Was Joseph Smith a Martyr?

[tooblue]

Originally Posted by non sequitur

Suppose, hypothetically, that Warren Jeffs -- another fringe, religious zealot and self-proclaimed prophet, who became a fugitive and was ultimately incarcerated -- was killed in his jail cell tomorrow. By the definitions I'm hearing, it seems he would no less a martyr than Joseph Smith.

I have a hard time disagreeing with you. Of course we don't need to hypothesize, why not consider the question of whether David Koresh is a Martyr?

[non sequitur]

Originally Posted by tooblue

I have a hard time disagreeing with you. Of course we don't need to hypothesize, why not consider the question of whether David Koresh is a Martyr?

He's a martyr to the people that believed in him. That's my point. It's impossible to say conclusively whether someone was a martyr, because the label is all tied up into how esteemed the person was. Lots of people in the world think suicide bombers are martyrs.