[MEGoody]

Has the Mormon Church ever apologized for the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre?

Why should they? That's like demanding white people today apologize because some white people in the past held blacks as slaves.

I'm not in favor of modern day people apologizing for stuff other people did in the past. It's just plain silly.

[svcw]

You may be right about not apologizing for past sins of someone else, however to insist that it never happened is another issue all together.

[Colofornian]

Why should they? That's like demanding white people today apologize because some white people in the past held blacks as slaves. I'm not in favor of modern day people apologizing for stuff other people did in the past. It's just plain silly.

I suspect there's at least several differences.

With slavery, you couldn't help but be open about that in the south. We know who the slave owners of the 19th century were.

Difference #1: But with the Mountain Meadow Massacres, only a few individuals were linked to it and only one person paid for the crime...20 years after the massacre.

So how does that relate to the Mormon church "apologizing" for it now?

Because of the ensuing Mormon church cover-up. (The second series of "crimes" related to this). You don't have the strength of the Mormon church the way it was in Utah Territory in the 19th century, and not be able to land anybody to step forward and admit responsibility for those crimes for almost 20 years.

People argue about whether Brigham Young knew ahead of the actual killings, and they'll argue that for a long time. But there's no argument that he knew many of those who were guilty after the killings. He was at that time not only head "prophet" but territorial governor. And he did NOTHING.

And notice most people don't want the conversation to go there.

Difference #2: Some Southern Utah descendents, I'm sure, have journals and diaries right now that revealed more of whom was involved but these have never been exposed as to who was involved. If those family members are still Mormon, and if the Mormon church hasn't encouraged those families to make that information public, that's a crying shame. Shame on the Mormon church for that lack of direct addressing!!!

[ForAmerica]

Why should they? That’s like demanding white people today apologize because some white people in the past held blacks as slaves.

I’m not in favor of modern day people apologizing for stuff other people did in the past. It’s just plain silly.
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So you agree that it’s ok to kill men, women and children because you’re pissed at the federal government?