b'THE OLD STORYTELLERMountain Meadows Massacre: The Oppression of the SaintsBy Hank Sheffer, The Old StorytellerD uring the last one hundredneed for perseverance and aspired, as his father had, years, historians, andto obtain an abundance of worldly goods. He was western aficionadosdiscontent with the hypocritical and foolish people have researched and studiedwho surrounded him. They seemed to be members the events which led up toof some secular faction of which he wanted to serve and repercussions during theno part. These early feelings may well have been aftermath of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.Fromwhat planted the seed in Joseph Smiths mind for the the Saints indoctrination under Joseph Smith at thecreation of Mormonism: Evangelical morality placed very inception of Mormonism to when these normallysevere restraints on reborn individuals. Evangelical peace-loving people turned their backs on everythingministers condemned fiddling, dancing, and night they held sacred and killed more than one hundredwalks. Converts were expected to deny themselves the men, women, and children, the Mountain Meadowsusual forms of good times and keep their thoughts Massacre was destined to its inevitable, place in ourfixed on eternity.history books.And while he wished to be no part of these other During the early decades of the nineteenth century,religions, he felt his own remorse as he prayed to most sectors in the northern portion of America had areaffirm his state and standing with God, in consequence positive attitude regarding religion. However, most ofof these things, he often felt condemned for his weakness these people did not participate actively in churchgoingand imperfections. On September 21, 1823, he was activities. Revivals caused more converts to join intovisited by an entity who stood above the floor in a brightJoseph Smith Jr.separate sects rather than confirm to those doctrineslight. This entity identified himself as Moroni. It was offered by the formal churches. Joseph Smith, the firstduring this visitation that Joseph was allegedly told of prophet of modern-day Mormonism, was one suchthe golden plates upon which the history of the contentThe keyword here is nation. Should the translation of the person seeking something better. While the Bible wasand Gospel, as delivered by the Savior was written.golden plates to the Book of Mormon, as rendered by used in schools as a teaching tool, people sought religionThus was the beginning of what was to become the BookJoseph Smith Jr., be upheld as valid, then a great measure from other sources. of Mormon and Mormonism. of what occurred during the era 1830 to 1877 falls snugly into place.Joseph Smith Jr. was born to Joseph and Lucy SmithThis new religion was not accepted by the masses on December 23, 1805. His father earned the familysas quickly as Joseph had accepted it, but it grew inThere are two other writers evidenced in the Book of subsistence teaching school and farming. The Smithspopularity nevertheless. How could it go wrong?Mormon which begin and end the work: Moroni is moved often and in 1811 moved to Lebanon, NewMuch of the population in America was groping forthe son of Mormon and credited as the last chronicler, Hampshire. Their early years were happy, progressiveits own identity in a new country. People wanted toand Nephi, one of the first to migrate to America from times, but they were not content with what they had.completely divorce themselves from old-world religionPalestine circa 600 BC. The majority of the remaining Their desire was to obtain the better things in life. Tryand politics, much the same as the Puritans had donestory is apparently that of Mormon relating the plight of as they might, the Smith family encountered manywith the Church of England. The Book of Mormon is athe Nephite people.hardships but they were survivors and persevered. historical missive which describes the early American Indian, and implies that God raised up the foundersThe Book of Mormon explains itself as largely a work Joseph Jr. was born with the gift of seeing, a form ofof the Constitution. These writings of Joseph Smithof Mormon, a military figure who led his people, the extrasensory perception, which became of paramountessentially allowed early Americans to legitimatelyNephites, from 327 to 385 AD, in the twilight of their importance later in his life when he would portraycall themselves Americans. It did not take a lot ofexistence as a nation.himself as a prophet sent from God with seeminglypersuasion to convert many of these early Americans to mystic powers. From his father he also learned thethe ways of Mormonism. In 600 BC the Nephites were nearing extinction. Mormons purpose was anything but academic. He used history to teach his readers why his nation sometimes prospered and why it eventually destroyed itself. Nehi, with his wife Sarah and six sons left Jerusalem and wandered around the Red Sea for eight years. To escape captivity they set to sea in a boat and traveled to a new land. Nephi, with three of his brothers, Samuel, Jacob, and Joseph, followed their fathers prophecies while the remaining two brothers, Laman and Lemuel, did not. The conflict between the two brother factions never waned. When Nephi broke away from Laman it represented a split in the nation. The conflict, which had developed between the Lamanites and the Nephites, caused continuing war and destruction. The Lord cursed the Lamanites: For behold they hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto flint, Nephi said, and wherefore, as they were white . the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. This statement seems to assert that American Indians are directly descended from the Lamanites.The Lamanites eventually killed Mormon, but not before handing over to his son, Moroni, the golden plates he had ascribed. In 400 AD, Moroni recorded 10 January 2020'