Why honor Brigham Young?

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Haven
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Why honor Brigham Young?

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Post by Haven »

It seems like the LDS Church has a deep respect for Brigham Young, the 19th-century church leader (and self-proclaimed prophet) known for his mass murders (look up the Mountain Meadows massacre), abuse of women, and virulently racist views (particularly against people of sub-Saharan African descent). One would think that the LDS Church would want to distance itself from such a nefarious figure, but instead they continue to honor him, naming their university after him, keeping numerous statues of him up, and so on. Why is this? Why honor such an evil, anti-human individual? Doesn't this reflect negatively on the church today?

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Re: Why honor Brigham Young?

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Post by help3434 »

[Replying to post 1 by Haven]

As far as I know there is no proof that Brigham Young had anything to do with the Mountain Meadow Massacre and that the Cedar City leaders didn't act on their own initiative.

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Re: Why honor Brigham Young?

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Post by help3434 »

[Replying to post 1 by Haven]

Anyway to answer the question, the LDS church considers the President of the to be a prophet and to be basically God's spokesperson on Earth. He is considered by the Church to have authority to receive revelation for the whole world. Denouncing or distancing itslef from Brigham Young would cause people to question the authority of the current President. That is why I don't think the Church will stop honoring Brigham Young anytime in the near future.

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Re: Why honor Brigham Young?

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Post by cnorman19 »

help3434 wrote: [Replying to post 1 by Haven]

As far as I know there is no proof that Brigham Young had anything to do with the Mountain Meadow Massacre and that the Cedar City leaders didn't act on their own initiative.
A recent book -- Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, by Will Bagley -- speaks to this question rather directly. The conclusion is that Young did not specifically order the massacre and would have prevented it if he had known about it in advance -- but that he did, without question, set up conditions that made such an attack possible and even likely, and, also without question, worked hard to obstruct justice by protecting the perpetrators afterward. He could therefore be called -- and rightly, in both logic and law -- an "accessory after the fact."

Coincidentally -- or perhaps not, because were this not true, I would not be aware of this book and its contents -- I myself narrated the audiobook version of Blood of the Prophets, which you will see listed at the link.
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Post #5

Post by Beyonder »

I never heard of him but he doesn't sound like anyone I would honor.

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Post #6

Post by Revelations won »

Hmmm? I observe that according to the Smithsonian that Joseph Smith Jr. was rated as the most significant figure in the religion category and Brigham Young was rated in third place. Apparently Brigham is credited for far more that the false attacks against him regarding the "Mountain meadows" incident.

Where can we find equal charges against those who committed the "Haun's Mill Massacre?

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