Under
the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, 2003, Excerpts
In May 1845, nine men
were indicted for the murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, seven of whom were
brought to trial in Carthage. On May 30, to nobody’s astonishment, all nine
defendants were found not guilty.
Brigham instructed
church authorities to issue a formal “Oath of Vengeance,” which was immediately
made part of the temple endowment ceremony, one of the church’s most sacred
rituals. The oath required Mormons to pledge, “I will pray, and never cease to
pray, and never cease to importune high heaven to avenge the blood of the
Prophets on this nation, and I will teach this to my children, and my
children’s children unto the third and fourth generations.” This solemn vow to
take vengeance was recited by every Latter-day Saint who participated in the
standard temple ritual until it was removed from the endowment ceremony in
1927, after the oath was leaked to the non-Mormon press, sparking an outcry
from politicians and the Gentile public that it was treasonous.
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