Tribe of Dan and the Mormon Danites
Genesis 30:6; “And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.”
Judges 13:24; “And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.”
Judges 18:1; “In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.”
Joseph Smith Papers, July 27, 1838; “Thus far, according to the ord[e]r of the Dan -Ites, we have a company of Danites in these times, to put to rights physically that which is not righ[t], and to clense the Church of verry great evils which hath hitherto exi sted among us, inasmuch as they cannot be put to rights by teachings & persuaysons, This company or a part of them exibited on the fourth day of July
They come up to consecrate, by companies of tens, commanded by their Captain over ten.”
The Danites were one of the twelve tribes of Israel, descending from Dan whose name means “judge”. Samson was probably the most famous in their clan. They were given land on the western coast of Canaan and had never ending problems over territorial issues with the Philistines.
While they were a small tribe and never really prospered they did have a very fertile part of the valley. Their area sits at the base of Mt. Hernon and the springs originating from the area is one of three sources to feed the Jordan River.
Now with our Bible history lesson behind us I discovered something very interesting on the LDS website that made me wonder where the Mormons got their name Danites from. My study of the Bible explained it very well.
The other day while looking for info on Smith’s first vision I came across an interesting submission to Joseph’s diary. The topic was on the Mormon Danites.
The Mormon Danites was a group of men who carried out the Mormon law on those who didn’t obey the rules. They served as Smith’s bodyguards and just an overall group of thugs. While the typical Mormon reference books are silent on whom they were or they deny its existence, the truth is that they did in fact exist. They were organized by none other than Smith himself.
I also found other info on them right in the footnotes of Smith’s diary. Here’s what they had to say;
“The Danite organization incorporated some features of the ancient Israelite organization outlined in the Bible. Dissenters later claimed that the Danites applied implicit coercion to fellow Saints to consecrate, or donate, their surplus property to the church as directed in an 8 July 1838 revelation.
The Danites, a Mormon paramilitary organization, were organized in conjunction with Sidney Rigdon’s “Salt Sermon” and the warning out of dissenters in mid-June. (JS, Journal, 4 July 1838; Baugh, “Call to Arms,” 79–80.)”
This group of men was large – more than 2,000 reportedly served in this vengeance fed organization Smith had formed and their loyalty ran deep. The oath they took to swear their obedience is cited below and can also be found in Mormon Portraits, pg 171;
““In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by the authority of the Holy Priesthood, we, the first president, patriarch and high priest of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, representing the first, second and third Gods in heaven — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — do now anoint you with holy, consecrated oil, and by the imposition of our hands do ordain, consecrate and set you apart for the holy calling whereunto you are called; that you may consecrate the riches of the Gentiles to the Honse of Israel, bring swift destruction upon apostate sinners, and execute the decrees of heaven, without fear of what man can do with you. So mote it be. Amen.””
While the Church employed many of its members who later became leaders & prophets, to be a Danite, the most notorious was Bill Hickman and of course John D. Lee who ended up being executed for taking part in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
So – why would the Church deny they existed and then graciously share all the information they have on this group?
Why did they feel it was their duty to take vengeance out on dissenters? We live in the age of grace, not the Law!
It’s reported and widely believed with strong evidence they’re also responsible for trying to kill Governor Lilburn Boggs of Missouri. The Church of course vehemently denies this, but as you study and research this topic the more light comes showing affirmative proof that Smith put out a hit wish on him.
The nickname for the Mormon Danites was “destroying angel” although most of the time this name is reserved for Hickman exclusively. How godly is that?
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