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Show MODERN MICROFILM COMPANY 1884 SALT LAKE CITY. UTAH ISSUE NO. 27 JUNE 1970 BOX ew l1ight on lll1®®ID l£®rnMrn In The Mormon Kingdom, Vol. 1. pp. that the we show early Mormon leaders taught the doctrine of 'Blood Atonement!' The Chur chts own newspaper, the Deseret News. quoted Brigham, Young" the second President of the Mormon Church as saying: 31-42, "Now take a person in this congregation and suppose that he is overtaken in a gross fault, that he has committed a sin that he ••• knows will deprive him of that exaltation which he desires. and that he cannot attain to it without the SHEDDING OF HIS BLOO and also knows that by having his blood SHED he will A T O'N E JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH 93-YEAR-OLDLEADER OF THE MORMON CHURCH FOR THAT SIN, and be SAVED AND EXALTED with the Gods. is there a man or woman in this house but what would say.' MY BLOOD that I may be SAVED and EXALTED with the Gods?' "All mankind love themselves, and let these principles be known by an individual, and he would be GLAD to have his blood shed. That would be loving themselves. even unto an eternal eXaltation. Will you your brothers or sisters 11 k e wi a e, when they have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for with out the SHEDDING OF ,THEIR BLOOD? WILL YOU LOVE THAT MAN OR WOMAN WELL ENOUGH TO SHED THEIR BLOOD? ill COULD REFER YOU TO PLENTY OF INSTANCES WHERE MEN HAVE BEEN RIGHTEOUSLY SLAIN. IN ORDER TOATONE FOR THEIR SINS. I have seen scores and hundreds of people for whom there would have been a chance (in the last r e s urrection there will be) if their lives HAD BEEN TAKEN AND THEIR BLOOD SPILLED on the ground as a smoking incense to the Almighty" but who are now angels to the devil I h ave known a great many men who LEFT THIS CHURCH for whom there is no chance whatever for exaltation, but if their BLOOD HAD BEEN SPILLED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER, FOR "'The first pe r sonI spoke to after I entered Salt Lake was Q!:. He came running out of a house and a p pea red m u c h pleased to see me. He said. 'Well. Mrs. Leavitt. Ihave joined the church. I Of course, I was glad and was in hopes he had re pented of his sins and would forsake them. But in this I was dis appointed. for he sought the women's company and with the help He of love powders succeeded in gratifying his heUish desires. Vaun, e called up before the authorities more than once and confess ed his sins and asked forgiveness. He was forgiven and he said if he was ever found guilty again his LIFE SHOULD BET HE PENALTY. He knew the LAW OF GOD REQUIRED IT. He was guilty again and was SHOT AND KILLED. on, the weakness and depravity of man, to sell their birthright for a mess of pottage, or in other words, sell their souls' salvation for a few moments " of carnal pleasure. (Sarah S. Leavitt Journal, page 41) was ••• THlfM This is LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR AS •••• OURSELVES; if he needs help. help him; and if he wants salvation and it is SARY TO SPILL HIS BLOOD on the earth in order that he may be saved" SPILL IT •••• THAT IS THE WAY TO LOVE MAN This was probably the same in his journal on Feb. 15. 1851: KIND." (Sermon by Brigham Young, delivered in the Mormon Tabernacle" Febv B, 1857" printed in the Deseret News, Feb. 18. 1857) In The Mormon Kingdom, Vol. 1, we list ten offenses for which person might have been put to death by the early Mormon lead ers. They are: murder, adultery or immorality. ate a 11 n g, using the name of the Lord in vain. refusing to receive the gos e1. marrying an African. covenant breaking. apostasy. 1 yin g and counterfeiting. with Dr '& Foots wife last summer. (On The Mormon Frontier. The Diary of Hosea Stout, Edited by Juamta Brooks, Vol.2, p. 393) Gustive O. Larson. Professor of Church History at Brigham Young University. admits that "Blood Atonement" was actually practiced by the Mormons: Joseph Fielding Smith. who recently became the tenth Presi dent of the Mormon Church" made this statement concerning the doctrine of Blood Atonement: "To whatever extent the preaching ON BLOOD ATONEMENT "Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous man may commit. that they will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of Christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will !!21 cleanse them from their sins even though they repent. Therefore their only hope is TJosshife,in their to have their own blood shed to atone" as far as behalf." (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1. page 135) Although Joseph Fielding Smith admits that Joseph Smith taught "Blood Atonement': he is unwilling to admit that the Mor mon people ever actually practiced it: "But that the Church practices 'Blood Atonement' on apostates any others. which is preached by ministers of the 'Reorgani zation' is a damnable falsehood for which the accusers must an- or swer •••• uDid you not know that not a sinide individual was ever 'blood atoned. I as you are pleased to call it, for apostasy or any other cause?" (..!2.!2, pp.136-l37) In Vol. 2 of The Mormon Kingdom we plan to show t hat Jo seph Fielding Smith's statement is far from the truth. We fe e 1 that we can document the fact that well over 100 people lost their lives because of the Mormon doctrine of ''Blood Atonement" and the idea that those who opposed the Chur-ch should be put to death. One case of "Blood Atonement" was reported by Sa r a h S. Leavitt in her record book: EXTRA which Hosea Stout recorded "'They bring news that M. D. Hambleton on. last Sunday killed ]2!:. J. M. Vaughan for similar conduct with Mrs. H. as too"k""'PT8. c e It a that case ' may have influenced action. it would have been In relation to Mor mon disciplinary action among its own members. In point would be a verbally reported case of a Mr. Johnson in Cedar City who was found guilty of adultery with his stepdaughter by a BISHOP'S COURT AND SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR ATONEMENT OF HIS SIN. Accordmg to the report of reputable eye w it n e sse S. judgment was executed with consent of the offender who went to his UNCONSECRATED GRAVE IN FULL CONFIDENCE OF SAL VATION IHROOGH TRill SHEDDING OF BLOOD. Such a case" however primitive. is understandable within the meaning of the doctrine and the emotional extremes of the Reformation. tt (Utah Historical Quarterly. January. 1958. p, 62. footnote 39) Recently the journals of Abraham H. Cannon came to Ii gh t, These journals-now located in the Special Collections Dept. of the Brigham Young University Library-contain some very r e .. vealing information regarding the doctrine of Blood Atonement. Under the date of December 6. 1889, the Mormon Apostle Abr a ham H. Cannon tacn of George Q. Cannon. a member of the First Presidency) recorded the fonowing in his journal: "About 4:30 p, rn, this meeting adjourned and was followed by a meeting of Presidents Woodruff" CANNON AND SMITH an d In speaking of the recent examination Bros. Lyman and Grant before Judge Anderson Father said that he understood wh e n he •••• had HIS ENDOWMENTS IN NAUVOO THAT HE TOOK AN taken,a hand in that massacre he would undoubtedly COPIES OF THIS PAPER OATH AGAINST THE MURDERERS OF THE PROPHET JOSEPHas well as other prophets, and if he had ever met any of those who had WILL BE SENT FREE UPON REQUEST have |
