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Show itf1*- Imagine a being who, in h i s quest for eternal progression, will obliterate the meek or humble, who will use those who are too weak or feeble-minded to r e s i s t his charismatic force to perform his tttt acts o f violence and perversion. Imagine de Sade. Imagine Hitler. Imagine Lucifer. What diabolical madness, turning the work of heaven into the work of h e l l! I had heard a l i t t l e about E r v i l ' s doctrines. He had published pamphlets to support his dogma. In one booklet, he said that God had demanded the execution of what he called 'criminal' religious leaders - people who led without the proper authority. He talked about ' l e g a l e c c l e s i a s t i c a l courts' and*theocratic form of government - headed by him, the Patriarch of Israel, of course. In another pamphlet, he subscribed to the doctrine of Blood Atonement, an obscure philosphy that had gained some ground in the early days of the Church, when the saints had been driven from one s t a t e to the next, losing t h e i r property and even t h e i r l i v e s at the hands of mobs. Joseph Smith had placated his people, promising them that one day$ t h e i r lands would be returned, although the^Twould be red with the blood of the usurpers. Perhaps being driven beyond the law - by t h e ir Persecutors and by the Principle - had brought out the 'outlaw ' or the rugged i n d i v i d u a l i s t who will fight to the death for is his freedoms. Or perhaps tfee Mormons who took it upon themselves to make Joseph Smith's words come true were motivated by vengeance. In any case, they took his statement as permission to reclaim their lands then and there, then organized a body of vigilantes called 'Danites' who gave tit for tat when the marauders harassed Mormon settlements - and sometimes even when they only threatened. Because they were few in number and because they offered protection to |