Federal Building

James White's Reaction To Armed Christian Militia Taking Over Federal Building

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• published: 08 Jan 2016
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James White's Reaction To Armed Christian Militia Taking Over Federal Building ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ James is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix , Arizona . He is a professor, having taught Greek, Systematic Theology, and various topics in the field of apologetics. He is also a critical consultant for the Lockman Foundation's New American Standard Bible. He has authored or contributed to more than twenty books, including The King James Only Controversy, The Forgotten Trinity, The Potter's Freedom, and The God Who Justifies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The family behind the Oregon militia cites Mormon beliefs for armed conflicts with the government The menacing militia that has taken over a federal building in Oregon for three days (and counting) appears to be under an unlikely influence: Mormonism. The Bundy family — a rancher clan with two brothers leading the Oregon siege and a history of flare-ups with the feds — have been known to cite their Mormon beliefs as justification for firearm-filled feuds with the government. WHY HAS AN ARMED MILITIA TAKEN OVER A FEDERAL BUILDING IN OREGON? The Bundys’ Book of Mormon dropping started a year ago, when patriarch Cliven Bundy first came to national attention, and continued through the end of 2015, when other Bundys cited scriptures in early warnings about the cause that has now culminated in an armed standoff. Mormon scripture is rife with stories of founder Joseph Smith and his followers going to war — sometimes literally — with the government in the face of persecution. The religion’s early history in the 1800s includes several bloody conflicts with state governments, leading to the murder of Smith and the exile of Mormons to Utah. That history — of distrusting the government, and needing to claim a land of one’s own — seems to be embedded in the Bundy family, which settled in a Nevada ranch called Golden Butte in the 19th century. Cliven rose to national infamy last year for a faceoff with the feds over his land, which authorities said he was illegally ranching for 20 years. He claimed he had historical rights to do as he pleased with his range. KING: ARMED MILITIA IN ORE. TAKE OVER PROTECTED BY WHITE SKIN That turf war escalated into a violent conflict, climaxing with federal rangers cracking down on gun-toting ranchers on the Bundy grounds. The Bundys were at it again in late 2015, when they started rallying behind the Hammonds, saying the father and son were being persecuted by the government. Emails obtained by Buzzfeed News show the Bundys quoting The Book of Mormon while lamenting the fate of the Hammonds, who were facing five years in prison for arson convictions. “The injustices the Hammonds are suffering will be a type and shadow of the suffering the American people will endure if we do not stand and put an end to it,” Carol Bundy, the wife of patriarch Cliven, wrote in one November email. She alludes to a term, “a type and a shadow,” used by a prophet in The Book of Mormon who criticizes a king who treats his people unjustly. Another email sent just days later, this time from son Ammon Bundy, quoted from the Mormon Doctrine and Covenants scripture: “Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/oregon-militia-family-cites-mormonism-armed-conflicts-article-1.2484657