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| I haven't read Bushman's book and I doubt that there's very much in it that I don't already know about, but kudos to him for at least admitting that Joseph Smith endorsed and encouraged the Danite band and its activities. As you say, the pro-church article you cited is just one lie after another.
Mopologists try to blame one man, Sampson Avard, for Danite atrocities and for falsely alledging that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon organized the band and authorized the crimes. But Avard was just one of many Mormons who testified to that in court. And contrary to the article's contention that the Danites and their crimes were born during the 1838 conflict, they actually had their genesis in Joseph Smith's 1831 "revelation" which stated that the time had come for the property of "Gentiles" to be "consecrated unto those of the house of Israel." IOW, Mormons, God's "chosen people," were to appropriate property from non-Mormons. Mopologists try to blame the Missouri conflict on such smokescreen issues as slavery and religious beliefs, but the actual reason for the troubles was the Mormons' criminal policies and behavior. Interested parties can read about the origin of the Danites, and who gave them their orders, and the testimony of many Mormons regarding that, at http://groups.google.com/group/alt.re... http://groups.google.com/group/alt.re... Note the slyly-worded, deceptive statement in the church-published article which substrate cited: Others of the time in late reminiscences recalled that clandestine meetings were held, which were subsequently reported to Joseph Smith, who then denounced Avard, removed him from his official command, and disbanded the maverick body.Of course faithful Utah Mormons, in their "late reminiscences" decades after the events, told a version of the facts which was more "faith-promoting" and less damaging to the reputation of their demigod Smith. But the court testimony and other contemporary accounts which I quote in my links above clearly show that Smith and Rigdon founded the Danites and fully authorized their crimes. Note that the testators include such notable Mormons as apostles Thoman Marsh and Orson Hyde, and William W. Phelps. Also, the article's assertion that Smith removed Avard and disbanded the maverick body as soon as he learned of their criminal activities is pure hogwash. Read what really happened at http://groups.google.com/group/alt.re... Also, Smith didn't "disband the maverick body"; the Danites comprised most of the 400 or so Mormon men who surrendered along with Smith and Rigdon to state militia forces at Far West. Smith, Rigdon, and several other Danite leaders were arrested, and spent the next few months in jail awaiting trial on treason and murder charges. Most of the other 15,000 or so Mormons, having been banished from Missouri, settled near Quincy, Illinois. Meaning, Smith didn't "disband the maverick body"; rather, the Danites were disbanded because they were either in jail or had moved to Illinois. Many former Missouri-period Danites later became Nauvoo policemen, Joseph Smith's bodyguards, or Nauvoo Legionnaries. Meaning, rather than being "maverick" or outcasts, they were among Smith's most trusted and loyal followers. For those who want to read a more comprehensive work on the issues, I suggest Stephen LeSeuer's "The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri " |