Mormonism and How It Shaped America

The unfortunate truth regarding Mormonism is the common misconception that Mormonism is the definition of polygamy and that's it. As we will explore shortly, that is simply not the case. Let's start off by defining what Mormonism really is. Mormonism can be defined as the religious beliefs and practices of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons. Mormonism originated in the 1820s in upstate New York during the religious period known as the Second Great Awakening. It's founder, Joseph Smith Jr., originally a Vermonter claimed that he received a vision in the spring of 1820. He claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ instructed him not to join any of the other churches, for 'they were all wrong' and 'all their creeds were an abomination.' This came to be known as the First Vision. It is said that the First Vision led Joseph Smith through the woods to a location where he discovered golden plates that were buried and which told of a people that migrated from Jerusalem to North America in ancient times. For the next 6 years, Smith translated the golden plates from Egyptian hieroglyphics to English and 10 years later, Mormonism was formally organized into the Church of Christ. Its belief system is based on Joseph Smith’s translation of the golden plates which is now known as the Book of Mormon.

The religion quickly gained converts and Mormon communities began to arise in many midwest states including Kirtland, Ohio where Joseph Smith lived. Unfortunately, the Mormons were quickly criticized for their unorthodox practices such as polygamy and were ousted from Jackson County, Missouri by violence and angry mobs in 1838. This led to the forced relocation of the church and nearly 10,000 Mormons to Illinois. Joseph Smith eventually became the mayor of Nauvoo, IL which is where many Mormons settled following their exile. A local newspaper wrote an article claiming that Joseph Smith was a polygamist, which was obviously frowned upon at the time. As a form of retaliation, Joseph Smith ordered a shutdown of the newspaper. Due to his retaliation, Joseph Smith was put in jail for his order. Unfortunately, Joseph Smith never saw trial because a mob stormed the jail and killed Joseph Smith in his cell.

Upon the death of their leader, the Mormons elected Brigham Young, also a Vermonter and sometimes referred to as the American Moses, as their leader who eventually led the Mormons across the Great Plains to what is now known as Salt Lake City, Utah. This eventually led to the creation of the Salt Lake Temple, the largest LDS temple in North America. Today, the Mormon religion has a large following with more than 15 million members worldwide. It has another Mormon denomination which is called the Community of Christ and is centered in Independence, Missouri with about 250,000 followers.

The Mormon pioneers were persecuted because they did not keep slaves, and were seen as a threat to the slave-owning culture at a time when the abolition of slavery was a big issue. The Mormon belief in plural marriage was interpreted as an attack on the ethical and social customs of the community. Due to how rapidly the Mormon communities grew, they were seen as a political threat as they had the ability to exercise substantial political power. The law wasn’t too fond of the Mormon belief in plural marriage either since it was considered unlawful by the United States and therefore legal action was taken to try and suppress the Mormons as much as possible. Mormons resisted and many were jailed for polygamy and in 1887 the Edmunds–Tucker Act went into effect, placing many restrictions on the church, oppressing the rights of anyone who would not disavow polygamy and destroying the Church as an economic entity.

“No matter where Mormons live, they find themselves part of a network of mutual concern; in Mormon theology, everyone is a minister of a kind, everyone is empowered in some ways to do good to others, and to have good done upon them: it is a 21st-century covenant of caring. This caring is not limited to church members alone, but extends far beyond.” One differentiating belief of Mormonism as compared to Christianity is that Mormons do not believe in the Holy Trinity where God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is seen as one entity. Instead, Mormons believe the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are 3 separate God’s. Another Mormon belief is in the Atonement of Jesus Christ which allows mankind to repent and be saved from sin, thus returning to the good graces of God. It’s believed that only Jesus Christ can Atone and when doing so the sinner is resurrected, and by obeying His Gospel, is given eternal life with God.

The Mormon religion embraces four different texts, the book of Mormon, the Christian Bible, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. An interesting Mormon belief is that there are three levels of heaven, Terrestrial, Telestial and Celestial and only those in the celestial will live in the kingdom of God, in God’s presence. Another interesting fact is that Mormon women tend to lead the church because they believe that all women are the daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. Men and women are equal in God’s eyes, but women tend to serve as leaders, counselors, missionaries, teachers and in many other roles. Mormons believe women are vital to raising children and have an important responsibility and a special privilege of equal importance to priesthood. Mormonism condemns racism, including any and all racism by individuals both inside and outside of the Church. The Book of Mormon states,” Black and white, bond and free, male and female; all are alike unto God.” Joseph Smith founder opposed slavery, instead, he welcomed and ordained black males into priesthood. These characteristics still exist in Mormonism today.

Another fact to mention is, in Mormonism, it is common for young adults to do missionary work that is voluntary for 2 years. Most of them funding their own missions. They receive their assignments from the Church headquarters and are only sent to countries where the Church is allowed to operate and in some parts of the world, they are sent to serve as humanitarians or on other specialized missions. They follow a strict and healthy lifestyle which refrains them from consuming alcohol, coffee, tea and tobacco. Mormons do not smoke and items such as alcohol, tea, coffee, tobacco, and illegal drugs are forbidden. Their health codes are based on teachings regarding foods that are healthy and substances that are not good for the body. They wear temple garments as a reminder of sacred belief and commitments. The garments are simple, white undergarments made of two pieces: a top that is similar to a t-shirt and a bottom piece similar to a form of shorts and they are worn beneath regular clothes. Unfortunately, some sects of Church still practice Polygamy today. However, polygamy is illegal in all 50 states and is punishable with up to 5 years in prison. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other sects like Apostolic United Brethren still practice polygamy which was suspended by other sects in 1890. Some sects of the Church have also been accused of marrying off underage girls and if this is true can cause a lot of problems with the law.

There are many reasons why I would not join the Mormons. First of all, I would not join Mormonism due to their strict diet and lifestyle guidelines. Their dietary code which is called the Word of Wisdom restricts one's choice which in the real world can begin to affect an individual socially and even in their employment. For example, in the world of luxury sales, it is very common to share alcohol amongst your clients when you set up a meeting. In fact, it is so common that those who abstain can be seen as untrustworthy or simply odd which can significantly deter the client from doing business with the individual again in the future. Alcohol has played such a big role in American business; it can be said that some of the nation’s biggest businesses were built over a glass of whiskey. That being said, I am not much of a drinker myself, however, I do enjoy a glass of wine or a beer here and there amongst friends and clients. Making a promise to God not to drink does not make sense to me and therefore deters me from considering Mormonism as a religion I’d look into joining. Another hindrance for me is that typically Mormons can only date other Mormons. No matter how I look at that statement, it doesn't make any sense to me from an emotional standpoint. Like the famous comedian and TV host, Steve Harvey once said “you never know how close or how far your true love lives”, limiting your options strictly to the Mormon culture truly takes away the ability to find your soulmate. This is essentially like saying, you can only love and marry someone from your work. In other words, you know there's more out there, you know there could be others that fit your personality, but you cannot do anything about it because of your religion. To me, that is a significant deterrent from the religion of itself. Finally, another major obstacle for me joining Mormonism is the strict media and entertainment restrictions. Media is a big part of modern life. Many people discuss the shows they watch, or the Sunday night football games for example, however, Mormons are very strict as to what media can be consumed. To me, I do not agree with their view because I find it very crucial for individuals to stay up to date with the latest trends and things being discussed. This, in turn, allows the individual to be less socially awkward during social gatherings or meetings or dates, etc.

As you can hopefully see by now, Mormonism is not some unfamiliar territory that no one dare learn about. No, all Mormons are not polygamous, yes, they do have their unique outlook on religion and life, but they have their beliefs just as any other religion has it's. Mormons are usually seen as very quiet and kind people and often times make the best neighbors. It’s interesting to see how this religion has grown back from the beginning days since the golden plates. Many values have remained the same and although to some of us modern folk those may seem wild but in reality, they are the Mormon way of life.