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From: jonw@tekmdp.UUCP (Jonathan White)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Re: Jesus is the same as Joseph Smith
Message-ID: <2141@tekmdp.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Aug-83 16:02:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekmdp.2141
Posted: Wed Aug 17 16:02:58 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Aug-83 12:38:05 EDT
Lines: 23

I'm going to jump into the middle of a discussion between Steve Den Beste
and J. D Jensen.  Steve mentioned that the original witnesses to the Book
of Mormon may have avoided recanting their testimony due to fear of 
prosecution for fraud.  To which J. D. responded:

   Yes, I agree. Let us remember that this was the 1830's and 40's. This is
   the same time that Gov. Lilburn Boggs of Missouri issued the `Mormon
   Extermination Order' which effectively legalized mob violence against
   the members of the church in that state. This is also the period in which
   Joseph Smith was murdered while incarcerated and the Saints were driven
   from their homes in Nauvoo in the middle of the winter. I would say that 
   this is not the healthiest clime to be in and have your name attached to 
   the Book of Mormon as a witness. 

Let us also remember that the Mormons had their own violent mobs (from which
the original three witnesses had to flee for their lives) and their own bands 
of hired assassins.  If memory serves me correctly, it was just such assassins 
who seriously wounded Gov. Boggs in an attempted murder committed in his own 
home.  Apparently, it was not all that safe to oppose the Mormon Church.

						Jon White
						Tektronix
						Aloha, Ore