The doctrine of blood atonement may have contributed to a culture of violence that culminated in the Mountain Meadows Massacre on 11 September 1857.

At the time, certain death penalties were depicted in the temple, aligning with the blood atonement teachings advanced by Brigham Young. This doctrine held that murder was so grave that Christ’s atonement could not redeem it, and forgiveness was impossible in this life. To attain godhood, a murderer’s blood had to be shed as a sacrificial offering. Similar beliefs applied to violations of temple covenants, such as adultery.

LDS leaders have historically taught that proper capital punishment in Utah required bloodshed. Methods like lethal injection, hanging, or the electric chair were discouraged because they did not spill blood on the ground. Preferred execution methods originally included beheading or a firing squad.

LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated, “As a mode of capital punishment, hanging or execution on a gallows does not comply with the law of blood atonement, for the blood is not shed.”

Reflecting this belief, convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad in Utah on 18 June 2010.