Brigham Young's Rage and High Treason Sermon - 9/13/1857
Before the meeting closes, I want to make a few remarks. My feelings
are so complicated that I want to say a few words, and I do not want
to; I want to talk, and I do not want to talk. You recollect hearing
one of the Elders state upon the stand, not long since, that he came
into the Church mad, and had been mad ever since. And I am too angry
this morning to preach. (1)
I have been in this kingdom a good while - twenty-five years and
upwards, and I have been driven from place to place; my brethren have
been driven, my sisters have been driven; we have been scattered and
peeled, and every time without any provocation upon our part, (2) only that we were united, obedient to the laws of the land, (3) and striving to worship God. (4)
Mobs repeatedly gathered against this people, but they never had any
power to prevail until Governors issued their orders and called out a
force under the letter of the law, (5)
but breaking the spirit, to hold the "Mormons" still while infernal
scamps cut their throats. I have had all that before me through the
night past, and it makes me too angry to preach. (6) Also
to see that we are in a Government whose administrators are always
trying to injure us, while we are constantly at the defiance of all
hell to prove any just grounds for their hostility against us; (7)
and yet they are organizing their forces to come here, and protect
infernal scamps who are anxious to come and kill whom they please,
destroy whom they please, and finally exterminate the (8) "Mormons."
I
did not arrive till late; and brother Taylor was then preaching upon
this subject, and I was glad of it. He has taught you good principles.
This people are free; they are not in bondage to any government on
God's footstool. (9)
We have transgressed no law, and we have no occasion to do so, neither
do we intend to; but as for any nation's coming to destroy this people,
God Almighty being my helper, they cannot come here. [The congregation
responded by a loud Amen.] (10) That is my feeling upon that point.
On the 24th of July last, a number of us went to Big Cottonwood Kanyon,
to pass the anniversary of our arrival into this Valley. Ten years ago
the 24th of July last, a few of the Elders arrived here, and began to
plough and to plant seeds, to raise food to sustain themselves. Whist
speaking to the brethren on that day, I said, inadvertently, If the
people of the United States will let us alone for ten years, we will
ask no odds of them; and ten years from that very day, we had a message
by brothers Smoot, Stoddard, and Rockwell, that the Government had
stopped the mail, and that they had ordered 2,500 troops to come here
and hold the "Mormons" still, while priests, politicians, speculators,
whoremongers, and every mean, filthy character that could be raked up
should come here and kill off the "Mormons," I did not think about what
I had said ten years ago, till I heard that the President of the United
States had so unjustly ordered troops here; and then I said, when my
former expression came to my mind, In the name of Israel's God, we ask
no odds of them. (11)
I do not often get angry; but when I do, I am righteously angry; and
the bosom of the Almighty burns with anger towards those scoundrels;
and they shall be consumed, in the name of Israel's God. (12)
We have borne enough of their oppression and hellish abuse, and we will
not bear any more of it; for there is no just law requiring further
forbearance on our part. And I am not going to have troops here to
protect the priests and a hellish rabble in efforts to drive us from
the land we possess; for the Lord does not want us to be driven, and
has said, "if you will assert your rights, and keep my commandments,
you shall never again be brought into bondage by your enemies." (13)
The officer in command of the United States' army, on its way to Utah,
detailed one of his staff, Captain Van Vliet, who is now on the stand,
to come here and learn whether he could procure the necessary supplies
for the army. Many of you are already aware of this, and some of you
have been previously acquainted with the Captain. Captain Van Vliet
visited us in Winter Quarters (now Florence); and, if I remember
correctly, he was then officiating as Assistant-Quartermaster. He is
again in our midst in the capacity of Assistant-Quartermaster. From the
day of his visit to Winter Quarters, many of this people have become
personally acquainted with him, both through casual intercourse with
and working for him. He has invariably treated them kindly, as he would
a Baptist, a Methodist, or any other person; for that is his character.
He has always been found to be free and frank, and to be a man that
wishes to do right; and no doubt he would deal out justice to all, if
he had the power. Many of you have laboured for him, and found him to
be a kind, good man; and I understand that he has much influence in the
army, through his kind treatment to the soldiers. He treats them as
human beings, while there are those who treat them worse than brute
beasts. (14)
Well, the enquiry is, "What is the news? What is the conclusion?" It is
this - We have to trust in God. I am not in the least concerned as to
the result, if we put our trust in God. The administrators of our
Government have issued orders for marching troops and expending much
treasure, and all predicated upon falsehoods, while every honourable
man would have first made an economical and peaceful enquiry into the
circumstances. And even now, every honourable man would use all his
influence to avert the present unjust and entirely groundless movement
against us; but Captains, Majors, Colonels, and other subordinate
officers have not the power. Wicked persons, solely for the
accomplishment of their unhallowed schemes, have had the power to array
the Government against us, through their lying and misrepresentation; (15)
but citizens, unorganized into cliques and parties, no matter how good
their intentions and wishes, have not the power to avert the bow when
the Administration of our Government is arrayed against us, unless they
will also unite against the few well-organized scoundrels who are
plundering our treasury and fast urging our country to dissolution. We
have got to protect ourselves by the strength of our God. Do not be
concerned in the least with regard to all the affairs that are before
you; (16)
for we shall live and grow finely, as said a certain woman, who weighed
but two pounds when an infant, and was put in a quart cup. Upon being
asked whether she lived, "O yes," she said, "I lived and grew finely."
It will also be said of the Latter-day Saints, "They lived and grew
finely."
You are taught from Sabbath to Sabbath what to do; and if you do that,
all will be well. There is only one thing to fear, and that is, that
you will not be faithful to the kingdom of God. (17)
We have that kingdom; and it will spread its balmy wings over thousands
and millions who have not yet heard the Gospel, and they will find
Israel to be "the head, and not the tail." (18)
What is the cause of the hostile feeling against this people? Brother
Taylor has been telling you. God has restored the Gospel of salvation
to earth again. (19)
That unites the hearts of the people, brings together those of
different nations, notwithstanding their various traditions and their
different manners and customs, and makes them of one heart and of one
mind. And what follows? All hell is moved against them, because the
kingdoms of this world - the kingdoms of darkness - are in danger. A
hell is moved against this people, because we are of one heart and of
one mind.
The faith of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is calculated to unite the
people in one, and to bring them back to the unity and faith of those
who obeyed the Gospel anciently, and finally to bring them back to
glory. (20)
Then do you wonder that all the sects of the day are enraged against
us? I have told you that I do not wonder; neither do I wonder that
governors and rulers are enraged at our success. Are there any
Democrats, any Whigs, any Methodists, any Baptists, (21)
or anything like the parties and sects of the day among us? No. What is
there? Those who want to do the will of their Father in heaven; and
when they can know his will, their faith is one, their hope is one, and
they are one in all things. (22)
It is not alone the United States that is in fear because of the union
that exists with this people, but all Europe trembles this day in
consequence of the faith there is here. Some may think that it is not
so; but I know more about the United States than men do who come here
direct from Washington. I read their history and their feelings every
day. You need not think that the world are not opposed to us - you need
not think that politicians are not opposed to us, for they are. (23)
We have sent a delegate to Congress during the past six years, and has
there ever been an opposing vote in his election? No. The people only
want to know who the right man is, and then they will support him. Dr.
Bernhisel is our delegate; and has it cost him thousands of dollars to
gain his election? No; it has not cost him a single dollar; no, not so
much as a red cent. We think that he is the most suitable man for us to
send to Washington, and we say, "Let us send him," and he is
unanimously elected. And if we had a thousand officers to elect - if we
had to elect the President of the United States, you would never see a
dissenting vote. (24)
Parties in our Government have no better idea than to think the
republic stands all the firmer upon opposition; but I say that it is
not so. A republican Government consists in letting the people rule by
their united voice, without a dissension, - in learning what is for the
best, and unitedly doing it. That is true republicanism. (25)
Do not be angry. I will permit you to be as angry as I am. Do not get
so angry that you cannot pray: do not allow yourselves to become so
angry that you cannot feed an enemy - even your worst enemy, if an
opportunity should present itself. There is a wicked anger, and there
is a righteous anger. The Lord does not suffer wicked anger to be in
his heart; but there is anger in his bosom, and he will hold a
controversy with the nations, and will sift them, and no power can stay
his hand. (26)
The Government of our country will go by the board through its own
corruptions, and no power can save it. If we can avert the bow for
another season, it is probable that our enemies will have enough to
attend to at home, without worrying the Latter-day Saints. Have faith,
and all will be well with us. I would like this people to have faith
enough to turn away their enemies. I have prayed fervently about this
matter; for it has been said that the troops would come: but I have
said that, if my faith will prevent it, they shall not come. If God
will turn them whithersoever he will, so that they do not come here, I
shall be perfectly satisfied. But another man steps up, and says to the
one that prays for our enemies to be turned away, "Brother, you are a
coward; damn them, let them come, for I want fight to them." Herein you
perceive a conflict in our faith; and that should not be. If there was
a perfect union of our faith, our enemies could never cross the Rocky
Mountains; or, if they undertook to come some other way, they never
could cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains, nor the Basin Rim, on our
north, nor the deserts at the south. But, says one, "I want to fight."
Do all such persons know that they are not right? If they will examine
their hearts, they will find a wicked anger and a malice there; and
they cannot get into the kingdom of God with those feelings. (27)
Learn to control yourselves; earn to be in the hands of God as clay in
the hands of the potter; and if he will turn our enemies away, praised
be his name. But if it should become a duty to take the sword, let us
do it, manfully and in the strength of Israel's God. Then one will
chase a thousand, and two will put ten thousand to flight." The day
will be in which a man will go out and say to an army of a hundred
thousand men, "Do thus, and so, or we are upon you;" and they will hear
the rumbling of chariots and the rushing of troops, as in the days of
Elijah. You recollect of a Prophet's telling what bread and meal should
be sold for in a straitened city the following day. The enemy thought
that there were millions of the Israelites after them, for they heard
the rolling of chariot-wheels, the clashing of armour, and the
trampling of horses, and they fled. The Prophet had told the king that
he would be trodden to death in the gate, and he was; and a measure of
meal was sold in the city for a penny, in fulfilment of the word of the
Lord. The doctrines of salvation are the same now as they were in the
days of Adam, or Elijah, or Jesus, when he was upon the earth. (28)
While brother Taylor was speaking of the sectarian world, it occurred
to my mind that the wicked do not know any more than the dumb brutes,
comparatively speaking; but it is our business to hunt up and gather
out all the honest portion of the nations of the earth, and give them
salvation. We may very properly say that the sectarian world do not
know anything correctly, so far as pertains to salvation. Ask them
where heaven is? - where they are going to when they die? - where
Paradise is? - and there is not a priest in the world that can answer
your questions. (29) Ask
them what kind of a being our Heavenly Father is, and they cannot tell
you so much as Balaam's ass told him. They are more ignorant than
children. We have the knowledge of those things; and we have the
greatest reason to be thankful of any people upon the face of the
earth. If others ought to do right, we more. Be full of love and
compassion to your fellow beings, full of kindness, such as human
beings can possess, for that is our business. The only business that we
have on hand is to build up the kingdom of God and prepare the way of
the Son of Man. (30)
If you do your duty in this respect, you need not be afraid of mobs,
nor of forces sent out in violation of the very genius of our free
institutions, holding you till mobs kill you. Mobs? Yes; for where is
there the least particle of authority, either in our Constitution or
laws, for sending troops here, or even for appointing civil officers
contrary to the voluntary consent of the governed? We came here without
any help from our enemies, and we intend to stay as long as we please. (31)
They say that their army is legal, and I say that such a statement is
as false as hell, and that they are as rotten as an old pumpkin that
has been frozen seven times and then melted in a harvest sun. Come on
with your thousands of illegally-ordered troops, and I will promise
you, in the name of Israel's God, that you shall melt away as the snow
before a July sun. (32)
There is one thing that I want, for the satisfaction of Captain Van
Vliet. One of our old senators, Stephen A. Douglas, recently said
before his constituents in Illinois, that nine-tenths of our people
were aliens. We have a larger proportion of foreigners in this city
than in any other part of the Territory, and there are a good many here
to-day who have just come in from the Plains. I want those who are
native born and naturalized American citizens to raise their right
hands. [Over two-thirds of the congregation raised their hands.] You
who have not yet received your naturalization papers will please
manifest it in the same way. [Less than a third of the congregation
raised their hands.] Now, Captain, you can see for yourself that over
two-thirds of this congregation are either native born or naturalized
American citizens. (33)
I have called this vote that Captain Van Vliet may be able to do as he
always does - speak the truth boldly, and tell them of it next winter
in Washington; and that he can, if he sees Senator Douglas in
Washington, tell him that his statement was false, for he has seen for
himself. (34)
If it were any use, I would ask whether there is ONE person in this
congregation who wants to go to the United States; but I know that I
should not find any. But I will pledge myself that if there is a man,
woman, or child that wants to go back to the States, if they will pay
their debts, and not steal anything, they can go; and if they are poor
and honest, we will help them to go. That has been my well-known
position all the time. (35)
Brother Taylor has said that he bantered the United States for a trade,
and promised them that if they would send all to Utah that wanted to
come, we would send all to the States that wanted to go. We would get
our thousands to their one, if they would make that trade. But no -
they must keep on lying, howling, and trying to oppress and kill the
innocent. (36)
When some want away last spring, I told them to go in peace, and they
did so. What are they doing now? Many of them are struggling to get
back, and the rest are wishing that they had never left here. It is a
kind of dear business to apostatize every year. I would rather stick to
the old ship Zion. (37)
When I was written to in Nauvoo by the President of the United States,
through another person, enquiring, "Where are you going, Mr. Young?" I
replied that I did not know where we should land. We had men in England
trying to negotiate for Vancouver's Island, and we sent a shipload of
Saints round Cape Horn to California. Men in authority asked, "Where
are you going to?" "We may go to California, or to Vancouver's Island."
When the Pioneer company reached Green River, we met Samuel Brannan and
a few others from California, and they wanted us to go there. I
remarked, "Let us go to California, and we cannot stay there over five
years; but let us stay in the mountains, and we can raise our own
potatoes, and eat them; and I calculate to stay here." We are still on
the backbone of the animal, where the bone and the sinew are, and we
intend to stay here, and all hell cannot help themselves. (38)
We are not to be persecuted as we have been. We can say, "Come as a
mob, and we can sweeten you up right suddenly." They never did anything
against Joseph till they had ostensibly legalized a mob; (39)
and I shall treat every army and every armed company that attempts to
come here as a mob. [The congregation responded, "Amen."] You might as
well tell me that you can make hell into a powder-house as to tell me
that you could let an army in here and have peace (40);
and I intend to tell them and show them this, if they do not keep away.
By taking this course, you will find that every man and woman feels
happy, and they say, "All is right, all is well;" and I say that our
enemies shall not slip the bow on "Old Bright's neck" again. (41)
God bless you. Amen. (42)
1) Brigham Young was not a righteous man.
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the
righteousness of God. James 1:19-20
2) Brigham Young referred to non-Mormons as enemies in most of his sermons.
You are not to be overcome by your enemies, or put down and
trampled under foot, if you will do this, and continue to be humble
before the Lord your God. In doing this, no power under the heavens can
disturb this people. Brigham Young sermon delivered on September 11,
1853.
3) Murder of innocent people is not obedience to the laws of the United States.
I say, rather than that apostates should flourish here, I will
unsheath my bowie knife, and conquer or die. [Great commotion in the
congregation, and a simultaneous burst of feeling, assenting to the
declaration.] Now, you nasty apostates, clear out, or judgment will be
put on the line, and righteousness to the plummet. [Voices, generally,
"go it, go it."] If you say it is right, raise your hands. [All hands
up.] Let us call upon the Lord to assist us in this, and every good
work. Brigham Young sermon delivered on March 27, 1853.
4) Christian worship of God is in truth and spirit.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I
proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He
is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with
hands. Acts 17:23-24
5) Mormon leadership will never talk about their sermons of provocation.
We take God and all the holy angels to witness this day, that we
warn all men in the name of Jesus Christ, to come on us no more
forever, for from this hour, we will bear it no more, our rights shall
no more be trampled on with impunity. The man or the set of men, who
attempts it, does it at the expense of their lives. And that mob that
comes on us to disturb us; it shall be between us and them a war of
extermination, for we will follow them, till the last drop of their
blood is spilled, or else they will have to exterminate us: for we will
carry the seal of war to their own houses, and their own families, and
one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed. –Remember it then
all MEN. Sidney Rigdon sermon on July 4, 1838.
6) Brigham Young was not a righteous man.
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use
you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;
for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain
on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45
7) Brigham Young had without cause imprisoned men from Missouri and Iowa.
I charge the Mormons, and Governor Young in particular, with
imprisoning five or six young men from Missouri and Iowa, who are now
in the penitentiary of Utah, without those men having violated any
criminal law in America. Judge Drummon’s Letter of Resignation, point
six – March 30, 1857.
8) The mission of the United States Army was to maintain law and order.
The community and, in part, the civil government of Utah
Territory are in a state of substantial rebellion against the laws and
authority of the United States. A new civil governor is about to be
designated, and to be charged with the establishment and maintenance of
law and order. Your able and energetic aid, with that of the troops to
be placed under your command, is relied to insure the success of his
mission. Instructions to General W.S. Harney, June 29, 1857.
9) Brigham Young was in open rebellion to God and the United States of America.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist
are appointed by God. Romans 13:1
10) Mormons were ignorant of the Word of God.
Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of
God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Romans
13:2
11) Mormons had good cause to be alarmed and afraid.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you
want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will
have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good.
But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain;
for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who
practices evil. Romans 13:3-4
12) Brigham Young was in open rebellion to God and the United States of America.
Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. Romans 13:5
13) The god of Brigham Young must have been Satan.
These things I command you, that you love one another. John 15:17
14) Brigham Young knew the mission of the U.S. Army and was lying in his sermon.
You will, therefore, call upon President Young in person, in the
first instance, and deliver to him the enclosed communication; at the
same time you will explain freely and fully the object of your mission
and the steps you propose to take for its accomplishment. Instructions
to Captain Van Vliet – July 28, 1857.
15) Brigham Young was in open rebellion to God and the United States of America.
For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s
ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render
therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to
whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Romans
13:6-7
16) Living in open violation of United States law is not living finely or godly.
And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day
Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law
of the land. Manifesto issued by Wilford Woodruff on October 6,
1890.
17) Mormons should never be mistaken as Christians.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made
perfect in love. 1 John 4:18
18) The Mormon gospel of hate is not the Christian Gospel.
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached
to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also
you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to
you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all
that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the
third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas,
then by the twelve. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
19) The Christian message was never lost throughout the centuries.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I
will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against
it. Matthew 16:18
20) Christian unity is directed by the Holy Spirit evidenced by gentleness and peace.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk
worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness
and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3
21) There is no one true incorporated church on the earth.
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:33
22) Will you believe the lies of Brigham Young or the truth of Jesus Christ?
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees
the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise
him up at the last day.” John 6:40
23) Brigham Young was in open rebellion to God and the United States of America.
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to
those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the
praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing
good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet
not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 1
Peter 2:13-15
24) Dictatorships rarely have dissenting votes when they hold elections.
In competitive authoritarian regimes, by contrast, violations of
these criteria are both frequent enough and serious enough to create an
uneven playing field between government and opposition. Although
elections are regularly held and are generally free of massive fraud,
incumbents routinely abuse state resources, deny the opposition
adequate media coverage, harass opposition candidates and their
supporters, and in some cases manipulate electoral results.
Journalists, opposition politicians, and other government critics may
be spied on, threatened, harassed, or arrested. Members of the
opposition may be jailed, exiled, or—less frequently—even assaulted or
murdered. Regimes characterized by such abuses cannot be called
democratic. Elections Without Democracy by Steven Levitsky and Lucan A.
Way – Journal of Democracy, 2002.
25) Brigham Young the autocrat hated the United States form of government.
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the
principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to
either autocracy or direct democracy. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
26) Jesus Christ hates religious hypocrites such as Brigham Young.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like
whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside
are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also
outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy
and lawlessness. Matthew 23:27-28
27) The Kingdom of God is spiritual not physical for the Christian.
Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the
kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is
acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:16-18
28) Brigham Young was in open rebellion to God and the United States of America.
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test
Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a
denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to
Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are
God’s.” Matthew 22:18-21
29) Christians will be concerned about preaching Jesus Christ and knowing Him.
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2
30) Love does not involve murder, rebellion, and slandering others.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek
its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
31) The Constitution gave Congress the right to put down the Mormon insurrection.
The Whiskey Rebellion was a resistance movement in the western
frontier of the United States in the 1790s, during the presidency of
George Washington. The conflict was rooted in the dissatisfaction in
western counties with various policies of the eastern-based national
government. The Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated that the new national
government had the willingness and ability to suppress violent
resistance to its laws. The whiskey excise remained difficult to
collect, however. The events contributed to the formation of political
parties in the United States, a process already underway. Wikipedia
Encyclopedia
32) This was a false prophecy of Brigham Young.
Through the dead city Johnston led his army with bands playing
and flags flying. Rigid order was preserved; Mormon property was
untouched, save for some accidental and unavoidable trampling of fields
by army herds. When the column reached Young’s residence, the Lion
House, the band struck up a ribald camp song named “One-Eyed Riley.” On
this incongruous note Johnston rode through Salt Lake City and pitched
camp beyond the Jordan River on the west. Albert Sidney Johnston, page
214.
33) Most natural born Mormon United States citizens became apostates later.
But the American proportion, both of leaders and followers, is
fast decreasing. Brigham Young himself says that fifteen out of every
twenty of the original American Mormons have apostatized; and Apostle
Smith says five out of six. Our New West, page 237, 1869.
34) Mormonism throughout the Brigham Young era grew from foreigners.
It is the house of Israel we are after, and we care not whether
they come from the east, the west, the north, or the south; from China,
Russia, England, California, North or South America, or some other
locality; and it is the very lad on whom father Jacob laid his hands,
that will save the house of Israel. Brigham Young sermon delivered on
April 8, 1855.
35) Mormon apostates were usually murdered if they attempted to leave.
It would have a tendency to place a terror on those who leave
these parts, that may prove their salvation when they see the heads of
thieves taken off, or shot down before the public. Let us clear up the
horizon around us; and then, like the atmosphere after the thunder
storm has spent its fury in the tops of the mountains, becomes
purified; and a calm sun-shine pervades the whole. I believe it to be
pleasing in the sight of heaven to sanctify ourselves and put these
things away from our midst. Orson Hyde sermon delivered on April 9,
1853.
36) Innocent people were murdered by Mormons just two days prior to this sermon.
The Mormon officers carefully segregated the emigrant families
into three groups and their supposed protectors marched them north from
the camp. In early twilight at the rim of the Great Basin, the militia
shot down the unarmed men. Young whites disguised in paint and feathers
and a small band of native freebooters rushed from ambush to murder the
terrified women and children. Blood of the Prophets, page 5.
37) Apostasy from the Mormon Church is normal when their history is discovered.
The number one reason listed by people who participated in the
poll was "I found out about Mormon history". In fact, this was the
number one response at 67 percent and might be shocking to most
faithful LDS. What most faithful members are unaware of is that the
history we are taught in church and seminary is termed by LDS
historians as "faithful history." The word former Mormons use is
'Whitewashed.' Until recently, there has been a policy for Mormon
historians about only speaking or writing about faith promoting
history, and violations of this policy were punished often with
excommunication. NetXNews September 23, 2007
38) Cults will seek to isolate their members from society at large.
In Cults and the Family the authors cite Shapiro, who defines a
"destructive cultism" as a sociopathic syndrome, whose distinctive
qualities include: "behavioral and personality changes, loss of
personal identity, cessation of scholastic activities, estrangement
from family, disinterest in society and pronounced mental control and
enslavement by cult leaders." Wikipedia
39) Mormon leaders always viewed law abiding dissenters as a mob.
Joseph completely lost control. Shouting above the din, he
called for an end to debate and a vote on the excommunications. “Yes,”
yelled a dissenter, “you would cut a man’s head off and hear him
afterward!” The meeting finally broke up, and Joseph left the temple
conscious that he had lost, probably forever, what had been seven years
in building. Shortly after, when word came that Grandison Newell had
secured a warrant for his arrest on a charge of banking fraud, Joseph
knew that this was the finish and fled in the night with Rigdon, his
horse turned toward Zion (Missouri). No Man Knows My History, page
207.
40) Brigham Young made numerous false accusations against the U.S. Army.
At present there appears to be no danger of a collision between
the troops at Camp Douglas and the inhabitants of this town. Several of
our most respected citizens were apprehensive at one time that seizures
of citizens would be attempted without due authority, but it is now
believed their fears were groundless, or if not, that the crisis has
passed, and the inhabitants and troops are now associating together
upon the most friendly of terms. Letter from Governor Doty to General
Wright, August 9, 1863.
41) Cult leaders will always sacrifice followers for their own personal protection.
There was, however, some excitement in early March (1863).
Connor wired San Francisco on March 8: “Mormons hard at work making
cartridges; a guard of 300 men at Brigham’s nightly; don’t understand
what he is about; suppose he fears I will arrest him. I am quite safe.”
On March 9 Connor wired to his Pacific Department headquarters that
“Brigham just raised national colors on his house and called his people
to arms. They are responding and rushing to his home. He is trying to
frighten somebody or is frightened himself.” The Saints and the Union,
page 161.
42) God never blesses rebellious liars, criminals, extortionists, and murderers.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say
all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” Matthew 5:3-11