“Joseph’s campaign started in Nauvoo in February of 1844, and soon news spread to neighboring states that the Mormon prophet was running for president. He was then serving as lieutenant general of the Nauvoo Legion, which at the time had over three thousand men and was second in size only to the U.S. Army. He was also the mayor of the city.”
Basically, Joseph was setting up a secessionist movement of his own, so I stand by my assessment that he was a tinpot general..
Not the worst article I’ve seen, but were I to post something so biased the source harpies would descend to pluck out my eyes.
The Utah Mormons took a novel stand – a sort of compulsory neutrality – on the slavery question. About 1850 the official organ of the Church declared: “We feel it our duty to define our position in relation to slavery. . . There is no law in Utah to authorize slaver, neither any to prohibit it. If a slave is disposed to leave his master, no power exists here either legal or moral, that will prevent him. But if a slave chooses to remain with his master, none are allowed to interfere between the master and the slave. . . When a man in the Southern States embraces our faith, and is the owner of slaves, the Church says to him: If your slaves wish to remain with you, put them not away; but if they choose to leave you, or are not satisfied to remain with you, it is for you to sell them, or to let them go free, as your own conscience may direct you. The Church on this assumes the responsibility to direct. The laws of the land recognize slavery; we do not wish to oppose the laws of the country”
(The Frontier Guardian (date not given), quoted in the Eleventh Annual Report (1851) of the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, pp. 94-95).
http://books.google.com/books?id=jzQOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&dq=mormons+slavery+missouri&source=web&ots=AlQTBQkFrt&sig=M_ThA83Mei42O8TkMhHlzJqxX1U#PPA122,M1
Not exactly a rousing statement of abolitionism.
I didn’t realize that JFK had spoken in the Tabernacle. Good article. Let the games begin. :)
I’m not sure how taboo it is to actually post something that is actually on topic, but here are some things the article missed:
Bo Gritz converted to Mormonism before his presidential run for the Populist Party in ‘92 and ended his relationship with the church after that. It probably got him some votes in Utah and Idaho, but not enough to keep form being barely a footnote.
Parley Christensen was another LDS Presidential candidate. He ran for the lefty Farmer-Labor Party after leaving the GOP. He also got more votes for president than any other LDS presidential candidate to date (but only he and Bo ever made it onto the ticket)
Morris Udall was raised LDS, but that was about it. He was Mormon in name only.
Eldridge Cleaver became a Mormon years after his run for President, quite a turnaround for a former Black Panther spokesperson.
Mitt quote about Mormons from the article. Of course, this applies to Mormons, spiritually, too...the part about "self-reliance." ("You are saved by grace AFTER ALL you can do." + various LDS prophets' comments, like Kimball, about becoming a "god" by pulling themselves up by the bootstraps)
though personally I have nothing against modern day mormons except that I don’t agree with their mythical history yet do appreciate their social conservatism
this piece is pretty whitewashed
TO ALL WHO WANT TO HELP US TO BELIEVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT CHRIST AND HOW HE GUIDES HIS PEOPLE ON EARTH.
If this thread is like most others that have anything to do with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or as we are more often called, the Mormons, it will soon be taken over by those who, for reasons of their own, choose to put down my Church, and those of us who worship with it.
We find no problem with people who really want to talk to us about converting to their religion, we spend a lot of time doing it ourselves.
What we find offensive is when people leave out part of the truth to make a half-true lie , or when some one renames something, that we find important or sacred, so it sounds like gutter talk.
I do not know how to tell the difference all the time. There are some Handles that keep showing up, and they are easy to spot. Sometimes, though, I have given a hard and not so kind response to some who honestly care for us and our salvation.
Please forgive us if we get you mixed up.
Thanks for your time,
fred