Persecuted turned persecutor?

[Mahonri]

Or is this a case of the Church teaming up with the government to put bad people away?

https://www.mormonchronicle.com/domesti ... mon-motto/

In 1991 the Utah State Archives held a unique collection of papers labeled simply “Fred E. Curtis.” They were included as a part of the Polygamy Investigation Files used by the Utah Attorney General’s office from the 1930s to the 1960s. This portfolio warranted inspection for several reasons. First, these records were not created by the state officers, but by officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Second, the presence of these Church records in the Utah Attorney General’s files implied possible church and state cooperation in the prosecution of Fundamentalist Mormons for polygamy…

https://www.mormonchronicle.com/domesti ... mon-motto/

[JohnnyL]

It could be that polygamists were trolling chapels and other places for "future members" and underage "future wives". If that is the brunt of the papers, I have no problems with that.

[brianj]

It blows my mind that the church is accused of persecution for efforts to uphold the law.

[Mahonri]

It was a question, not an accusation.

Were those that worked to prosecute John Taylor just upholding the law or were they involved in persecution?

[gardener4life]

First off if the records were created by the church that just means they were seized. Its the nature of law enforcement to get evidence that they don't create themselves. So how could you criminally convict someone with evidence that you created yourself? The whole point of evidence and collecting is that others made it and used it etc. Otherwise nothing would work. And when they go get such documents they threaten to arrest the people holding it. They aren't nice about it, so those people don't have a say in the matter. Such documents would have been seized.

And no the church would NOT aid polygamist seizing or arrests because people would still be alive from the pre-manifesto days. Many of them from those years were hiding out in Canada, Mexico, and Arizona. Official Declaration #1 which can be located at the end of the D&C was dated in the 1890s...so if you think about it, why would we have helped people arrest people during the 30s to 1960s when those people could be still alive. Example, if you were in your 20s in 1890s...then theoretically you could live until 1960s. And the reasons why they were still going after polygamists up till the 1960s was because those people were still alive and kicking until then. After that they still wanted to go after Mormons too but there just wasn't that many polygamists left around.

There's no possible way that any good faithful LDS member would have persecuted his own then. There were many leaders that were polygamists still. Any kind of persecution is instituted by Satan. Not by the Lord. And the church does not and did not participate in any persecution against polygamists. If there were such things by individual people that will be on them personally as individuals from them being misguided or not smart.

I would point out that the LDS people have been very persecuted all throughout the 1800s. There's no way we'd want anyone to be persecuted.

Also in this particular case there's not really enough to tell what's going on. Are we talking about an inner church inquiry or a law enforcement inquiry which they are possibly even trying to delay as long as possible but showing some face on the table but doing otherwise below? When law enforcement went after polygamists in those days there was a lot of ways they may have acted under the table to hide those people...and there are even stories of them doing as such.

[Mahonri]

I think all of your questions are answered in the article or documents. Church leaders released statements stating that they were aiding the government in prosecuting plygs. It was from the very top with directions to local leaders to watch plygs and then give the info over to the state for prosecution.

[Mahonri]

New book with all of the documents for anyone to judge for themselves, to learn what really happened, to see rare documents not available anywhere else https://www.mormonchronicle.com/mormon-chronicle-store/

Letters from the FP to local Bishops, Bishops responses, church correspondence with government officials, etc.

[gardener4life]

To those that write this kind of accusation;

Alma 27:2 And it came to pass that the Amalekites, because of their loss, were exceedingly angry. And when they saw that they could not seek revenge from the Nephites, they began to astir up the people in anger against their brethren, the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; therefore they began again to destroy them.

D&C 10:17 And if God giveth him power again, .... we have the same (words) with us, and we have altered them;

18 Therefore they will not agree, and we will say that he has lied in his words (or accuse him of harming another), and that he has no gift, and that he has no power; (to accuse him falsely...)
19 Therefore we will destroy him, and also the work; and we will do this that we may not be ashamed in the end, and that we may get glory of the world.
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that Satan has great hold upon their hearts; he stirreth them up to iniquity against that which is good;
21 And their hearts are corrupt, and full of wickedness and abominations; and they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; therefore they will not ask of me. (Why would you accuse God's church of persecuting another, except if you love darkness more than light? Why would you try to falsely accuse someone? Yet you are falsely accusing those in God's church, when you know that there's no way they would persecute anyone.)
22 Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction.
23 And thus he has laid a cunning plan, thinking to destroy the work of God; but I will require this at their hands, and it shall turn to their shame and condemnation in the day of judgment.
24 Yea, he stirreth up their hearts to anger against this work.
25 Yea, he saith unto them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no harm. And thus he flattereth them, and telleth them that it is no sin to lie that they may catch a man in a lie, that they may destroy him.
26 And thus he flattereth them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell; and thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own snare.

And to those that would listen to lies;

Mormon 9:31
31 Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.

Alma 30:20 But behold they were more wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, who was a ahigh priest over that people. (Why did they take him and bind him? They knew from the Spirit within them that he had the heart of the liar and that nothing good would come of listening to his lies. They didn't stop to listen to the heart of a liar to see if it was true because they trusted the Spirit of God and Heavenly Father telling them to stay away from poison. Why would you drink poison to test the ingredients when you already know it to be bad for you?)

Alma 10:24

24 And now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out, saying: This man doth revile against our laws which are just, and our wise lawyers whom we have selected. (While Alma and Amulek trusted in the Spirit, others trusted the craftiness of the world instead. Yet early on they couldn't have perceived ahead of time that the that same craftiness of the world and 'wise lawyers' would turn on them and bring them to destruction by bringing false accusations against God's servants.)

[Mahonri]

What accusation? documents and letters can't be accusations.