged in 1877 for the killings. In the early days of the Church, it was common for members to be called to serve at young ages. Anonymous. One wife of Apostle Orson Pratt actually died of neglect after getting sick while living in poverty because he wouldnt allocate enough money for her care. But its not a formula for good history. Brigham Young later privately set apart three other sons and Joseph F. Smith as apostles who served as "assistant Counselors to the First Presidency.". A disgraced former Geography professor at Mormon-founded Brigham Young University in Utah who was charged with sexually abusing a female students after allegedly telling her she needed to straddle . Polygamy, Brigham Young and His 55 Wives. HuffPost, August 27, 2012. In 1841, Joseph Smith announced a prophesy that Governor Boggs (pictured above) would, within a year, meet a violent demise. When Mormons were living in Daviess County, Missouri, he delivered a fiery oration on Independence Day of 1838 in which he promised that the Missourians who Mormons felt were persecuting them (the sentiments had some justification although Mormons did their fair share of antagonizing as well) would need to stop any disputes with the Mormons or face a war of extermination. Mormons believe that Joseph Smith had a vision in 1820 in which he saw God and Jesus (first vision depicted in a sculpture above). Reared in the famous Beehive House, Mrs. Spencer has carried with her through life the patient, loving influence of her parents. Over the next few decades, as thousands of Mormons arrived in Salt Lake City, the charismatic Young styled himself after the great prophets and leaders of ancient Israel, earning nicknames like Lion of the Lord and American Moses.. In 1853, he became the second counselor to David Fullmer in the presidency of the Salt Lake Stake of the church. They are also fascinated by stories of murder and especially murder on a grand scale. Such a day-by-day approach yields new understanding. Why did he threaten honest men who called for justice in the matter? According to Bennett, Rockwell returned the day before news of the assassination attempt arrived at Nauvoo. On August 29, 1877, Brigham Young died in Salt Lake City at. His son, also named Alma, rebelled against everything he was taught. He was the ninth of eleven children, growing up in an unsettled frontier environment characterized by frequent family moves to various communities throughout upstate New York. The man's son was allegedly attacked by a fellow student who believed him to be a racist. But in 1517 Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Churchs corrupt practice read more, Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers. Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content, 2022 LDS Living A Division of Deseret Book Company. Some testimony came in private interviews when there was no motive to lie. He wasn't elected or picked to lead the Saints west, he was foreordained to lead them and gained their love and belief in his guidance. Stubborn facts. . After five years researching and writing about this horrific atrocity, I doubted Id ever find a definitive answer to the question, Did Brigham Young order the murders at Mountain Meadows?, To my surprise, I found evidence that convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that Brigham Young issued orders (probably verbal) to kill everyone in the Fancher party except those of innocent bloodchildren under eight years of ageto fulfill his sacred vow to avenge the blood of the prophets Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and more specifically, Apostle Parley P. Pratt. The victims bodies were stripped naked and left to rot in the open air. Young was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the seventh child of John Young and Abigail Howe. Tragically, Youngs letter arrived two days after the massacre, despite one of the epic rides in Western history. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? How many nieces and nephew luther vandross have? Writing a polemic trying to blame Brigham Young would be self-defeating, just as writing an apologia to clear his skirts would ultimately have to justify murder. When he isnt exploring the dark secrets of various religions, he is a major sci-fi/fantasy geek and the lead editor and author for The Elders Blog on Elders of Genova. The emigrants fell back to a defensive position, and the ambush became a siege. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke Monday to staff at Brigham Young University (BYU) during the first day of the institution's 2021 University Conference.. These men later insisted that no orders had come from Salt Lake City, and this testimony included that given by those who in later life left Utah and Mormonism. Young undertook a careful study of the book and eventually passed it on to others in his family, including his brothers Brigham, Joseph and John. Adding fuel to Mormon rage, they argue, was the killing, a few months before the massacre, of Apostle Parley P. Pratt. An early convert to Mormonism, Brigham Young succeeded founder Joseph Smith as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1847; he led the church until his death in 1877. DJ Ferguson, who . According to lds.org, George A. Smith was deeply committed to the Church since his baptism in 1832. Young won the leadership and Strang was considered a heretic and excommunicated from the Mormon Church. Phineas Howe Young (also found as Phinehas) (February 16, 1799 October 10, 1879) was a prominent early convert in the Latter Day Saint movement and was later a Mormon pioneer and a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Brigham Young wasn't the only latter-day prophet to have such close experiences with death. How many 5 letter words can you make from Cat in the Hat? Called to organize and lead the Mormon Raiders which consisted of 100 men. They arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. He married -- was sealed to, in Mormon parlance -- young (Clarissa Decker, 15) and old (Hannah Tapfield King, 65). Beginning in the 12th century and continuing for hundreds of years, the Inquisition is infamous for the severity of its tortures and its read more. Who is Katy mixon body double eastbound and down season 1 finale? Matters have & are being delayed with design of Cohearce [to coerce] me to Make a statement beyond what I know, he wrote in his diary. Pratt had been murdered in Arkansas, where the Baker-Fancher party had its origin. Mormons responded to not being allowed to vote by forming a militia and attacking Gallatin as well as the nearby village of Millport (one militia battle is depicted in the painting above). Catholicism has the Inquisition and the Crusades. Kauna unahang parabula na inilimbag sa bhutan? Their beliefs on the subject extend so far as to dictate that a prophet can never lead people astray. Though he initially resisted adapting the churchs controversial custom of plural marriage, Young later embraced it as his duty, and would eventually have 55 wives and 56 (or 57) children. History is often presented to young students within a single interpretative framework with little suggestion of the existence of alternative historical interpretations. Young was too cleverand too religiously devoutto have destroyed the emigrants and thus irreparably harm the reputation of his people. Two years later, Young read more, Born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483, Martin Luther went on to become one of Western historys most significant figures. When Filmore appointed non-Mormon judges for Utah, tensions arose quickly. When Mormons turned up to vote on election day that year, a drunken brawl broke out that resulted in Mormons being blocked from accessing the polls. (Right) John D. Lee. The following are a few facts necessary for an understanding of this terrible event in Western and Mormon history. Not circumstantial evidence. Simpson murdered his wife. Brigham Young had six sisters and four brothers. Brigham Young University. Many American Protestant religions promoted slavery or the Ku Klux Klan. Numerous records, including journal entries from those who experienced the attack and affidavits sworn against the Mormon mob, included allegations that the Mormon mob forced pregnant women and children out into the cold, stole livestock, and took prisoners for interrogation. The little boy and his sister were at a friend's house in Wyoming earlier this month when a 1 . Mormon Historians Shed Light On Sept. 11, 1857. Or did his belief in heavenly justice prove him an unlikely culprit? Despite the fact that the Book of Mormon (which Smith said he translated by the power of God) denounces polygamy, Smith didnt stop with two wives and, before he died, he had married close to 40 women and possibly many more.
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