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Chapter Thirteen
WHAT ABOUT BLOOD ATONEMENT?
The Law of Sacrifice was part of The Restoration but this
did not include The Law of Moses (blood sacrifices):
Words of JS, Page 43 and 44 "The offering of Sacrifice has
ever been connected and forrns
a part of the duties of the priesthood. ........ It
is not to be understood that, the law of moses will be
established again with all its rights and variety of
ceremonies , this had never been spoken of by the
prophets but those things which existed prior Mose's day viz
Sacrifice will be continued - .......The priesthood has
descended in a regular line from Father to Son through their
succeeding generations"
3 Ne. 9:17 " in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.
18 I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end.
19 And YE SHALL OFFER UP UNTO ME NO MORE
THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD ;"
Blood atonement was not to be restored in the last
dispensation. Nevertheless, there were secretly organized
groups that committed acts of violence:
T & S, Volume 4, Page 271, "....in consequence of the
threatenings which were made by mobs, or those who were
being formed into mobs, and the abuses committed by them on
the persons and property of the citizens; an association was
formed, called the Danite band.
This, as far as I was acquainted with it, (not being
myself one of the number. neither was Joseph Smith,
Senior,) was for mutual protection against the
bands that were forming, and threatened to be formed; for
the professed object of committing violence on the property
and persons of the citizens of Davies and Caldwell counties.
They had certain signs and words by which they could know
one another, either by day or night. They were bound to keep
those signs and words secret; so that no other person or
persons than themselves could know them.
...................
This organization was in existence when the mobs commenced
their most violent attempts upon the citizens of the before
mentioned counties, and from this association arose all the
horror afterwards expressed by the mob at some secret clan
known as DANITES ."
Diaries, Page 474 "9 A.M. R D Foster come up for trial.
After much conversation with the Mayor in which he
charged Joseph with many crimes DANITEISM in Nauvoo, and a
great variety of vile and FALSE Epithets and
charges "
JOSEPH FINALLY HAD TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE FALSE
ACCUSERS;
Far West Record (Cannon, Cook) Page 246 "Sampson Avard
......became a witness against
Church leaders , IMPLICATING THEM IN THE
INSTITUTION OF THE DANITES. He was subsequently
excommunicated ."
Yet, someone continually tried to tie Joseph to violent
groups that were secretly formed to avenge their wrongs by
the shedding of blood.
The following bolded was "ADDED " to the
originai diary in the handwriting of someone other than the
original scribe:
Diaries, Page 458, March 10 1844 "Joseph then
proceeded to organize the Council of Fifty to oversee the
settlement of Texas and eventually to rule over the
political Kingdom of God on earth ." Also added was
"We can amend that constitution (of the United
States) and make it the voice of Jehovah and shame the
US "
The foregoing is an appearance of tyranny against the
Constitution of the United States. This could not have been
stated by Joseph Smith for he received the following by
revelation on the Constitution:
D & C 101:79 "....it is not right that any man should be
in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the
Constitution of this land. by the hands of wise men whom I
raised up unto this very purpose , .... "
And he prayed for the preservation of the Constitution in
the dedicatory prayer at the Kirtland Temple:
D & C 109:54 "Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations
of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our
land; may those principles. which were so honorably
and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land by
our fathers, be established forever . "
That which has been added to the original diary is bolded as
follows:
Diaries, Page 459, Monday, 11 March 1844 "with
Council of Fifty " ADDED to record to identify
council that met.
Page 460, March 19 1844 "with Council of
Fifty " ADDED to identify council meeting.
March 21 1844 "with Council of Fifty "
ADDED to identify council meeting.
Page 461, March 25 "requesting authorization to
raise an army of 100.000 to explore and protect settlers in
Oregon and Texas, " ADDED to original and
"of Fifty " ADDED to identify the council
meeting.
Page 463, April 4 1844 "with Council of
Fifty " ADDED to identify council.
Page 470, Thursday, 11 April 1844, "with Council of
Fifty " ADDED to identify council.
Page 471, Sunday, April l4 1844 "of Fifty "
ADDED to identify council that met. Also on Thursday "of
Fifty" ADDED to identify the council again.
Page 478, May 13th 1844 (Morning meeting) "Council
of Fifty of the " ADDED to identify meeting and
afternoon meeting "Council of Fifty " ADDED
again to identify meeting.
Page 483, May 24 1844 "of Council of Fifty
" ADDED to identify counci l .
Page 483 & 484, May 25 1844 "of Fifty
met " ADDED to identify council meeting. ADDED
AGAIN "of Fifty " in same minutes to
identify council.
Page 486, May 31 1844 "met with Council of
Fifty " ADDED where no other information was that a
meeting was even held.
You may wonder why I have listed all of these meetings along
with all of these additions. I was amused. It seemed to me
that the original scribe would have remembered JUST
ONCE
to have correctly identified the name of the council that
was meeting if this were actually a meeting of the Council
of Fifty.
Joseph Smith identifies these meetings as follows:
Page 459, (Diaries) March 13 1844 "In council on
"The Kingdom of God " Page 478, May 13 1844
"At 9 A.M. called a meeting of the Kingdom
."
Nowhere have I been able to find in Joseph Smith's diaries
in their original form and in clarity where he formed groups
to carry out violence and bloodshed. The only group he
identifies with is the Nauvoo Legion which was legally
organized for the protection of men, woman and children in
the city of Nauvoo.
For some of his views see Diaries, Pages 390 and 391.
Two situations that are interesting are:
Words of JS, Page 166 "a man who will whip
his wife is a coward. I fought with a man who had whipped
wife ..........I whipped him till he said
enough ."
Journal, Page 212 "While the court was in session, I saw two
boys fighting in the street, near Mills' Tavern. I left the
business of the court, ran over immediately, caught one of
the boys (who had begun the fight with clubs,) and then the
other; and, after giving them proper instruction, I
gave the bystanders a lecture for not interfering in such
cases! and told them to quell all disturbances in the street
at the first onset. I returned to the court, and
told them that nobody was allowed to fight in Nauvoo but
myself. "
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