I read that whole thing, Major Carleton's report. The link is in post #608. Take a look at the end. By then, he has described Latter-Day Saints in wholly-depraved terms in order to justify his call for their entire extermination, blaming the massacre on nearly all Latter-Day Saints. He thereby destroys his credibility, but still manages to deceive many.
This is poisoned bait. People take the bait, their minds are poisoned and prejudice grows. Demagogues used this kind of material to incite mob violence and lynchings in those days, to get the Governor of Missouri to issue an extermination order in 1938, to get Joseph Smith killed in 1844, to get the Latter-Day Saints driven out of Nauvoo in the winter of 1846 and across the plains, to get the President to send Johnston's army to Utah (which was enroute at the time of the massacre), etc.
People were willing to tell horrible and vicious lies in those days, including many lies of a sexual nature, to stir up hatred and violence. People were willing to put them in print. Congress had 5000 copies of Carleton's report printed in 1902. Now, in the 21st century, people are willing to post this stuff and link to it, calling it part of the "historical record". Others read it and allow themselves to jump to the conclusion that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young bear tons of bad fruit.
Still, it all depends entirely upon the ensuing discussion, as you said. If the posters here all took an academic and dispassionate approach, they would dissect it and analyze it as they had time. But the posters in this forum take a quote out of an article on National Family Day (see #630), or any thread that a Latter-Day Saint posts on, and turn the thread into an anti-LDS bashfest. How much more so with inflammatory and poisonous material such as this!
If you allow this sort of thing with the posters here the way they are -- and there is a great variety of poisonous bait like this at various anti-LDS websites -- it will be posted and reposted every few weeks, ignoring my replies, accompanied by fresh demands that I prove each detail wrong, and that it must be true in every detail if I don't, as though I had the time and resources of a historian dedicated to each of the many subjects brought up.
And of course the endless attempts to pass this persecution off as reasoned discourse, honest examination, and a willingness to examine the warts in the past.
It is precisely because of the very predictable ensuing discussion among the posters we now have and have had, that in allowing such material to be posted, you will see it an instrument of persecution, trying to flood the forum and drown everything positive out, concerning Latter-Day Saints, at the very time you are trying to have a better environment.
The posters here just are not ready for dispassionate discussion of inflammatory material. In theory it should be possible. In practice, flaming, false accusation, persecution, pulled posts, exiled threads, as they try to draw us Latter-Day Saints into their contention or drive us off, try to put us on trial endlessly, try to put us on the defensive endlessly, the 2004 online version of the persecutions of the nineteenth century (and the fifteenth, and so many other centuries), trying to claim some sort of symbolic victory.
I don't have much use for apologetics, especially in this environment. The Scriptures, by contrast, are most edifying.
I probably sound somewhat contentious and accusatory just describing their behavior, but I have experienced all this firsthand for years now. I know whereof I speak.
Why do I stay here? To discuss the Scriptures for the lurkers' sake, and to bear witness of the great things the Lord has done in these latter days.
I've seen you gleefully post when an anti-calvinist thread is posted. Do Calvinists go on some long diatribe about how the thread should be pulled because it is "poisoned bait"? Your hypocrisy is evident. Grow up and be a man.
1938 should be 1838.
"fifteenth" (century) should be "sixteenth", or the 1500s.
Could you tell us what lies were told?
Well..... ya sure cudda fooled ME!!
I can see where it IS a bit hard trying to uphold your unscriptural temple rites, after one has taken a vow not to discuss them outside of the 'faithful'.
Is this considered 'inflammatory'?
Then let's DO this.
Congressional testimony should never be restricted regardless of its content providing it is public record and not a matter of national security
That aside - it is not up to you to assess Maj Carletons sincerity - you look at it with a seasoned eye that claims victimhood (no offense intended) - additionally, if we are going to discuss apologetics of other faiths, yours is certainly likly to be included.....and based on the mods statements - they will let a thread as such stand, providing the ensuing discourse is palatable....and have stated as much here
Additionally, you state lies of a sexual nature"
I am not aware of those, but am aware of verifiable records as to the marital habits of LDS founders, - which are not germaine to this thread.
While you have the right to do so, those of us who disagree with your interpretation have the right to do so, for the sake of lurkers.
The it be noted that White Mountain again insists that free speech he happens to dislike is persecution.