Yes. It must be terrible when the governor of a state issues an order for you to be exterminated ...
#1...
Except Most of the Mormon murderers mentioned by Zakeet in his list occurred in...
UTAH!
And some other such murders occurred in
other states
beyond of Missouri -- the state you reference
#2...
To add even more to the complexity of why people acted as they did, the Lds Church History; Selections from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism adds three more reasons:
(a) Sidney Rigdon's June 19, 1838 "Salt Sermon" reinforced local Mormon opposition;
(b) Lds militia officer Sampson Avard initiated a vigilante group known as the Danites
(c) Rigdon's July 4, 1838 "inflammatory" sermon was the independence of the church from mobocracy. Rigdon "warned of a war of extermination between Mormons and their enemies if they were further threatened or harassed." (Leland H. Gentry, Church History, p. 343). Lds writer Max Parkin conceded that Rigdon's June 19 and July 4 messages "further incensed the public against expanding LDS influences." (Church History, p. 348).
Certainly, what we almost NEVER hear from contemporary Mormon posters is that apparently the first group to threaten the other with "extermination" in Missouri wasn't Gov. Boggs. 'Twas Lds leader Sidney Rigdon four months prior to that!
#3...
Even Mormon authors in good standing debate how the word "exterminate" -- as expressed by Missouri Gov. Boggs (who, btw, was probably shot and almost assassinated by Porter Rockwell at the instigation of Jospeh Smith) -- was defined:
From an FR-posted article from Nov. 15, 2010:
"Mormons are quick to point to Missouri Governor Bogg's Mormon "Extermination Order" but fail to consider Sydney Rigdon's "Salt Sermon" about trampling and hanging dissenters, the role of slavery, the historical events that led to Bogg's order and the latter attempt on his life. What most people miss is the correct definition of "extermination" in the 1835 time period. Webster's Dictionary of 1828 under "exterminate" has: "Literally, to drive from within the limits or borders. Hence, 1. To destroy utterly; to drive away...."
Source: Nov. 15, 2010
I added back then: George W. Givens, a Mormon author, likewise pointed this out in his book 500 Little-Known Facts in Mormon History:
"Latter-day Saints have universally condemned the notorious Haun's Mill Massacre by a mom-militia shortly after Missouri Governor Boggs issued the infamous extermination order...a second look at the definition of the word "exterminate" as it was used in 1838, however, might cause us to take a second look at Governor Boggs as well. An American Dictionary of English Language, published in 1828, defines "exterminate" as "literally, to drive from within the limits or borders." (p. 26) Bonneville Books, 2004
But, hey, I can understand why Mormon leaders haven't encouraged grassroots to actually study Mormon history on their own beyond the "faith-promoting" crap bottle-fed by Mormon leadership in Salt Lake City!
Yes. It must be terrible when the governor of a state issues an order for you to be exterminated ...
Before you beat that drum too loudly, you should consider the following facts:
If the people [of Missouri] come on us to molest us, we will establish our religion by the sword. We will trample down our enemies and make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. I will be to this generation a second Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was ‘the Quran or the Sword.’ So shall it eventually be with us – Joseph Smith or the Sword – October 14, 1838 - History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 167.
- The Extermination Order came in direct response to Joseph Smith's declaration of a Jihad against the citizens of Missouri, and the subsequent slaughter of four Missouri guardsmen (and the mutilation of their corpses) at the Crooked River Battle on October 15, 1838.
... The Mormons in the attitude of an open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made war upon the people of this State. Your orders are, therefore, to hasten your operations with all possible speed. The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary, for the public peace – their outrages are beyond all description. - Missouri Executive Order 44, the Extermination Order, issued by Missouri Governor Liburn W. Boggs on October 27, 1838
- There were additional reasons for the Extermination Order. Following the Saints surrender at Far West on October 31, 1838, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Parley Pratt (Mitt Romney's great-great grandfather) and other Mormon leaders were charged with treason, murder, arson, burglary, robbery, larceny, and perjury and ordered held without bail. These charges were based on solid evidence.
- In 1838, the word exterminated also meant expelled. This definition is clearly laid out in the text of the order and is, in fact, exactly what transpired - there was no Mormon genocide; the Saints merely migrated to another location (Illinois).
- On May 6, 1842, Governor Boggs was almost killed in an assassination attempt. He was shot in the back by Porter Rockwell (who later confessed to the crime) after Smith prophesied Boggs' death and offered a $500 reward for causing the prophecy to come true.
Like so many other claims of persecution, a careful examination of historical records casts the Extermination Order in a far different light than the assertions made my many Mormons.