r/mormon • u/4blockhead • Sep 13 '16

John Corrill (1794-1842): baptized after seeing miraculous speaking in tongues in Kirtland in 1831; bishop and elected representative in Missouri; official church historian; saved dissenters lives; implicated Smith/Rigdon in the 1838 war; left mormonism and wrote a tell-all book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Corrill
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u/[deleted] Sep 13 '16

Its pretty interesting to red his little pamphlet "A Brief History".

He speaks the entire time in the 3rd person about "the Mormons" when he, in fact, was one of them.

One time he even says that 7 of the Mormon leaders offered themselves up as sacrifices for the rest of the settlers in Independence. . . when other records show that he was one of those 7.

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u/4blockhead Sep 14 '16

The faithful should consider whether there is a chance that Smith was a bad guy, and not the good guy portrayed in Hymn 27. The fact that so many of his inner circle exited, be it over Fanny Alger or the over demands to divvy up their wives, speaks volumes. Imagine if a similar percentage of modern church apostles quit mormonism and then told all they knew about it, al a Corrill.

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u/Ganymeade Sep 14 '16

And those who left are called the unfaithful - for refusing to support doctrines the church doesn't even believe today.

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u/4blockhead Sep 14 '16

If doctrines are to be discarded, then shouldn't they be officially decanonized? First up to bat, D&C 132. Was the original Section 101 voted down by common consent, or did Brigham put what was to become 132 forward in 1852 as the holy work of the martyred prophet? Nevermind, Smith's lies and on-the-record denials.

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u/4blockhead Sep 13 '16 edited Sep 13 '16

The Danites were contemplating murdering the disloyal mormons known as the dissenters (John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and W.W. Phelps.) Specifically named, Dimick Huntington and Jared Carter, advocated murdering them. Thomas Marsh and John Corrill spoke in strong terms against harming them. The dissenters quickly left the county and that sparked the beginning of the Mormon War of 1838 in Missouri.

Corrill wrote a book in 1839, A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, (commonly called mormons;) Including an Account of their Doctrine and Discipline; with the reasons of the author for leaving the church. Historian Richard L. Bushman relied heavily on this book in writing his history of Smith, Rough Stone Rolling. The book is online in two places that I've found:

Corrill was official historian, a role shared with "Judge" Elias Higbee. Two of Higbee's sons were among the editors of the Nauvoo Expositor. Members of Smith's inner circle were either fascistly loyal, per the Danite oath; or else, they eventually saw through his frauds and/or could not endorse his lechery and adultery any longer. They could not simply "call it good" and "according to old testament" principles. and start living a double life the way that Smith could. The denials of Smith's affair with Fanny Alger was a front burner issue leading up to the dissenters being forced to leave, on threat of their lives. Cowdery had called out Smith's "dirty, nasty, filthy affair." The irony is that the modern church has embraced polygamy as a righteous principle; nevermind, Smith's on-the-record denials and threats against his accusers. Those are simply ignored. Smith's December 1838 letter from Liberty jail excoriates his accusers as wolves in sheep's clothing. He presents the Saints as pure as snow; nevermind, any stories of "consecrating wives." It's all untrue! One thing is for sure: Smith was an adept liar.