Welcome back for Part 22 of our Joseph Smith the Podcast series with Dr. John G. Turner as we continue to cover his new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.”
In this episode, we explore one of the most controversial and lesser-known chapters in early Latter-day Saint history –the rise of the Danites, a secretive paramilitary organization formed during the turbulent Missouri period of 1838.
We trace tensions between Mormons and non-Mormons escalated into organized violence, how Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and other church leaders responded, and what this meant for the future of the Latter-day Saint movement. Along the way, we discuss excommunications, failed settlements, political conflicts, and the enduring question: Did Joseph Smith authorize the Danites’ violent actions?
This is the first half of Chapter 19 of the book, covering the years 1838-1839 in Missouri –where “Zion” collided with the American frontier.
Please purchase the book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255164/joseph-smith/
To support this series please donate here: https://donorbox.org/josephsmith. One half of all donations will go to Dr. Turner for as long as he is participating in the series.
2 Responses
CONSIDER THIS, IF THE EXCOMUNICATED WHITNESSES DISAVOWED JOSEPH AND THE CHURCH AFTER HAVING TESTIFIED TO THE BOOK OF MORMON, THEY IN ESSENSE WOULD HAVE PROCLAIMED THEMSELVES TO THE WORLD AS LIARS. BETTER TO KEEP SILENT.
The Jacksonian era was rife with the notion that undesirables could be removed. The classic example was the expulsion of native Americans from their lands leading to the so called “trail of tears”. This in my view is a justification that “the end justifies the means”. But Mormons were not entirely innocent (see the battle of Crooked River and Sydney Rigdon’s July 4, 1838 discourse in which he states that if the Mormons are not left alone it will lead to a “war of extermination” a proclamation that preceded Governor Bogg’s in-famous extermination order.