Heart of the Matter Broadcast from Salt Lake City

LIVE! From the “Mecca of Mormonism” Salt Lake City, Utah. THIS . . . is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. . . . “Where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity Face to Face.”

July 7th 2009
Mountain Meadows Massacre – Final Show

And I’m your host, Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.. If you have family or friends who cannot get Heart through television give them a call and tell them to go to WWW.HOTM.TV And they can watch through streaming video from anywhere in the world!

Publications and Events

“I was a Born-Again Mormon” The hard copy is on back order with some stores still having a copy or two in stock (like UTLM.ORG and New Life Christian books in Layton). But remember, we recently to make the manuscript available online through a downloadable PDF. Go to www.hotm.tv and you can have the book in your hands within minutes for any size donation – or for free for that matter. If you prefer a bound copy, wait a few weeks and we’ll have them available again.

(SHOW GRAPHIC) Alright now, how about taking a beautiful ride north this Saturday and joining us for our second annual OPEN WATER BAPTISM! It’s going to be a time of joy in the Lord and great fellowshipping.

Open Water Baptism

When: Saturday July 11th 1pm (That’s Saturday 7/11 at 1pm)
Where: Rendezvous Park just to the South downtown Logan.
Who: Anyone and everyone – except disrupters, assassins, or white men dressed like Indians. Come if you’re being baptized or just come if you want to fellowship and support those who are.

How do you get there?
Go online at www.hotm.tv for directions or get a pen and paper right now and I’ll tell you. If you live south of Brigham City, take the I-15 to the 362 exit (it says “Brigham City/Logan”) and head east on that road toward the mountains. Stay on that very same road all the way through Sardine Canyon and then you’re going to enter Cache Valley. You’ll pass through two stop lights and over some railroad tracks. Keep your eyes open after the second light and look for balloons and signs. BEFORE you get to a second set of railroad tracks, look to your left and you will see a small parking lot for Rendezvous Park – pull on in, Partner. Remember, look for the balloons and signs! After the riverside service, we will head to a nearby home for great food, Christian fellowship, and fun. Join us.

Then mark thy calendars, friends, for

Burning Heart 09: The Big Tent Revival

Bands (including Adams Road from Florida) and some local talent will be there to inspire you. Box Lunches from Subway will be available along with cotton candy, popcorn, inflated things for the kids, and booths for the adults. Then we’ll head inside a giant tent for the BIG TENT REVIVAL where I am gonna preach and teach a message of salvation. This event is certainly to fellowship, but we hope those of you who cannot say that you have been saved – Mormon, non-Mormon, we don’t care – come join us and give Jesus a chance.

When: Saturday Sept 5th 2009
Where: Sugarhouse Park
Time: 5 to 8 pm
Who: Everyone but disruptors, assassins . . . and white men dressed as Indians.
Why: Worship, gather, meet and greet and say goodbye to summer.

Burning Heart 09 The Big Tent Revival Saturday, September 5th 5-8pm.

(GRAPHIC)

New Television Program Announcement

Okay . . . here we go . . . I am so excited to finally reveal this as it has been in the works for years But bottom line, Alathea Ministries is launching another television program right here on TV 20. It will air @ 10:30 pm every Saturday night of the year.

“Yes, it is. For some…”

It will test you, prompt you, pull you, and force you to think, examine, reconsider life as we will address every issue under the sun while utilizing Facebook, texting, tweeting, twittering, email, and MySpace. And it will be live. It will be call-in. It will be called, “The Gray Generation” And it will be for teens the world over.

Now here’s the thing: We are filming the opening and closing of the Gray Generation and need 250 teenagers on site to be in the cast of these opening and closing credits. If you own a teenager, are a teenager, know a teenager, or can talk to someone who works with teenagers, PLEASE, PLEASE take the following information down.

On Saturday, August 1st, at West High School in North Salt Lake City, we will be filming the shows opening and closing. If you are in high school, we want you there. You need to be dressed in black, white, or gray – or

Representations and Reflections

A combination of the three ONLY.

If you are a jock, look like a jock. If you are a geek, look like a geek. Come looking like you appear mostly to others. If you look like a good girl come as the good girl. If you look like a wild kid, come as a wild kid. We want all types represented.

That’s Saturday, August 1st. Be there at 8am and expect to remain until three at the latest. West High school located at 400 West and North. We will provide lunch, water, and adult supervision. It is our hope that the Lord will take this program national and we are going to the expense and time to make it qualitative. We need you to join us to make this happen. Go to www.thegraygeneration.tv for more information or to download the parent permission form which will need to be signed and returned on the day of the shoot. We need the entire Christian community of Utah to come together on this and deliver your teens on August 1st. If you want, we’ll gas them all when we're through. Please give it some consideration.

Reflections on the Mormon Mountain Meadows Massacre

(PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER) Though John D. Lee took one for the team by being shot through the heart by a squad of unidentified men, the misery, mystery, and lies over the Mormon Mountain Meadows Massacre continue to live on – even to this day. Lee left behind a book, titled Mormonism Unveiled, which was to some extent self-serving and not wholly based on fact. Lee’s creative re-creation of the events was written to protect his own involvement while simultaneously castigate those who had fingered him in his trial. Oddly, and interestingly, the very first Utah temple – St. George – was dedicated in the wake of Lee’s state-induced deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God..

Instead of it being a festive celebration, this dedication of the first temple in Utah (which poignantly re-emphasized Brigham’s teachings on shedding blood to avenge the death of Joseph within its walls) was somber. Those in attendance couldn’t help but note Brigham Young’s dark and brooding mood, in all probability the direct result of sending his adoptive son to his death. In his dedicatory sermon Young, sixteen days after Lee fell dead, “castigated the Quorum of the Twelve for resisting his economic program and called men such as Apostle Erastus Snow a ‘curse to the community.’” Bagley reports from historical resources that with increasing heat…

“Brother Brigham whipped and scolded the tradesmen and almost everybody and everything else.” In his rage, Bagley continues, Young pounded the podium with his cane, and the podium, still in use, still bears the marks he made that day. A lot of what Brigham did continues to bear scars even to this day.

Aftermath and Lasting Impact

Suddenly a freak storm obscured the angry prophet’s concluding remarks of his dedicatory speech and Young had to order the congregation, who were “fearful that Satan himself was on the rampage,” to, “sit down and calm yourselves and let the devil roar.” I wonder if he was speaking of the devil roaring from the podium or the storm outside. From this point on, all the blame for Mountain Meadows was placed on John D. Lee, and, as councilor to Brigham Young Daniel Wells said, “perhaps a crony or two and a lot of dupes and thieves and savages under his command.”

Doesn’t that kind of rhetoric just make you ill? They KNEW that at least a Stake President and a Bishop were involved, who were supposedly called by inspiration, and now that Lee was dead and everyone else walked away, this member of the First Presidency said it was “the work of Lee and a crony or two, a lot of dupes, thieves and savages.” I hope there are angels assigned somewhere in the afterworld whose sole purpose is to punch religious liars in the snout.

On August 23, 1877, Brigham Young fell ill with cramps and was dead in a week. Most experts believe he died of appendicitis. His biographer wrote that Young’s last words were “I feel better,” but eyewitnesses Richard Young and Dr. Seymour Young said nothing at all about last words. Immediately after his death, the Deseret News reported that his last words were, “Amen,” but a week later, in such the Mormonitious fashion, they stated that his actual last words were, “Joseph!

Reflections on Mormonism and Historical Complexities

Joseph! Joseph!”

Bagley notes that Young’s daughter recalled that “the divine look in his face seemed to indicate that he was communicating with his beloved friend, Joseph.” I think the three Nephites may have been in the room too. (wink and smile)

John Taylor assumed the office of Prophet almost by default, but like Brigham Young before him, it would take nearly three years to reconstitute the First Presidency. And the Mormon Mountain Meadows Massacre shifted from being a serious legal liability to a serious and ongoing public relations nightmare. I say good. And the more of a nightmare the better. May the ghosts of those departed souls forever prod and remind the world that remembers them UNTIL Mormonism officially apologizes and assumes full responsibility.

Bagley reports that the horrors of the Massacre forever haunted the lives of the men involved and that “many of the men involved were decent men who could not rest in peace after the “dreadful deed.” Please understand what I am about to communicate. We are all capable of doing all horrible and evil deeds under a specific set of circumstances. I do NOT point a vicious finger of accusation at those unfortunate participants at the Meadows. Even their sins were fully covered by the blood of Jesus if they chose to receive it. But the political powers that be that have long sought to hide, cover, obfuscate and cloud the truth – and who continue to do the same – they are the ones who need to come clean.

Shifting Teachings and Beliefs

It is an interesting point to think about. Mormonism – from the onset – has presented issues for their people to embrace. And embrace they have. Remember, at one time, Mormonism led people to believe that God wanted – demanded – polygamy. That changed and those who embraced it were left in the dust. Then it got good, hardworking, innocent men and women to believe that Adam was God. Literally. Then that was altered and those who embraced it were left in the dust. Then they got men and women to swear in temples that they would avenge the blood of Joseph. Then that changed and those who bought into it were left holding the bag. Then they were led to believe that black people – that skin color – was God’s way of telling the world who was righteous and who was not. And people bought into it – freaking hook, line, and sinker – and then that was re-written, and people who bought into that B.S. were left holding the bag. When will it end?

With Jesus, it has ALWAYS been the same, consistent, stable message – He came, He died, He rose, we believe, we are saved, we are His – what more do you want? I wonder what LDS people are clinging to and chanting about today that will, like all this other BS, ultimately change? Women and the priesthood? Gay marriage? White shirts?

Continual Change and Belief

How many people along the way will be sacrificed upon the altar of Mormon MANipulation? How many people take seriously everything these MEN say must be accepted and believed that will only be told in the not so distant future that the Pearl of Great Price isn’t really doctrine, or the Doctrine and Covenants is just a history, or that the Book of Mormon is figuratively true?

Let me let you in on an amazing secret: Joseph Smith himself didn’t even believe the Book of Mormon. What? What do I mean? I mean that Joseph at one time claimed the book of Mormon contained “the FULNESS of the Gospel.” The fullness. Then Joseph added a whole host of things that the Book of Mormon doesn’t even address! Temple rites. Baptism for the dead. The New and Everlasting Covenant. Most of the LDS church programs. And on, and on, and on.

The point is, there are a lot of good people out there who have decided they are going to embrace EVERYTHING their LDS leaders tell them only to discover that all of it, like a foundation of sand, will eek and crumble away. As historians began to investigate the Mormon Mountain Meadows Massacre, they reported what would support the church over the facts. As deeply religious men committed to the LDS Church, they really believed they were doing the LORD’S work, and adopted a simple syllogism relative to Mountain Meadows: “Brigham Young was a prophet; prophets do not commit murder; therefore, Brigham Young was not responsible for the Mountain Meadows Massacre.” Ever meet people who think like this?

“Mormonism makes me feel good. Feeling good is of God. Mormonism is from God.” Or, how about: “Only a good man could produce good things.”

Historical Accounts of the Mountain Meadows Massacre

Mormonism is full of good things, therefore Joseph is a good man.” The syllogisms – and the application of them – is endless.

Other historical accounts of the Massacre began to surface. The first by a man named Rogerson, which brought a response from a defender named Charles Penrose at the Twelfth Ward Assembly Hall in Salt Lake City in 1884. Then Bancroft would pen his History of Utah in 1889 which pretty much adopted the Penrose account. Then a Jensen gave a report, LDS historian BH Robert gave his in 1909, and the two Josiah’s – Josiah Gibbs and Josiah Robinson, which culminated in a 1910 pamphlet by Gibbs (which remains one of the best sources on the subject) – and a rebuttal by Robinson, which is hidden away in the vault of LDS Church’s First presidency.

I am not going to take the time during this program to talk about the author of the greatest books ever written on the subject, Juanita Brooks, as I will speak of her when we talk about how members are treated who question the “brethren” toward the end of the year, but know this, her definitive work, The Mountain Meadows Massacre first hit newsstands in November of 1950. The personal fallout was terribly hard on Brooks who remained Mormonism – at least in name – by the time her writings went public.

Modern Responses to the Massacre

Mormonism then and now – official and unofficial – continues to deny, avoid, and present all kinds of fluff in an effort to cloud the truth of the Mormon Mountain Meadows Massacre. When distinguished Mormon Historian Leonard Arrington penned his work, the Great Basin in the late 1970’s he didn’t even mention it, and when BYU professors Ronald Esplin and Dean Jessee responded to an article in an Arkansas magazine in 1984 regarding the ordeal, they claimed that “the Mormon’s only became involved in the massacre when the Piute Indians demanded their cooperation and were fearful of alienating their Indian allies if they refused to join in.”

The savages continue, in one way or another, to take the blame. In 1996 a State sponsored “Official Centennial History” of Utah claimed that the Fancher Party “abused” the Piutes and then the book intimated that the Indians made the Utah militiamen act out of fear of an Indian reprisal.

Hinckley's Monuments and Apology Hesitation

In the early 1980’s, when Ezra Taft Benson was ailing (essentially out of it completely, according to his grandson, but still propped up as leading the Church through prophecy) Gordon B. Hinkley, who was really in charge of the Mormon church, agreed to help various associations of interest to rebuild and clean up the Mountain Meadows site. His only request: “No Movies.”

It seemed that perhaps Mormonism was actually going to step up and apologize. On September 15th 1990, at a dedication of a $300,000.00 granite monument overlooking the meadows, Hinckley took the stand. Bagley writes that after choirs sang and various people from all sides spoke, Hinckley took the stand. He said the event defied understanding, and then, while seeming to be building toward an apology, he admitted that he had actually not come to apologize. Many people were dismayed and a benediction was said.

Buses took people up the hill to where the memorial was placed. A committee led by LDS museum director Glen Leonard devised wording on the monument that was, in short, passive:

It read: In the valley below, between September 7 and 11, 1857, a company of more than 120 Arkansas emigrants led by captain John T Baker and Capt Alexander Fancher was attacked while en route to California. This event is known in history as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Three years later, members of the John D Lee family gathered in St. George and did the temple rites and ordinances for the murdered Arkansans. The irony is profound. These people not only had their lives taken through violent bloodshed by Latter-day Saints, they had to wait in spirit prison, according to LDS doctrine, and wait for (more) Latter-day Saints to decide to do their vicarious temple work so they can go to paradise!

Back at the Meadows, nature herself made work of the monument and by 1990 it was down again by virtue of frost and an earthquake. Enter Gordon Hinckley again. Because the Church now owned the land, Hinckley said to himself upon seeing its condition in 1998 that “You must do something to make this a more beautiful and attractive and lasting memorial.” Instead of doing what would truly make for a most beautiful and attractive and lasting memorial – apologizing for the

The Church's Approach to Historical Responsibility

Churches role in the massacre – Hinckley responded by throwing more money at the site. “As much as, say, $200,000.00 to build a respectable memorial,” writes Bagley. Unfortunately, a new memorial meant digging in the actual grounds of the site and the third bucket scooped out of the earth produced THIRTY pounds of skeletal remains. The Fancher relatives went ballistic and even the archaeologists called in to examine the bones were hit hard by the sight of children with holes in their skulls.

Presented with yet ANOTHER opportunity to face their demons and apologize, nothing of the sort happened, which caused the Salt Lake Tribune to state that Governor Leavitt, who tried to avoid controversy over the matter, produced what “may be another sad chapter in the massacre’s legacy of bitterness, denial, and suspicion.” You see, my friends, if Mormon officials ever openly accept responsibility for ANYTHING that can be tied to their doctrine or teachings of the past or present, they open a door to scrutiny. Protecting the Mormon structure of power has always been the priority – not truth, not healing, not the individual.

Mormonism and Historical Admissions

But until the leaders of the LDS church officially accept responsibility for their deeds, the bones, as it were, of those poor souls will continue to be unearthed and serve to plague them. It’s a double standard because while Mormon leaders teach everyone to step up to the plate and admit their faults, the institution has NEVER ever done the same. Ever.

Not with renouncing the doctrines and teachings on polygamy. Not on their doctrines on blacks and the priesthood. Not on blood atonement. Not on Adam God. No apologies, no admittance of error because then the power base would crack, the curtain would be pulled back and the Wizard would be exposed, the King would be there without clothes – in all the glory of a sagging, wrinkled suit of gray hanging skin.

Another memorial was held in September of 1999. This time people gathered to rebury the remains of the victims and celebrate the new memorial funded by the LDS church. A Piute Indian tribal leader Genal Anderson attended and was asked afterward how many Piutes were involved. Anderson replied: “That’s your history, not ours.”

The Message from Gordon B. Hinckley

With much anticipation, Gordon B Hinckley, once again, stood and spoke. Perhaps, most thought, the Church will now come clean, and initiate a genuine healing and not another smarmy, pass the buck homily. “My dear friends,” he began. “This is an emotional experience for me. I come as a peacemaker. This is not the time for recrimination or the assigning of blame. No one can explain what happened in these meadows 142 years ago,” he said, “it is time to leave it on God’s hands.”

Got that. “Let’s drop it and give it to God,” he seems to imply. He went on to describe being there as a boy with his father and then he sort of segued into what I believe was a segment of classic Hinckley PR for the Church. “We have spent a very substantial amount of MONEY on what has been accomplished here. We have not spared expense to do it right and in a fashion that will remain through the years.”

He spoke of the GREAAAAT effort that went into supplying the area with much needed electricity and water, making the site attractive, accessible, and secure. He continued. “I sit in the chair that Brigham Young occupied as president of the church at the time of the tragedy,” he continued, but at this point, Bagley notes that the audience saw a marked change in his delivery as before it carried a tone of forgiveness and conciliation but now seemed to take more of a defensive air.

“I have read much of the history of what occurred here. There is no question in my mind that he was opposed to what happened.” So where he began saying this was not a time for blame, and that nobody could understand what actually took place, he now made it clear Brigham Young was not part of it. Then, out of nowhere, it seems he thought this was the best time to throw in a legal disclaimer and he said, seemingly out of the blue:

“That which has been done here (meaning the money spent by the church on the site) must never be construed as an acknowledgement on the part of the church of any complicity in the occurrences of that fateful day.” Bagley notes that few who understand Mormonism truly expected an outright apology, but nobody anticipated hearing such a explicit and legalistic denial of any.

Reflecting on Historical Accountability

He closed by letting everyone there know his desire to see this thing disappear forever by unambiguously stating:

“Let the book of the past be closed.”

After five years as church president, Hinckley granted his first interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, who asked him about the Mormon Mountain Meadows Massacre. Listen carefully to old Hinckley’s word choice in this statement.

“It was a local decision and it was tragic. We can’t understand it at this time, but none of us can place ourselves in the MOCCASINS of those who lived there at the time.”

Examining Responsibility

So even as late as the year 2000, the highest official in the Mormon Church placed the blame, diplomatically not on where it should have been, but on the defenseless Indians.

With that, let’s open up our phone lines

801 973-8820 801 973-TV20

First time callers, if possible. LDS preferred. Please turn your televisions down when the operator clears you, and let’s take a minute and run our spot.

Join Us

EMAILS

CONCLUSION;

Hey, we’d love to see you this Saturday 1pm, just outside of Logan at the Rendezvous Park. Look for the balloons.

And remember, if the Bible is true, Mormonism is a fraud.

See you next week here on . . .