Tuesday, September 29, 2026

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BYU historian explains why Missouri tried to 'drive out the Mormons'

September 29, 2026 at 8:03 AM MT · via YouTube / Hello Saints · Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

Hello Saints' video features BYU Professor Casey Griffiths walking a pastor through the history behind Missouri's 1838 extermination order and the violent conflict between early Latter-day Saints and local settlers. The video has drawn 24,447 views in 43 hours.

Griffiths explains the economic, political, and religious tensions that led Governor Lilburn Boggs to authorize force against Mormons, including disputes over slavery, voting blocs, and land claims. The conversation aims to help non-Mormon Christians understand a chapter of American religious history often reduced to persecution narratives.

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