Can you believe B.Y. was a bigot and still honor him by following his faith? That’s the only question I respectfully ask, only asking for your considation and input as believers.

While I believe you have failed to establish respect or credibility with your comments, perhaps you would care to read something of Brigham’s philosophy on this, recorded in the Journal of Discourses, 4:75.

…I have not embraced any man on this earth, in my faith, but I have embraced the doctrine of salvation, and it is no matter what the people do in Utah. Here is the doctrine of salvation, talk against that, prove that to be false, or find a flaw in it, if you can. As for the people, they cannot save you. Never embrace a man in your faith, for that is sectarianism.

…It is the fashion in the world to embrace men in their faith, or a fine meeting house, or a genteel congregation, thinking, “O, what perfect order, and how pretty they look; how straight they walk to meeting, and how long their faces are during the services; how pretty that deacon looks under the pulpit; the people are so pretty, the meeting house is so nice, that we want to join such pretty people.” Such feelings will take a people to hell. Embrace a doctrine that will purge sin and iniquity from your hearts, and sanctify you before God, and you are right, no matter how others act.

Although I was rather hoping that you could provide a more honest response, something that you wrote yourself, perhaps the source you apparently lifted this text from is just as revealing of what you really know about the Journal of Discourses and the church.

In fact I could not help noticing that your “summary” bears remarkable similarity to the contents of a web page hosted by people who call themselves “Mormonism Research Ministry” at this link. I suspect this is not coincidental.

The source page claims to be authored by someone who identifies himself as “Bill McKeever”, a well-known anti-mormon. Perhaps, if you copy from someone else’s work, you ought to give proper attribution. You can find some helpful guidelines here.

Now I am wondering, could this also your source for the “horrors” you ascribe to Brigham Young? And I am curious if you intend to ever actually read the Journal of Discourses yourself some day, or if you just read snippets of it from this anti-mormon web site?

If you’re still interested, you can find the entire text of the Journal of Discourse on line at this link. Very convenient, you need not go to the expense of purchasing the 26-volume set. Admittedly, this material is not condensed or derived like the pre-packaged sound-bites so often quoted by anti-mormons. But at least, if you were to take the time to read it yourself, you could make honest claims about having done so.

One of the more popular collections of LDS sermons would be the Journal of Discourses. The Journal (also known as the JD, or JOD) was the dream child of an English convert named George D. Watt. Watt was a clerk for Brigham Young and was proficient in the art of Pitman shorthand. His skill led to his being commissioned by the church to faithfully record the words of conference sermons that would later be published in the church-owned Deseret News.
However, Watt wanted the messages of LDS leaders to go far beyond the limited subscribers to the Deseret News. His desire was given the blessing of the First Presidency who issued the following statement on June 1, 1853:
“Dear Brethren. — It is well known to many of you that Elder George D. Watt, by our counsel, spent much time in the midst of poverty and hardships to acquire the art of reporting in Phonography which he has faithfully and fully accomplished; and he has been reporting the public sermons, discourses, lectures, &c., delivered by the Presidency, the Twelve and others in this city, for nearly two years, almost without fee or reward.
“Elder Watt now proposes to publish a Journal of these reports, in England for the benefit of the Saints at large, and to obtain means to enable him to sustain his highly useful position of Reporter. You will perceive at once that this will be a work mutual benefit, and we cheerfully and warmly request your co-operation in the purchase and sale of the above named Journal, and wish all the profits arising therefrom to be under the control of Elder Watt.” [signed] BRIGHAM YOUNG, HEBER C. KIMBALL, WILLARD RICHARDS” (Messages of the First Presidency 2:119. This message is also found in the beginning of volume one of the JD).
The Journal began as a 16-page semi-monthly publication and though it was considered a private operation, it was produced in the LDS Church printing office in Liverpool, England. Today the JD comprises 26-volumes covering a period of around 35 years. The Encyclopedia of Mormonism notes that “in all, the collected Journal of Discourses contains 1,438 speeches given by fifty-five people, including Presidents of the Church, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, members of the seventy, and sixteen other speakers. Brigham Young gave 390; John Taylor, 162; Orson Pratt, 127; Heber C. Kimball, 113; and George Q. Cannon, 111. Twenty-one people gave a single speech, and the rest gave from 2 to 66 speeches” (2:769).
When Watt first produced the Journal, there seemed to be no question that what was recorded was the actual words and beliefs of men chosen by God to lead his latter-day church. In his introduction to the first issue, Watt proclaimed, “It affords me great pleasure in being able to put in your possession the words of the Apostles and Prophets, as they were spoken in assemblies of the Saints in Zion, the value of which cannot be estimated by man, not so much for any great display of worldly learning and eloquence, as for the purity of doctrine, simplicity of style, and extensive amount of theological truth which they develop.”
For years Latter-day Saints were encouraged to purchase a set to enhance their understanding of Mormon truth claims. As late as March 21,1963, the church-owned Deseret Book placed an ad in the Salt Lake Tribune with a banner that read “The Voices of Prophets!” The ad was offering a set of the Journal for a discounted price of $100, telling members that they “should take this opportunity of owning the written words of remarkable teachings from the LDS pulpit. To the clear and vigorous exposition of Latter-day Saint doctrine is added the unmistakable authority of divine inspiration.”
That same year, Axel Andresen, the assistant manager of Deseret Book, firmly stood by the contents of the Journal when he responded to an inquiry made by a Mr. H.C. Combes of Lebanon, Oregon. Andresen wrote, “In having in your library the 26 volumes of the ‘Journals of Discourses’ (sic), you have a library containing the sermons of the Presidents and Apostles of the Church. If anyone tells you that the sermons found therein are not recognized by the Church, they know not what they are talking about.”
Andresen went on to point out that “Deseret Book Company, being the only Church-owned book store, would not distribute literature on the Church, particularly anything as important as the Discourses of the Presidents and Apostles of the Church, without the approval of the Church” (Letter dated June 12, 1963).
Every volume of the Journal comes with a publisher’s preface, many of which go out of their way to inform the reader that what they are about to read is esteemed as truth. For example, the preface to volume two was written by Franklin D. Richards. He said, “The Second Volume of the Journal of Discourses needs no recommendation to make it interesting to every Saint who loves to drink of the streams that flow from the fountain of Eternal Truth. It is made up of the choicest fruit that cWhen George Q. Cannon became a Journal publisher, he was a newly appointed apostle. He would later serve as counselor to Presidents Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow. Few would doubt his loyalty to Mormonism or his understanding of LDS belief. In his preface to volume eight he wrote, “The Journal of Discourses ranks as one of the standard works of the Church, and every rightminded Saint will certainly welcome with joy every Number as it comes forth from the press as an additional reflector of ‘the light that shines from Zion’s hill.’” an be called from the tree of knowledge, suited to the tastes of all who can appreciate such delicious food.”
Despite these accolades, we find that some of its biggest critics today are Mormons themselves. Many Latter-day Saints are quick to downplay its significance by insisting that the Journal is not “doctrine” or that much of its contents are nothing more than the mere opinions of the speakers.
Some Mormons have even argued that the sermons were inaccurately recorded. However, the Encyclopedia of Mormonism notes that in all, “twelve people reported sermons for the Journal of Discourses.” These included David W. Evans, an associate editor of the Deseret News. Evans succeeded Watt as the main reporter for the JD from 1867 to 1876. Another included George F. Gibbs, a man who held the position of secretary to the First Presidency of the Church for 56 years. Even one of Brigham Young’s daughters, Julia, is credited with recording one of her father’s sermons (2:769, 770).
It appears obvious that one of the reasons a Mormon may wish to distance himself from the Journal is because it contains information with which he may personally disagree. I too am glad that discerning individuals recognize that the Journal contains some bizarre notions that should not be believed. However, Mormons who hold to this conclusion cannot escape the fact that they are also being intellectually dishonest if they extol such spokesmen as prophets and apostles of God while being fully aware that they taught things that are considered blatant heresy by their church today. Sadly, that is the double standard many Latter-day Saints choose to employ.
If LDS leaders really feel that the Journal is unreliable they need to quit quoting it and admit to their members that Mormon prophets are quite capable of leading the church astray. The fact that the church has yet to offer an official statement denouncing the Journal also tends to speak volumes.

The KKK is still an organization. What religion are most of its members? I don’t know the answer, but I’m pretty sure it is NOT Mormon.

Slavery couldn’t have flourished without the help and encouragement of west Africans, who went inland and kidnapped those poor souls that American–and citizens of other countries–bought and shipped where there was a market.

You are wasting your valuable time and emotion on a non-issue. Instead, why don’t you donate your time and money to the relief effort in the Sudan? Or go to Mississippi, proclaim yourself a Mormon hater because Mormons are racist, and research the KKK for yourself—walk the walk, and find out how many Mormons are killing black people today.

I personally, for myself, repudiate my religion’s policies toward black men, which ended in 1978. I regret it, I hate it, I wish it had never happened, but it did. I’m absolutely positive that racist attitudes exist in my church and in every other Christian religion in the US. I repudiate them. The policy no longer exists. You need to check out the south and the religions of the south before you come after us. Are you attacking southern Baptists in the same way?

I really am confused here.

Sorry. I cannot believe you.

Perhaps you would be so kind as to tell, since you have recommended it to us, just how many times have you personally read through and studied the Journal of Discourses? You refer to it as the authoritative source for your “horror”, so we ought to know just how familiar you are with everything written therein.

Maybe you could provide a summary of who wrote the Journal of Discourses, and what subjects it covers.

He set the tone and environment that ordered the mentalities and positions of the membership and leadership for many years after his death. That we try to explain away or sweep under the rug his embarrassing comments and writings diminishes the stature of a man who did much to advance the West and the Faith all at the same time.