MORMONISM

Exploring Culture Essay

Mormonism: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Adam Harter
University of Kentucky

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Abstract
The Church of the Latter-Day Saint members or more commonly known as Mormons came
about rather recently when looking at world history. Mormonism is a religion that continually
studies the Christian religion in terms of more recent theological events; their diverse history has
the same persecutions as many other time-tested cultures and deals with many unwarranted
stereotypes that occasionally undercut several sensitive practices. Throughout their short history
we are able to locate origins that are not necessarily historically accurate or may be controversial
concerning the history of other religions. Mormonism is extremely new to the world, and has
been able to achieve a large following considering some of its unrealistic viewpoints. Here we
look into some main beliefs surrounding the society and how it came about. The Latter-Day
Saints have proven to be a durable religion that has sustained through many hardships.

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Mormonism: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

For the final draft of my document I changed up some minor things. My final revision
focused on cleaning up some grammar, adding more to my conclusion, and small fixes to my
thesis. I also changed any conjunction words to two full words because it is more appropriate for
this piece (i.e. its - it is). I believe it turned out to be a great paper.
The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask from books, but to go to God in
prayer, and obtain divine teaching (Smith, n.d.). Joseph Smith Jr., founder of The Latter Day
Saints, puts his religion into perspective by explaining how he found himself through God in
early life. Mormonism continually studies the Christian religious beliefs in terms of more recent
theological events; their diverse history has countless persecutions and deals with many
unwarranted stereotypes that occasionally undercut sensitive practices. Mormons have
intriguing differences that are highlighted throughout the paper.
The creation of the Mormon religion began in New York in the 1820s by Joseph Smith
Jr. He was born to Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont. In
1817 his family moved to New York; while growing up his family went through a lot of religious
turmoil, as they could not decide which church was right to join. In the western part of New
York State, where the Smiths lived, there was a major religious revival during the Second Great
Awakening. Tremendous amounts of ministers were sent out from all religions trying to convert
others to join their cause. Religion was an important part of Joseph Smiths family, but no one
really knew which direction to turn. That is when Joseph Smith began his search for an answer
to the oldest question at the young age of fourteen.

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MORMONISM

Smith turned to God in his time of strife, praying for a clear path to follow. This passage
from the Bible had great influence with Smith, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5). This
quote adhered to his situation, and helped guide him on his journey. During his search in 1823
he purportedly saw an angel who guided him to a book that had the religious history of the
Americas written on golden plates. After his visions he translated the plates into a publication
called the Book of Mormon, which is one of the main literatures of the Mormon religion. On
April 6, 1830, following his publication, he founded the Church of Christ, also known as
Mormonism or the Church of the Latter-day Saints.

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The Church soon spread westward as early missionaries spread Smiths word. Many
places in Missouri and Ohio in the 1830s expelled the Mormons for various reasons such as a
concern for the endurance of their own beliefs, which is just another way of saying they were
selfish. In Missouri the governor even ordered for Mormons to be exterminated or driven away
from the state. Persecution was definitely a struggle for the newly established religion. Some
groups referred to themselves as anti-Mormons, who obviously did not agree with Smith and
his followers values. After Smith moved to Illinois in the 1840s, important establishments were
erected including the city of Nauvoo on the banks of the Mississippi river. Smith was mayor of
the city, but even with his guidance more external conflicts proceeded to affect the city. Violence
broke out and Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were arrested for treason. On June 27, 1844, a mob
killed them after breaking into the jail in Carthage, Illinois. The Church was left in a quivering
state as many attempted to claim leadership.
The death of Smith and his brother caused problems for the Latter-day Saint Movement,
especially when it came to the decision of a new leader. Brigham Young was close to Joseph
Smith as he was a senior apostle, so he eventually assumed leadership over most of the
followers. More conflict caused the movement to ascend into Utah in early 1847, to what is now
known as Salt Lake City. The march was about 1,000 miles and around 60,000 made the harsh
trek. With new leadership and more expansion into Canada and New Mexico the civilizations
flourished. Congress established the land as a territory in 1849, and Young was appointed
governor. Ideas founded by the religious group soon started to separate them from the rest of the
Country.
Brigham Young was born in Whitingham, Vermont on June 1, 1801 to a farming family.
Early on he worked as a blacksmith and carpenter, but in his later years he got involved as a

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missionary for the Mormon religion, traveling to places in Canada. In 1835 he was appointed as
an apostle in the Quorum of Twelve. He succeeded Joseph Smith after his death, to become the
2nd Church president. He helped in bringing polygamy, the telegraph, and the railways to Utah.
He led the Latter-day Saints for almost 30 years until his death on August 29th, 1877. He was
essential to the survival of the Church.
One of the main tensions between the Mormons and the rest of the country was the idea
of polygamy. Brigham Young instituted the plural marriage doctrine in 1852, causing a media
explosion in the rest of the nation. Because the Mormons were already on thin ice, the doctrine
only fetched more negative thoughts for the group. The Latter-day Saints had been secretly
using polygamy as a way to support many of their families. During their persecution in Missouri,
a lot of families lost their fathers; polygamy allowed for a single paternal figure to sustain a few
orphaned families. While it may have helped the Mormons early on, it only brought them
problems later. Congress soon passed laws banning polygamy before Utah became the 45th state
in 1896. Polygamy was a means of support at first, but nowadays the Church looks it down upon
it, and those who practice are excommunicated.
The Church has grown far from what it used to be as a squeamishly surviving group in
the 1800s. Now they send missionaries all over the world and can be seen in about one-hundred
unique countries, and membership is predicted to be around twelve million strong.
During my interviews I noticed a common trait, all the interviewees were born into a
Mormon family. This trait seems to be the case for most religions. My friend Kayden Jenson
was born into a Mormon family and he had many interesting things to say. I proceeded to ask if
he were to be raised differently if he would have gone down the same path. In my opinion, his
answer was rather standard, I do not know. Umthere are certain aspects I really like about the

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church that I do not think you get elsewhere. UmmI would say probably post-college,
absolutely (K. Jenson, personal communication, October 9, 2014). This makes sense to me
because a lot of kids and young adults arent particularly interested in religion in their early
years, however, there has to be a strong correlation between how they live their lives currently
and what they grew up believing and how to behave (i.e. morals). Religion has a lasting,
positive effect ones character early in life. Kayden did not see anything wrong with his religion;
he just felt that he could better invest his time at a later point in his life.
The closest religion to Mormonism would have to be any denomination of Christianity;
from what I gathered, they are very similar in Church services too. The services typically take
place on Sundays and are split up into three different stages: Sacrament, Youth Group or Study,
and then Meetings. Sacrament lasts around an hour consisting of prayers, singing hymns, taking
sacrament (bread and water), and congregational speakers. Normally a bishop leads each
worship service. Sacrament is considered an important part of their service because it represents
the blood and body of Christ. Next part of service is Sunday school or studying in which you are
split up based on age and learn various things about Mormonism from week to week. Lastly, are
the group meetings, this is where the splitting up is based on gender. The men gather for their
priesthood meetings and women generally do the same for a Relief Society Meeting. In the
meetings they discuss our roles in this life and how we can better fulfill them (Erica, personal
communication, October 10, 2014). A teacher who brings a lesson and leads the discussion
spearheads each meeting. Personally, in my church service I am used to one long mass, which
parallels their sacrament; I am of the Episcopalian denomination of Christianity.
The Mormon Church is similar to Catholicism in that it has a governing body. The head
of the Latter-Day Saints is called the First Presidency consisting of the President and two elected

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counselors; currently the president is Thomas S. Monson. Following the Presidency is the
Quorum of Twelve or the twelve apostles. Apostles are special witnesses of Jesus Christ, called
to teach and testify of Him throughout the world (Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 2012).
Mormons believe the apostles are extremely important and they travel often spreading the word.
Following the apostles are the seventies; there are eight groups of them consisting of seventy
leaders. Each of these seventies is given a place to take over administrative actions. Within the
congregations are bishops and presidents. The bishop leads the service and the president leads a
group of wards (churches). All the leaders help keep the church thriving in this complicated
governing body.
Religions main focus is questioning why we are here and what will happen to us after
life. We do believe in an afterlife, but it is not just the stark heaven and hell (K. Jenson,
personal communication, October 9, 2014). Immediately following death there are two options
before one is judged and placed in one of the three degrees of glory, they are Spirit Prison and
Paradise. Spirit Prison is a place for instruction and opportunity for conversion to the Mormon
faith (Afterlife, n.d.). Paradise is a place specifically for Mormons after death, and they will
dwell there until judgment day.
Mormons have an attractive view of an afterlife as they believe in three degrees of glory:
celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. The celestial kingdom is considered the best of all; it is where
God and Jesus live and is basically reserved for faithful Mormons. Within the celestial kingdom
there are also some degrees of glory, the highest being for those who have married in a temple
and have the possibility of becoming gods and goddesses themselves. The other degrees in the
celestial level are still considered divine. The middle level is called terrestrial; it is for those who
were good in their lives but did not necessarily recognize the word of God. The terrestrial

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individuals will still have the presence of Jesus, but not like the celestial level. Lastly, the lowest
level is telestial; this is the place for people who were redeemed after they spent their time in the
spirit prison. Generally everyone has the opportunity to enter into the kingdoms of glory, but a
special place is reserved for those who deny God after the opportunity to repent has been given.
These people are called the sons of perdition and will preside in a kingdom of eternal
punishment. In my opinion, I think this theory of afterlife is one of the biggest draws for
converts because it seems like there is almost no way you can mess up and go to hell. Afterlife
will forever be an important role in religion.
Personally, I like to view a religion on not just on how well there morals, beliefs,
acceptances, or motives are, but on how well they present themselves day to day. I do not have
much to go off of with my limited amount of interactions with multiple Saints, yet I can get a
good understanding with my small sample size. From what I have seen, Mormons are some of
the kindest people. The people I have met have not been converted rather they grew up on the
religion, and it has really molded them as an individual early on. Prior experience has noted that,
generally, Mormons are productive members of society. Mormonism is good approach at not
only as strong belief system, but also at developing well-rounded people.
Missionaries and mission trips are a huge part of Latter-day Saint culture. Missionaries
have been a major system of growth for all religions, especially Mormonism; without it they
might not have progressed to the large and prestigious society they are now. The Latter-Day
Saints encourage everyone within their church to go on a mission trip at least once in their life.
Kayden and the missionaries explained: So it is asked that all males at age 18 serve a two year
mission if they are able to. It is kind of expected, not really a requirement, you wont get kicked
out of the church if you do not. But it is like trying to give back some of your youth (K. Jenson,

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personal communication, October 9, 2014). Going on a mission is a personal choice. Although

for guys, it is more expected because they hold the priesthood. But if you choose to go on a
mission it will be an awesome experience! For girls it is 18 months and for guys it is 24 months
(Erica, personal communication, October 10, 2014). I thought this was fascinating after I
learned this; the Saints church believes so strongly that everyone should learn about their
religion. Many attempt the trip to a foreign place and experience a whole new world; for others
it is not their cup of tea. From previous conversations I have learned it is a great way to grow in
ones religion spiritually. Mission trips provide a great spiritual escape from normal life and
allow you to learn about a whole new culture while teaching something you believe in.
While mission trips provide a way for nonbelievers to convert, the Mormons are also
very accepting and respectful to other religions. We believe that all religions have some truth to
them... That being said, we do believe that our church has the fullness of the gospel, but we
recognize that other churches have bits and pieces of the gospel within them as well (Erica,
personal communication, October 10, 2014). Just like any other culture, they are always going
to believe they are right; who would not? In this case, Mormons do not judge others because
they have a different outlook, so they see it as an opportunity to relate to them their beliefs and
experiences.
Mormonism has had its struggles throughout history and learned from them. Now more
than ever they are a respectable religion on the rise, offering great opportunities to anyone
willing to listen. The Latter-Day Saints history, beliefs, practices, and structure shaped them into
an enduring force set for greatness in the future. Their outlook is promising and growth
abundant because of the hard working individuals associated with the practice. I believe Joseph
Smith Jr. would be proud to see how far his hard work has come.

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References
Afterlife. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.mission2mormons.org/#/mormonbeliefs/afterlife
A Brief History of Mormons. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from
https://www.mormonhistoryassociation.org/mormonism
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (2012, February 21). Retrieved October 15,
2014, from https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng
Mormon.org | What is the Mormon Church and Religion? (2014, March 18). Retrieved October
15, 2014, from http://www.mormon.org/
Organizational Structure of the Church. (2012, February 21). Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/organizational-structure-of-the-church
[Untitled illustration of Book of Mormon]. Retrieved October 29, 2014 from
http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/images/book-of-mormon.jpg
[Untitled illustration of Jesus]. Retrieved October 29, 2014 from
http://www.whymormonism.org/files/2009/09/jesus-mormon.jpg
Wikipedia Brigham Young (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014 from the Wikipedia
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young
Wikipedia Joseph Smith (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014 from the Wikipedia
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith
Wikipedia Mormons. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014 from the Wikipedia
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormons