Mormon Dilemma 597

Emma Smith

Brigham Young Sermon, October 1, 1866 and reported in the Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 48, Winter 1980, pg 82; “The sympathies of the Latter-day Saints are with the family of the martyred prophet. I never saw a day in the world that I would not almost worship that woman, Emma Smith, if she would be a saint instead of being a devil… [We] would have been exceeding glad if the prophet’s family had come with us when we left Nauvoo… We would have made cradles for them… and would have fed them on milk and honey. Emma is naturally a very smart woman; she is subtle and ingenious…. she has made her children inherit lies. To my certain knowledge Emma Smith is one of the damnest liars I know of on this earth; yet there is no good thing I would refuse to do for her, if she would only be a righteous woman.”

James 4:11; “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”

The Utah Historical Quarterly is a publication highlighting events past and present in Utah. In this particular publication they showcased a sermon of Brigham Young’s taken from a book called “The Lion and the Lady” written by Valeen Tippetts Avery and Linda King Newell. Their insight into the relations of the RLDS Church and that of the HQ in Salt Lake City is telling and gives us an idea of what was really going on. 

Their report on Brigham also tells us that he must’ve spent a fair amount of time thinking about the scenario at hand.  As James said you shouldn’t speak evil of another and this is especially true when you’re the leader!  Shame on him for saying anything about her at all!