Relation To Other Mormon "blood" Doctrines
Because LDS Church members are advised against speaking in detail about the rituals of the temple, there are few records regarding interrelated doctrines and rituals once they have been altered or removed. Blood atonement is usually a more general concept, with specific temple rituals such as the oath of vengeance and "blood oaths" or "penalties" acting as specific applications of blood atonement.
The blood oaths in the LDS Church temple ceremony depicted willingness to have one's throat cut from ear to ear should they reveal certain portions of the sacred rituals, or fail to keep promises given to the patron during the washing and anointing ordinances. The oath of vengeance deals with praying to God for justice against the killers of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.
The oath of vengeance is related to blood atonement in that both require capital punishment for sins regarded as unusually heinous. In early Mormonism, repentance for crimes such as murder or adultery, where restitution is not possible, involved personal sacrifice in order to make redemption possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Blood atonement was preached as a method of personal redemption, preferably voluntary, that could reinstate the possibility of salvation.
The oath of vengeance was referenced by John D. Lee in his confession of his involvement in the Mountain Meadows massacre.
Read more about this topic: Oath Of Vengeance
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