Young made the Church much bigger than Smith could have. Without Young, the Church might only be as small as the Reorganized Church. I think Smith was crazy enough that a lot of people could see through his deception. People left the Church all the time. Smith was not a stable person. He kept coming up with new stuff, and was in trouble with the law. On the other hand, Young was very stable. He made the Church stable, and fewer people left under him. Young was good at organizing, and didn't change doctrine that much. Why do you think Brigham Young University is not called Joseph Smith University?

Briggs ruled with fear. He was able to hold everyone hostage until the Rail Road came through. By then he had his kingdom under control and had made a lot of money for himself.

He had the Timpanogas tribe "under control", or decimated to 1% depending who you talk to. His wives, not so much. Better watch those green peaches.

I certainly wouldn't call Brigham 'stable'.

quatermass2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I certainly wouldn't call Brigham 'stable'.


Neither would I. The reason why few people left the church under Brigham's leadership is that when he had everyone move west, he was able to fully isolate his followers from society at the time. He was able to control the members through both isolation and fear of blood atonement.

We all know that B Young continued what Smith started. He was more of a dictator and had huge control of the members in Utah.
Now days, they are seen very differently. Smith is given the role of the first prophet, supposedly translated a book, etc. and started a small church.
If not for Young, it would have continued to splinter as it did originally into a dozen different factions some still alive today.

Young gets credit for keeping Mormonism alive, for continuing polygamy, and organizing and getting statehood for UT etc.

Their influences are totally different but necessary to the history of the LDS Church.

Sheesh, even the faith-promoting pablum pushers who still teach in schools here on Planet Utah would blush at that one.

Item: Brigham Young died in 1877. Utah wasn't admitted to the Union until 1896, six years after the Woodruff Manifesto "ended" polygamy.

Item: Utah Territory was the creation of Congress in 1850. Young wanted the "State of Deseret," but that wasn't going to happen. Incidentally Utah Territory was admitted to the Union--as slave territory--in 1850 under the same act that gave California statehood.

in terms of authentic history, this individual deserves much of the credit for Utah achieving statehood.

http://signaturebooks.com/reminiscences-of-early-utah/

Robert N. Baskin was mayor of Salt Lake and later a justice on the Utah Supreme Court after Utah was admitted to the Union.

Incredibly, he lay in an unmarked grave until recently.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58060750-78/baskin-utah-lake-history.html.csp

John Gary Maxwell has written a new biography of Baskin that is on my Christmas list...

https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Newton-Baskin-Western-Frontiersmen/dp/0870624202

/paul harvey voice off



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2016 09:31AM by SL Cabbie.

In Irving Stone's tome, "Men To Match My Mountains", he states that without the Mormon church, Joseph Smith would have been forgotten. Without the Mormon church, Brigham Young might have been a greater historical figure.

Young is certainly the foundation of mormonism. the reason being he organized the General Authorities and priesthood into what we see (more or less) today. He set up the financial empire of Utah. He was the first governor of Utah and Mormon President for 33 years.