Massacre at Mountain Meadows
I knew about this incident vaguely, but this book definitely informed me more about the details and the timeline. If you're interested, I recommend reading it. I'm fascinated by the Utah War and Southern Utah generally, so you might get a kick out of that aspect of the book as well. The titular scene is a bit gruesome, so watch out.
Setting the stage:
As the Saints were preparing to head west, they still tasted the bitterness of their American experience. "We owe the United States nothing," John Taylor wrote in an editorial. "We go out by force, as exiles from freedom. The government and people owe us millions for the destruction of life and property in MIssouri and in Illinois. The blood of our best men stains the land, and the ashes of our property will preserve it till God comes out of his hiding place, and gives this nation a hotter portion than he did Sodom and Gomorah. 'When they cease to spoil they shall be spoiled,' for the Lord hath spoken it." [p.19]
The original "temple recommend interview" from the Reformation is on page 26.
The book is mostly details and timeline, rather than the sort of purple prose I am apt to quote. I think that is actually a good thing, because the authors are notably absent from the book. (Unfortunately, there is one segment where they compare MMM to similar atrocities around the world in a very platitudinal way.)
I'm not particularly concerned about the MMM. I don't feel any connection to it, and I don't think other Mormons or Utahns should either. Just like we shouldn't blame any modern Jew for the death of Christ, we should blame any modern anyone for the MMM.
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