Bloody History of the Mormon Church

It is a broadly acknowledged fact that religious fanatics can inspire some horrific crimes. Most religious people preach commands to love and serve their fellow human beings, but many modern day religions have bloody histories.

History.com reports that, on September 16, 1845, a man named Phineas Wilcox was stabbed to death by fellow members of the Mormon Church in Nauvoo, Illinois. Wilcox was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), but his fellow church-goers believed him to be a Christian spy and subsequentially murdered him. 

The stabbing was a culmination of tensions between the Mormon Church and the surrounding communities. Joseph Smith had founded the religion 15 years prior, in 1830, and was living with his followers in Missouri. The group had several serious and violent conflicts with locals and state militia. In 1838, Governor Lilburn Boggs signed a military order that dictated for the Mormons to be either driven out or disposed of. 

Smith and his followers fled the state, and settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. However, there were numerous conflicts with the people in Nauvoo as well. The mutual suspicion and anxiety reached a point where members of the LDS Church were willing to murder one of their own rather than risk being infiltrated by Christians. 

A local newspaper printed editorials claiming that Joseph Smith was a fraud, and Smith retaliated by sending a group of his followers to destroy the office. This resulted in his arrest, and a mob tracked him down in jail and to lynch and murder him. 

Of course, it is worth noting that the modern day Mormon Church does not frequently preach about this topic or wish to be associated with this sort of bloody history. The LDS Church certainly does not condone these sort of violent crimes or hate.