I dont believe for one minute he is or was a martyr. I say this because when Joseph Smith was being held in the Carthridge Jail, And the mob came to kill him, Joseph Smith shot 3 people, 2 of which died. Then Joseph Smith tried jumping out the window to escape. Would a REAL MARTYR do this. Look at Jesus when he was in the Garden.
John 18:4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?Notice Jesus showed His power, They all fell backwards. Yet despite His power He never ran away or abused his power.
John 18:5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am [he]. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
John 18:6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am [he], they went backward, and fell to the ground.
John 18:7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
John 18:8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am [he]: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way.
We read in D and C section 136
32 Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear;
33 For my Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the ungodly.
34 Thy brethren have rejected you and your testimony, even the nation that has driven you out;
35 And now cometh the day of their calamity, even the days of sorrow, like a woman that is taken in travail; and their sorrow shall be great unless they speedily repent, yea, very speedily.
36 For they killed the prophets, and them that were sent unto them; and they have shed innocent blood, which crieth from the ground against them.
37 Therefore, marvel not at these things, for ye are not yet pure; ye can not yet bear my glory; but ye shall behold it if ye are faithful in keeping all my words that I have given you, from the days of Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, from Moses to Jesus and his apostles, and from Jesus and his apostles to Joseph Smith, whom I did call upon by mine angels, my ministering servants, and by mine own voice out of the heavens, to bring forth my work;
38 Which foundation he did lay, and was faithful; and I took him to myself.
39 Many have marveled because of his death; but it was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be condemned.
40 Have I not delivered you from your enemies, only in that I have left a witness of my name?
41 Now, therefore, hearken, O ye people of my church; and ye elders listen together; you have received my kingdom.
42 Be diligent in keeping all my commandments, lest judgments come upon you, and your faith fail you, and your enemies triumph over you. So no more at present. Amen and Amen.
Notice verse 39, that is speaking about Joseph Smith.
Now I am posting the entire chapter of D and C section 135 for all to read. I am emboldening sections for people to see.
THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
SECTION 135
Martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844. HC 6: 629—631. This document was written by Elder John Taylor of the Council of the Twelve, who was a witness to the events.
1—2, Joseph and Hyrum martyred in Carthage Jail; 3, Preeminent position of the Prophet acclaimed; 4—7, Their innocent blood testifies of the truth and divinity of the work.
1 To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch. They were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o’clock p.m., by an armed mob—painted black—of from 150 to 200 persons. Hyrum was shot first and fell calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaiming: O Lord my God! They were both shot after they were dead, in a brutal manner, and both received four balls.
2 John Taylor and Willard Richards, two of the Twelve, were the only persons in the room at the time; the former was wounded in a savage manner with four balls, but has since recovered; the latter, through the providence of God, escaped, without even a hole in his robe.
3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!
4 When Joseph went to Carthage to deliver himself up to the pretended requirements of the law, two or three days previous to his assassination, he said: “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I SHALL DIE INNOCENT, AND IT SHALL YET BE SAID OF ME—HE WAS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD.”—The same morning, after Hyrum had made ready to go—shall it be said to the slaughter? yes, for so it was—he read the following paragraph, near the close of the twelfth chapter of Ether, in the Book of Mormon, and turned down the leaf upon it:
5 And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness, thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father. And now I . . . bid farewell unto the Gentiles; yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood. The testators are now dead, and their testament is in force.
6 Hyrum Smith was forty-four years old in February, 1844, and Joseph Smith was thirty-eight in December, 1843; and henceforward their names will be classed among the martyrs of religion; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Covenants of the church, cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world; and that if the fire can scathe a green tree for the glory of God, how easy it will burn up the dry trees to purify the vineyard of corruption. They lived for glory; they died for glory; and glory is their eternal reward. From age to age shall their names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified.
7 They were innocent of any crime, as they had often been proved before, and were only confined in jail by the conspiracy of traitors and wicked men; and their innocent blood on the floor of Carthage jail is a broad seal affixed to “Mormonism” that cannot be rejected by any court on earth, and their innocent blood on the escutcheon of the State of Illinois, with the broken faith of the State as pledged by the governor, is a witness to the truth of the everlasting gospel that all the world cannot impeach; and their innocent blood on the banner of liberty, and on the magna charta of the United States, is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations; and their innocent blood, with the innocent blood of all the martyrs under the altar that John saw, will cry unto the Lord of Hosts till he avenges that blood on the earth. Amen.
Notice in the verses I highlighted, it says Joseph Smith is a martyr who Laid down his life, and sealed the BoM with his blood. This does not line up with what we read in the book History of the Church. I am posting scanned copies for all to read the full context with extra added for the sole purpose of anyone trying to say, I cut things short to change the context.
Below is scanned copies from the book History of the Church volume 7. I highlighted parts of the book I wanted people to notice, but much more is their to read for full context.
13 comments:
I'm doing a blog based on Rick B. Just like he is really putting his nose in thing's that don't concern him...Or should i say freedom of belief's. I can do the same with his personal being!!!! Look for future blog On Rick B. And you may delete this, i will be posting on all the sites as well!
I wont delete this, but please let me know when you do a blog on me, I want to check it out. Rick b
I am personally amazed at the response by the "anonymous" person 11:59 AM June 15, 2006. It is interesting how quickly this person is willing to use personal attacks. I believe that this person may lack confidence in his beliefs to react in such a vindictive manner. You should be able to defend your beliefs without resorting to personal attacks. Very sad.
I wouldn't concern yourself Rick with what Bills has to say on his blog. People like Bills expose Mormonism for the spirit behind his postings are very hateful and attacking. I have kept contact with Rick B for years now, and know he only cares about precious Mormon souls, and wanting them to have freedom from false doctrine, and know the TRUE King of Glory, the REAL Lord Jesus Christ. Not "one of many" "gods", but the creator of the universe, God come in the flesh to save His people from their sins [Matthew 1:21]
Too bad instead of personal attacks one cannot come up with sound reasons to defend one's faith. The wise man builds his house upon the ROCK, and the ROCK is Christ Jesus.
Couple of questions:
1--What were the names of the two men Smith shot and "killed"?
2--Where can their death certificates be found?
If you can answer those, your accusations will have some credibility. Thanks.
Anonymous you asked two questions.
To be honest with you I must ask you, are you kidding?
My main point was JS tried jumping out the window and running away, not killing people. but he still did that.
If you read the account I scanned and posted from LDS books, and you dont trust the LDS sources then no matter what I post you will never trust.
Add to that, I read the news paper every day, and I see accounts of people getting killed or just simply dying. I never write the local newspaper ans ask them to provide death certificates in order for me to believe.
I would have to ask you, if you cannot trust your sources, why should I believe you know the truth?
Sheep Dog, Yes I play judo and can fight, But you assume greatly to say that if I knew who you were I would beat you up. That is not true at all, I only fight in self defence. Lets add to that, that my main point of this whole question was JS ran away by trying to jump out the window. JS is said to be a maryter and laid his life as a testominy.
If you read the account I posted, JS did not lay his life down to seal the BoM by jumping out a window. Then when you said you would adress my questions one by one, why dont you read over all my topics and start their, those are honest questions. rick b
Sheepdog - Wow....lots of anger from you. What I have seen in your replys is anger and personal attacks.
Is this the kind of testimony that you wish to present?
Many people have reasons to post anonymously. You are giving people the same reasons to post anonymously. Fear of personal attacks.
Hello. I believe many are missing the whole point. The point is that in D and C 135: 4, Joseph Smith is compared to a lamb led to the slaughter. If you compare this to the reality of what happened at the Carthage Jail, you will see that he responded as a human being, not as the Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom JS is compared. There is no way you could convince an unbiased jury that JS died as a martyr. No jury would buy into that, not without large sums of money involved.
Sheepdog: will you answer the question Rick asked? You said you would. The question was: Is Joseph Smith a martyr? If you answer yes, then I must question whether you understand the meaning of martyr.
Here is a definition from dictionary.com. If you do not believe me, then it will be easy for you to check.
mar·tyr P Pronunciation Key (märtr)
n.
1. One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.
2. One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.
a. One who endures great suffering: a martyr to arthritis.
b. One who makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy.
Thank you for your time. Shelli
Hello Hmmmm...
You said I dodge Questions by Refering people to Boards.
Then you Said
Rather than addressing the specific points he has made in his reply you have reverted back to whining about how "no one answers your questions"- which is just not true. Sheepdog has clearly put forth answers.
Show me where I did that?. I clearly stated before you Replyed, it gets hard to follow for many people when it gets this long. I get emails for every post. So I know when and where replyes were posted, where other people dont. It gets hard to try and daily keep up with possible replys on every topic for others who dont or cant get updates.
Also as I stated, No LDS has replyed to other Questions. Sheep dog,did show me one honest attempt at a reply and I did point that out before your reply above, So you are not correct in your statment. Other than Sheep dog or Tad, I stated no other LDS has even tried. But in the case of Tad, like I said, that was only a What If Question.
I agree that Jesus did "Run" away as it were. you will disagree, but God AKA Jesus, stated he lays down His life no man can take it from him. It was not his time, he knew it was coming and when.
Also you guys both assume I feel or said Stuff I never did, show me where I wrote that the Mob killing JS was A good idea, or where I said, YES!!! You guys rock for killing him. I never said that.
I personnaly am all for self defence. My friends know I make no bones about it, I will fight back if my life is threatened or that of my family.
But in the case of Peter and the Prophets of Old, when they "ran" away as it were, they never claimed to be maryters and you said peter was a prophet. Really? Show me a bible verse that says peter was a prophet. Jesus said the prophets ended with John the baptist.
I dont claim them to be maryters. And for all it matters, I believe the Bible promotes self defence. Jesus told his disaples to buy a sword, But in the case of peter cutting off an ear, God used that for his glory, while rebuking Peter for his actions.
Jesus and his disaples never rebuked the Roman soliders for being soldiers, and read romans chapter 13, The goverment is a terror to those who do evil.
We can debate this point forever. It is not a salvation issue. I stand by what I posted. And I am for both sides talking, Have you seen me delete Sheepdog, or you, or other poster talking smack but not answering question?
Yes I did a few in the very beggining, but decide no longer, this way everyone can see that I ask questions and people dont reply. But again, Sheepdog did make a reply but only to thios topic. You "Hmmmm" Said you read over my stuff, I see no honest replys from you. Hope this answered your questions. Rick
Rick,
With all due respect your last comment here is rather confusing.It seems like you are trying to go both east and west at the same time in several areas.
Ill try and keep this simple and cover 1 point at a time.
Can you please clarify for us the following?
Ricks words: I dont believe for one minute he is or was a martyr. I say this because when Joseph Smith was being held in the Carthridge Jail, And the mob came to kill him, Joseph Smith shot 3 people, 2 of which died. Then Joseph Smith tried jumping out the window to escape. Would a REAL MARTYR do this?
This sure sounds like you are saying that a real martyr would not defend himself or run away out of self defense.
In your last response however you seem to be in support of self defense and acknowedge that the Bible supports it.
Im confused. How can you acknowledge that the Bible supports self-defense and then chastise Joseph Smith for trying to defend himself?
Hmmmm.?
Nope I am not going both east and west. I believe in self defence, I believe People in the Bible can use self defence and I believe The Bible promotes it.
No I dont believe JS was a maryter. I believe a Real martyer would not run away. Yes prophets did run away, But did they themselves claim I am a maryter then run away? Or do we label them maryters? Their is a difference.
Then As I pointed out before in my article, JS claimed two things, One, he is without offence before God. Self defence or flat out murder is not void with out offence before God. God can if he chooses too forgive JS.
I dont hold the LDS view of no forgivness for the Murder like the LDS church teaches. Read the book mircale of forgivness by spencer kimball Or read what D and C and J.F.S. taught.
Doctrine and Covenants 42:18 says, "…he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come."
In that vein, Joseph Fielding Smith taught, "Murderers Denied Vicarious Ordinances…we do not have the privilege of performing the ordinances for murderers who shed innocent blood, nor for those who take their own lives…If we find in our record one of this kind, we should pass him by and not attempt to do the work for him…" (Doctrines of Salvation 2:192)
Now not one of these teachings here says, self defence verse flat out murder.Lets add to that, King David commit murder to obtain A wife and cover his sin up. More about Maryters, Read 1st kings chapter 19 The prophet Elijah runs away from the wicked Jezebel, What did God say about it? He rebuked Elijah. Why? Because it showed Elijah not trusting the Lord. My issue is simply this, JS made bold claims about being Like Jesus and laying down his life.
We clearly read, he tried to run away, how is this laying down his life. If LDS claim, well JS knew he was going to die, then before he went to jail, I guess he had a few choices, He could have prayed like King David did, God told david, you go into town they will kill you, so david did not go.
Or JS simply could have followed the example of Jesus, and left town or avoided the crowd. But because LDS claim JS knew he was going to Die, and LDS claim JS laid down his life, then the Account of what took place of him shooting three people and trying to jump out the window simply dont line up or make sence.
--Was Joseph Smith a Murderer or a Martyr?
The underworld of anti-Mormonism is replete with shallow arguments and unresearched accusations hurled without regard to accuracy or truth. One such argument is the assertion that Joseph Smith does not qualify as a martyr due to his actions on that dark day in Carthage Jail in 1844. Critics claim that Joseph Smith is not a martyr because, while in jail, he had a gun and he had the temerity to defend himself, his brother and companions by firing at the mob, killing two men. However, it is the purpose of this essay to show that these arguments are specious and completely without basis.
A QUESTION OF CHANGING DEFINITIONS
In order to make their argument tenable, the critics must do two things. First, they must take some creative liberties with the English language. This is a rather common tactic of anti-Mormons and usually consists of redefining a word with the intent to exclude. In this case, the word being redefined is the term martyr.
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines a martyr as “a person who chooses to suffer or die rather than give up his faith or his principles.” The online resource, Dictionary.com, defines a martyr as “one who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.” Both are nearly identical and fairly standard definitions, and neither includes a requirement or qualifiers of any sort.
However, some anti-Mormon writers have taken the term martyr and subtly changed its definition to suit their own needs. The new definition would probably read something like this: Martyr: a person who chooses to suffer or die rather than give up his faith or his principles without any resistance or effort at self-defense on his part whatsoever.
Having thus redefined the term, they then apply it to the death of Joseph Smith in an attempt to deny
him the title of a martyr. They do this with no lexical, historical or biblical justification whatsoever.
-DEALING WITH HISTORICAL TRIVIA
However, simply redefining the term is not sufficient to create a successful argument. Thus, the second prong of the attack relies on a person’s ignorance of trivial facts of Mormon history. Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and this is especially true of new members or less-active members) are not aware of all the excruciatingly minute details of the history of the Church. It has become a common tactic among some anti-Mormon aficionados of Mormon history to use this historical ignorance as a weapon. These writers often claim to “expose” these minor events of Church history in a sensationalistic attempt to shock members of the Church with “hidden” revelations or “secret” accounts about various episodes in Church history. They will often claim that the Church has kept this knowledge under wraps for fear that if it was generally known it would cause many members of the Church to immediately renounce their faith and result in the ruination of the Church. They insinuate that the Church holds these “secrets” in some impenetrable vault with access restricted to the select few. What anti-Mormons never point out is that they found these “secrets” in books that are widely published by the LDS Church for public consumption. That is hardly the act of someone who wants to maintain a secret.
Therefore, by altering the definition of a word, then finding some event in Church history that seems to contradict this altered definition, anti-Mormons have dishonestly abused LDS history and deceived many people.
Let us now turn our attention to the case at hand: themmartyrdom of Joseph Smith and the elements that were aforementioned.
-JOSEPH SMITH’S JAILHOUSE GUN
The first complaint lodged by critics is that Joseph Smith had a gun in his jail cell at the time he was attacked and that he fired that gun at the attacking mob. This assertion is true. Smith did have a gun (in fact by some accounts he had two: a six-shooter6 and a single-shot Derringer-type pistol) and he did use that gun. However, despite what critics claim, this is not—nor has it ever been—a secret. John Taylor, who was also in the cell that day with the Smith brothers, recorded the events of that day:
I shall never forget the deep feeling of sympathy and regard manifested in the countenance of Brother Joseph as he drew nigh to Hyrum, and, leaning over him, exclaimed, “Oh! my poor, dear brother Hyrum!” He, however, instantly arose, and with a firm, quick step, and a determined expression of countenance, approached the door, and pulling the six-shooter left by Brother Wheelock from his pocket, opened the door slightly, and snapped the pistol six successive times. Only three of the barrels, however, were discharged. I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges, two of whom, I am informed, died.
There are a couple of things to be noted here. First, this account comes from an LDS publication. It was not hidden in any vault or secreted away in some mountain hideaway. Second, Joseph did not fire his gun until after his brother Hyrum was hit and killed. By any standard in U.S. common law, his firing the shots would be deemed a justifiable act of self-defense. Also, note that Taylor says that it was “his understanding” that two or three men were wounded by the shots Smith fired and that he was only “informed” later on that two of the men had died. In other words, Taylor had no first-hand
knowledge of these events! Subsequent study shows that the information Taylor received was incorrect.
The first anti-Mormon argument focuses on the fact that Joseph had a firearm and that he used that firearm to defend himself. If you recall the anti-Mormon defini- tion of a martyr, the martyr is required to submit willingly to his fate, i.e., he must go as a “lamb to the slaughter.” This phrase is somewhat misleading, however, especially to those critics who are completely unaware of agricultural fact. To the detractors, the phrase “lamb to the slaughter” implies a complete submission to one’s
fate without any attempt at self-defense or escape.
However, anyone who has ever worked on a farm or in a slaughterhouse knows that sheep do not go willingly to the slaughter. They kick and buck, bleat, scream, and make every attempt to escape their fate. In fact, they make such a haunting sound, that the title of an extremely popular Hollywood film was based on it: The Silence of the Lambs.
The term “lamb to the slaughter” simply refers to the inevitability of the final outcome. No matter how valiantly they struggle, the fate of the sheep is ultimately sealed. If we apply this understanding to Joseph Smith and his brother, it is clear that they truly were slaughtered like lambs.
Interestingly enough, it seems that the imminent threat of death and pain can cause even the most perfect of men to have second thoughts. A very plausible argument can be made that, by adopting the new definition of the term “martyr” and applying it as they do, the critics deny the term not only to Joseph Smith, but to the ultimate martyr Himself, Jesus Christ. The scriptures show that Christ was not a completely willing sacrifice:
And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
It seems then, that Christ, at the very least, had second thoughts about bearing the sins of the world, having spikes driven through his hands and feet, being lifted up on a cross, and having a spear driven through his side. If that is the case, then surely Joseph Smith, being merely human, can be excused for his actions taken in the heat of the moment, under fear and duress of death and pain.
However, according to anti-Mormon critics, this reticence on Christ’s part is not allowable as it deviates from their self-established definition of
what a martyr is. Thus we can see the dangers and pit- falls of using altered definitions as an exclusionary tool.
-THE “DEATH” OF THE MOBSTERS
The second objection of the critics is that—in the course of defending himself—Joseph Smith shot and killed two members of the mob that attacked Carthage Jail. As noted above in the quote from John Taylor, this was a fairly common belief among the early Saints, who don’t seem to have questioned the reports they received. This is unfortunate, however, because the evidence shows that these reports were false.
First, a little history lesson: After the death of Joseph and his brother, Hyrum, the State of Illinois did make a half-hearted attempt at justice. Nine defendants were charged with the murder of Joseph Smith. “John Wills, William Voras (Vorhees), William N. Grover, Jacob C. Davis, Mark Aldrich, Thomas C. Sharp, Levi Williams, and two men named Gallaher and Allen, whose names were not given.”
Not much is know about most of the men who were indicted but four of them were never arrested. Wills, Voras and Gallaher were probably named
in the indictment because their wounds, which testimony showed were received at the jail, were irrefutable evidence that they had participated in the mob. They undoubtedly recognized their vulnerability and fled the county. A contemporary witness reported these three as saying that they were the first men at the jail, that one of them shot through the door killing Hyrum, that Joseph wounded all three with his pistol, and that Gallaher shot Joseph as he ran to the window.
According to the eyewitness testimony, Wills was shot in the arm, Gallaher was shot in the face and Voras was shot in the shoulder.
The facts show that Smith did indeed fire three shots from his pistol, wounding three men named above. The testimony also shows that not one of them died. In fact, they lived long enough to receive new suits from some local citizens as a reward for their part in the murder of an innocent man. This effort at deception thus crumbles under the weight of its own untruths.
-CONCLUSION
Anti-Mormons are fond of taking Christian terms that are familiar to a Christian audience and then twisting the definition of those words to exclude certain groups of people. They have done this in conjunction with the term “martyr,” as it is applied to Joseph Smith. They claim that since Smith used a gun to defend himself in Carthage Jail, he cannot be a martyr because a martyr, by definition, does not fight back but goes willingly to his death. This definition, however, is factually incorrect, as the true definition of a martyr has no restriction regarding the actions of the martyr. A martyr is simply someone who dies defending his or her faith. The method and circumstances of death are of no con-
sequence. Anti-Mormons have purposely invented this new definition of a martyr in an attempt to exclude Joseph Smith from the category. They say that since Smith fought back, using a pistol to wound his attackers, that he does not qualify.
These same anti-Mormons claim that the Church has tried to withhold this information. This is also demonstrably untrue, as several books published by the Church contain this information.
Lastly, critics claim that Smith is a murderer because two of the three men he wounded died. This is reminiscent of something an LDS scholar once said:
“Calling Smith a murderer is akin to calling a married woman who is raped an adulterer.”
The murder charge is, however, also demonstrably false. Witnesses at the trial of the murderers of Smith identified the three men who were wounded. The men were alive and well and actually received gifts for their part in the martyrdom.
Interestingly enough, while many anti-Mormons take issue with the fact that Smith had the temerity to defend himself and his family and friends when they were attacked by an illegal mob while ostensibly under the protection of the State of Illinois, I have never seen a single anti-Mormon criticize the actions of the mob that day in anything other than the most vacuous terms; this despite the fact that many of the leaders of the mob were clergy from various surrounding denominations.
I wonder: If one of these clergymen had been struck by Smith’s bullets and died, would he be considered a martyr?
(These comments were originally written by Lance Starr and are reposted here with the authors permission)
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