Vol. 6, No. 8, 1989

Articles on Mormonism

James Walker

While Christians have long been concerned about cultic teachings which lead to spiritual death, some cultic teachings have posed danger to spiritual and physical life. One graphic example is the Mormon doctrine of individual Blood Atonement.

The biblical teaching on blood atonement is that the shedding of blood is required for forgiveness of sin. (Hebrews 9:22) The Bible teaches that the blood of Christ cleanses from "all sin." (1 John 1:7) Early Mormon theology, however, teaches that for certain sins the blood of Christ alone would not avail and the persons own blood must be shed for atonement.

Under the section, "Blood Atonement," of the book, Mormon Doctrine, LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "...there are some serious sins for which the cleansing of Christ does not operate, and the law of God is that men must then have their own blood shed to atone for their sins," (2nd ed. 1979, p.92).

In the same article McConkie quoted his father-in-law, who was the tenth Mormon Prophet, Joseph Fielding Smith, as saying:

"Man may commit certain grievous sins... that will place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of Christ.... If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent. Therefore their only hope is to have their own blood shed to atone... (Doctrine of Salvation, Vol. 1, pp. 133-138)" (Ibid).

McConkie went own to explain that the Mormon blood atonement, "...doctrine can only be practiced in its fullness in a day when the civil and ecclesiastical laws are administered in the same hands," in other words, when Church and State are one, an obvious reference to a future in which the government will be controlled by the LDS Church, a Mormon Theocracy.

Apostle McConkie laments that this doctrine cannot be practiced "in this dispensation" hinting that its only evidence outside of ancient Israel, is that, "...persons who understood its provisions could and did use their influence to get a form of capital punishment written into the laws of the various states of the union so that the blood of murderers could be shed," (Ibid).

He refers here to a little known law in Utah and Idaho which allows a condemned criminal to choose a firing squad for execution rather than the gas chamber or electric chair -- neither of which "shed blood." However one can find evidence of Mormonism's deadly blood atonement doctrine being practiced "in this dispensation."

In the 1800's the government and the church were for all practical purposes "administered in the same hands" and those hands were Brigham Young's, who was Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the Mormon Church while at the same time was Governor of Utah. On the subject of "Blood Atonement", Brigham Young stated: "There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness... and if they had their eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their blood spilt upon the ground... as an offering for their sins; and the smoking incense would atone for their sins," (?Journal of Discourseso, Vol 4, p. 53).

To carry out his blood atonement ministry, Brigham Young had at his disposal a secret band of men who were reported to have conducted a number of "blood atonements" at the orders of President Young and other LDS leaders. Brigham Young may have been referring to this secret group, known as the Danites when he said:

"And if the Gentiles wish to see a few tricks, we have `Mormons' that can perform them. We have the meanest devils on the earth in our midst, and we intend to keep them for we have use for them; and if the Devil does not look sharp, we will cheat him out of them at the last, for they will reform and go to heaven with us," (Ibid, Vol. 6: 176; emphasis added).

Because of the secretive nature of the group, little primary information is available but there is ample evidence that these "meanest devils" were responsible for a number of deaths apparently on Brigham Young's orders or with his knowledge.

Among those who have been named as Danites are William Hickman, Orrin Porter Rockwell, and John D. Lee. A partial list of murder victims in connection with these three men are Ike Hatch, the Aiken party, and an entire wagon train of men, women and children killed in what became called the Mountain Meadows massacre.