If the people [of Missouri] come on us to molest us, we will establish our religion by the sword ... self defense?
A jihad is self-defense? Committing theft, arson and murder against innocent civilians is self-defense? Really?
There was no Mormon genocide; the Saints merely migrated to another location (Illinois) ... Leave or be killed. And you call it a migration?
Actually, the deal the Saints were offered was leave or face justice for your crimes. The Saints chose to quit Missouri ... barely going just across the Mississippi River to Quincy, Illinois for a few months and then north to Nauvoo, Illinois. At that time, land was abundant and in many cases free for homesteading. The Saints left peacefully and unimpeded, taking all of their possessions except for the consecrated goods they stole from gentiles, which were returned to their original rightful owners. And you call that a genocide? Really?
It has been well established that the LDS Church has a long, sordid history of deception to everyone including their members (something they call lying for the lord). They've been caught doing everything from making thousands of changes to sacred scripture ... to concealing evidence (e.g. Joseph Smith's original peep stone) ... to buying and then hiding items deemed embarrassing (e.g. Mark Hofmann's fabricated documents) ... to denying their official positions on various sacred relics (e.g. the Kinderhook Plates) ... to quietly changing major doctrine without explanation or discussion (e.g. Blacks in the Priesthood, the temple ceremony) ... to flat-out lies (e.g. we never really espoused polygamy, and we're Christians just like you).
I strongly recommend that, with an open mind, you study Mormon history from non-biased sources (e.g. source documents) and evaluate the evidence presented by historians who are generally held in high regard within their profession. I also recommend that while doing this you seek answers to these four questions:
- How bad was Mormon persecution ... really?
Place it in perspective. Compare the numbers of martyrs ... a few thousand Mormons (at most) to millions of Christians. Also consider how they died ... brandishing weapons in war vs. burned alive, flayed alive, and tortured to death.
- How much of the persecution did the Saints bring upon themselves?
Consider the reasons given for Saints' persecution ... little things like bank fraud, theft, arson, murder, and sedition. Compare this to the reasons given for Christian persecution ... big things like their failing to worship pagan gods and their refusal to abandon their faith in their Lord.
- How much persecution did the Saints do unto others?
Begin with the thousands robbed of their life savings and reduced to poverty in Ohio. Continue with the numbers of gentiles (including Indians) robbed and killed in Missouri, Illinois, and Utah. Be sure to include the various massacres (e.g. Mountain Meadows, Atkins, Bear River), and the soldiers killed defending their country.
- How much of the deemed persecution did the Saints do unto themselves?
Scroll up the page to here and look at the number of Saints that were beaten, castrated, and used up by the Danites (a.k.a. Nauvoo Legion and Mormon Militia) under the doctrine of blood atonement. Don't forget to include the six Mormon civil wars, and the Succession Crisis of 1844-47.