Summary
Krakauer introduces Part III with excerpts from Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian, and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects. Chapter 17, entitled Exodus, follows Brigham Young's rise to power and the splintering of the Mormon Church along pro-polygamy and anti-polygamy lines.
In one of his more controversial teachings, Joseph Smith claimed "some sins were so heinous" that the only way the guilty party could atone for them was to "spill his blood upon the ground." Thus, vengeance killings ensue under Brigham Young's tutelage when those on trial for Joseph Smith's murder are found not guilty. Additionally, the early Mormons notoriously for circulate counterfeit money, angering their Gentile neighbors and the state. To avoid civil war with the Gentiles, Young proposes that the Mormons vacate the entirety of the then-established United States and move west to Utah, where they could maintain a degree of autonomy.
Separate from the rest of civilization, Brigham Young presents his followers with the truth about polygamy, which most LDS outside of Utah vilified, inciting the Mormon Reformation of 1856 and 1857. In 1857, Mormon-Gentile tensions culminate in the tragic Mountain Meadows Massacre. The Fancher party, a caravan of 130 emigrants from Arkansas, make camp in a mountain meadow. The party includes Mormon apostates, and rumors fly throughout Utah that perpetrators of the Haun's Mill Massacre, a 1838 mob attack on a Mormon settlement in Missouri, were also present in the group. Additionally, Parley Pratt, an influential minister and one of Mormonism's original Twelve Apostles, had been recently been martyred by the estranged husband of a woman he had married, inflaming tensions.
Disguised LDS and five Paiute lay a five-day siege on the caravan, killing almost the entire party, including many children. Brigham Young initially denies responsibility for the massacre, though there is evidence that he orchestrated the fiasco. William Dame and John D. Lee are deemed responsible for carrying out the massacre under Brigham Young's direction. Young pins the massacre on Lee, his adopted son, and Lee is sentenced to death. He writes the damning text Mormonism Unveiled while awaiting execution.
The early Mormon community has a precarious and fraught relationship with the United States government. Abraham Lincoln originally decides to leave the Mormons alone, but when civil war erupts in the United States, he has California troops settle into Utah to ensure the Mormons don't use the opportunity to secede, much to Brigham Young's chagrin. Lincoln also signs an anti-bigamy act into law. However, Young continues to circumvent these laws.
Chapter 19 begins with the story of DeLoy Bateman, an ex-fundamentalist whose ancestors were involved in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, searching for the signature of William Dunn. William Dunn and the Howland brothers were explorers whose murder was blamed on indigenous Shivitt people, though LDS likely killed them after a misunderstanding about the explorers' identities. The Howland murders are just one example of the documented history of early LDS framing Native Americans for murders.
John Taylor, who replaces Brigham Young as the Saints' president, is a true believer in Joseph Smith and is intent on maintaining the doctrine of polygamy despite increased opposition from President Rutherford B. Hayes. The first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, held on September 27, 1886, urges those present to uphold the principle of plural marriage despite widespread opposition and inevitable persecution. To circumvent anti-bigamy laws, Taylor establishes remote outposts where his followers practice polygamy.
The text then transitions to Part IV, introduced with an excerpt from Anthony Storr's Feet of Clay. Chapter 21, entitled "Evangeline," discusses how fundamentalist sects splinter when self-proclaimed prophets come into conflict. The chapter explores the disturbing behaviors of fundamentalist patriarchs, such as Rulon Jeffs and the LeBaron brothers. Rulon Jeffs, the former prophet of Colorado City, claimed to be immortal but died in 2002. The text describes Rulon Jeffs' funeral in the present tense, remarking on the atmosphere of confusion and dread, as the death of the previous prophet, LeRoy Johnson, caused the community to split between followers of Rulon Jeffs and Marion Hammon.
Ervil and Joel LeBaron were fundamentalists, brothers, and rivals. Ervil had Joel assassinated after a "revelation from God" said Joel was an obstacle to God's work. This assassination initiated a "divinely inspired series of murders." Ervil's cult of personality was so powerful that his followers continued to do his bidding while he was behind bars and even after his death, following instructions of a massive hit list Ervil penned while in prison.
In 1983, fundamentalist Kenyon Blackmore secretly married Joel and Lavina LeBaron's twenty-two-year-old daughter, Gwendolyn. She gave birth to a daughter named Evangeline right around the time the Lafferty murders occurred. Kenyon, a violent con man who introduced Brady to the Prophet Onias, escaped to Mexico and then Central America to evade law enforcement. There, he received a vision that he would be the father of the second coming of Jesus Christ, who would be born of him (Kenyon) and his own pre-pubescent daughter, Evangeline. He began raping Evangeline frequently once she turned twelve. When she became pregnant and miscarried, Kenyon abandoned her in Guatemala.
Analysis
In the excerpt from Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects, Russell remarks that religions oppose progress and have not earned the reputation of loving, justice-oriented organizations. This comment frames the next few chapters and invites the reader to question how much of the fundamentalist's worldview is their own and how much Mormonism as a whole is responsible.
Chapter 17's title, "Exodus," refers to the biblical book of Exodus, where the enslaved people of Israel escape from Egypt with God's violent assistance. This title compares the Mormon migration to Salt Lake City to the Israelites' escape and the persecution the Mormons faced at the hands of the Gentiles to the enslavement of the ancient Israelites. Additionally, in the Book of Exodus, violence against the Egyptians is divinely ordained and enacted to fulfill God's plan. Similarly, the early Mormons viewed their violence against the Gentiles as essential to establishing God's kingdom on earth.
Joseph Smith's storyline mentions that the early Mormons were notorious for circulating counterfeit money. Brigham Young and Joseph Smith did not see anything wrong with this fraud and thought the Mormons doing so were not criminals in the eyes of God. This belief mirrors the Colorado City residents "bleeding the beast" by defrauding the American government to support themselves financially.
The Mormons under Brigham Young establish their community in Utah to gain autonomy from the American government and the secular culture. Similarly, modern polygamist groups reside in remote locations like Colorado city for the same rationale. Fringe faiths of various denominations, not just Mormonism, seek geographic isolation to protect themselves from outside influences, the legal ramifications of their actions, and to exert control over their followers.
The text uses the Mountain Meadows Massacre as a case study for how the doctrine of "blood atonement" was used historically to justify politically expedient violence. The massacre also exemplifies the history of the LDS blaming indigenous people for violence the church committed. Indigenous Americans were a scapegoat in no small part because the Book of Mormon claimed they were descendants of Lamanites; the text incorrectly accuses Native Americans' ancestors of genocide. Additionally, the Book of Mormon scriptures prophecies that the Mormon people need to convert the descendants of Laman to Mormonism to usher in the second coming of Christ.
Ervil LeBaron is a prime modern example of a cult of personality, similar to Joseph Smith. LeBaron's imprisonment, rather than calling into question his character, only further solidified his followers' resolve that he was a sacred, prophetic figure. The early church used examples of religious persecution as a point of identity and as evidence of the church's legitimacy, citing government interference as proof of evil forces persecuting them.
Kenyon Blackmore's story is a prime example of the dangerous cocktail of narcissism and religion that led to the Lafferty murders. The Mormon faith fed Blackmore's narcissism, as the faith supports personal revelations, celebrates unbroken lineages, and anticipates Christ's imminent arrival. His fixation on his young daughters and their ability to produce what he considered "pure" heirs grotesquely evidences a theme prevalent throughout the text: commodifying women to gain exceptionalism. Historical prophets like Brigham Young and John Taylor, and contemporary examples like Rulon Jeffs and Tom Green, used young women to establish their claim as the "Chosen One of God." Not only were these women used to satisfy men's carnal lust, lust for power, and to produce children, but the sheer number of young wives was a form of currency within the polygamist community. Many believed that a man needed at least three wives to enter heaven's highest realm and that having many wives indicated a man's holiness.
