Rancher: Standoff With Feds a Spiritual Battle ST. GEORGE, Utah — Aug 3, 2014    Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy claims the April confrontation between the federal government and his armed supporters was part of an age-old spiritual battle between good and evil.Bundy, a Mormon, told an Independent American Party gathering in St. George, Utah, on Saturday that God provided him personal inspiration in the showdown over cattle in Bunkerville, Nevada, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

"The Lord told me ... if (the local sheriff doesn't) take away these arms from federal agents, we the people will have to face these arms in a civil war. He said, 'This is your chance to straighten this thing up,'" Bundy said, according to The Spectrum of St. George ( http://bit.ly/1pRx8nq ).

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management backed down in the standoff, citing safety concerns. Bundy's allies subsequently released the 380 cattle collected from the range during a weeklong operation.

BLM officials have said Bundy will be held accountable for his role in the standoff and they continue to pursue the matter "aggressively through the legal system." The case remains under investigation by the FBI and U.S. Justice Department               READ MORE