In their eagerness to defend the church, the Danites vowed to protect the Saints’ rights against what they saw as threats from inside and outside the church. Many of them had seen how dissent had unraveled the community in Kirtland, placed Joseph and others at risk of mob attacks, and endangered the ideals of Zion. Together they pledged to protect the community at Far West against any similar threat.
Maybe there was persecution because of what was said about the salt losing it's savor.
