If a religious group enjoys the freedom to practice it's faith to any degree, that religious group has no legitimate grounds for sectarian terrorism.
Period.
Mormon terrorism in the US
- Thread starter JoeMulk
- Start date
Period.
And on the other side of the political spectrum, considered to be evil right-wing Christian fundamentalists. Actual Mormon terrorism would make that sentiment stronger too.
In every case of Christian extremist terrorism in the US the perpetrators have always claimed Christians are being persecuted in the United States. The narrative of persecution and oppression by an evil, secular state is a VERY common one in Religious Right groups so I wouldn't dismiss the idea out of hand so quickly. Perception of persecution can be just as powerful as the real deal.
Why?
What does it get them, other than the enmity of Mormons and non-mormons both?
What is their justification for killing people in ublic acts of atrocity?
You could ask the same of Islamic extremists. Or Christian ones, for that matter.
They do what they do to get attention, garner followers, and or compel obedience, but the problem is that in this case all it wil do is tick EVERYONE off at them.
Or extreme animal-rights advocates. Or the Weathermen in the 1960s. Or any movement that resorts to violence. (Including any that you might agree had the moral right to resort to violence).
Basically: because they desire certain changes. And they believe violence is the best way, or the only way, to have any chance of seeing those changes.
Zioneer
Banned
Well, the fringe Mormon groups practiced a corrupted version of an old LDS teaching called "blood atonement". Basically, the idea is that if a person or government oppresses Mormons, they will eventually pay with blood, whether through disasters happening to them, or outright attacks on them by Mormons.
Back in the early days of Mormonism, blood atonement was only preached when Mormons had been attacked and murdered, as a "eye for an eye (unless God does it first)" sort of concept.
The modern polygamist off-shoots of Mormonism differed, in that the most radical of them preached that they should kill or injure those who offended the leader of their chosen splinter group, and also that they'd kill law enforcement officials and rival splinter group leaders that opposed them. This happened in OTL.
If something happens to make the splinter groups more angry (perhaps a talented polygamist leader unites most of the splinter churches and becomes determined to oppose the government?), and he spreads an Al-Qaeda-style philosophy among the modern polygamists, Mormon terrorism could happen. Now, given that most mainstream Mormons have no sympathy for the polygamists these days, it wouldn't work well, but it could still happen.
It's a stretch....
As someone very familiar with Mormon history... I just don't see this one happening.
First off... Mormon fundamentalism didn't even begin until after the manifesto of 1890 when polygamy was banned. To this day, Mormon fundamentalists live in very rural areas and mostly just desire to be left alone by the government.
Despite the press they receive... they really have almost more in common with Mennonites and Amish folks than they do with cults such as the Branch Davidian's that became famous from the Waco, TX incident in 1993.
There have been two incidents in the last 60 years where the government has cracked down on Polygamists... the Short Creek raid in 1953, and more recently the 2008 raid of the YFZ complex in Texas that made headlines. In both incidents, few charges were actually filed... and there was no retaliation from any of the polygamists. Please don't get me wrong... I think Warren Jeffs should be in jail for a very long time for his actions with underage women. I also don't in any way condone the totalitarian nature of these sects. I'm just suggesting that these groups are almost always secretive and non-violent to the government and outside world.
BUT TO PLAY THE GAME.... From my vantage point... I think for Fundamental Mormon Terrorism to be a huge problem in the USA today.... you'd need to have a drastically altered timeline with some huge assumptions being made. Perhaps Joseph Smith lives another 20 years, gains considerable political clout (remember he was running for President in 1844) and Mormons stay in Nauvoo, continue to attract droves of converts, and get tangled up in the Civil War in the 1860's. During Joseph Smith's era, there was a band of Mormon vigilante's called the Danite's. If Joseph Smith had lived, perhaps the Danite's could have continued and over decades morphed into a super protective, anti-government, radical group. Even then... I think it's still a stretch.
Here's a slightly more likely scenario...
Mexico wins the American / Mexican War and Mormon's are essentially left alone by the US government (Mexico territory) for decades... and polygamy continues to be practiced and condoned by the church into the 1930's or 1940's. In this alternate theory... the political and societal pressure that was falling upon the church in the 1880's... happens 40 years later when the church has almost a million members. The church ultimately bans polygamy, but the toll is enormous. Generations of Mormon family relationships are intertwined with polygamy after having practiced it for nearly a century. The government crackdown and subsequent reversal of the polygamy doctrine means that between 100,000 - 200,000 members leave mainline Mormonism and continue to live a polygamist lifestyle. Societal pressure and persecution is unrelenting. Mormon's (who at the time in the 1930's - 1940's generally didn't favor one political party as they do today) become extremely anti-government... and a band of fundamentalists become violent and known for committing acts of atrocity against the US government.
As someone very familiar with Mormon history... I just don't see this one happening.
First off... Mormon fundamentalism didn't even begin until after the manifesto of 1890 when polygamy was banned. To this day, Mormon fundamentalists live in very rural areas and mostly just desire to be left alone by the government.
Despite the press they receive... they really have almost more in common with Mennonites and Amish folks than they do with cults such as the Branch Davidian's that became famous from the Waco, TX incident in 1993.
There have been two incidents in the last 60 years where the government has cracked down on Polygamists... the Short Creek raid in 1953, and more recently the 2008 raid of the YFZ complex in Texas that made headlines. In both incidents, few charges were actually filed... and there was no retaliation from any of the polygamists. Please don't get me wrong... I think Warren Jeffs should be in jail for a very long time for his actions with underage women. I also don't in any way condone the totalitarian nature of these sects. I'm just suggesting that these groups are almost always secretive and non-violent to the government and outside world.
BUT TO PLAY THE GAME.... From my vantage point... I think for Fundamental Mormon Terrorism to be a huge problem in the USA today.... you'd need to have a drastically altered timeline with some huge assumptions being made. Perhaps Joseph Smith lives another 20 years, gains considerable political clout (remember he was running for President in 1844) and Mormons stay in Nauvoo, continue to attract droves of converts, and get tangled up in the Civil War in the 1860's. During Joseph Smith's era, there was a band of Mormon vigilante's called the Danite's. If Joseph Smith had lived, perhaps the Danite's could have continued and over decades morphed into a super protective, anti-government, radical group. Even then... I think it's still a stretch.
Here's a slightly more likely scenario...
Mexico wins the American / Mexican War and Mormon's are essentially left alone by the US government (Mexico territory) for decades... and polygamy continues to be practiced and condoned by the church into the 1930's or 1940's. In this alternate theory... the political and societal pressure that was falling upon the church in the 1880's... happens 40 years later when the church has almost a million members. The church ultimately bans polygamy, but the toll is enormous. Generations of Mormon family relationships are intertwined with polygamy after having practiced it for nearly a century. The government crackdown and subsequent reversal of the polygamy doctrine means that between 100,000 - 200,000 members leave mainline Mormonism and continue to live a polygamist lifestyle. Societal pressure and persecution is unrelenting. Mormon's (who at the time in the 1930's - 1940's generally didn't favor one political party as they do today) become extremely anti-government... and a band of fundamentalists become violent and known for committing acts of atrocity against the US government.