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Conclusion In Retrospect The preceding chapters have been an effort to accurately present the colorful saga of the Morrisites, but as so often happens in historic matters, a number of important questions still remain unanswered. The real complexity of the situation is belied by the simplistic answers given earlier by partisan observers who either tried to dismiss the Morrisites as deluded banditti fully deserving the justice meted out to them or saw them as innocent victims of religious persecution. The Morrisite drama was played on a stage constructed of social, cultural, political, religious, and geographic components—components far more diverse and colorful than the simple black and white backdrop painted in earlier times. Whether the outcome of the drama was as inevitable as it might appear, the fact remains that a real tragedy occurred at Kington Fort, which resulted ultimately in the disintegration of a thriving religious movement and the shattering of millennial dreams. The seven-score years since Joseph Morris recorded his first revelation have taken with them all those who knew him personally and all of their children. With them also have gone many of the firsthand accounts that might have given answers to many questions now unanswerable. But, fortunately , they also took with them most of the bitterness and hatred infecting participants on all sides, whether Mormon, Morrisite, or Gentile. Perhaps now that more than a century and a half has passed, we may look more dispassionately at the Morrisite experience and hopefully see with less partisan eyes the lessons it has to offer. The Morrisites at Kington Fort were the epitome of pathos—suffering indescribably for an ideology and a way of life that were ultimately untenable . That such suffering contained a large measure of nobility can hardly be denied, yet the obvious message that fanaticism breeds serious consequences is not to be denied either. What if Morris Had Survived? Although this question is moot, it is nonetheless intriguing. What would have happened to the Morrisites if Joseph Morris had not been killed 220 Conclusion during the surrender proceedings at Kington Fort, but instead had been convicted and then pardoned, as was the case for most of his militant followers . Put another way, was Morris’s death the key to Morrisite disintegration, or would the movement have declined anyway? On this point, we can only speculate, but our speculation need not be based entirely upon pure guesswork or wishful thinking. The Morrisite experience was unique in many respects, but not entirely so. Scores of other millennial sects have followed a prophet who foretold the Second Coming or some other miraculous event with no more accuracy than Joseph Morris. Their followers often suffered grave hardships and bitter disappointments, but the majority seem to have remained faithful, at least for a time. On the other hand, some followers defected at the very first sign of prophecy failure. Nevertheless, one thing seems clear. Although millennial movements are remarkably resilient, they can seldom withstand a long series of built-up expectations based upon specific predictions followed by a series of disappointments when these predictions fail. After a while, the people lose both interest and faith, and the movement declines. In order for a prophet to retain his credibility and his following, he must provide an acceptable explanation for the apparent prophecy failures and then begin making more general and abstract predictions less susceptible to specific disconfirmation. There is some evidence that Joseph Morris was beginning to learn this lesson in the winter of 1862 when he refused to set any more specific dates for the deliverance of his people, but by June he had reverted to his earlier pattern of making highly specific predictions of miraculous events. In any case, the Morrisite conquest by the posse was so clearly out of line with the central thrust of Morris’s prophecies that he would have been hard put to find a suitable explanation if he had lived. It was much easier for his followers to revere him as a “crucified” martyr than it would have been to accept his explanations in the flesh. It is even quite possible that he might have become a scapegoat once the enormity of the consequences of his unfulfilled prophecies was fully understood. After all, several faithful followers lost their lives as a result of his prophetic resistance to the posse, while others were frightfully wounded. All this was contrary to Morris’s assurance that none would be harmed. In death it was said of him...

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