The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has been around for almost two centuries. It has ebbed and fluctuated in such a predictably adaptive manner throughout it's relatively short life in the religious realm. This Church has a very sordid past, which it does a very good job of teaching for itself, whether the history is slanted or not, is yours to decide. Join me on a journey through the history of the LDS Church through the eyes of the people that were actually there. We will learn about the founding members, where the practices came from, where the Book of Mormon (Mormon Bible) came from, and most importantly, we will examine Joseph Smith in every aspect possibly available to us today.

On this episode, we sit down with Mormon historian Chris Smith to discuss part 1 of a 2-part series on Native and Mormon relations during Joseph Smith’s ministry. We begin with discussing the Book of Mormon being written explicitly to the Natives and describe Joseph’s mindset in allying with the Natives to overthrow the U.S. Government. Then we broach the utility of the Council of Fifty and jump into a few important emissaries Joseph called to forge trading and military relations with various Native tribes. Lewis Denna (Dana, Denny), and his work with church leadership, are of particular import as he was a Native convert to the church. We try to put the plight of the Natives in broader context throughout America. Then we wrap with the work of Jonathan Dunham (J. Dunham ‘Lamanite’) and his work with various Native groups.

Show links:

Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com
Twitter @NakedMormonism
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311
Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism
Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/
Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/
Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/

Direct download: Ep_159_Reg.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:21pm EDT
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