After his bank fails in the Panic of 1837, Joseph Smith flees Kirtland, Ohio, to avoid arrest and heads for Missouri to rebuild his religious community.

A sensitive and religious-minded man since his youth, Joseph Smith claimed the angel Moroni visited him in 1823, when he was 18 years old, and told him he was destined to become a modern prophet of God. For four years, Smith said he made annual visits to a hill in upstate New York where he received instructions preparing him for his new prophetic role. In 1827, he unearthed gold tablets inscribed in a mysterious language. Two years later, Smith created a local sensation when he revealed his discovery and made known his plans to publish a new volume of scripture based on his translation of the golden plates.

In March 1830, Smith published 5,000 copies of a volume he called The Book of Mormon. More often met with outrage than belief, Smith’s revelations nonetheless took root in the spiritually fertile era of the 1830s. Upstate New York was already a hotbed of religious revivalism, and Smith’s new religion appealed to Americans searching for spiritual values amidst the bustling economic growth of a rapidly expanding nation. In contrast to the radical individualism of the lone pioneer, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stressed the power of mutual cooperation and sacrifice for the good of the whole. Nearly two decades later, when the Latter-day Saints established their new theocratic state in Utah, this emphasis on cooperation would transform a desert into one of the richest and most productive farming regions in the West.

The path to Utah, though, was long and difficult, and Smith would not live to see the promised kingdom. Gathering his growing band of followers in western New York, Smith made the first of a long series of moves in search of a place where his unique vision of a community of Latter-day Saints could be realized. In the 1830s, the Latter-day Saints settled in the town of Kirtland, Ohio, where Smith founded the first LDS-controlled bank, putting his economic and spiritual practices to work. Unfortunately, Smith’s Kirtland bank failed during the national financial Panic of 1837, and he fled to avoid potential criminal prosecution by angry and disillusioned former believers, some of whom claimed he had mismanaged their investments.

The remaining faithful followed Smith to Missouri, where persecution and rumors (true but exaggerated) that the Saints were practicing polygamy forced them to flee again. In 1839, Smith established the new town of Nauvoo on the sparsely populated Illinois frontier, where he hoped the Latter-day Saints would finally be left alone. Unfortunately, continued reports of polygamy and Smith’s decision to declare himself a candidate for U.S. president in the spring of 1844 inspired fierce dislike of the Latter-day Saints in Illinois as well. In June, 1,500-armed men surrounded Nauvoo, and to prevent bloodshed, Smith and his brother Hiram agreed to be jailed in the nearby town of Carthage. Several days later an angry mob stormed the jail and murdered both men.

Many predicted the religious community would collapse with Smith’s death, but under the leadership of his successor, Brigham Young, the Saints regrouped and once again moved west. This time they did not stop until they reached the shores of the Great Salt Lake of Utah. There they laid the roots for a religious community that continues to thrive to this day.

WHO ARE THE MORMONS

Mormons are a religious group that embrace concepts of Christianity as well as revelations made by their founder, Joseph Smith. They primarily belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or LDS, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has more than 16 million members worldwide. Another Mormon denomination, the Community of Christ, is centered in Independence, Missouri, and has about 250,000 members. The religion was officially founded in 1830 when The Book of Mormon was published.

Today, the LDS church is most prevalent in the United States, Latin America, Canada, Europe, the Philippines, Africa and parts of Oceania. While Mormons embrace many Christian beliefs, they have their own distinct set of philosophies, values and practices.

BELIEFS

• Mormons consider themselves Christians, but many Christians don’t recognize Mormonism as an official denomination.
• Mormons believe in the crucifixion, resurrection and divinity of Jesus Christ. Followers claim that God sent more prophets after Jesus’s death. They say that the original church has been restored in modern times.
• Mormons embrace four different texts: The Christian Bible, The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price.
• According to the LDS church, Adam and Eve lived in Daviess County, Missouri after being driven from the Garden of Eden.
• There are three levels of heaven—celestial, terrestrial and telestial—in Mormonism. Only those in the celestial kingdom will live in God’s presence.
• Followers don’t recognize the Christian concept of the trinity (God existing in three persons). Instead, they believe the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are three separate gods.
• The The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints considers Joseph Smith, who founded Mormonism, a prophet.
• Mormons follow a strict healthy lifestyle that doesn’t allow them to consume alcohol, tobacco, coffee or tea.
• Family life, good deeds, respect for authority and missionary work are important values in Mormonism.
• Mormons practice clothing rituals that include wearing special undergarments that have religious significance. Known as the “temple garment,” the attire is worn by adult members who make sacred promises to God.
• Not all Mormon churches accept the label “Mormon,” because the term has at times been used in a derogatory manner, and it does not allow for the variety of beliefs that exist among churches that follow the Book of Mormon and the teachings of Joseph Smith.

JOSEPH SMITH

Joseph Smith Jr. was born in Vermont on December 23, 1805. When Smith was 14, he said he received a vision from God and Jesus that told him not to join any Christian denominational churches.

Three years later, Smith claimed that an angel named Moroni appeared to him. Moroni revealed that Smith had been selected to translate the Book of Mormon, a sacred text that was written around the 4th century and named after Moroni’s father, Mormon.

According to Moroni, this spiritual book contained information about the ancient people who inhabited the Americas. He revealed that the book was inscribed on golden plates near Palmyra, New York, which was close to where Smith lived at the time.

Although the plates were first revealed to him on September 22, 1823, Smith said he was not allowed to retrieve them until September 1827. The Book of Mormon was translated and published in 1830.

Smith also asserted that John the Baptist appeared to him while he was translating the Book of Mormon and instructed him to restore the church by preaching the true gospel.

JOSEPH SMITH MURDERED

After the Book of Mormon was published, Mormonism began to spread and grow rapidly. Smith set up Mormon communities in Missouri, Ohio and Illinois.

Smith was criticized and persecuted by many for teaching his new ideas. In February 1844, Smith and his brother were jailed on charges of treason.

On June 27, 1844, both Smith and his brother were murdered in jail by an anti-Mormon mob in Carthage, Illinois.

BRIGHAM YOUNG

After Smith died, the church divided. Many Mormons followed Brigham Young, who became Smith’s successor.

Young led a large group of persecuted Mormons from Illinois to search for religious freedom. In 1847, Young and the other pioneers reached Utah’s Salt Lake Valley.

MORMON WESTERN EXPANSION

During the 1850s, Young organized the migration of about 16,000 Mormons from Illinois to Utah. He founded Salt Lake City and became the first governor of the Utah Territory.

Young was named the President of the Church and kept this title until his death in 1877. Scholars believe Young significantly influenced the religious and political landscape of the American West.

MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE

Despite moving to a relatively isolated region in Utah, tensions between Mormons and other Americans continued.

In September of 1857, a Mormon militia murdered about 120 people who were part of a wagon train from Arkansas. This event became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

The exact motive for the massacre is still debated today, and some records show that Mormon leaders attempted to cover up the attack.

Scholars are also unsure who was directly responsible for the violence. Some have blamed Brigham Young, while others say the local leaders in southern Utah were at fault.

BOOK OF MORMON

Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon confirms information found in the Holy Bible.

The text gives an account of ancient prophets who lived in the Americas. It covers events that occurred from about 2500 B.C. to A.D. 400.

According to the book, some Jews came to America to avoid persecution in Jerusalem. They divided into two groups who fought each other: the Nephites and the Lamanites. In A.D. 428, the Nephites were defeated. The text says that the Lamanites are the same group that’s known as the American Indians.

According to the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ appeared and preached to the Nephites in the Americas after his crucifixion.

The book is divided into smaller books that read as narratives. The LDS church states that more than 150 million copies of the Book of Mormon have been distributed as of 2011.

MORMON CHURCH

Today, the LDS church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s run by a prophet who also serves as president of the church for life.

The church’s hierarchy consists of:

• The first presidency (president and two counselors)
• The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• The First Quorum of the Seventy
• Stake Presidency
• Ward Bishopric
• Individual members

Children in the church are typically baptized at 8 years of age.

A young man, 12 years of age or older, can enter into a priesthood known as Aaronic priesthood. Those over 18 can enter into Melchizedek priesthood.

MORMON POLYGAMY

Although the LDS church banned the practice of polygamy in 1890, Mormons historically wed many wives.

In recent years, the church acknowledged that Joseph Smith wed as many as 40 wives, some as young as age 14.

Today, Mormons frown upon polygamy and choose to marry just one spouse. Still, a small number of fundamentalists, who broke from the church, continue to practice plural marriage.

MORMONISM TODAY

In recent years, Mormonism has crept its way into popular American culture.

Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney brought the religion to the forefront of American politics in 2012.

The well-known musical comedy, The Book of Mormon, has also brought attention to the religion, although it’s caused mixed reactions within the Mormon community.

According to a 2023 Pew Research poll, a quarter of Americans say they hold very or somewhat unfavorable views of Mormons. A 2012 Pew poll found that said that 46 percent of Mormons feel they face a lot of discrimination.

Sources

• Mormonism’s History, Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry.
• Timeline: The Early History of the Mormons, PBS.
• Mormon Church Fast Facts, CNN.
• Mormons in America – Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society, Pew Research Center.
• 2016 Statistical Report for 2017 April Conference, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Newsroom.
• Church: Mormon founder Joseph Smith wed 40 wives, CNN.