Joseph Smith established the church of Jesus Christ (Mormon Church) in the 1830, New York. It was established due to a lack of churches that wasn’t organized by Jesus Christ (Bushman, 517-18). The church has been growing larger since then, with 6 million members in the U.S. and 14 million members worldwide (Lyon, 622). Mormonism has been known for having different values and norms compared to other Americans, the ones that seemed most interesting and different were their lifestyle choices, and their views on polygamy. Lyon states that Mormons share many fundamental beliefs with other Christian denominations, however there are some unique beliefs that differentiates their faith and lifestyle (Lyon, 623). Their lifestyle has five major categories;
Two of these denominations were the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the African Methodist Episcopal. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - commonly known as Mormons was founded by Joseph Smith; he was inspired to create a new church faction by the revivals he experienced in the western area of New York called the "Burned Over District-" implying it had been "scorched" by so many revivals. Although not regarded as a splinter off from an existing Protestant denomination but a restoration of primitive Christianity having distinctive post-biblical doctrines, the Mormon Church is now a flourishing, worldwide denomination. On the other hand, during the revivals, Baptists and Methodists converted large numbers of blacks. However, because of the mistreatment they received from their fellow believers, under the leadership of Richard Allen, the black population broke away from the Methodist church while creating their own denomination; the African Methodist Episcopal.10 Both churches mentioned above, having developed and sprouted out other denominations over the years, still stand even today.
A homegrown religion originating in the late 1820s, Mormonism arose as a rejection of the existing Christian sects and a return to what the Mormons considered to be pure Christianity. Similarly, the members believed their desire for a new kind of government stemmed from their disillusionment with what they believed was a corrupt government and a desire for the reestablishment of true American values and the original intent of the founding fathers. This sentiment is epitomized by Joseph Smith’s presidential platform, which states “No honest man can doubt for a moment, the glory of American liberty is on the wane; and that calamity and confusion will sooner or later destroy the
Mormonism is a religion created by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830(The Mormon Trail), its believers are referred to as Mormons and practice the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) (The Mormon Trail). Smith believed himself to be a prophet destined to “restore the original pure church the Christians in the Book of Mormon had created (Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion).” However, he was killed by a mob in Illinois but was replaced by his successor, Brigham Young. Their beliefs include a particular set of deity, afterlife, and they practice polygamy, which is one of the reasons the Mormons sought religious freedom.
Mormonism was founded in the 1820s’ by Joseph Smith. Smith, wanting to expand his religious following migrated to Illinois where he established a settlement that included a temple of worship and a village (Green 57). In Illinois the Mormon peoples’ were met with threats, violence, and occasionally they were even killed. This was the case for their leader Joseph Smith; Smith was met with disgust from non-mormons when he attempted to run for presidency and his church riddled with scandal when the word of polygamy got out. With his tarnished reputation, Smith was ultimately murdered by an outraged mob, who then threatened other Mormons that if they did not leave they would be met with the same fate (Mormons into the West). With that warning, the Mormons picked a new leader, Brigham Young, who wanted to flee the American Border. Young set for travel with his new followers to the Great Salt Lake, which at the time was located in Mexico.
The African Methodist Episcopal and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) were just two of the many important denominations that increased religious participation. The African Methodist Episcopal was appealing to the African Americans because of its simplicity and active recruitment for African Americans specifically. The image “Negro Methodists Holding a Meeting in Philadelphia” displays a gathering of Methodist Africans as they experience a physical religious service. Furthermore, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as argued by Shi and Tindall, was significant because of the introduction of the new practice polygamy. Both denominations helped change religious ideology and methods of worship through active religious services and polygamy, two concepts that display the notion of
Despite the stereotype of Mormon women not having any rights living in a patriarchal lifestyle because of their polygamist beliefs, they ironically had more rights than most American women at the time. In the 1800’s, Mormon women and men were both given rights and they both dealt with child rearing (Kane 580). However, in typical American households, it was common for only women to handle child care in family life. Mormon women were involved in many different aspects of life including actions in politics, the economy and social gatherings (580). In an interview with Brigham Young, he said he loved, cherished and supported his wives. He even looked at some of them as mother figures (Greely). Women mattered in their husbands’ lives and were able to make a difference in the community.
The Mormons understood that they needed to take a proactive approach in discovering new members, especially in the beginning of their movement. Mormons also had traveling missionaries to spread their message and recruit new members and followers. A final reason that the Mormon religion was able to flourish for years after its inception was its willingness to change their views on polygamy after being pressured by the American public (Scott). The Mormon Church eventually decided they would no longer endorse polygamy. Today, Mormonism is a growing world religion, while there are no Oneida Perfectionists left today and only a handful of practicing Shaker women remain in parts of New England. There are over twelve million practicing Mormons worldwide,
Christianity is a widespread religion, but many people have never heard of Mormonism, a religion said to have branched from Christianity. However, if you take a closer look at the two faiths, you will find that there are several differences and few similarities.
On April 6, 1980, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormon Church) was founded. [It is interesting to note that according to Mormon doctrine (Doctrine and Covenants 20:1), April 6 is the birthday of Jesus Christ.] 10 years prior to this event, in 1820, fourteen-year-old Joseph Smith
With 14 million followers, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a very interesting religion for many different reasons. Mormons, as they are commonly known, have an interesting origin, different traditions, and a fascinating founder. Mormonism is the term used for describing the practice and beliefs of followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The core belief is that a prophet named Joseph Smith restored doctrines of the church to earth. Smith became the founder of what is now considered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and widely followed. One of the ideas most central to the Mormons is their love for Jesus Christ, the savior. That idea is stated very well when Joseph Smith said, “The fundamental
First of all, we must explore the origin of Mormonism. In 1820, a 14 year old boy named, Joseph Smith, Jr., had a vision of what he thought was the
The typical Mormon lifestyle today consists of attending Sunday services of worship and Sunday School at a local ward made up of around 200-400 members. Belonging to the church community, Mormons grow closer together in order to help one another. Explaining why many Mormon families are generally larger in size, Mormons place a large emphasis on family life and believe both the family and society benefit from church communities. Praying together as a family, as well as many other at home practices are performed to create a family bond. Many Mormons educate themselves on genealogical research in order to save deceased non-Mormon relatives through baptism. In following the revelation given to Joseph Smith, Mormons follow a dietary restriction
The religious group known as the Mormons cannot be investigated very long until the name Joseph Smith rises to the surface and is seen as one held in high regard. In order for one to examine the doctrines, practices, and views of the Mormon faith one must become acquainted with Joseph Smith, and who he is, who he claimed to be, and how the Mormon views him as it relates to his or her faith. However, just who is Joseph Smith? Who is Joseph Smith as it relates to the Mormon? We will examine who Joseph Smith is, his early childhood and religious affiliation, his founding the religion of the Mormons, how the Mormon views him, and how Joseph Smith and the views his followers hold of him contradicts the Bible.
Simpson (2007) elaborates on the culture and faith of most polygamous. The author states that the history of Mormonism has involved to “highly complex contacts and negotiations with non-Mormons in their attempts to convert, resist, or appease outsiders. Mormons have engaged in a distinctive dialectic of secrecy and self-disclosure.”(p.11) In some cases, Simpson (2007) suggests Mormons feel they are being forced to be modernized. Non-Mormons in the Utah territory and the United States saw Utah 's acceptance of Mormonism and women as a “shameful attempt to solidify the church 's political power.”