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+ | {{propaganda|The author employs sarcasm. | ||
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*[[../../Sarcasm|Sarcasm]] --> | *[[../../Sarcasm|Sarcasm]] --> | ||
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*{{AuthorQuote|"While on a bluff overlooking the waterway, a member of his party discovered a rocky formation vaguely reminiscent of an ancient altar. Joseph gazed at the rocks, then noticed the lush prarie stretching out before him..."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"While on a bluff overlooking the waterway, a member of his party discovered a rocky formation vaguely reminiscent of an ancient altar. Joseph gazed at the rocks, then noticed the lush prarie stretching out before him..."}} | ||
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+ | {{propaganda|The author is rewriting Fawn Brodie's prose. | ||
Brodie, p. 211: "On a high bluff overlooking the river someone in the party discovered the ruins of what seemed to be an altar and excitedly led the prophet to it. After examining it, Joseph stood silent, his eye sweeping over the prarie that rolled away beneath him..." | Brodie, p. 211: "On a high bluff overlooking the river someone in the party discovered the ruins of what seemed to be an altar and excitedly led the prophet to it. After examining it, Joseph stood silent, his eye sweeping over the prarie that rolled away beneath him..." | ||
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*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
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+ | {{misinformation|It would be safe to say that ''Twenty-first'' century Latter-day Saints rarely discuss this issue. ''Nineteenth century'' and early ''twentieth century'' Latter-day Saints may have speculated on this. | ||
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Oliver Cowdery, letter to Warren Cowdery, January 21, 1838. | Oliver Cowdery, letter to Warren Cowdery, January 21, 1838. | ||
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+ | {{information|Oliver did accuse Joseph of such activities. | ||
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{{:Question: Did some of Joseph Smith's associates believe that Joseph Smith had an affair with Fanny Alger?}} | {{:Question: Did some of Joseph Smith's associates believe that Joseph Smith had an affair with Fanny Alger?}} | ||
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*Winn, 123. | *Winn, 123. | ||
*David Whitmer, ''An Address to All Believers in Christ'', 27-28. | *David Whitmer, ''An Address to All Believers in Christ'', 27-28. | ||
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+ | {{information|Joseph was aware of the Danites when they opposed dissenters in the Church. Joseph rejected the Danite band and their activities once he learned that they were plundering. | ||
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*Leland Gentry, [http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=460&REC=6 The Danite Band of 1838], ''BYU Studies'' 14/4 (1974): 421—50. | *Leland Gentry, [http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=460&REC=6 The Danite Band of 1838], ''BYU Studies'' 14/4 (1974): 421—50. | ||
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*Winn, 124. | *Winn, 124. | ||
*Reed Peck, ''Reed Peck Manuscript'', 3. | *Reed Peck, ''Reed Peck Manuscript'', 3. | ||
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+ | {{misinformation|Rigdon did not mention the Danite band in his speech, although it may have inspired them to act. | ||
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*Leland Gentry, [http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=460&REC=6 The Danite Band of 1838], ''BYU Studies'' 14/4 (1974): 421—50. | *Leland Gentry, [http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=460&REC=6 The Danite Band of 1838], ''BYU Studies'' 14/4 (1974): 421—50. | ||
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Did Joseph write in his private journal that he was aware of the Danite's purpose? Were these words then crossed out so that they wouldn't appear in the history of the Church? | Did Joseph write in his private journal that he was aware of the Danite's purpose? Were these words then crossed out so that they wouldn't appear in the history of the Church? | ||
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+ | {{information|Joseph Smith's journal entry for 27 July 1838 shows that he was familiar with the Danites and that he believed that their objective was to "put to rights physically that which is not right" and to "cleanse the Church of very great evils." This likely refers to the encouragement of dissenters to leave the county. The entry in the journal is definitely crossed out, although the reason for this is not stated. | ||
|authorsources= | |authorsources= | ||
Joseph Smith, ''Missouri Journal, 1838, March to September'', under July 27, 1838. Reprinted in Jessee, ''The Papers of Joseph Smith'', vol. 2, 262. | Joseph Smith, ''Missouri Journal, 1838, March to September'', under July 27, 1838. Reprinted in Jessee, ''The Papers of Joseph Smith'', vol. 2, 262. | ||
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Author's opinion. | Author's opinion. | ||
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+ | {{propaganda|This is an absurd claim. Does anyone plan to "take over" when they exercise their right to vote? Isn't the entire point of voting to be able to participate in the process of selecting those who will govern us? | ||
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*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
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LeSueur, 61. | LeSueur, 61. | ||
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+ | {{disinformation| This is not a "fact" as implied by the author. | ||
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*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
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*Author's statement. | *Author's statement. | ||
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+ | {{propaganda|The author implies that those "Mormons" who were driven "from their homes" were ''not'' living "in their own territory." | ||
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*[[../../Absurd claims|Absurd claims]] | *[[../../Absurd claims|Absurd claims]] | ||
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Author's opinion. | Author's opinion. | ||
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− | *[[ | + | {{disinformation|This is the author's opinion, with no evidence to support it. |
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+ | *[[../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
{{endnotes sources}} | {{endnotes sources}} | ||
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{{Articles Footer 1}} {{Articles Footer 2}} {{Articles Footer 3}} {{Articles Footer 4}} {{Articles Footer 5}} {{Articles Footer 6}} {{Articles Footer 7}} {{Articles Footer 8}} {{Articles Footer 9}} {{Articles Footer 10}} | {{Articles Footer 1}} {{Articles Footer 2}} {{Articles Footer 3}} {{Articles Footer 4}} {{Articles Footer 5}} {{Articles Footer 6}} {{Articles Footer 7}} {{Articles Footer 8}} {{Articles Footer 9}} {{Articles Footer 10}} | ||
− | [[ | + | <!-- PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE --> |
+ | [[en:Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Chapter 8]] |
Claims made in "Chapter 7: Woe In Ohio" | A FAIR Analysis of: One Nation Under Gods A work by author: Richard Abanes
|
Claims made in "Chapter 9: March to Martyrdom" |
Claim Evaluation |
One Nation Under Gods |
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The author claims that "Twenty-first century Mormonism" promotes the idea that Cain, Abel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah lived in Missouri.Author's sources: *No source provided.
Did Oliver Cowdery accuse Joseph of having a "dirty, nasty, filthy affair" with Fanny Alger?Author's sources: Oliver Cowdery, letter to Warren Cowdery, January 21, 1838.
Did Joseph allow the formation of the Danites?Author's sources: *Hill 75.
- William Edwin Berrett, The Restored Church, 198.
- Sampson Avard, Correspondence, Orders, 97-98.
- Winn, 123.
- David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 27-28.
The Danites were a brotherhood of church members that formed in Far West, Missouri in mid-1838. By this point in time, the Saints had experienced serious persecution, having been driven out of Kirtland by apostates, and driven out of Jackson County by mobs. Sidney Rigdon was publicly preaching that the Saints would not tolerate any more persecution, and that both apostates and mobs would be put on notice. The Danite organization took root within this highly charged and defensive environment.
The Danites are sometimes confused with the “Armies of Israel,” which was the official defensive organization that was tasked with defending the Saints, and which was supported by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. This is complicated by the fact that members of the Danite organization also served in the “Armies of Israel.”
Regardless of their original motives, the Danites ultimately were led astray by their leader, Sampson Avard. Avard attempted to blame Joseph Smith in order to save himself. Joseph, however, clearly repudiated both the organization and Avard.
Did Sidney Rigdon give public approval to the Danites during a speech he delivered on June 17, 1838?Author's sources:
- Winn, 124.
- Reed Peck, Reed Peck Manuscript, 3.
Rigdon's speech was directly targeted at dissenters within the Church, and strongly implied that they should leave.
Leland H. Gentry,
The first official encouragement given to removing these "dissenters" from Caldwell County came in the form of a speech given by Sidney Rigdon on Sunday, 17 June 1838. Familiarly known in church history annals as the "Salt Sermon," Rigdon's address remains one of the controversial events of the period.[1]:423
Gentry notes John Corrill's description of the sermon,
President Rigdon delivered from the pulpit what I call the "Salt Sermon;" 'If the salt hath lost its savour, it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men,' was his text; and although he did not call names in his sermon, yet it was plainly understood that he meant the dissenters or those who had denied the faith. He indirectly accused some of them with crime.[2]
The Danites were led by Dr. Sampson Avard, and the group appears to have been formally formed about the time that Sidney Rigdon gave his “Salt Sermon” in Far West, in which he gave apostates an ultimatum to get out or suffer consequences.[1]:4 According to Avard, the original purpose of the band was to “drive from the county of Caldwell all that dissented from the Mormon church.”[3]:25 Once the dissenters had left the country, the Danites turned their attention to defending the Saints from mobs.
Author's quote: "Such historical revisionism is typical of Mormon historians, who must at all costs, preserve the integrity of early Mormon leaders."Author's sources: Author's opinion.
The author is expressing his negative opinion as if it were fact.
Did Joseph write in his private journal that he was aware of the Danite's purpose? Were these words then crossed out so that they wouldn't appear in the history of the Church?
27 July 1838 Friday
July 27th some time past the bretheren or saints have come up day after day to consecrate, and to bring their offerings into the store house of the lord, to prove him now herewith and se[e] if he will not pour us out a blessings that there will not be room enough to contain it,167 They have come up hither Thus far, according to the ord[e]r of the Dan-Ites, we have a company of Danites in these times, to put to rights physically that which is not righ[t], and to clense the Church of verry great evils which hath hitherto existed among us, inasmuch as they cannot be put to rights by teachings & persuaysons,168 This company or a part of them exibited on the fourth day of July They come up to consecrate, by companies of tens, commanded by their Captain over ten.[4]
See also Leland Gentry, The Danite Band of 1838, BYU Studies 14/4 (1974): 421—50.
Author's quote: "The Missourians actually seemed committed to continuing their pursuit of a peaceful co-existence with the Mormons."Author's sources: *Author's opinion.
The claim is absurd. The Missourians had drawn up a manifesto calling for the Mormons to be driven out.
Did Latter-day Saints plan to "take over" by voting?Author's sources: Author's opinion.
Author's quote: "...calling their attention to the fact that the Saints were 'horse thieves, liars, counterfeiters, and dupes.'"Author's sources: LeSueur, 61.
According to the author, after driving the Saints from their homes, Bogart started to threaten the Saints "in their own territory."Author's sources: *Author's statement.
Author's quote: "...the evidence clearly revealed that Joseph had directed most, if not all, of the illegal activities in which the Saints had been engaged."Author's sources: Author's opinion.
Notes
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