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Question: Is it true that the Danites were pledged to “plunder, lie, and even kill if deemed necessary?"
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Question: Is it true that the Danites were pledged to “plunder, lie, and even kill if deemed necessary?"
Sampson Avard began retaliation against those who persecuted the Saints, including stealing and plundering
After the dissenters left Far West, Avard, took the idea of defending the Saints one step further by including retaliation against those who persecuted the Saints. Thus, the Danites began operating as a vigilante group outside the law. This, unfortunately, included stealing and plundering from those who stole and plundered from the Saints.[1]:4 The Danites believed that if they consecrated plundered goods to the Church, that they would be protected in battle.[1]:9 The group held secret meetings, with special signs used to identify themselves to one another.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Leland H. Gentry, ""The Danite Band of 1838"," Brigham Young University Studies 14 no. 4 (1974).