Mormons

Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter
Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's
death in 1844, the movement split into several groups following different leaders; the majority
followed Brigham Young, while smaller groups followed Joseph Smith III, Sidney Rigdon, and James
Strang. Most of these smaller groups eventually merged into the Community of Christ, and the term
Mormon typically refers to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS
Church), as today, this branch is far larger than all the others combined. People who identify as
Mormons may also be independently religious, secular, and non-practicing or belong to other
denominations. Since 2018, the LDS Church has emphasized a desire for its members be referred to
as "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", or more simply as "Latter-day
Saints".[a][14]

Mormons have developed a strong sense of community that stems from their doctrine and history.
One of the central doctrinal issues that defined Mormonism in the 19th century was the practice of
plural marriage, a form of religious polygamy. From 1852 until 1904, when the LDS Church banned
the practice, many Mormons who had followed Brigham Young to the Utah Territory openly
practiced polygamy. Mormons dedicate significant time and resources to serving in their churches.
A prominent practice among young and retired members of the LDS Church is to serve a full-time
proselytizing mission. Mormons have a health code that eschews alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea,
coffee, and addictive substances. They tend to be very family-oriented and have strong connections
across generations and with extended family, reflecting their belief that families can be sealed
together beyond death. They also have a strict law of chastity, requiring abstention from sexual
relations outside heterosexual marriage and fidelity within marriage.

Mormons self-identify as Christian,[15] but some non-Mormons consider Mormons non-

Christian[16][17] because some of their beliefs differ from those of Nicene Christianity. Mormons
believe that Christ's church was restored through Joseph Smith and is guided by living prophets and
apostles. Mormons believe in the Bible and other books of scripture, such as the Book of Mormon.
They have a unique view of cosmology and believe that all people are literal spirit children of God.
Mormons believe that returning to God requires following the example of Jesus Christ and
accepting his atonement through repentance and ordinances such as baptism.

During the 19th century, Mormon converts tended to gather in a central geographic location, a trend
that reversed somewhat in the 1920s and 1930s. The center of Mormon cultural influence is in Utah,
and North America has more Mormons than any other continent, although about 60% of Mormons
live outside the United States. As of December 31,
Latter-day Saints or Mormons
2021, the LDS Church reported a membership of
16,805,400.[18]

Terminology

The terminology preferred by the church itself has

varied over time. At various points, the church has
embraced the term Mormon and stated that other
sects within the shared faith tradition should not
be called Mormon.[19]

The Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City

The word Mormon was initially coined to describe
any person who believes in the Book of Mormon Total population
as a scripture volume. Mormonite and Mormon
+17,255,394[1]
were originally descriptive terms used both by
outsiders to the faith, church members, and Regions with significant populations
occasionally church leaders.[20] The term Mormon
United States 6,868,793[2]
later was sometimes used derogatorily; such use
may have developed during the 1838 Mormon Mexico 1,516,406[3]
War,[21] although church members and leaders
Brazil 1,494,571[4]
"embraced the term", according to church
historian Matthew Bowman, and by the end of the Philippines 867,271[5]
1800s it was broadly used.[22]
Peru 637,180[6]

The LDS Church has made efforts, including in Chile 607,583[7]

1982, in 2001 prior to the Salt Lake City Olympics,
in 2011 after The Book of Mormon appeared on Argentina 481,518[8]

Broadway, and again in 2018, to encourage the Guatemala 290,068[9]

use of the church's full name, rather than the
Religions
terms Mormon or LDS.[14] According to Patrick
Mason, chair of Mormon studies at Claremont The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Graduate University and Richard Bennett, a Saints
professor of church history at Brigham Young Community of Christ
University, this is because non-church members See also List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint

have historically been confused about whether it movement

represents a Christian faith, which concerns

church leaders, who want to emphasize that the church is a Christian church.[14][22] The term
Mormon also causes concern for church leaders because it has been used to include splinter
groups such as Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, who practice polygamy, which the LDS Church
does not; Mason said "For more than 100 years, the mainstream LDS Church has gone to great
pains to distance itself from those who practice polygamy. It doesn't want to have any confusion
there between those two groups."[14]

In 2018, the LDS Church published a style guide that encourages the use of the terms "the Church",
the "Church of Jesus Christ" or the "restored Church of Jesus Christ" as shortened versions after an
initial use of the full name.[23][22][24] According to church historian Bowman, 'the term "restored"
refers to the idea that the original Christian religion is obsolete, and Mormons alone are practicing
true Christianity.'[22]

The 2018 style guide rejects the term Mormons along with "Mormon Church", "Mormonism", and the
abbreviation LDS.[22] The second-largest sect, the Community of Christ, also rejects the term
Mormon due to its association with the practice of polygamy among Brighamite sects.[25] Other
sects, including several fundamentalist branches of the Brighamite tradition, embrace the term
Mormon.

History

The history of the Mormons has shaped them into a people with a strong sense of unity and
commonality.[26] From the start, Mormons have tried to establish what they call "Zion", a utopian
society of the righteous.[27] Mormon history can be divided into three broad periods: (1) the early
history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, (2) a "pioneer era" under the leadership of Brigham
Young and his successors, and (3) a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century. In
the first period, Smith attempted to build a city called Zion, where converts could gather. Zion
became a "landscape of villages" in Utah during the pioneer era. In modern times, Zion is still an
ideal, though Mormons gather together in their individual congregations rather than in a central
geographic location.[28]
Beginnings

A stained glass window of

Joseph Smith's 1820 First
Vision

The Mormon movement began with the publishing of the Book of Mormon in March 1830, which
Smith claimed was a translation of golden plates containing the religious history of an ancient
American civilization that the ancient prophet-historian Mormon had compiled. Smith stated that an
angel had directed him to the golden plates buried in the Hill Cumorah.[29] On April 6, 1830, Smith
founded the Church of Christ.[30] In 1832, Smith added an account of a vision he had sometime in
the early 1820s while living in Upstate New York.[31] Some Mormons regarded this vision as the
most important event in human history after the birth, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.[32]

The early church grew westward as Smith sent missionaries to proselytize.[33] In 1831, the church
moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where missionaries had made a large number of converts[34] and Smith
began establishing an outpost in Jackson County, Missouri,[35] where he planned to eventually build
the city of Zion (or the New Jerusalem).[36] In 1833, Missouri settlers, alarmed by the rapid influx of
Mormons, expelled them from Jackson County into the nearby Clay County, where local residents
were more welcoming.[37] After Smith led a mission, known as Zion's Camp, to recover the land,[38]
he began building Kirtland Temple in Lake County, Ohio, where the church flourished.[39] When the
Missouri Mormons were later asked to leave Clay County in 1836, they secured land in what would
become Caldwell County.[40]

The Kirtland era ended in 1838 after the failure of a church-sponsored anti-bank caused widespread
defections,[41] and Smith regrouped with the remaining church in Far West, Missouri.[42] During the
fall of 1838, tensions escalated into the Mormon War with the old Missouri settlers.[43] On October
27, the governor of Missouri ordered that the Mormons "must be treated as enemies" and be
exterminated or driven from the state.[44] Between November and April, some eight thousand
displaced Mormons migrated east into Illinois.[45]

Joseph Smith preaching to the Sac

and Fox Indians who visited Nauvoo
on August 12, 1841

In 1839, the Mormons purchased the small town of Commerce, converted swampland on the banks
of the Mississippi River, renamed the area Nauvoo, Illinois,[46] and began constructing the Nauvoo
Temple. The city became the church's new headquarters and gathering place, and it grew rapidly,
fueled in part by converts immigrating from Europe.[47] Meanwhile, Smith introduced temple
ceremonies meant to seal families together for eternity, as well as the doctrines of eternal
progression or exaltation[48] and plural marriage.[49] Smith created a service organization for women
called the Relief Society and the Council of Fifty, representing a future theodemocratic "Kingdom of
God" on the earth.[50] Smith also published the story of his First Vision, in which the Father and the
Son appeared to him when he was about 14 years old.[51] This vision would come to be regarded by
some Mormons as the most important event in human history after the birth, ministry, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.[32]

In 1844, local prejudices and political tensions, fueled by Mormon peculiarity, internal dissent, and
reports of polygamy, escalated into conflicts between Mormons and "anti-Mormons" in Illinois and
Missouri.[52] Smith was arrested, and on June 27, 1844, he and his brother Hyrum were killed by a
mob in Carthage, Illinois.[53] Because Hyrum was Smith's logical successor,[54] their deaths caused a
succession crisis,[55] and Brigham Young assumed leadership over most Latter Day Saints.[56]
Young had been a close associate of Smith's and was the senior apostle of the Quorum of the
Twelve.[57] Smaller groups of Latter-Day Saints followed other leaders to form other denominations
of the Latter Day Saint movement.[58]
Pioneer era

A statue commemorating the

Mormon handcart pioneers

For two years after Joseph Smith's death, conflicts escalated between Mormons and other Illinois
residents. To prevent war, Brigham Young led the Mormon pioneers (constituting most of the Latter
Day Saints) to a temporary winter quarters in Nebraska and then, eventually (beginning in 1847), to
what became the Utah Territory.[59] Having failed to build Zion within the confines of American
society, the Mormons began to construct a society in isolation based on their beliefs and values.[60]
The cooperative ethic that Mormons had developed over the last decade and a half became
important as settlers branched out and colonized a large desert region now known as the Mormon
Corridor.[61] Colonizing efforts were seen as religious duties, and the new villages were governed by
the Mormon bishops (local lay religious leaders).[62] The Mormons viewed land as a commonwealth,
devising and maintaining a cooperative system of irrigation that allowed them to build a farming
community in the desert.[63]

From 1849 to 1852, the Mormons greatly expanded their missionary efforts, establishing several
missions in Europe, Latin America, and the South Pacific.[64] Converts were expected to "gather" to
Zion, and during Young's presidency (1847–77), over seventy thousand Mormon converts
immigrated to America.[64] Many of the converts came from England and Scandinavia and were
quickly assimilated into the Mormon community.[65] Many of these immigrants crossed the Great
Plains in wagons drawn by oxen, while some later groups pulled their possessions in small
handcarts. During the 1860s, newcomers began using the new railroad that was under
construction.[66]

In 1852, church leaders publicized the previously secret practice of plural marriage, a form of
polygamy.[67] Over the next 50 years, many Mormons (between 20 and 30 percent of Mormon
families)[68] entered into plural marriages as a religious duty, with the number of plural marriages
reaching a peak around 1860 and then declining through the rest of the century.[69] Besides the
doctrinal reasons for plural marriage, the practice made some economic sense, as many of the
plural wives were single women who arrived in Utah without brothers or fathers to offer them
societal support.[70]

Mormon pioneers crossing the

Mississippi on the ice

By 1857, tensions had again escalated between Mormons and other Americans, primarily due to
accusations involving polygamy and the theocratic rule of the Utah Territory by Brigham Young.[71] In
1857, U.S. President James Buchanan sent an army to Utah, which Mormons interpreted as open
aggression against them. Fearing a repeat of Missouri and Illinois, the Mormons prepared to defend
themselves, determined to torch their own homes if they were invaded.[72] The relatively peaceful
Utah War ensued from 1857 to 1858, in which the most notable instance of violence was the
Mountain Meadows massacre when leaders of a local Mormon militia ordered the killing of a
civilian emigrant party that was traveling through Utah during the escalating tensions.[73] In 1858,
Young agreed to step down from his position as governor and was replaced by a non-Mormon,
Alfred Cumming.[74] Nevertheless, the LDS Church still wielded significant political power in the Utah
Territory.[75]

At Young's death in 1877, he was followed by other LDS Church presidents, who resisted efforts by
the United States Congress to outlaw Mormon polygamous marriages.[76] In 1878, the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled in Reynolds v. United States that religious duty was not a suitable defense for practicing
polygamy. Many Mormon polygamists went into hiding; later, Congress began seizing church
assets.[76] In September 1890, church president Wilford Woodruff issued a Manifesto that officially
suspended the practice of polygamy.[77] Although this Manifesto did not dissolve existing plural
marriages, relations with the United States markedly improved after 1890, such that Utah was
admitted as a U.S. state in 1896. After the Manifesto, some Mormons continued to enter into
polygamous marriages, but these eventually stopped in 1904 when church president Joseph F.
Smith disavowed polygamy before Congress and issued a "Second Manifesto" calling for all plural
marriages in the church to cease. Eventually, the church adopted a policy of excommunicating
members found practicing polygamy, and today actively seeks to distance itself from
"fundamentalist" groups that continue the practice.[78]
Modern times

During the early 20th century, Mormons began reintegrating into the American mainstream. In 1929,
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir began broadcasting a weekly performance on national radio,
becoming an asset for public relations.[79] Mormons emphasized patriotism and industry, rising in
socioeconomic status from the bottom among American religious denominations to the middle
class.[80] In the 1920s and 1930s, Mormons began migrating out of Utah, a trend hurried by the
Great Depression, as Mormons looked for work wherever they could find it.[81] As Mormons spread
out, church leaders created programs to help preserve the tight-knit community feel of Mormon
culture.[82] In addition to weekly worship services, Mormons began participating in numerous
programs such as Boy Scouting, a Young Women organization, church-sponsored dances, ward
basketball, camping trips, plays, and religious education programs for youth and college
students.[83] During the Great Depression, the church started a welfare program to meet the needs
of poor members, which has since grown to include a humanitarian branch that provides relief to
disaster victims.[84]

The 360-member Mormon Tabernacle

Choir

During the later half of the 20th century, there was a retrenchment movement in Mormonism in
which Mormons became more conservative, attempting to regain their status as a "peculiar
people".[85] Though the 1960s and 1970s brought changes such as Women's Liberation and the civil
rights movement, Mormon leaders were alarmed by the erosion of traditional values, the sexual
revolution, the widespread use of recreational drugs, moral relativism, and other forces they saw as
damaging to the family.[86] Partly to counter this, Mormons put an even greater emphasis on family
life, religious education, and missionary work, becoming more conservative in the process. As a
result, Mormons today are probably less integrated with mainstream society than they were in the
early 1960s.[87]

Although black people have been members of Mormon congregations since Joseph Smith's time,
before 1978, black membership was small. From 1852 to 1978, the LDS Church enforced a policy
restricting men of black African descent from being ordained to the church's lay priesthood.[88] The
church was sharply criticized for its policy during the civil rights movement, but the policy remained
in force until a 1978 reversal that was prompted in part by questions about mixed-race converts in
Brazil.[89] In general, Mormons greeted the change with joy and relief.[89] Since 1978, black
membership has grown, and in 1997 there were approximately 500,000 black church members
(about 5 percent of the total membership), mostly in Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean.[90] Black
membership has continued to grow substantially, especially in West Africa, where two temples have
been built.[91] Some black Mormons are members of the Genesis Group, an organization of black
members that predates the priesthood ban and is endorsed by the church.[92]

Global distribution of LDS Church members in 2009

The LDS Church grew rapidly after World War II and became a worldwide organization as
missionaries were sent across the globe. The church doubled in size every 15 to 20 years,[93] and by
1996, there were more Mormons outside the United States than inside.[94] In 2012, there were an
estimated 14.8 million Mormons,[95] with roughly 57 percent living outside the United States.[96] It is
estimated that approximately 4.5 million Mormons – approximately 30% of the total membership –
regularly attend services.[97] A majority of U.S. Mormons are white and non-Hispanic (84
percent).[98] Most Mormons are distributed in North and South America, the South Pacific, and
Western Europe. The global distribution of Mormons resembles a contact diffusion model, radiating
out from the organization's headquarters in Utah.[99] The church enforces general doctrinal
uniformity, congregations on all continents teach the same doctrines, and international Mormons
tend to absorb a good deal of Mormon culture, possibly because of the church's top-down hierarchy
and missionary presence. However, international Mormons often bring pieces of their own heritage
into the church, adapting church practices to local cultures.[100]

As of December 2019, the LDS Church reported having 16,565,036 members worldwide.[101] Chile,
Uruguay, and several areas in the South Pacific have a higher percentage of Mormons than the
United States (which is at about 2 percent).[102] South Pacific countries and dependencies that are
more than 10 percent Mormon include American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa,
and Tonga.
Culture and practices

Isolation in Utah had allowed Mormons to create a culture of their own.[103] As the faith spread
worldwide, many of its more distinctive practices followed. Mormon converts are urged to undergo
lifestyle changes, repent of sins, and adopt sometimes atypical standards of conduct.[103] Practices
common to Mormons include studying scriptures, praying daily, fasting regularly, attending Sunday
worship services, participating in church programs and activities on weekdays, and refraining from
work on Sundays when possible. The most important part of the church services is considered to be
the Lord's Supper (commonly called sacrament), in which church members renew covenants made
at baptism.[104] Mormons also emphasize standards they believe were taught by Jesus Christ,
including personal honesty, integrity, obedience to the law, chastity outside marriage, and fidelity
within marriage.[105]

In 2010, around 13–14 percent of Mormons lived in Utah, the center of cultural influence for
Mormonism.[106] Utah Mormons (as well as Mormons living in the Intermountain West) are on
average more culturally and politically conservative than those living in some cosmopolitan centers
elsewhere in the U.S.[107] Utahns self-identifying as Mormon also attend church somewhat more on
average than Mormons living in other states. (Nonetheless, whether they live in Utah or elsewhere in
the U.S., Mormons tend to be more culturally and politically conservative than members of other
U.S. religious groups.)[108] Utah Mormons often emphasize pioneer heritage more than international
Mormons, who generally are not descendants of the Mormon pioneers.[100]

A Mormon meetinghouse used for

Sunday worship services in Brazil

Mormons have a strong sense of communality that stems from their doctrine and history.[109] LDS
Church members have a responsibility to dedicate their time and talents to helping the poor and
building the church. The church is divided by locality into congregations called "wards", with several
wards or branches to create a "stake".[110] Most church leadership positions are lay positions, and
church leaders may work 10 to 15 hours a week in unpaid church service.[111] Observant Mormons
also contribute 10 percent of their income to the church as tithing.[112] Paying tithing is one of the
prerequisites for entrance into Mormon temples. Many LDS young men, women, and elderly couples
choose to serve a proselytizing mission, during which they dedicate all of their time to the church
without pay.[113] Members are often involved in humanitarian efforts.

Mormons adhere to the Word of Wisdom, a health law or code that is interpreted as prohibiting the
consumption of tobacco, alcohol, coffee and tea,[114] while encouraging the use of herbs, grains,
fruits, and a moderate consumption of meat.[115] The Word of Wisdom is also understood to forbid
other harmful and addictive substances and practices, such as the use of illegal drugs and abuse of
prescription drugs.[116] Mormons are encouraged to keep a year's supplies, including food and
financial reserves.[117] Mormons also oppose behaviors such as viewing pornography and
gambling.[105]

The concept of a united family that lives and progresses forever is at the core of Latter-day Saint
doctrine, and Mormons place a high importance on family life.[118] Many Mormons hold weekly
Family Home Evenings, in which an evening is set aside for family bonding, study, prayer, and other
activities they consider to be wholesome. Latter-day Saint fathers who hold the priesthood typically
name and bless their children shortly after birth to formally give the child a name. Mormon parents
hope and pray that their children will gain testimonies of the "gospel" so they can grow up and marry
in temples.[119]

Mormons have a strict law of chastity, requiring abstention from sexual relations outside opposite-
sex marriage and strict fidelity within marriage. All sexual activity (heterosexual and homosexual)
outside marriage is considered a grave sin, with marriage recognized as only between a man and a
woman.[120] Same-sex marriages are not performed or supported by the LDS Church. Church
members are encouraged to marry and have children, and Latter-day Saint families tend to be larger
than average. Mormons are opposed to abortion, except in some exceptional circumstances, such
as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape or when the life or health of the mother is in
serious jeopardy.[121] Many practicing adult Mormons wear religious undergarments that remind
them of covenants and encourage them to dress modestly. Latter-day Saints are counseled not to
partake in any form of media that is obscene or pornographic in any way, including media that
depicts graphic representations of sex or violence. Tattoos and body piercings are generally
discouraged.[122]

LGBT Mormons remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from homosexual relations
and obey the law of chastity.[123] While there are no official numbers, LDS Family Services estimates
that, on average, four or five members per LDS ward experience same-sex attraction.[124] Gary Watts,
former president of Family Fellowship, estimates that only 10 percent of homosexuals stay in the
church.[125] Many of these individuals have come forward through different support groups or
websites discussing their homosexual attractions and concurrent church membership.[126][127][128]

Groups within Mormonism

Note that the categories below are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Latter-day Saints ("LDS")

Members of the LDS Church, also known as Latter-day Saints, constitute over 95 percent of
Mormons.[129] The beliefs and practices of LDS Mormons are generally guided by the teachings of
LDS Church leaders. However, several smaller groups substantially differ from "mainstream"
Mormonism in various ways.

LDS Church members who do not actively participate in worship services or church callings are
often called "less-active" or "inactive" (akin to the qualifying expressions non-observant or non-
practicing used in relation to members of other religious groups).[130] The LDS Church does not
release statistics on church activity, but it is likely that about 40 percent of Mormons in the United
States and 30 percent worldwide regularly attend worship services.[131] Reasons for inactivity can
include rejection of the fundamental beliefs, history of the church, lifestyle incongruities with
doctrinal teachings or problems with social integration.[132] Activity rates tend to vary with age, and
disengagement occurs most frequently between age 16 and 25. In 1998, the church reported that
most less active members returned to church activity later in life.[133] As of 2017, the LDS Church
was losing millennial-age members,[134] a phenomenon not unique to the LDS Church.[135] Former
Latter-day Saints who seek to disassociate themselves from the religion are often referred to as ex-
Mormons.

Fundamentalist Mormons

Members of sects that broke with the LDS Church over the issue of polygamy have become known
as fundamentalist Mormons; these groups differ from mainstream Mormonism primarily in their
belief in and practice of plural marriage. There are thought to be between 20,000 and 60,000
members of fundamentalist sects (0.1–0.4 percent of Mormons), with roughly half of them
practicing polygamy.[136] There are many fundamentalist sects, the largest two being the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) and the Apostolic United
Brethren (AUB). In addition to plural marriage, some of these groups also practice a form of
Christian communalism known as the law of consecration or the United Order. The LDS Church
seeks to distance itself from all such polygamous groups, excommunicating their members if
discovered practicing or teaching it,[137] and today, a majority of Mormon fundamentalists have
never been members of the LDS Church.[138]

Liberal Mormons

Liberal Mormons, also known as Progressive Mormons, take an interpretive approach to LDS
teachings and scripture.[130] They look to the scriptures for spiritual guidance, but may not
necessarily believe the teachings to be literally or uniquely true. For liberal Mormons, revelation is a
process through which God gradually brings fallible human beings to greater understanding.[139] A
person in this group is sometimes mistakenly regarded by others within the mainstream church as a
Jack Mormon, although this term is more commonly used to describe a different group with distinct
motives to live the gospel in a non-traditional manner.[140] Liberal Mormons place doing good and
loving fellow human beings above the importance of believing correctly.[141] In a separate context,
members of small progressive breakaway groups have also adopted the label.

Cultural Mormons

Cultural Mormons are individuals who may not believe in certain doctrines or practices of the
institutional LDS Church yet identify as members of the Mormon ethnic identity.[142][130][143] Usually,
this is a result of having been raised in the LDS faith or having converted and spent a large portion
of one's life as an active member of the LDS Church.[144] Cultural Mormons may or may not be
actively involved with the LDS Church. In some cases, they may not be members of the LDS Church.

Beliefs

Mormons have a scriptural canon consisting of the Bible (both Old and New Testaments), the Book
of Mormon, and a collection of revelations and writings by Joseph Smith known as the Doctrine and
Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. Mormons, however, have a relatively open definition of
scripture. As a general rule, anything spoken or written by a prophet, while under inspiration, is
considered to be the word of God.[145] Thus, the Bible, written by prophets and apostles, is the word
of God, so far as it is translated correctly. The Book of Mormon is also believed to have been written
by ancient prophets and is viewed as a companion to the Bible. By this definition, the teachings of
Smith's successors are also accepted as scripture, though they are always measured against and
draw heavily from the scriptural canon.[146]

Mormons see Jesus Christ as the

premier figure of their religion.[147]

Mormons believe in "a friendly universe" governed by a God whose aim is to bring his children to
immortality and eternal life.[148] Mormons have a unique perspective on the nature of God, the origin
of man, and the purpose of life. For instance, Mormons believe in a pre-mortal existence where
people were literal spirit children of God[149] and that God presented a plan of salvation that would
allow his children to progress and become more like him. The plan involved the spirits receiving
bodies on earth and going through trials in order to learn, progress, and receive a "fullness of
joy".[149] The most important part of the plan involved Jesus, the eldest of God's children, coming to
earth as the literal Son of God to conquer sin and death so that God's other children could return.
According to Mormons, every person who lives on earth will be resurrected, and nearly all of them
will be received into various kingdoms of glory.[150] To be accepted into the highest kingdom, a
person must fully accept Christ through faith, repentance, and through ordinances such as baptism
and the laying on of hands.[151]

A Latter Day Saint confirmation

c. 1852

According to Mormons, a deviation from the original principles of Christianity, referred to by them as
The Great Apostasy, occurred after the ascension of Jesus Christ,[152] marked by the corruption of
Christian doctrine by Greek and other philosophies,[153][154] Mormons claim the martyrdom of the
apostles[155] led to a loss of priesthood authority to administer the church and its ordinances.[156]
Mormons believe that God restored the early Christian church through Joseph Smith. In particular,
Mormons believe that angels such as Peter, James, John, John the Baptist, Moses, and Elijah
appeared to Smith and others and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them. Mormons
believe that their church is the "only true and living church" because of the divine authority restored
through Smith. Mormons self-identify as being Christian,[157] while many Christians, particularly
evangelical Protestants, disagree with this view.[158] Mormons view other religions as having
portions of the truth, doing good works, and having genuine value.[159]

The LDS Church has a top-down hierarchical structure with a president–prophet dictating
revelations for the entire church. Lay Mormons are also believed to have access to inspiration and
are encouraged to seek their own personal revelations.[160] Mormons see Joseph Smith's First
Vision as proof that the heavens are open and that God answers prayers. They place considerable
emphasis on "asking God" to find out if something is true. Most Mormons do not claim to have had
heavenly visions like Smith's in response to prayers but feel that God talks to them in their hearts
and minds through the Holy Ghost. Though Mormons have some beliefs that are considered strange
in a modernized world, they continue to hold onto their beliefs because they feel God has spoken to
them.[161]

See also

List of Latter Day Saints ico

Christianity portal
n
Brighamite Latter Day Saint
movement portal
List of former or dissident LDS

Anti-Mormonism

Notes

a. The term "Latter-day" refers to the last dispensation,[10][11] and "Saints" is the same denomination used at
the time of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.[12][13]

References

1. "2023 Statistical Report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (https://newsroom.churchofje
suschrist.org/article/2023-statistical-report-church-jesus-christ) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org.
April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024. (The LDS Church claimed a membership of 17,255,394 in 2023, and
the Community of Christ claimed around 250,000 in 2020.)
 2. "Facts and Statistics - United States" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/cou
ntry/united-states) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

3. "Facts and Statistics - Mexico" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/m

exico) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

4. "Facts and Statistics - Brazil" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/bra

zil) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

5. "Facts and Statistics - Philippines" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/countr

y/philippines) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

6. "Facts and Statistics - Peru" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/per

u) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

7. "Facts and Statistics - Chile" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/chil

e) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

8. "Facts and Statistics - Argentina" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/

argentina) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

9. "Facts and Statistics - Guatemala" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/countr

y/guatemala) . newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

10. "The Last Dispensation" (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1972/04/the-las

t-dispensation?lang=eng) . churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved June 17, 2024.

11. "The Church of Jesus Christ in Former Times" (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel

-principles/chapter-16-the-church-of-jesus-christ-in-former-times?lang=eng) . Retrieved July 5, 2024.

12. "Acts 9:13;32;41" (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/acts/9?lang=eng) .

churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

13. "Acts 26:10" (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/acts/26?lang=eng) .

churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved July 5, 2024.

14. Criss, Doug (August 17, 2018). "Mormons don't want you calling them Mormons anymore" (https://www.c
nn.com/2018/08/17/us/mormon-church-name-trnd/index.html) . CNN. Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20230131015335/https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/us/mormon-church-name-trnd/index.html)
from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

15. Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society (https://www.pewforum.
org/files/2012/01/Mormons-in-America.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20150924113625/
http://www.pewforum.org/files/2012/01/Mormons-in-America.pdf) September 24, 2015, at the
Wayback Machine, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life 2012, p.10: Mormons are nearly unanimous in
describing Mormonism as a Christian religion, with 97% expressing this point of view
16. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM), Is Mormonism Christian? (https://carm.org/is-morm
onism-christian) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160226114106/https://carm.org/is-mormoni
sm-christian) February 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 27, 2016

17. "Are Mormons Christian?" (https://www.catholic.com/qa/are-mormons-christian) . Archived (https://web.

archive.org/web/20230712233517/https://www.catholic.com/qa/are-mormons-christian) from the
original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.

18. "2021 Statistical Report for 2022 April Conference" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/apr

il-2022-general-conference-statistical-report) . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Newsroom.
Retrieved April 2, 2022.

19. The LDS Church has taken the position that the term Mormon should only apply to the LDS Church and its
members, and not other adherents who have adopted the term. (See: "Style Guide – The Name of the
Church" (http://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide) . LDS Newsroom. April 9, 2010. Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20190613210818/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide)
from the original on June 13, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2011.) The Church cites the AP Stylebook,
which states, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saints churches that
resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith's death." ("Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The",
Associated Press, The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2002, ISBN 0-7382-0740-3,
p.48) Despite the LDS Church's position, the term Mormon is widely used by journalists and non-journalists
to refer to adherents of Mormon fundamentalism.

20. "The Original Intention Behind the Term Mormon" (https://mormonscholar.org/the-original-intention-behind

-the-term-mormon/) . Mormon Scholar. November 22, 2018. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2020
1111213009/https://mormonscholar.org/the-original-intention-behind-the-term-mormon/) from the
original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2019.

21. "From the Illinois State Register" (http://boap.org/LDS/Nauvoo-Neighbor/1844/11-13-1844.pdf) (PDF).

No. 2. The Pioneer. November 13, 1844. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20200414001942/http://b
oap.org/LDS/Nauvoo-Neighbor/1844/11-13-1844.pdf) (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2020.
Retrieved August 31, 2019.

22. Jacobs, Julia (August 18, 2018). "Stop Saying 'Mormon,' Church Leader Says. But Is the Real Name Too
Long?" (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/us/mormon-latter-day-saints-name.html) . The New York
Times. ISSN 0362-4331 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331) . Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20200505165938/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/us/mormon-latter-day-saints-name.htm
l) from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

23. On August 18, 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson asked followers and non-followers to
characterize the denomination with the name "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" instead of
"Mormons", "Mormonism" or the shorthand of "LDS"."Latter Day Saints church leader rejects 'Mormon'
label" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45236892) . BBC News. August 18, 2018. Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20180819191629/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-4523689
2) from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
24. Stack, Peggy Fletcher (August 22, 2018). "LDS Church wants everyone to stop calling it the LDS Church
and drop the word 'Mormons' — but some members doubt it will happen" (https://www.sltrib.com/news/2
018/08/16/lds-church-wants-everyone/) . The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0230420203816/https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/08/16/lds-church-wants-everyone/) from the
original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

25. Shields, Steven L. (2014). "The Early Community of Christ Mission to "Redeem" the Church in Utah" (http
s://doi.org/10.5406%2Fjmormhist.40.4.158) . Journal of Mormon History. 40 (4): 158–170.
doi:10.5406/jmormhist.40.4.158 (https://doi.org/10.5406%2Fjmormhist.40.4.158) . S2CID 246562695 (h
ttps://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:246562695) – via JSTOR Journals.

26. O'Dea (1957, pp. 75, 119).

27. A Mormon scripture describing the ancient city of Enoch became a model for the Saints. Enoch's city was
a Zion "because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there were no poor
among them" Bushman (2008, pp. 36–38); (Book of Moses 7:18 (http://churchofjesuschrist.org/scripture
s/pgp/moses/7.18?lang=eng#17) ).

28. "In Missouri and Illinois, Zion had been a city; in Utah, it was a landscape of villages; in the urban diaspora,
it was the ward with its extensive programs." Bushman (2008, p. 107).

29. Bushman (2008, p. 19).

30. Scholars and eye-witnesses disagree as to whether the church was organized in Manchester, New York at
the Smith log home, or in Fayette at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. Bushman (2005, p. 109); Marquardt
(2005, pp. 223–23) (arguing that organization in Manchester is most consistent with eye-witness
statements).

31. Bushman (2008, pp. 1, 9); O'Dea (1957, p. 9); Persuitte, David (October 2000). Joseph Smith and the Origins
of the Book of Mormon (https://books.google.com/books?id=5Zx9qOay304C&pg=PA30) . McFarland.
p. 30. ISBN 9780786484034. Retrieved January 25, 2012..

32. LDS Church (2010). "Joseph Smith Home Page/Mission of the Prophet/First Vision: This Is My Beloved
Son. Hear Him!" (http://josephsmith.net/article/the-first-vision) . Retrieved April 29, 2010.; Allen (1966,
p. 29) (belief in the First Vision now considered second in importance only to belief in the divinity of
Jesus.); Hinkley, Gordon B. (1998). "What Are People Asking about Us?" (http://www.churchofjesuschrist.o
rg/ensign/1998/11/what-are-people-asking-about-us) . Ensign (November). Archived (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20200705085517/http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ensign/1998/11/what-are-people-askin
g-about-us) from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2019. ("[N]othing we teach, nothing we
live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration.").

33. O'Dea (1957, p. 41) (by the next spring the church had 1,000 members).

34. Brodie (1971, p. 97) (citing letter by Smith to Kirtland converts, quoted in Howe (1834, p. 111)); O'Dea
(1957, p. 41).

35. Smith et al. (1835, p. 154); Bushman (2005, p. 162); Brodie (1971, p. 109).
36. Smith said in 1831 that God intended the Mormons to "retain a strong hold in the land of Kirtland, for the
space of five years." (Doctrine and Covenants 64:21); Bushman (2005, p. 122).

37. Bushman (2005, pp. 222–27); Brodie (1971, p. 137) (noting that the brutality of the Jackson Countians
aroused sympathy for the Mormons and was almost universally deplored by the media); O'Dea (1957,
pp. 43–45) (The Mormons were forced out in a November gale, and were taken in by Clay County
residents, who earned from non-Mormons the derogative title of "Jack Mormons").

38. Brodie (1971, pp. 141, 146–59); Bushman (2005, p. 322).

39. Brodie (1971, p. 101); Arrington (1992, p. 21) (by summer of 1835, there were 1500 to 2000 Saints in
Kirtland); Desert Morning News 2008 Church Almanac p. 655 (from 1831 to 1838, church membership
grew from 680 to 17,881); (Bushman 2005, pp. 310–19) (The Kirtland Temple was viewed as the site of a
new Pentecost); (Brodie 1971, p. 178). Smith also published several new revelations during the Kirtland
era.

40. O'Dea (1957, p. 45) (In December 1836, the Missouri legislature granted the Mormons the right to organize
Caldwell County).

41. Bushman (2005, pp. 328–38); Brooke (1994, p. 221) ("Ultimately, the rituals and visions dedicating the
Kirtland temple were not sufficient to hold the church together in the face of a mounting series of internal
disputes.")

42. Roberts (1905, p. 24) (referring to the Far West church as the "church in Zion"); (Bushman 2005, p. 345)
(The revelation calling Far West "Zion" had the effect of "implying that Far West was to take the place of
Independence.")

43. Bushman (2005, pp. 357–64); Brodie (1971, pp. 227–30); Remini (2002, p. 134); Quinn (1994, pp. 97–98).

44. (Bushman 2005, p. 367) (Boggs' executive order stated that the Mormon community had "made war upon
the people of this State" and that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or
driven from the State if necessary for the public peace"). (Bushman 2005, p. 398) (In 1976, Missouri
issued a formal apology for this order) O'Dea (1957, p. 47).

45. O'Dea (1957, p. 47) ("the Saints, after being ravaged by troops, robbed by neighbors, and insulted by public
officials from February to April, crossed over into Illinois").

46. Bushman (2005, pp. 383–84).

47. Bushman (2005, p. 409); Brodie (1971, pp. 258, 264–65); O'Dea (1957, p. 51) (noting the city growth and
missionary success in England).

48. Widmer (2000, p. 119) (Smith taught that faithful Mormons may progress until they become co-equal with
God); Roberts (1909, pp. 502–03); Bushman (2005, pp. 497–98) (the second anointing provided a
guarantee that participants would be exalted even if they sinned).

49. Initially, Smith introduced plural marriage only to his closest associates.Brodie (1971, pp. 334–36);
Bushman (2005, pp. 437, 644) The practice was acknowledged publicly in 1852 by Brigham Young.
50. Quinn 1980, pp. 120–122, 165; Bushman (2005, pp. 519–21) (describing the Council of Fifty).

51. Shipps (1985, p. 30) The first extant account of the First Vision is the manuscript account in Joseph
Smith, "Manuscript History of the Church" (1839); the first published account is Orson Pratt, An Interesting
Account of Several Remarkable Visions and of the Late Discovery of Ancient American Records (Edinburgh:
Ballantyne and Hughes, 1840); and the first American publication is Smith's letter to John Wentworth in
Times and Seasons, 3 (March 1842), 706–08. (These accounts are available in Vogel, Dan, ed. (1996).
Early Mormon Documents. Vol. 1. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 978-1-56085-072-4..) As the LDS
historian Richard Bushman wrote in his biography of Smith, "At first, Joseph was reluctant to talk about his
vision. Most early converts probably never heard about the 1820 vision." Bushman (2005, p. 39).

52. O'Dea (1957, pp. 64–67)

53. Encyclopedia of Latter-Day Saint History, p. 824; Brodie (1971, pp. 393–94); Bushman (2005, pp. 539–50);
Many local Illinoisans were uneasy with Mormon power, and their unease was fanned by the local media
after Smith suppressed a newspaper containing an exposé regarding plural marriage, theocracy, and other
sensitive and oft misinterpreted issues. The suppression resulted in Smith being arrested, tried, and
acquitted for "inciting a riot". On June 25, Smith let himself be arrested and tried for the riot charges again,
this time in Carthage, the county seat, where he was incarcerated without bail on a new charge of treason.
Bentley, Joseph I. (1992), "Smith, Joseph: Legal Trials of Joseph Smith" (http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cd
m/ref/collection/EoM/id/4208) , in Ludlow, Daniel H (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York:
Macmillan Publishing, pp. 1346–1348, ISBN 978-0-02-879602-4, OCLC 24502140 (https://www.worldcat.o
rg/oclc/24502140) , archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20141115202830/http://contentdm.lib.byu.e
du/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/4208) from the original on November 15, 2014, retrieved July 10, 2014.

54. Brigham Young later said of Hyrum, "Did Joseph Smith ordain any man to take his place. He did. Who was
it? It was Hyrum, but Hyrum fell a martyr before Joseph did. If Hyrum had lived he would have acted for
Joseph." Times and Seasons, 5 [October 15, 1844]: 683.

55. Quinn (1994, p. 143); Brodie (1971, p. 398).

56. Bushman (2005, pp. 556–57).

57. Smith's position as President of the Church was originally left vacant, based on the sentiment that nobody
could succeed Smith's office. Years later, the church established the principle that Young, and any other
senior apostle of the Quorum of the Twelve, would be ordained President of the Church as a matter of
course upon the death of the former President, subject to unanimous agreement of the Quorum of the
Twelve.

58. Quinn (1994, pp. 198–211).

59. In 2004, the State of Illinois recognized the expulsion of the Latter-day Saints as the "largest forced
migration in American history" and stated in the adopted resolution that, "WHEREAS, The biases and
prejudices of a less enlightened age in the history of the State of Illinois caused unmeasurable hardship
and trauma for the community of Latter-day Saints by the distrust, violence, and inhospitable actions of a
dark time in our past; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-
THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we acknowledge the disparity of those past
actions and suspicions, regretting the expulsion of the community of Latter-day Saints, a people of faith
and hard work." Illinois General Assembly (April 1, 2004). "Official House Resolution HR0793 (LRB093
21726 KEF 49525 r)" (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?GAID=3&SessionID=3&GA=93&DocType
ID=HR&DocNum=0793&LegID=12984&SpecSess=&Session=) . Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0220620015748/http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?GAID=3) from the original on June 20,
2022. Retrieved April 4, 2011.; "The great Mormon migration of 1846–1847 was but one step in the
Mormons' quest for religious freedom and growth." "Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail: History &
Culture" (http://www.nps.gov/mopi/historyculture/index.htm) , NPS.gov, National Park Service, archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20141208215457/http://www.nps.gov/mopi/historyculture/index.htm)
from the original on December 8, 2014, retrieved July 9, 2014.

60. O'Dea (1957, p. 86) ("Having failed to build Zion within the confines of American society, the Latter-day
Saints found in the Great Basin the isolation that would enable them to establish a distinctive community
based upon their own beliefs and values").

61. O'Dea (1957, p. 84) (From 1847 to 1857 ninety-five Mormon communities were established, most of them
clustering around Salt Lake City); Hunter, Milton (June 1939). "The Mormon Corridor". Pacific Historical
Review. 8 (2): 179–200. doi:10.2307/3633392 (https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3633392) . JSTOR 3633392
(https://www.jstor.org/stable/3633392) ..

62. O'Dea (1957, pp. 86–89).

63. O'Dea (1957, pp. 87–91).

64. O'Dea (1957, p. 91).

65. O'Dea (1957, pp. 91–92); "Welsh Mormon History" (http://welshmormon.byu.edu/) ,

WelshMormon.BYU.edu, Center for Family History and Genealogy, Brigham Young University, archived (http
s://web.archive.org/web/20140714202310/http://welshmormon.byu.edu/) from the original on July 14,
2014, retrieved July 10, 2014 During the 1840s and 1850s many thousands of Welsh Mormon converts
immigrated to America, and today, it is estimated that around 20 percent of the population of Utah is of
Welsh descent.

66. O'Dea (1957, pp. 95–96).

67. Bushman (2008, p. 88) (Plural marriage originated in a revelation that Joseph Smith apparently received in
1831 and wrote down in 1843. It was first publicly announced in a general conference in 1852); Embry,
Jessie L. (1994), "Polygamy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20170417163937/http://www.uen.org/utah_hi
story_encyclopedia/p/POLYGAMY.html) , in Powell, Allan Kent (ed.), Utah History Encyclopedia, Salt Lake
City, Utah: University of Utah Press, ISBN 978-0-87480-425-6, OCLC 30473917 (https://www.worldcat.org/
oclc/30473917) , archived from the original (http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/p/POLYGAM
Y.html) on April 17, 2017, retrieved October 31, 2013 The Mormon doctrine of plural wives was officially
announced by one of the Twelve Apostles, Orson Pratt, and Young in a special conference of the elders of
the LDS Church assembled in the Mormon Tabernacle on August 28, 1852, and reprinted in an extra
edition of the Deseret News "Minutes of conference: a special conference of the elders of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assembled in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1852, 10
o'clock, a.m., pursuant to public notice". Deseret News Extra. September 14, 1852. p. 14.. See also The
1850s: Official sanction in the LDS Church

68. Flake, Kathleen (2004). The Politics of American Religious Identity (https://books.google.com/books?id=GL
LCAB5vmMQC) . University of North Carolina Press. pp. 65, 192. ISBN 978-0-8078-5501-0..

69. Bushman (2008, p. 88) (If asked why they entered these relationships, both plural wives and husbands
emphasized spiritual blessings of being sealed eternally and of submitting to God's will. According to the
federal censuses, the highest percentage of the population in polygamous families was in 1860 (43.6
percent) and it declined to 25 percent in 1880 and to 7 percent in 1890).

70. Bushman (2008, p. 88) ("The close study of the marriages in one nineteenth-century Utah community
revealed that a disproportionate number of plural wives were women who arrived in Utah without fathers
or brothers to care for them...Since better-off men more frequently married plurally, the practice
distributed wealth to the poor and disconnected").

71. Tullidge, Edward (1886), "Resignation of Judge Drummond" (https://archive.org/stream/historyofsaltlak00

tull#page/n155/mode/2up) , History of Salt Lake City (https://archive.org/details/historyofsaltlak00tul
l) , Salt Lake City: Star Printing Company, pp. 132–35, OCLC 13941646 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1
3941646)

72. O'Dea (1957, pp. 101–02); Bushman (2008, p. 95).

73. Bushman (2008, pp. 96–97) (calling the Mountain Meadows massacre the greatest tragedy in Mormon
history).

74. To combat the notion that rank-and-file Mormons were unhappy under Young's leadership, Cumming
noted that he had offered to help any to leave the territory if they desired. Of the 50,000 inhabitants of the
state of Utah, the underwhelming response—56 men, 33 women, and 71 children, most of whom stated
they left for economic reasons—impressed Cumming, as did the fact that Mormon leaders contributed
supplies to the emigrants. Cumming to [Secretary of State Lewis Cass], written by Thomas Kane, May 2,
1858, BYU Special Collections.
75. Firmage, Edwin Brown; Mangrum, Richard Collin (2002). Zion in the Courts: A Legal History of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1830–1900 (https://books.google.com/books?id=9AimifP2a-4C&pg=PR
7) . U. of Illinois Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-252-06980-2..

76. Bushman (2008, p. 97).

77. Official Declaration 1

78. "Style Guide – The Name of the Church: Topics and Background" (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.o
rg/style-guide) , MormonNewsroom.org, LDS Church, April 9, 2010, archived (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20190613210818/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide) from the original on June
13, 2019, retrieved July 9, 2014, "When referring to people or organizations that practice polygamy, it
should be stated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not affiliated with polygamous
groups.". The church repudiates polygamist groups and excommunicates their members if discovered:
Bushman (2008, p. 91); Mormons seek distance from polygamous sects (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/253
96937/ns/us_news-faith/t/mormons-seek-distance-polygamist-sects) , NBCNews.com, June 26, 2008,
archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221253/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25396937/ns/us_
news-faith/t/mormons-seek-distance-polygamist-sects) from the original on October 21, 2014, retrieved
July 10, 2014 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help).

79. Bushman (2008, p. 103).

80. Mauss (1994, p. 22). "With the consistent encouragement of church leaders, Mormons became models of
patriotic, law-abiding citizenship, sometimes seeming to "out-American" all other Americans. Their
participation in the full spectrum of national, social, political, economic, and cultural life has been
thorough and sincere".

81. Bushman (2008, p. 105).

82. Bushman (2008, p. 106).

83. Bushman (2008, p. 53).

84. Bushman (2008, pp. 40–41).

85. The term peculiar people is consciously borrowed from 1 Peter 2:9 (http://churchofjesuschrist.org/scriptur
es/nt/1-pet/2.9?lang=eng#8) , and can be interpreted as "special" or "different", though Mormons have
certainly been viewed as "peculiar" in the modern sense as well. Mauss (1994, p. 60).

86. "Developments mitigating traditional racial, ethnic, and gender inequality and bigotry were regarded in
hindsight by most Americans (and most Mormons) as desirable .... On the other hand, Mormons (and
many others) have watched with increasing alarm the spread throughout society of 'liberating' innovations
such as the normalization of non-marital sexual behavior, the rise in abortion, illegitimacy, divorce, and
child neglect or abuse, recreational drugs, crime, etc." Mauss (1994, p. 124).
87. "[T]he church appears to have arrested, if not reversed, the erosion of distinctive Mormon ways that might
have been anticipated in the 60s." Mauss (1994, p. 140). "However, in partial contradiction to their public
image, Mormons stand mostly on the liberal side of the continuum on certain other social and political
issues, notably on civil rights, and even on women's rights, except where these seem to conflict with child-
rearing roles." Mauss (1994, p. 156).

88. Mauss, Armand L. (2003). All Abraham's Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage.
University of Illinois Press. pp. 213–215. ISBN 978-0-252-02803-8.; Bushman (2008, pp. 111–12) ("The
origins of this policy are not altogether clear. "Passages in Joseph Smith's translations indicate that a
lineage associated with Ham and the Egyptian pharaohs was forbidden the priesthood. Connecting the
ancient pharaohs with modern Africans and African Americans required a speculative leap, but by the time
of Brigham Young, the leap was made.")

89. Bushman (2008, pp. 111–12).

90. "1999–2000 Church Almanac" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110604023854/http://www.adherents.co

m/Na/Na_218.html) . Adherents.com: 119. 1998. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved
November 11, 2011. "A rough estimate would place the number of Church members with African roots at
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149. "Plan of Salvation" (http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/plan-of-salvation) . True

to the Faith: A Gospel Reference: 115. 2004.

150. Bushman (2008, p. 75).

151. Bushman (2008, p. 78); In Mormonism, an ordinance is a formal act, in which people enter into covenants
with God. For example, covenants associated with baptism and the Eucharist involve taking the name of
the Son upon themselves, always remembering him, and keeping his commandments; "Atonement of
Jesus Christ" (http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/atonement-of-jesus-christ) .
True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference: 14. 2004.; Bushman (2008, pp. 60–61) Because Mormons believe
that everyone must receive certain ordinances to be saved, Mormons perform vicarious ordinances such
as baptism for the dead on behalf of deceased persons. Mormons believe that the deceased may accept
or reject the offered ordinance in the spirit world.

152. Missionary Department of the LDS Church (2004). Preach My Gospel (http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/
manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-1-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-g
ospel-of-jesus-christ) . LDS Church, Inc. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-402-36617-1.

153. Talmage, James E. (1909). The Great Apostasy (https://archive.org/stream/greatapostasycon00atalm#pa

ge/68/mode/2up) . The Deseret News. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-87579-843-1.

154. Richards, LeGrand (1976). A Marvelous Work and a Wonder. Deseret Book Company. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-
87747-161-5.

155. Talmage, James E. (1909). The Great Apostasy (https://archive.org/stream/greatapostasycon00atalm#pa

ge/68/mode/2up) . The Deseret News. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-87579-843-1.

156. Eyring, Henry B. (May 2008). "The True and Living Church" (http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ensign/20
08/05/the-true-and-living-church) . Ensign: 20–24.; Cf. John 14:16–17 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.
php?book=John&verse=14%3A16-17&src=1000) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201207180747
22/http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=John&verse=14%3A16-17&src=1000) July 18, 2012, at
the Wayback Machine and 16:13 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=John&verse=16%3A13&src
=1000) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20131021205848/http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.ph
p?book=John&verse=16%3A13&src=1000) October 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Acts 2:1–4 (htt
p://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=Acts&verse=2%3A1-4&src=1000) Archived (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20120717004335/http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=Acts&verse=2%3A1-4&src=100
0) July 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, and Galatians 1:6–9 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?b
ook=Galatians&verse=1%3a6-9) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120717233430/http://bibref.
hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=Galatians&verse=1%3a6-9) July 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.

157. Mormonism in America (https://web.archive.org/web/20120115005308/http://www.pewforum.org/Christi

an/Mormon/mormons-in-america-executive-summary.aspx) (Report). Pew Research Center. January
2012. Archived from the original (https://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-exe
cutive-summary.aspx) on January 15, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012. (Mormons are nearly
unanimous in describing Mormonism as a Christian religion, with 97% expressing this point of view);
Robinson, Stephen E. (May 1998), "Are Mormons Christians?" (http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/new-er
a/1998/05/are-mormons-christians) , New Era, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
158. Romney's Mormon Faith Likely a Factor in Primaries, Not in a General Election (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20120114203658/http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Romneys-Mormon-Faith-Likely-a-Fa
ctor-in-Primaries-Not-in-a-General-Election.aspx) (Report). Pew Research Center. November 23, 2011.
Archived from the original (https://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Romneys-Mormon-Faith-Lik
ely-a-Factor-in-Primaries-Not-in-a-General-Election.aspx) on January 14, 2012. Retrieved January 16,
2012. (About a third of Americans and half of evangelical Protestants view Mormonism as a non-Christian
religion).

159. "Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, etc., any truth? Yes. They all have a
little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure
them up, or we shall not come out true 'Mormons'." Joseph Fielding Smith (1993). Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith. p. 316.; Mormons take an inclusivist position that their religion is correct and true
but that other religions have genuine value. Palmer; Keller; Choi; Toronto (1997). Religions of the World: A
Latter-day Saint View. Brigham Young University..

160. Bushman (2008, p. 54).

161. Bushman (2008, pp. 15, 35–35) (Outside observers sometimes react to Mormonism as "nice people,
wacky beliefs." Mormons insist that the "wacky" beliefs pull them together as a people and give them the
strength and the know-how to succeed in the modern world).

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Further reading

Alexander, Thomas G. (1980). "The Reconstruction of Mormon Doctrine: From Joseph Smith to Progressive
Theology" (https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/022-24-33.pdf) (PDF).
Sunstone. 5 (4): 24–33. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20111020075510/https://www.sunstonemag
azine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/022-24-33.pdf) (PDF) from the original on October 20, 2011.
Retrieved April 4, 2011.

Bloom, Harold (1992). The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation (https://archive.org/
details/americanreligio000bloo) (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-67997-2.
 Bowman, Matthew (2012). The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith. Random House. ISBN 978-
0-679-64491-0.

Epperson, Steven (1999). "Mormons". In Barkan, Elliott Robert (ed.). A notion of peoples: a sourcebook on
America's multicultural heritage (https://archive.org/details/nationofpeopless00bark) . Greenwood
Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-29961-2.

Fraser, John (1883). "Mormons" (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica,_Ninth_Editi

on/Mormons) . In Baynes, T. S.; Smith, W. R. (eds.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. XVI (9th ed.). New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons.

Hill, Marvin S. (1989). Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism. Salt Lake City, Utah:
Signature Books. ISBN 9780941214704.

Ludlow, Daniel H., ed. (1992). Encyclopedia of Mormonism (https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofmo03lu

dl) . New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-904040-9.

May, Dean (1980). "Mormons". In Thernstrom, Stephan (ed.). Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic
Groups. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 720.

McMurrin, Sterling M. (1965). The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion. Salt Lake City: Signature
Books. ISBN 978-1-56085-135-6.

Ostling, Richard; Ostling, Joan K. (2007). Mormon America: The Power and the Promise. New York: HarperOne.
ISBN 978-0-06-143295-8.

Shipps, Jan (2000). Sojourner in the promised land: forty years among the Mormons. Chicago: University of
Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-02590-7.

External links

churchofjesuschrist.org (http://churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang Wikisource has original

=eng) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20190603191 works on the topic:
Mormonism
254/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng) June
3, 2019, at the Wayback Machine and comeuntochrist.org (https://www.comeuntochrist.org/)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20190530113715/https://www.comeuntochrist.org/)
May 30, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, official websites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints

The Mormons (https://www.pbs.org/mormons/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201904

01102538/http://www.pbs.org/mormons/) April 1, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (PBS
documentary series)