[metmom]

"Perhaps more significantly for interested researchers, it speaks to early Mormon understandings of their place in America as true patriots and sincere religionists.

True patriots? Wasn't Smith planning an insurrection against the US government? Wasn't he prohibiting freedom of the press?

Who cares about the *sincere religionists* label? People can be totally sincere and very religious and it doesn't mean beans. Neither sincerity nor religion mean much if they are wrong or it is not done with the right motivation.

[Elsie]

True patriots?	Depends on who you ask.
Wasn't Smith planning an insurrection against the US government?	"Their (Mormon) hostility to the lawful government of the country has at length become so violent that no officer bearing a commission from the Chief Magistrate of the Union can enter the territory or remain there with safety. . . . I accordingly ordered a detachment of the army to march for the City of Salt Lake - as a posse for the enforcement of the laws."   -- President James Buchanan's proclamation, Deseret News, June 16, 1858
Wasn't he prohibiting freedom of the press?	Well, he DID order destruction of one.
Who cares about the *sincere religionists* label?	Evidently MORMONs do - NOW wanting to be considered CHRISTIAN

[ejonesie22]

Smith had it in mind, at least to some extent. the Nauvoo legion at its height had nearly 5000 men under arms and was significantly bigger than most state militia's. In comparison the US army at the time only had 8500 soldiers.

I always wondered why a “prophet” needed an army almost the same strength as the nation he was a citizen of...

[Tennessee Nana]

Mormon understandings of their place in America as true patriots and sincere religionists.

Who cares about the *sincere religionists* label?
_____________________________________________________

Yeppers

those guys who flew the planes into the Twin Towers were *sincere religionists*