Mormonism and violence

Mormonism, throughout much of its history, has had a relationship with violence. In the early history of the United States, violence was used as a form of control. Many people of different faiths were harassed and persecuted because of differences in religious beliefs. The followers of Mormonism, especially in its early history, were typically the victims of violence. Mormons were persecuted violently and pushed from Ohio to Missouri to Illinois and then west to the Utah territory. There were incidents of massacre, home burning, pillaging, and the murder of their founder, Joseph Smith. However, there were also Latter-day Saints who perpetrated violence as in the case of the Mountain Meadows massacre.

The effect of this violence has had an impact on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement and its doctrines.

Capital punishment

Capital punishment in Mormon scripture

Religious justification for capital punishment is not unique to Mormonism (Gardner 1979, p. 10). Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon has passages that speak favorably about capital punishment. The book described a theocratic government with a law that "if a man murdered he should die" (Alma 42:19; see also 2 Nephi 9:35; Alma 27:6-9). Nevertheless, the Book of Mormon did not always require capital punishment and never indicated that capital punishment was a requirement to atone for sins. The Book of Mormon provided an example where God (and the government) forgave "many murders" after repentance, "through the merits of [God's] Son" (Alma 24:10). The book also stated that murderers could avoid an "awful hell" if they "repent and withdraw [their] murderous purposes" (Alma 54:7).

Mormonism teaches that in some situations, the blood of a slain righteous person "cries out" for retribution, an idea that finds several examples in Mormon scripture. In the Bible, for example, the blood of Abel ascended to the ears of God after he was killed by Cain (Genesis 4:10). In the Book of Mormon, the "blood of a righteous man" (Gideon) was said to "come upon" the theocratic leader Alma "for vengeance" against the murderer (Nehor) (Alma 1:13). Mormon scripture also refers to the "cry" of the blood of the saints ascending from the ground up to the ears of God as a testimony against those who killed them (2 Ne. 26: 3; D&C 88:6).

Retribution

Joseph Smith, Jr. did not teach blood atonement, but taught a "blood for blood" law of God's retribution, stating that if he could enact a death penalty law, "I am opposed to hanging, even if a man kill another, I will shoot him, or cut off his head, spill his blood on the ground and let the smoke ascend thereof up to God..." (Roberts 1909, p. 296).

Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was a strong proponent of capital punishment, and 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." In a March 4, 1843 debate with church leader George A. Smith, who argued against capital punishment, Smith said that 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" (Roberts 1909, p. 296). 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." 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 cant do anything with them but cut their throat & bury them". 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 through repentance, and redeem a part of their allotted time" (Roberts 1932).

Brigham Young, Smith's successor in the LDS Church, initially held views on capital punishment 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 (Roberts 1932). 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" (Roberts 1932, p. 597). Later that year, Young gave orders that "when a man is found to be a thief,...cut his throat & thro' [sic] him in the River". Young also stated that decapitation of repeated sinners "is the law of God & it shall be executed". There are no documented instances, however, of such a sentence being carried out on the Mormon Trail.

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 [sic] 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." A Mormon listening to one of Young's sermons in 1849 recorded that he said "if any one was catched [sic] stealing to shoot them dead on the spot and they should not be hurt for it."

In Utah, there existed a law from 1851 to 1888 allowing persons convicted of murder to be executed by decapitation (Gardner 1979, p. 13).

Blood atonement

Main article: Blood atonement

Blood atonement is the controversial concept that there are certain sins to which the atonement of Jesus does not apply, and that before a Mormon who has committed these sins can achieve the highest degree of salvation, he or she must personally atone for the sin by "hav[ing] their blood spilt upon the ground, that the smoke thereof might ascend to heaven as an offering for their sins" (Young 1856a, p. 53). Blood atonement was to be voluntary by the sinner, or was contemplated as being mandatory in a theoretical theocracy planned for the Utah Territory, but was to be carried out with love and compassion for the sinner, not out of vengeance (Young 1857, p. 220). The concept was first taught in the mid-1850s by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) during the Mormon Reformation when Brigham Young governed the Utah Territory as a near-theocracy. Even though there was discussion about implementing the doctrine, there is no direct evidence that it was ever practiced by the Mormon leadership in their capacity as leaders of both church and state (Campbell 1988, ch. 11). There is inconclusive evidence, however, suggesting that the doctrine was enforced independently a few times by Mormon individuals (Stenhouse 1873, pp. 467–71). Scholars have also argued that the doctrine contributed to a culture of violence that, combined with paranoia from the Church's long history of being persecuted, incited several extra-judicial killings by Mormons, including the Mountain Meadows massacre (Quinn 1997).

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 allowing for execution by firing squad (Salt Lake Tribune, 11/5/94, p. D1). Although the LDS Church repudiated the teaching in 1978, it still has adherents within the LDS Church and within Mormon fundamentalism, a branch of the Latter Day Saint movement not affiliated with the LDS Church that seeks to follow early Mormon teachings to the letter. Despite repudiation by the LDS Church, the concept also survives in Mormon culture, particularly in regards to capital crimes. 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 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.

Penalties

Endowment penalties

Main article: Penalty (Latter Day Saints)

The original Nauvoo Endowment ceremony contained "penalties" for breaking a covenant not to reveal certain names and gestures given as part of the ceremony. These penalties consisted of oaths made while enacting gestures representing four ways in which a person's life could be taken—one each for the first three sacred "tokens" (handshakes) and their accompanying names and signs. In 1990, without official comment, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints removed these penalties from their version of the Endowment, together with some other elements of the ceremony that had been considered controversial.

Oath of vengeance against the United States for killing "the prophets"

Main article: Oath of vengeance

After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., Brigham Young added an Oath of vengeance to the Nauvoo Endowment ritual. Participants in the ritual made an oath to pray that God would "avenge the blood of the prophets on this nation" (Buerger 2002, p. 134). "The prophets" were Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and "this nation" was the United States (Buerger 2002, p. 134). This oath was removed from the ceremony during the 1920s (Buerger 2002, pp. 139–40). In 1877, Brigham Young noted what he viewed as a similarity between Joseph Smith's death and the blood atonement doctrine, in that "whether we believe in blood atonement or not", Joseph and other prophets "sealed their testimony with their blood".

Theological violence

Mountain Meadows massacre

The widely publicized Mountain Meadows massacre of September 11, 1857 during the Utah War 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. After escalating rumors that some of the emigrants had participated in early Mormon persecution, the militia conducted a siege, and when the emigrants surrendered, the militia killed men, women, and children in cold blood, adopted some of the surviving children, and attempted a cover-up.

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. Young was accused with either directing the massacre, or with complicity after the fact. When Brigham Young was interviewed on the matter and asked if he believed in 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" (Young 1877, p. 242).

Thomas Coleman murder

An example used by some to illustrate the alleged practice blood atonement is the 1866 murder of the former-slave, Thomas Coleman (or Colburn), who was in good standing as a member of the LDS Church. As Mormon historian D. Michael Quinn has documented, Coleman was apparently secretly courting a white Mormon woman. 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. The group of vigilantes hit Coleman with a large rock. Using his own bowie knife, his attackers slit his throat so deeply from ear to ear that he was nearly decapitated, as well as slicing open his right breast, in what some believe was a mimicry of penalties illustrated in the temple ritual. Not all of Coleman's wounds correlated with the temple ritual, however, since he was also castrated. A pre-penciled placard was then pinned to his corpse stating, "NOTICE TO ALL NIGGERS - TAKE WARNING - LEAVE WHITE WOMEN ALONE." Even though it was the middle of winter, a grave was dug and Coleman's body was buried. The body was disposed of in less than three hours after its discovery. Less than twelve hours after that, Judge Elias Smith, first cousin of Joseph Smith, appointed George Stringham (a Mormon ruffian and vigilante with ties to Porter Rockwell, Jason Luce, and William Hickman) as the foreman of the Coroner's Jury; they briefly met and summarily dismissed the case as a crime that was committed either by a person or by persons unknown to the jury, abruptly ending all official inquiry into the bizarre murder.

Violence related to LGBT people

Main article: Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In its early days, the LDS Church was not a staunch critic of same-sex relationships. The state of Utah did not have a sodomy law until it was imposed on the state by the U.S. federal government. In the time since the LDS Church has begun teaching its beliefs on homosexual practices, there have been situations of violence, and prosecution against gays, lesbian and transgendered people from church leaders and members, discouraged by some and encouraged by others.

In 1959, Brigham Young University conducted an aversion therapy program to "cure" gay men. Suspected homosexuals were referred to the program and placed in a dark room and shown erotic photos of both men and women. The participants were encouraged to masturbate to the illustrations of women and were shocked with electricity through attachments to their arms if they became aroused by the male images. It is not known whether the LDS Church was aware of BYU's experiments at the time or not.

Apostle Dallin H. Oaks of the LDS Church writes, in regards to application of Mormon doctrines about homosexuality, "[o]ur doctrines obviously condemn those who engage in so-called 'gay bashing'—physical or verbal attacks on persons thought to be involved in homosexual or lesbian behavior." In God Loveth His Children, the LDS Church advises that "[a]ssociation with those of the same gender is natural and desirable, so long as you set wise boundaries to avoid improper and unhealthy emotional dependency, which may eventually result in physical and sexual intimacy. There is moral risk in having so close a relationship with one friend of the same gender that it may lead to vices the Lord has condemned."

Boyd K. Packer "To young men only" sermon/publication

The pamphlet, "TO YOUNG MEN ONLY" by Boyd K. Packer. Published by the LDS Church.

In a general conference sermon in October 1976, LDS Church apostle Boyd K. Packer encouraged young male Latter-day Saints to vigorously resist unwanted sexual advances ("contact with one another physically") with physical force. Packer cites the example of a male missionary he had known who "floored" his missionary companion. Packer states:

It was intended that we use this power only with our partner in marriage. I repeat, very plainly, physical mischief with another man is forbidden. It is forbidden by the Lord.

There are some men who entice young men to join them in these immoral acts. If you are ever approached to participate in anything like that, it is time to vigorously resist.

While I was in a mission on one occasion, a missionary said he had something to confess. I was very worried because he just could not get himself to tell me what he had done.

After patient encouragement he finally blurted out, "I hit my companion."

"Oh, is that all," I said in great relief.

"But I floored him," he said.

After learning a little more, my response was "Well, thanks. Somebody had to do it, and it wouldn't be well for a General Authority to solve the problem that way"

I am not recommending that course to you, but I am not omitting it. You must protect yourself.

Historian, author and former Brigham Young University professor, D. Michael Quinn as well as David E. Hardy have argued that Packer's comments constitute an endorsement of gay bashing, and that the church itself endorses such behavior by continuing to publish Packer's speech in pamphlet form. The October address was published and distributed to bishops shortly after it was given so the document could be dispersed to LDS family members. While the document contained the sermon, it was not published in the LDS Church magazine Ensign, a decision of the First Presidency. Quinn published "Prelude to the National "Defense of Marriage" Campaign: Civil Discrimination Against Feared or Despised Minorities" where he states:

This official church pamphlet, titled To Young Men Only, encourages teenage boys to assault any males "who entice young men to join them in these immoral acts." Yet President Hinckley (who was a senior apostle in 1976) expresses bewilderment regarding the literally thousands of violent attacks against gay males in Utah during the decades since the First Presidency began publishing Apostle Packer's talk. This endorsement of gay bashing continues to be printed in pamphlet form and is currently distributed by LDS headquarters. From 1976 to the present, local LDS leaders have been encouraged to give this pamphlet to young males in their teens and twenties, those most likely to commit hate crimes against gays and lesbians.

As a review of Quinn's book "Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example", George L. Mitton and Rhett S. James of Brigham Young University, have written "A Response to D. Michael Quinn's Homosexual Distortion of Latter-day Saint History" and refer to Quinn as a "Homosexual apologist" and believe the book and other various publications of the author to be "another attempt to generate tolerance and perhaps even acceptance for the notion of a special homosexual identity". They find the publications to be "an anti-Mormon book" and "Much of it is pure fabrication".

In October of 2000 a group of Mormon parents asked the LDS Church to review old pamplets including "To Young Men Only", as well as "To The One," "Letter to a Friend," and "For the Strength of Youth." The parents believed the pamphlets "may promote fear, ignorance and even violence against gays". David E. Hardy, an attorney and former LDS bishop said, "These pamphlets contain hurtful and damaging language that promotes fear and entrenches ignorance of the realities of this issue. They cause parents to condemn and turn against their gay children, destroying real families, and drive our gay children to self-loathing, despair and suicide."

History of religious violence against Mormons

Early Mormon history is marked by many instances of violence, which has helped shape the church's views on violence. The first significant instance occurred in Missouri. Mormons tended to vote as a bloc there often unseating local political leadership. Differences culminated in hostilities and the eventual issuing of an executive order (often called the Extermination Order) by Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs declaring "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State." Three days later, a militia unit attacked a Mormon settlement at Haun's Mill, resulting in the death of 18 Mormons and no militiamen. The Extermination Order was not formally rescinded until 1976.

In Nauvoo, Illinois, conflict was often based on the tendency of Mormons to "dominate community, economic, and political life wherever they landed." The city of Nauvoo had become the largest in Illinois, the city council was predominantly Mormon, and the Nauvoo Legion (the Mormon militia) continued to grow. Other issues of contention included polygamy, freedom of speech, anti-slavery views during Smith’s presidential campaign, and the deification of man. After the destruction of the press of the Nauvoo Expositor, Joseph Smith, Jr. was arrested and incarcerated in Carthage Jail where he was killed by a mob on June 27, 1844. The conflict in Illinois became so severe that most of the residents of Nauvoo fled across the Mississippi River in February 1846.

Even after Mormons established a community hundreds of miles away in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah in 1847, anti-Mormon activists in the Utah Territory convinced President Buchanan that the Mormons in the territory were rebelling against the United States due to the Mountain Meadows massacre and plural marriage. In response, President Buchanan sent one-third of USA's standing army in 1857 to Utah in what is known as the Utah War.

California Proposition 8 (2008)

The LDS Church strongly supported California Proposition 8 (2008) in this campaign. At a LDS meetinghouse in Orangevale (in Sacramento County), vandals spray painted in red letters on the front sign and sidewalk: "No on 8" and "No on Prop 8".

An affiliate group of Bash Back! claimed credit for pouring glue into the locks of an LDS meetinghouse and spray painting on its walls. A Web posting signed by Bash Back!’s Olympia chapter said: “The Mormon church (just like most churches) is a cesspool of filth. It is a breeding ground for oppression of all sorts and needs to be confronted, attacked, subverted and destroyed.” According to the Chicago Tribune, the acts of vandalism against the LDS Church appear to be in retaliation for support of Proposition 8. The Anti-Defamation League released a statement condemning the "defacement and destruction of property."

LGBT rights groups, such as Equality Utah and Equality California, have spoken out against the use of violence in protests.

List of Mormon wars and massacres

This list of Mormon wars and massacres includes all wars and massacres that have involved significant numbers of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Wars

• 1838 Mormon War (aka Missouri Mormon War)
• Mormon War in Illinois (1844-1845)
• Utah War (1857-1858)
• Morrisite War (1862)
• Black Hawk War (Utah) (1865–1872)

Massacres

• Haun's Mill massacre (1838)
• Battle Creek (1849)
• Mountain Meadows massacre (1857)
• Bear River Massacre (1863)

See also

• Anti-Mormonism
• Christianity and violence
• Criticism of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Gladdenites (Attempted move to Utah)
• Pace memorandum
• Violence against Mormons

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