Ten (1815)
husbands—not just single women—further inflaming sentiment against Joseph by his
closest associates, most of whom by the time of his death were Masons living in Nauvoo.
Joseph’s use of the Masonic rite in his writing of the temple endowment angered
Freemasons. This, as well as the many other many infractions of a “fallen” prophet
attributed to him by his egotistical “brethren,” only added to the growing list of “iniquities”
for which his enemies would one day hold him accountable.
Oddly enough, the Freemasons would be publicly, prominently, and enduringly
implicated in the death of Captain Morgan—and now the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum—as
two of the most famous “Masonic murder cases.”^29 Their many similarities provide a
compelling account to illustrate the role Masonry would have in early Mormonism and in
Joseph’s death. Some of these include the personal problems that Morgan and Joseph Sr.
had with Masonry, the indignant anger of Alvin towards Masonry, and the alleged
relationships of Lucinda with both Morgan and Joseph regarding the manner of their
untimely deaths. This also sets the stage for Joseph’s struggles over polygamy and the
unbridled actions of the testosterone-driven, Mormon male egos.
For all intents and purposes, Masonry is covered specifically in the Book of Mormon
story as the “secret oaths and combination of Gadianton.”^30 Joseph detested the practice of
Masonry; yet his assumed successor, Brigham Young, embraced it as an integral part of the
LDS Church. He passed down its customs, which still live on through the ecclesiastic order
of the LDS presiding authorities (who are also the Board of Directors of the Corporation of
the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). For they still meet and act
in secret today with U.S. politicians, with whom they have combined their mutual interests.^31
In his book, A People’s History of the United States, the profound historian, Howard
Zinn, uses the term appropriately as he describes the interaction of American government
and corporations of the twentieth century in combining their powers and influence in secret
to manipulate, control, and profit from their associations: “As the business of the country has
learned the secret of combination, it is gradually subverting the power of the politician and rendering
him subservient to its purposes.”^32 A later chapter will disclose how Joseph used the arrogance
and pride of Masonry against itself and those who were full of hypocrisy, but claimed to be
followers of Christ and members of Christ’s church.
NOTES
(^1) A Freemason is defined as “a member of a widely distributed secret order (Free and
Accepted Masons), having for its object mutual assistance and the promotion of brotherly love among
its members.” (“freemason.” Dictionary.com Unabridged, Random, 10 Apr. 2011
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freemason.)
(^2) See Sandra Tanner, Masonic Symbols and the LDS Temple (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse™
Ministry, 2002) for an excellent review of the similarities of the Mormons and Masons and the
influence of the Masons on Mormonism. In this review, “Reed Durham...commented: ‘I have
attempted thus far to demonstrate that Masonic influences upon Joseph in the early Church history,
preceding his formal membership in Masonry, were significant....In fact, I believe that there are few