The bible verse above is fitting for both sets of Danites we’re looking at today. Both had problems with following God and did what they saw fitting in their own eyes.
Controversy has always been a staple in the subject of Mormon Danites and it begins with the simple fact of when they were first organized. Some believe the ‘Armies of Israel’ were the original Danites, and on the other end of the spectrum is the argument Danites were only a part of Mormon folklore.
Historical documentation reveals Joseph Smith had fully endorsed, and was even installed as ‘commander-in-chief’ of the Armies of Israel in 1834. He commanded the Saints not to cause trouble, but they could use force when/if necessary for self defense. (D&C 98:4-7)
In 1838 the Danites were formally organized as a Mormon Militia group and because no one can get the same story twice in anything Mormon, membership ranges from 12 to 1,000.
What’s known for sure is they were a group of murderous thugs.
In the beginning stages back in 1838, they had Smith’s full backing. They served as his bodyguards, vigilante team, and watchdogs for the temples. They were also the cause of the Missouri War which ultimately led to the Mormons getting themselves booted out of Missouri. The problems arose in Smith’s numerous prophecies God supposedly gave the state of MO to the Saints, and everyone else needed to leave or else. (Also see History of the Church 6:155-180)
As the group became more violent and rumors of Smith’s complicity ran rampant, Joseph began publicly denouncing their behavior. However, the damage was done and the Saints were living in Nauvoo by then.
Members of the Danites included William (Wild Bill) Hickman, John D. Lee, and Hosea Stout, to name a few. While the Church liked to compare this group with the Danites of the biblical era, the only similarities of the two groups would be the false gods they worshiped.
You can read more about the members mentioned above by clicking on the embedded links. To read more about the Danites see D. Michael Quinn’s, The Mormon Hierarchy and MormonThink quotes on the Danites here.
Biblical Danites
Dan was the first-born son to Jacob by Rachel’s maid Bilhah. Genesis 30:6 God gave the tribe of Dan (Danites) the land on the western coast of Canaan after the Israelites entered the area, but they were never able to fully take control of the area from the Philistines.
Eventually, in the last chapters of Judges we see Samson still fighting the Philistines and Dan moving north to the city of Laish. You’d think with all the trouble they kept encountering they would have forsaken their idolatry, but such a thought never entered their heads. While pretending to do the right thing, they always inserted pagan symbols into the sanctuary and worship rituals.
After their massive move the city of Dan (Laish) still wasn’t totally sold out to the Lord and kept bringing in golden calves to worship (2 Kings 17:7-20) which ultimately led to their complete downfall with the Babylonian takeover c. BC 589 (Jeremiah 4:14-18).
See Holman Dictionary for more information.