E73: UTBOH Fact, Fiction and The Peacemaker

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (0:01)
Hi, this is Lindsay Hansen Park. And this is Bryan Buchanan. Bringing you the story of Mormonism from the shadow of the Everlasting Hills, straight out of Zion. This isn't your grandpa's Mormon history.
This is the tale of Mormon saints and sinners from our roots until present day. Gird your loins, lock your hearts, and pay your tithing, because we're bringing you the story of Mormonism in all its paradisiacal glory. It's the Sunstone History Podcast.
Hey. Maroney, welcome back to the Sunstone Mormon History Podcast. Have you been on the Sunstone Mormon History Podcast?

**Moroni Jessop** (1:15)
No, I haven't. I've been on the Year of Polygamy, but I'm excited to be on the Sunstone now.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (1:22)
I feel like you should be here. You are so knowledgeable, especially with fundamentalist history, but it's really fun to talk to you about early church history as well, because as a Mormon fundamentalist, you know a lot about early church history. Do you want to tell our audience a little bit about who you are?

**Moroni Jessop** (1:42)
My name is Moroni Lopez Jessop. I'm a former polygamist. Unfortunately, I only have one wife, Andrea, but I was raised in the LBS Church.
I was excommunicated for believing in fundamentalist principles. I spent about five years in the AUB or the Apostolic United Brethren, and pretty much now I am an independent Mormon fundamentalist, meaning that I don't belong to any organized group or church.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (2:13)
One of the things I appreciate about you is you're very well respected in a lot of Mormon fundamentalist communities. You're very knowledgeable.
And we had you do a panel, a live panel, in our Sunstone Under the Banner of Heaven Facebook watch group where you discuss your reactions. Because you, people should know that you helped me on my research on the show. Do you want to talk about that at all?

**Moroni Jessop** (2:38)
So you got involved last year with helping with the historical accuracy in regard to the show. You fielded a few questions to me about Mormon fundamentalist belief, Mormon fundamentalist history. And so you and I corresponded a little bit on that. It was very exciting. I got to see the particular show that I assisted you on, on TV.
And I also got to attend the premiere over in Salt Lake, which was really exciting. I kind of felt like, you know, like a Beverly Hillbilly out of place, you know, but it was really fun for both my wife and I.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (3:17)
Yeah, it was fun to have you involved. And I was going to ask you, have you gotten any criticism or blowback from your fundamentalist friends for being involved on the show?

**Moroni Jessop** (3:27)
Yeah, I mean, I've got some, but there will always be some naysayers. But yeah, I have, I've received a little bit of criticism, mainly from fundamentalists who feel that they were portrayed in an incorrect light or unfair light.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (3:42)
Polygamists eat French fries too, dang it.

**Moroni Jessop** (3:45)
Yeah, the French fries.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (3:49)
I know what that feels like to have people have really strong responses. I just try to stay grounded that it really is kind of a reactionary thing for Mormons who see this, because I think they have an expectation of what they think they look like to people. And then to see themselves in sort of a true crime horror genre or whatever.
Christina, our friend Christina Rosetti, who you're going to be doing a presentation with at Sunstone this summer on Mormon fundamentalism. She's always like, well, now you know what it's like to be Catholic. We basically own the horror genre. So yeah, I wanted to talk to you today about the Peacemaker, because the Peacemaker makes an appearance in the show over and over and over again, and it has its roots in Nauvoo, old church history, and you know a lot about it. You've talked a lot about it.
So I'm hoping you can help our audience understand what the Peacemaker is, how it fits into Mormon cosmology, and then how fundamentalists are looking at it. So why don't we start out with what is this Peacemaker that keeps showing up in Under the Banner of Heaven?

**Moroni Jessop** (4:59)
Well, the Peacemaker, and I think that I mentioned to you that I used to teach a fireside that utilized quotes from the Peacemaker. And, you know, I hadn't really read it, Peacemaker, since, I don't know, like the 90s, because it was widely circulated in fundamentalist circles. My wife and I kind of read over it recently in regard to it becoming spoken of in regard to the TV show. You know, we were laughing tongue in cheek at some of the quotes in there because some of it's way out there. So basically, you have to go, like you said, all the way back to Nauvoo. 1842 So what does Nauvoo look like in 1842?