At a Sunday meeting in Far West in early June, 1838, John D. Lee heard Joseph Smith order “the brother of Gideon” to put a man out, for his presumption in not uncovering his head in the house of God.[1] Lee would later enter into an oath-bound organization, sworn to uphold the First Presidency in all of their actions, and to defend the Mormon Kingdom of God in its claim to the lands of many of the counties of Missouri. Today, we recognize this band as the “Danites,” in connection with a scripture from the Book of Daniel describing the Kingdom of God as a little stone which would roll forth to fill the whole earth. Other names by which the Danites were known included “the Big Fan,” “the Daughter of Zion,” and “the Brother of Gideon.”

My fellow WWE blogger Christopher Smith suggests the “Brother of Gideon” title applied exclusively to Danite leader Jared Carter. Apparently, Gideon Carter was in turn “the brother of Jared,” a delightful play on a Book of Mormon character. (Ether 3) But did the moniker apply to more than one man? Continue reading →