Cut Their Throats (Amen)
In 1855, Brigham Young proposed cutting throats as justice, and the congregation shouted 'Amen.' The church published it in their official record.
Audio coming soon
The Quote
“I intend to meet them on their own grounds. It was asked this morning how we could obtain redress for our wrongs; I will tell you how it could be done, we could take the same law they have taken, viz., mobocracy, and if any miserable scoundrels come here, cut their throats. (All the people said, Amen.)” — Brigham Young, JoD 2:311 (July 8, 1855)
Lyrics
Coming Soon
Historical Context
The Setting: July 8, 1855 — Salt Lake Tabernacle. Brigham Young was delivering a sermon titled “The Kingdom of God” during a time of increasing tension between Mormon settlers and federal officials.
The Context: Young was discussing grievances against those who had persecuted the Saints and the question of how to obtain justice. He argued that if the law would not protect them, they could take matters into their own hands.
The Response: The parenthetical note “(All the people said, Amen)” was included in the official publication, showing that the congregation audibly endorsed this call for violence.
The Aftermath:
- This sermon was published in the Journal of Discourses, the official record of church teachings
- The Mountain Meadows Massacre occurred two years later, in September 1857
- Modern church has distanced itself from such rhetoric while maintaining JoD is not canonized scripture
Additional Key Quote
“Some who are timid might say, ‘O! our property will be destroyed, and we shall be killed.’ If any man here is a coward, there are fine mountain retreats for those who feel their hearts beating, at every little hue and cry of the wicked, as though they would break their ribs.” — Brigham Young, JoD 2:311 (same sermon)
Lyric-to-Source Mapping
| Lyric | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|
| “How could we obtain redress for our wrongs” | JoD 2:311 | Quote |
| “Take the same law they have taken” | JoD 2:311 | Quote |
| “Mobocracy” | JoD 2:311 | Quote |
| “If any miserable scoundrels come here” | JoD 2:311 | Quote |
| “Cut their throats” | JoD 2:311 | Quote |
| “All the people said Amen” | JoD 2:311 | Quote |
| “If any man here is a coward” | JoD 2:311 | Quote |
Addressing Apologetic Responses
“Taken out of context”
The full context is a sermon about fighting back against persecution. The throat-cutting is presented as a practical solution, and the congregation endorsed it. Context makes it worse, not better.
“He was speaking hypothetically”
“(All the people said, Amen)” shows this was received as a real proposition, not a hypothetical. The congregation didn’t nervously laugh—they endorsed it.
“This was just frontier rhetoric”
He was the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator speaking in the Tabernacle. It was published in the official church record. If prophetic sermons are just “rhetoric,” what isn’t?
“The Journal of Discourses isn’t scripture”
It was published with church authorization as an official record of prophetic teachings. It was sold to members as essential spiritual material. Either it represents what prophets taught or the church was selling false material.
“We can’t judge 19th century standards by today’s”
A prophet of God calling for throat-cutting and receiving congregational endorsement should be problematic in any century. They claimed divine authority, not cultural relativism.
“We could take the same law they have taken, viz., mobocracy, and if any miserable scoundrels come here, cut their throats.” — JoD 2:311