Mitt Romney, Meadow Mountain Massacre and The Mormon Church

“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man.”--Genesis 9:6
“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”--D&C 18:10

In an article written by Sandhya Somashekhar, published by the Washington Post newspaper on May 20, 2012, (“Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith tangles with a quirk of Arkansas history”) a strange connection was made between Mitt Romney, presumptive Republican candidate for President of the United States, and the Meadow Mountain Massacre of 1857 in Utah.

This horrible massacre took place on September 11, 1857. It involved a wagon train of about 120 men, women and children mostly from Arkansas migrating through Utah on their way to California. Only 17 children were spared. This crime was carried out by “some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern Utah aided by American Indian allies.” (The Ensign Magazine, “The Mountain Meadow Massacre,” Richard E. Turley, Jr., Sept. 2007.)  The tragedy has been a source of great sorrow for us, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for over 150 years.

To understand the background of why this might have happened (although it doesn’t excuse it), we need to look back into the history of the Church. It took place only 13 years after the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were martyred by an angry mob at Carthage, Illinois; and, after the forced exodus and persecution of the Saints from Illinois and Missouri to the west and the security of a safe haven in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Now, in 1857, once again “disagreements, miscommunication, prejudices, and political wrangling on both sides had created a growing divide between the territory and the federal government” and an Army of about 1500 soldiers “was marching toward Utah Territory.” (ibid.)  In 1848, a peace was negotiated and no battle was ever fought.

Ultimately, only one man, John D. Lee, was tried and executed for the massacre although nine others were indicted for their participation but were never brought to trial. Some remained in Utah and were “ostracized” by their neighbors but most escaped to other parts of the country. “Sharon Chambers of Salt Lake City is a great-granddaughter of child survivor [of the massacre], Rebecca Dunlap.”  She states, “The people who did this had lost their way. I don’t know what was in their minds or in their hearts,” she said. “I feel sorrow that this happened to my ancestors. I also feel sorrow that people have blamed the acts of some on an entire group, or on an entire religion.” (ibid.)

My question is this: Why is the Washington Post trying to connect Mitt Romney with something that has nothing to do with either him or the Church that happened 156 years ago?  Granted, it is a controversial subject. Even today, many distortions and false accusations are made against Latter-day Saint Church leaders of that time with no evidence of proof.  However, this Washington Post newspaper article is not about what happened 156 years ago, per se.  I believe it is an attempt to show Romney’s Mormon religion in a bad light.

Now here’s something you can take to the bank! According to “Statistics of the Church” compiled by the LDS Church in April 2012, and published on lds.org:

• Value of [LDS] Humanitarian Assistance Since 1985 ---------------------1.3 Billions

• Countries Receiving Humanitarian Aid [from the LDS Church] Since 1985-------179

Also found on the website lds.org: “The humanitarian services arm of the [LDS] Church sponsors five ongoing global projects to help people become more self-reliant. Initiatives include neonatal resuscitation training, clean water projects, wheelchair distribution, vision treatment, and measles vaccinations.”

In an article by John J. Dilulio, Jr., published in the magazine, America, the National Catholic Weekly, titled “Mormons and Charity,” (April 9, 2012), he states:

“In a report issued in January 2012, ...a research team representing the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that most Mormons are regular churchgoers and that more Mormons (73 percent) believe that ‘working to help the poor’ is ‘essential to being a good Mormon.'

“According to a new study previewed on March 15 by an expert panel convened at Pew’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practice what they preach about helping the needy. [The study] concludes that churchgoing Mormons ‘are the most pro-social members of American society’ (emphasis added). On average, Mormons dedicate nine times as many hours per month (nearly 36 hours) to volunteer activities than other Americans do. Mormons reliably tithe to their churches and also give about $1,200 annually ‘to social causes outside the church.’”

It would be nice, for once, if the main-stream press would stop trying to do “the gotcha” and work harder to publish the honest facts without all their distortions and dishonesty on issues that are current in the 2012 here and now. I know that is asking a lot, and if it doesn’t happen, thank heaven for the Internet where the truth can be found and published.