The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormons, is a church which had its beginnings in the early days of America. The founder of the Mormon religion was Joseph "Joe" Smith. It is said that around 1820, when Smith lived in Palmyra, New York, he experienced a vision of God. In this vision, Jesus revealed several things to Joseph Smith:
that Smith was forgiven his personal sins by the grace of Christ's death and resurrection, that God was simultaneously angry at the ungodliness and hypocrisy of most of Smith's contemporaries, and that Jesus Christ was soon to return to earth as the Bible had prophesized (Heinerman 6).Jesus also told Smith that he would be a part in restoring the true Church on earth. More visions followed. In these visions, Smith is said to have received messages from Peter, James, John, and "angel-prophet Moroni" (Heinerman 6). This angel told Smith that not all of the Hebrew peoples had remained in the land of Israel. Some of them had fled Jerusalem before the Babylonian invasion, and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in the Americas. Jesus himself appeared to these people as well as to those in the Middle East. Moroni led Smith to "ancient gold plates on which the account of these events were written" (Heinerman 7). Smith under the guidance of God translated these texts from the gold plates, and from these translations comes the Book of Mormon, believed to be another "biblical testament."
New York was not an ideal place for Smith and his growing bands of followers to stay. Driven out in 1831 by persecution, this group went to Ohio, but there too they faced hostility. Until 1839, Smith and his followers tried to establish a location for themselves in Missouri, until they finally found their home in Commerce (then Nauvoo), Illinois. The church had grown throughout these years, and within its first two decades of existence, it had accumulated 35,000 members. Many of these followers of Mormonism gathered in Nauvoo. Here in this thriving city, "not only did the Mormons establish a model theocracy there, bolstered by economic monopolies, but their militia, the Nauvoo Legion . . . became the second- largest standing army on the continent" (Heinerman 8). Some of the converts to Mormonism came from Europe in the church's early years, as missionaries had been sent to Europe. The favorable situation did not remain, however. Tensions and anti-Mormon feelings had been growing even here in the Midwest, and again the Mormons came under persecution. In 1844, Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob in Carthage, Illinois. After Smith's death, Brigham Young took over "the presidency of the Council of the Twelve" (Heinerman xiii). The following year, plans were drawn up to move their headquarters again, this time further westward. In 1847, the Mormons set up a permanent location in the Great Salt Basin of Utah.
The beliefs of the Mormons are that they believe that Christ's second coming will be in the very near future, and that it is their duty to prepare for the kingdom which he will rule on earth. The Mormons believe that it is their duty to prepare this kingdom around the world. They believe that they are God's new Chosen People, that they have a new covenant with God. They believe that the Book of Mormon is a third testament of the Bible.
The Mormon religion has its own particular method of church leadership. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is headed by the First Presidency. Below this is the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; below this, the Council of Seventy. The Council of Seventy presides over the regions of the Mormon religion. Each region is divided into stakes (which is like a diocese in the Catholic Church), and each stake is subdivided into wards, which are the equivalent of parishes.
The Mormons have a peculiar set of beliefs. They believe in polygamy, even though in the present it is against the law (and hence, they do not practice it). Mormons do not accept the fact that others should be allowed to maintain their own religions.
Q. What does the Lord require of the people of the United States?The Mormons of today do not carry such strong sentiments openly, however, this belief is deeply rooted in their religion and their traditions.
A. He requires them to repent of all their sins ... and to be baptized into THIS church, and prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord.
Q. What will be the consequence if they do not embrace the Book of Mormon as divine revelation?
A. They will BE DESTROYED from the land and SENT DOWN TO HELL, like all other generations who have rejected a divine message! (Pratt 215).
This is the religion of the Mormons explained. The Mormons have grown considerably since their founding, and continue to grow. A religion formed in the United States, it has spread beyond to Europe and the world. This religion should be given the same respect as any other.
Pratt, Orson. The Seer. Washington, DC. 1854.