“I didn’t know Smith was crowned King.
King of what?”
Smith convened a secret group, something called the Council of 50 at Nauvoo composed of all the top Mormon Apostles and hoity toity. The Council of 50 were to act as a Shadow Government and take over rule of the Earth when the end times came, which they expected quite soon. Each of the Council of 50 were given a prospective Governmental post (it was based on the US Constitution more or less), and Joseph Smith (Lt. General / Prophet / Presidential candidate / Spokesperson of God) was conveniently ordained (not crowned) king of the shadow government.
This is one of many reasons everyone was so bent out of shape over Smith, he made Jim Jones and Koresh look like pikers.
From Wikipedia:
“The Council of Fifty (also known as the Living Constitution, the Kingdom of God, or its name by revelation, The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ[1]) was a Latter Day Saint organization established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1844 to symbolize and represent a future theocratic “Kingdom of God” on the earth (Quinn 1980, p. 165). Smith and his successor Brigham Young hoped to create this Kingdom in preparation for the Millennium and the Second Coming of Jesus. Latter-day Saint theology holds that the Second Coming will be a time of great violence and natural disasters in which the governments of the world will collapse into universal anarchy. The political Kingdom of God, organized around the Council of Fifty, was meant to be a force of peace and order in the midst of this chaos. According to Mormon teachings, while Jesus himself would be king of this new world government, its structure was in fact to be quasi-republican and multi-denominational; therefore, the early Council of Fifty included both Mormons and non-Mormons (Ehat 1980, pp. 256–57). Although the Council played a significant role during the last few months of Joseph Smith’s life, particularly in his campaign for President of the United States, the Council’s role was mostly symbolic throughout the 19th century within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was largely because the Council was primarily meant for a time when secular governments had ceased to function. Regular meetings of the Council ended in the 1884, after the church abandoned its theocratic aspirations. The organization was technically extinguished when its last member, Heber J. Grant, died in 1945 (Quinn 1980, p. 185).”
Regarding being made king:
Some time after that as Smith saw the curses promised failed to materialize, he thought he would try and run the nation himself. The Lord had made him Prophet, Seer, Translator and Revelator of the church, he secured the right to be sole trustee of all the church properties, [page 121] some say he was crowned a king, as was one of his successors in office. This can hardly be denied as William Marks, the President of the High Council, and the man who ordained young Joseph, and was his Counsellor says: “I was also witness of the introduction (secretly) of a kingly form of government, in which Joseph suffered himself to be ordained a king, to reign over the house of Israel forever.” Saints’ Herald, Vol. 51, Jan. 27, 1904, page 73. “Ye shall have no king.” D. C. 38, 5.
According to the oft quoted Michael Quinn:
William Marks…stated that the [LDS] Council of Fifty performed an ordinance “in which Joseph suffered himself to be ordained a king, to reign over the house of Israel forever.”Some have been uncomfortable with the assertion that Smith became a king. They have claimed that Marks and other critics either confused or misrepresented Smith’s reception of the strictly religious ceremony of the second anointing as “king and priest.”…
In fact a later revelation to the Council of Fifty affirmed that God called Smith “to be a Prophet, Seer and Revelator to my Church and Kingdom; and to be a King and Ruler over Israel.” (The Mormon Hierarchy, Origins of Power, 124)
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If Marks was lying, it doesn’t explain why he was so adamant about enticing Joseph Smith III to lead the RLDS as part of a lineal succession. But even if Marks were wrong, it hardly matters to nit pick, because everyone thought Smith had been ordained king and the perception was widespread. Given the previous history, I’m sure Governor Ford was thinking, when you strike the king, you must kill the king.
Meanwhile, Mitt Romney has nothing to fear from the anti-Mormon pic September Dawn because no one saw it: the Slowhand film opened to only $190K Friday from 857 venues for a per screen average of 222 (probably, people who were just craving movie theater popcorn).
It’s ridiculous to think an indie film depicting one of the darkest and most controversial events in Mormon history could ruin the Republican presidential candidate because he’s a Mormon.
Even more ridiculous to think Hollywood is releasing this pic depicting graphic scenes of violence and fanaticism by 19th century Mormons on purpose to upset his campaign. See my previous Will New Anti-Mormon Movie Hurt Mitt?
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/summer-box-office-finally-cools-superbad-1-nanny-diaries-bombs-for-weinsteins/
or SACRED??