Blood Atonement

No doctrine of Mormon theology is more misunderstood, and feared, than that of blood atonement. This is mostly due to the apostate, murderous, John D Lee. Who masterminded an attack on a group of people in the southern Utah hilltop called "Mountain Meadow" It was indeed a massacre, and, although many believe John D Lee when he wrote it was sanctioned by Brigham Young through the doctrine of blood atonement, he was lying. A liar, a murderer, and an apostate, I really don’t worry much about justice for him.

Blood atonement is in essence capital punishment. It is an answer to justice. It is a law that is to punish a guilty person for a very serious crime, as capital punishment is in the justice system now. If a man is a murderer, he cannot be forgiven in this life at all, no matter what else he does. He must give his life in an effort, on his part, to atone for his sin. He needs to have his blood actually shed upon the ground as an act of atonement, in an effort of repentance.
Blood atonement was also taught by Brigham Young to be necessary for the sin of adultery. This is not universally the case, as even a repentant adulterer can be baptized IF he or she can repent before being sealed through Priesthood marriage.(D&C42:24-25) Once a man is ordained as an elder, and is sealed to his wife or wives by the Priesthood, and then commits adultery, his sin necessitates blood atonement. He cannot become baptized again after that sin, so he must either find his way somewhere else, or atone by giving his life. The same for a woman. This is what “destroyed” is referring to in Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

This is a law of God that the people of ancient Israel lived when there was no other government over them. Achan was the first documented case. Some say that it was observed in the Utah territory during the days when Brigham Young was the Prophet. But when there is another government over the people which govern these things, they are subject to them. So those who want to atone by blood for adultery CANNOT at this time unless the civil government passes the law and administers it.

Yea, yea, I bet some of you are saying. Why cant you perform blood atonement that is against the law, if you allow polygny which is against the law? Simple. One administers life, the other takes it.

Speaking of blood atonement, this was actually written in the Supreme Court Decision that upheld the anti-Polygamy law:

"The offence, if committed in England or Wales, was made punishable in the civil courts, and the penalty was death."

And, the court noted, in 1788, when Virginia passed an act establishing religious freedom, its next bit of business was to adopt the English law banning polygamy -- death penalty included.

Heaven and hell

What is Hell? What does it mean to be damned? Is it a lake of lava, with pitchforks and a big red guy with horns making everyone there shovel coal? NO!

Let me explain what it is, according to Mormon Theology. From The D&C 19:10-12-

“For, behold the mystery of godliness, how great is it! For, behold, I am endless, and the punishment which is given from My hands is endless punishment, for Endless is My name. Wherefore- Eternal Punishment is Gods punishment. Endless punishment is Gods punishment.”

This means that the punishment we receive after this life is owned by God. HE decides. It implies that at some point in time He will stop the punishment. OK so what is the punishment? Horsewhipping? Solitary confinement? Ugly people? No, the punishment is the exquisite pain of soul that is called “Disappointment”. As in OOOPS. I KNOW what this is.

Joseph Smith said (Teachings of the Prophet page 356-357)-
“I have a declaration to make as to the provisions which God hath made to suit the conditions of man- made before the foundation of the world. What has Jesus said? All sin, and all blasphemies, and every transgression, except one, that man can be guilty of, may be forgiven; and there is a salvation for all men, either in this world or the world to come, who have not committed the unpardonable sin, there being a provision either in this world or the world of spirits. Hence God hath made a provision that every spirit in the eternal world can be ferreted out and saved unless he has committed the unpardonable sin which cannot be remitted to him either in this world or the world of spirits. God has wrought out a salvation for all men, unless they have committed a certain sin; and every man who has a friend in the eternal world can save him, unless he has committed the unpardonable sin. And so you can see how far you can be a savior. …Knowledge saves a man; and in the world of spirits no man can be exalted but by knowledge. So long as a man will not give heed to the commandments, he must abide without salvation. If a man has knowledge, he can be saved; although, if he is guilty of great sins, he will be punished for them. But when he consents to obey the Gospel, whether here or in the world of spirits, he is saved.A man is his own tormenter and his own condemner. Hence the saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone. I say, so is the torment of man.”

In Mormon theology eternal punishment is “exquisite disappointment because of sins, until we repent and God decides Himself to forgives us” So the next time you here the preacher yell “REPENT OR YOU WILL GO TO HELL AND FACE ETERNAL DAMNATION IN THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE!!” Just realize that God is in doing good, according to what He as shown you, through that still, small, quiet voice; and you won't be punished for not living someone else’s religion.

The point I am making is that we believe that hell is just the same kind of life that we experience here, it is actually just as heavenly as life is here. Damnation is the pain of KNOWING you did not live up to what you were taught. You won't be different after you die than you are before you die, and you will associate with those who you are most like in the heaven you earn. But no matter where you were born here, if you do the best you know how, you will have the option of learning more and participating more in God's kingdom in the next life. Repentance is continually doing better, and changing your ways includes restitution, and punishment for sin, also called atonement.