Book Burning

[miles]

I burned a bible once.  I'm unapologetic.

Ha ha, a Mormon bible. I remember when you posted that. You should burn another one this Saturday in commemoration of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

[littlefallsmets]

I still think that my tendency to shift bibles into the "religious fiction" section when I am bored in a bookstore has an altogether lighter and more whimsical touch.

But that's more an in-joke than protest OR performance art, I s'pose.

[Arachno-capitalist]

And childish.

[Arachno-capitalist]

http://libertypundits.net/article/breaking-quran-burning-church-linked-to-west-baptist-church/

[jaydub]

Color me unsurprised.

[pmcd9]

Ha ha, a Mormon bible. I remember when you posted that. You should burn another one this Saturday in commemoration of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Good times!  Did you read that article?  It was written from a pro LDS point of view and defended the killers.

Yeah, that was a Mormon Bible which is the only thing that saved me from my Mother's wrath.  Ha ha ha...

[miles]

Good times!  Did you read that article?  It was written from a pro LDS point of view and defended the killers.

Yeah, that was a Mormon Bible which is the only thing that saved me from my Mother's wrath.  Ha ha ha...

Remember when you were burning mormon bibles? Old knucklehead times, man.

You know, I didn't read beyond the first couple paragraphs, but I don't quite agree with your assessment after reading the whole thing.

While the Mormons were heavily persecuted, driven from their homes, and killed en masse several times, their persecution did not justify the killings at Mountain Meadows.

And more to the point:

Evidence suggests that church president Brigham Young was not responsible or even aware of the Mountain Meadows Massacre before it happened. Assuming this is true, and there's no strong evidence to the contrary, one can safely say that responsibility for the massacre rests with local Mormons, not the church itself.

But yeah, definitely a pro-Mormon take on it. I'm not too current on the research, but my understanding is that at best (or worst), the question of LDS leadership complicity in planning it is up in the air, and probably always will be. From what I do understand, there was at least a Nixonian cover-up that may have gone all the way up the chain of command. There are a few well-regarded books on the subject that are on my reading list after, well, more enjoyable stuff.

[pmcd9]

Oh yeah, they put a few disclaimers in there, but they went to great pains to paint a sympathetic view of the Mormons as being a persecuted people chased across the country by fearful Mormon haters.  and ol' Joe Smith was falsely accused and imprisoned.  They even "tarred and weathered" him then killed him along with his brother.

So of course they had to massacre them as they were trying to leave the area.

[miles]

Oh yeah, they put a few disclaimers in there, but they went to great pains to paint a sympathetic view of the Mormons as being a persecuted people chased across the country by fearful Mormon haters.  and ol' Joe Smith was falsely accused and imprisoned.  They even "tarred and weathered" him then killed him along with his brother.

So of course they had to massacre them as they were trying to leave the area.

What they are doing is providing historical context. The quote I provided above, lifted verbatim from the site, directly refutes your last sentence:

While the Mormons were heavily persecuted, driven from their homes, and killed en masse several times, their persecution did not justify the killings at Mountain Meadows.

The real problem is that it's shifting blame directly on the militia even though at the very least church rhetoric was partly responsible for the hysteria that led to the massacre.

Christ, sorry. I know there is probably no one else on the board with interest in this little piece of American history, but it's endlessly fascinating to me. Anyway, I provided the link because the first paragraph provides a brief overview and includes the date of the event.

My take on this issue: of course it's disrespectful, though sometimes hilarious, to burn a sacred book, but I get nervous when I hear forceful condemnations of such an act from political leaders. Freedom of expression is much more important than protecting the delicate sensibilities of people, and while I don't think anyone is yet proposing to ban such an act, it's not unimaginable. I wouldn't be surprised if some legislator somewhere proposes some law to ban something like this under the guise of hate crime legislation.

If we can't burn holy books then the terrists have truly won.

[KeithHernandez]

I have not burned a bible, but Mormons are the only group in this country I am scared of.  What is up with the underwear Miles?

Also, I have been to Devil's Gate/ Martin's Cove.  My ##### got stuck a few feet in the mud when I jumped off a cliff so I got to walk past all of the mormons pushing hand carts in my underwear.  Thank jon smith for the aclu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin%27s_Cove - go to ownership.  I will say I went to Independence Rock, Chimney Rock and Devil's Gate/Martin's Cove.  Devil's Gate was by far the coolest of the 3/4 (Martin's Cove is right next to Devil's Gate.)

Oh, and actually I used bible papers to roll joints when I was 15 or 16, does that count?

[wombat]

How come we burn books to show we disrespect them, but we're supposed to burn a flag when we throw it away to show we respect it? And yet some people burn flags as a protest? I think we need to get our symbolism straightened out a little better here.

[miles]

Calvin Johnson wonders the same thing.

[JorgeFabregas]

How come we burn books to show we disrespect them, but we're supposed to burn a flag when we throw it away to show we respect it? And yet some people burn flags as a protest? I think we need to get our symbolism straightened out a little better here.

Korans are also supposed to be burned when they are disposed of.

A very good album ostensibly about the Mountain Meadows massacre was released last year. I have not read up on the lyrics or explored the history enough to confirm the connection.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/elliott-brood-mountain-meadows,34250/


Edit: My wife and her friend were obsessed with Mormon origins and Mormon fundamentalists. Under the Banner of Heaven and all that stuff. Then her friend converted to Mormonism. Woah!

[jay-ell]

Oh, and actually I used bible papers to roll joints when I was 15 or 16, does that count?

Only to God.

[wombat]

Korans are also supposed to be burned when they are disposed of.

WHAT. 

Seriously, can't we just not be a dick to a stranger's holy book.