As a young Mormon missionary working in and around Nauvoo, Illinois, I got to hear a lot about the so-called martyrdom of Joseph Smith, Jr. The LDS Church's official version of the events covers, ad nauseam, the who's, what's, when's and where's but comes up short on the why's.
They're quick to tell us all about how Joseph Smith was killed by an angry mob of anti-Mormons on June the 27th of 1844 but not entirely forthcoming on who specifically was behind the mob. They're quick to tell us how he was unfairly jailed in Carthage but a bit murky on exactly what he was jailed for, saying only "charges of civil disturbance".
They also neglect to ever delve into why he was killed. Not that I believe any motive justifies the murder of another man. I don't. I'm just saying that calling the murderers anti-Mormons without any explanation to motive simply doesn't tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Why were there so many people angry enough with Joseph Smith to want him dead? Why exactly was he jailed in the first place?
The absence of answers to these questions is deliberate and designed to leave one thinking as little as possible about the real motives while still feeling appeased in having the questions answered. Like a condescending pat on the head, the church tells a dumbed-down version of the story as if we simply don't need to know the details. The real fact is that the details aren't flattering or supporting to their position of Smith being a martyr for Christ.
The facts tell us that Smith was jailed for his ordering of a printing press burned. "An anti-Mormon printing press", apologists tell us. Well, sort of. William Law had been a member of Smith's inner circle, his counselor in the First Presidency. After Smith propositioned Law's wife with plural marriage, Law bristled and threatened to expose Smith. Brother Joseph had Law excommunicated.
That is why Law was anti-Mormon. That is the sort of detail the official version of LDS history conveniently leaves out.
But Law would kill a man over this? No. In all likelihood, Law had little or nothing to do with the murder of Joseph Smith. It is more likely that those who killed the Mormon leader had other motives and used the opportunity of his incarceration to have their way.
But why? Why would they want him dead? Well, the answer is probably a combination of variables. No one thing can be pointed to as the motive. There were a lot of straws on that camel's back.
For starters, many saw Smith as a sexual predator. He had a long history or run-ins with the families and neighbors of girls like Marinda Johnson, Fanny Alger and even his own wife Emma Hales. Hales father was no fan of Joseph Smith and had made his displeasure public more than once.
Others felt Smith was a con man, duping innocent followers out of their possessions, money, homes and lives. They felt he was a gold-digger and treasure hunter. As it turns out, Smith had actually been arrested and convicted of treasure hunting many years earlier. He had also tried to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon, started an illegal bank, printed his own money, declared himself General and King, and on and on.
More key to his murder, I believe, was the issue of his involvement with Freemasonry. When Smith became a Mason he, like all Masons, took a blood-oath to keep the secrets of Masonry, well, secret. But Joseph didn't keep those secrets. He took the Masonic oaths, ceremonies, handshakes and robes and turned them into his own temple ceremony. He did this and called it revelation. He then took this so-called revelation and used it to manipulate his followers into plural-marriage, the United Order and all manner of cult-isms.
I am of the belief that it was other Masons who killed Joseph Smith that summer afternoon. I believe they killed him as punishment for violating the very oaths he swore.
But that's not the kind of story modern Mormonism wants you to hear. It's just not the brand of faith-promotion that gets the butts in the pews and the converts lined up at the fonts.
Filed under - MormonismAlso forgot to mention. When I heard that during a wedding ceremony they used to act out some creation story and that now it is a movie that you watch; well nuff said. I wanna see this video. Nothing like a good old propaganda brainwashing during your wedding.
The creation story is not part of the wedding ceremony. The "Endowment Ceremony" follows the creation story with a bunch of stand-up, sit-down, shake hands, put on an apron, take off your shoes, say the magic words, nonsense.
Often a bride and groom will participate in the endowment prior to the weeding but it is not required as part of the wedding necessarily.
Pete, Steve-O and et al of "us":
As an X-mormon, (BIG smile on my face!) I've never felt the need to jump on the anti-mormon wagon, but this forum so therapeutic! I too have "done time" in the Oakland Temple; many trips doing baptisim for the dead as a teenager, but my endowment/sealing was truly a mind-fuck. There is a very interesting book titled "What's Going On In There?" by Chuck Sackett. It speaks for itself. I had never heard about the Masons in relation the the church either but slit-my-throat-and-call-me-stupid... it's all the same! As a kid at home I do remember hearing talk about the John Birch Socity in regards to the church...right (wrong) wing group I think. Anyway, thanks Pete for listening. Send me the bill.
If an "angry mob" hadn't killed Smith, I believe Emma would have done him in with a brick on his fat head, while he slept. Or she could have done the pioneer version of the Bobbitt family - one less prick for the rest of us to worry about.
I remember a thread on the RfM board, in which missionaries were trying to persuade an investigator. They admitted that JS had spent time in the courts and even convicted. The response: "your prophet was a criminal?"
Not that one should compare JS to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr or Gandhi, but they were both convicted and imprisoned as well. It's possible that people are unfairly convicted.
With that said - the one figure (besides Law) who is unfairly blamed is Gov. Thomas Ford. From the information I've read, Ford was trying to save JS and his brother and make sure they got a fair trial. He's been demonized by mormon scholars.
And no one ever mentions that the Nauvoo charter allowed JS to suspend basic US rights - including Habeas (sp) corpus. If a group of people moved next door to me and began developing an army and arresting people without due process, I would be fairly concerned. And, not only that, there were tons of rumors going around about the group - some true (polygamy) and others not true. This was not a one sided persecution.
If you get a chance, read Gov. Ford's speech to the people of Nauvoo at the time of Smith's incarceration. It's actually printed in "The History Of The Church". He is clearly pleading for the Mormons to keep themselves safe. He is obviously looking to keep the peace.
Sadly, many Mormons failed to see the sense if Ford's words and responded by throwing him out of town and further inflaming the opposition.
It's really a pity that things turned out as the did for all involved.
William Law, huh? I know that he was one of my anscestors, but the fact that he was excommunicated was never mentioned by my TBM family. Interesting! Something for me to look into.
I am not mormon but my husband was/is i dont really understand...I feel he was forced into mormonism as a child as I believe most where...he cant come to admitt that their ideas are far-fetched, mostly because i dont think he truely knows what LDS stands for....i found some info and read it to him (info from the the LDS church) and he had never heard that before...i believe they only tell you enough to get you to believe and then you are hooked.....My husbands whole family is mormon and I am not so I am an outsider looking in....my husband recently decided to research more on the church and I truely believe God will guide him the right way (away from the mormons)....thanks for all the info.....
A lot of people find their way out of Mormonism... Just like everything else though God rarely has a hand in it. I won't pretend to speak for everybody but most ex-Mormons that I know left all religion behind once they left.
As cultish as much of Mormonism is I don't personally feel it stands apart from most organized religion as far as quirkiness or the requirement to set aside individual and critical thinking. An examination of your own belief in Deity may just guide his path to doing the same.
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The only thing I have participated in at the temple is baptisms. I have never experienced endowments or a wedding/sealing. When I heard about what these ceremonies were like and their ties to masonry I was very shocked. That was kinda the nail in the coffin for leaving. I don't think I have ever heard a Mormon utter the word Mason and it is never associated with the history. But if you do some REAL research you will see just how close these 2 are. But I guess the TBM response to this is that Smith restored the gospel and that the Masons were performing these rituals in a heathen way. Also, the only time that you hear about polygamy is when talking about when it was officially a part of the doctrine. I had never heard anything about Smith having any wives besides Emma. In Oakland, CA there is an annual play called Temple Pageant. All about the Book of Mormon and Smith. I have seen it several times and well, it is extremely sanitized and makes you really hate all those anti-mormon bastards that have caused so much grief. I suggest watching the South Park version of the JS story. Puts things in real perspective.