To Mormons: The 150th anniversary of the Mountain Meadows Massacre is in 3 weeks, what do you think of that ?

Question

It was September 11, 1857. A wagon train of 160 settlers on their way to California was massacred by a bunch of Mormons dressed in Indian clothes. 17 children under the age of 8 were spared and lived to tell their story.
1st. They dressed as Indians but after five days they changed tactics.
2nd. Then they went a bit away ,dressed back into normal clothes and acted like the Rescue Party who had negotiated a deal with the"Indians".
3rd, Then confiscated all the guns as part of the deal for "saving" the travellers and Mormon dissidents( who were the reason for the attack in the first place).
4th. Took everybody off a mile or so and shot them all. 2 men got away but were eventually tracked down and killed a day or so later.
5th. Took the 17 children they had not killed back with them to Salt Lake City.
6th. Got away with it. After a publicized trial, with the childrens own testimony admitted into the court, only 1 man was convicted and shot, John D. Lee. ( pardoned by Church 1960)

10 minutes ago
The church even protected over 100 other killers involved in this massacre from Federal prosecution thus making them guilty of Murder as accessories after the fact. Then they say "Thou Shalt Not Kill " doesn't apply to them . Only everyone else.

It ended up being called the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The first time in U.S. history that U.S. citizens were massacred on U.S. soil by religious people. This event is even more significant because the total U.S. population at the time was much smaller.(I dont know the exact numbers, maybe only 30 million or so) In todays numbers it would be around 1400 dead.

Answer 1

September 11, 2001 will forever be an important date to Americans. On that day over 3,000 people on the east coast were killed by foreign terrorists.However, there is another reason this date will never be forgotten. On September 11, 1857, in southern Utah, approximately 120 unarmed non-Mormon men, women and children were murdered in cold blood by Mormons and Indians. This massacre of Americans by Americans was surpassed only by the Oklahoma bombing in 1995.

The Mountain Meadows massacre was a mass killing of Americans by Mormon and was the worst slaughter of white civilians on the westward trek. Besides the Mormons avenging the blood of the prophets, there was the added incentive of money, property and livestock to be gotten from the group

John D. Lee was tried and executed for the act; he went to his grave claiming he was a scapegoat. The church leaders decided to sacrifice Lee only when they could see that it would be impossible to acquit him without assuming a part of the responsibility themselves. The Mormon efforts to cover-up the details and white-wash the massacre continues even today.

Brigham Young seemed to have no problem with the bloody deed after the fact. When he visited the site in 1861 Apostle Wilford Woodruff wrote in his diary:

May 25 [1861] A very cold morning much ice on the creek. I wore my great coat & mittens. We visited the Mt. Meadows Monument not up at the burial place of 120 persons killed by Indians in 1857. The pile of stone was about twelve feet high but beginning to tumble down. A wooden cross is placed on top with the following words, Vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord. Pres. Young said it should be Vengeance is mine and I have taken a little. (The Mountain Meadows Massacre, by Juanita Brooks, University of Oklahoma, p. 182).

Brigham Young was accessory after the fact, in that he knew what had happened, and how and why it happened. Evidence of this is abundant and unmistakable, and from the most impeccable Mormon sources.

"The massacre has left the Mormon Church on the horns of a dilemma," says Utah historian Will Bagley, author of a forthcoming book on Mountain Meadows. "It can't acknowledge its historic involvement in a mass murder, and if it can't accept its accountability, it can't repent." (Salt Lake Tribune, March 14, 2000, p. A-4)

Answer 2

The Mountain Meadows bloodbath replaced right into a tragic adventure, and the Mormon Church has expressed be apologetic approximately for the involvement of a few Mormons contained in the bloodbath. some argue that Brigham youthful, the chief of the Church, ordered the execution. those declare that by using fact Brigham youthful replaced into the chief of the Church, the Church as a company is subsequently responsible for the bloodbath, and so modern-day Mormons are likewise culpable. there is not any convincing evidence that Brigham youthful performed a place contained in the making plans or execution of the bloodbath. a number of those in touch contained in the making plans of the Mountain Meadows bloodbath have been worried that Brigham youthful had no longer authorized an attack. They despatched a messenger to Brigham youthful asking what they ought to do. If Brigham youthful had already authorized the bloodbath, why could the locals seek for his council a 2d time? contained in the letter Brigham youthful despatched back to those who have been making plans the bloodbath, he mentioned: "In regard to the emigration trains passing by using our settlements, we shouldn't intervene with them until eventually they are first notified to maintain away. you mustn't meddle with them. The Indians we expect will do as they please yet you should attempt and look after sturdy thoughts with them." regrettably, this letter arrived 2 days after the bloodbath, 2 days too late. If Brigham youthful ordered the bloodbath, why did he tell locals that they ought to go away the wagon prepare on my own? An eyewitness stated that Brigham youthful wept whilst he found out of the bloodbath. The Mountain Meadows bloodbath replaced right into a poor tragedy, yet there is not any convincing historic evidence to implicate Brigham youthful’s involvement.

Answer 3

The LDS Church does not deny that the Mountain Meadows Massacre happened.

Those people had been driven from their homes SEVERAL times before - beaten and even lawfully murdered. They even tried to set up their own communities and non-mormons moved in and drove them out by force. So when they moved so many miles and miles away to Utah they thought they'd be safe from outsiders. But when non-mormons began arriving they simply got scared. They felt threatened. They were after all - HUMAN and they made a HUGE mistake. It was a tragic event in history.

Answer 4

I'm an ex-Mormon, and I enjoy telling the truth about the Church. The only fact that I believe you have wrong is the one about it being the first massacre of US citizens, by US citizens on US soil based on religion... that one is wrong...

The Salem witch trials will start us off, followed by the multitude of genocide conducted by religionists (especially catholics) of the first US inhabitants, the Mormons themselves were massacred by Christians in Missouri (and that state issued a formal written apology years later)... oh... I'm too tired to think of the others right now...

Anyhow... there will be a movie coming out about the MMM later this year.

Answer 5

I don't like the LDS church much but you have to bear in mind that all of the people involved are now dead and have been for many years. The Mormon church that existed then was therefore completely different from the one here now. Besides, many Americans killed real Indians. How would you like it if all white Americans were judged on that?

Answer 6

Well Hyrum, (nice name by the way), every Church has its dark stains on it somewhere, and our Church is no different! And I know that most of us have been waiting for the negative questions to start up!
Just as the Catholics were expecting questions to them about their priests! I am quite sure that there are priests that have never harmed a child in their life, but they have to bare the stigma, of the ones who have!
The people who caused the massacre, are all long dead, and will be punished for their sins, as will we all!
And Hyrum, thank you for the opportunity for us to address this subject in this category, and for allowing us the chance to answer those questions as they come!
The guilty are dead, and there is no use for the innocent to keep paying the price!

Answer 7

Mormonism Unveiled is a great book by Bishop John D. Lee. I goes into depth about the massacre and those behind it.

Answer 8

I've heard this. It might be true, but there are a lot of reasons why this story is not reliable. What point are you trying to make? That Mormons are murderers? I guess all Catholics are child rapists too. I'm a former Mormon, and I happen to know that they practice their religion more than most I've seen. Put an indian feather on that.

Answer 9

It happened. It shouldn't have happened. The Church leadershlp in no way condoned such action.
You seem to be forgetting the atrocities heaped upon the "Mormon" people in Missouri and Illinois. Official persecution of a religious group by government administrators and backed by the local clerics of the day. Have you not heard of the Haun's Mill Masacre?

Answer 10

I don't see a lot of people rushing to apologize to the LDS for the atrocities that happened to them in Missouri, before Nauvoo. Like Haun's Mill, for example.