History of the Latter Day Saint movement
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The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement within
The founder of the Latter Day Saint movement was Joseph Smith, who was raised in the burned-over district of Upstate New York. Smith stated that, in response to prayer, he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, as well as angels and other visions. This eventually led him to a restoration of Christian doctrine that, he said, was lost after the early Christian apostles were killed. In addition, several early leaders made marked doctrinal and leadership contributions to the movement, including Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Brigham Young. Modern-day revelation from God continues to be a principal belief of the Mormon faith.
Mormon history as an academic field is called Mormon studies.
Movement's historical context
Second Great Awakening and the Charismatic Movement
The Latter Day Saint movement arose in the
A significant early event in this Second Great Awakening was the Cane Ridge Revival, a large camp meeting that took place in 1801 at Cane Ridge, Kentucky. Joseph Smith's father Joseph Smith Sr. said he had several visions or dreams, as had Smith's paternal and maternal grandfathers.
The people of western New York, like the rest of the United States at the time, were also influenced by
Another related strand of religious thought that became important to the Latter Day Saint movement was the
While these
Latter Day Saints do not typically distinguish between this Restoration movement and the broader
Masonic influences
Joseph Smith and several of the church founders were Freemasons,[3][4] and were founding members of a lodge in Nauvoo, Illinois in March 1842. There are some similarities between Mormon temple worship and symbolism and the stories and symbols of Freemasonry. In modern times, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) holds no position for or against the compatibility of Masonry with LDS Church doctrine.
Leadership of Joseph Smith
Smith's First Vision
Most Latter Day Saints trace the beginnings of Mormonism to Joseph Smith's First Vision, which he said he had in about 1820 in the woods near his home. Early accounts of this vision describe it as a vision of Jesus in which he was told his sins were forgiven. Later, more detailed accounts indicate Smith was also told that all Christian denominations had become corrupt and further clarify that Smith saw multiple heavenly beings, including Jesus and God the Father.
Early visits by angels, Urim and Thummim, and the Book of Mormon
Smith also described many other visions involving angels. Some of his earliest visitations involved a
After he said he received the Golden Plates, Smith began to dictate their translation to his wife
The Book of Mormon was much more ambitious than being just a purported history of
Some of the early movement's most important charismatic experiences were shared between Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, who joined the movement during the translation of the Book of Mormon. During the translation of the Golden Plates, Smith and Cowdery determined that they needed to obtain the
Smith and Cowdery further elaborated for the 1835 publication of the
Organization of the Church of Christ
After the restoration of the Priesthood, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery began baptizing dozens of people, as early as June 1829. (History of the Church 1:6, p. 59). These converts did not belong to a formal church organization. Nevertheless, this community of believers referred to themselves as "the Church of Christ", and included converts in three New York towns: Fayette, Manchester, and Colesville.
There is no known record of an early Mormon concept of the Lord's church prior to Smith's translation of the Book of Mormon from April to June 1829. Some time in April 1829, Smith dictated a story of Alma the Elder, the former priest of a wicked king, who baptized his followers by immersion, "having authority from the Almighty God", and called his community of believers the "church of God, or the church of Christ".
Some time between June and December 1829, Joseph Smith,
On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and a group of approximately 50 believers met to formally organize the
Movement in Ohio
The movement more than doubled in size with the conversion of
While based in Kirtland, the church changed its name to the "Church of the Latter Day Saints", and added a number of new doctrines and leadership offices. An attempt to establish a communitarian economy known as the "
During the Kirtland era, many charismatic experiences were reported, many involving visitations of angels or communication from God through stones. However, some Church members claimed to receive revelations that contradicted those received by Joseph Smith. He and several followers prayed about the issue, and Joseph recorded a series of revelations, which included a description of several real spiritual gifts, a statement that only Joseph Smith, as the Prophet, could receive new doctrines and commandments for the Church, and a warning that not all supernatural experiences come from God. This effort to balance charismatic experience with order and stability became a lasting characteristic of the Latter Day Saint Movement.
Kirtland also was the site of the construction of the movement's first
In 1837 Smith and Rigdon founded an "anti-bank" called the
Movement in Missouri
As the church was gathering to Kirtland, a second gathering place was established 900 miles distant, on the frontier in
Years elapsed, and despite Mormon lawsuits and petitions, the non-Mormons in Jackson refused to allow the Mormons to return. Meanwhile, new converts to Mormonism continued to migrate to Missouri and settle in Clay County. In 1836, the Missouri legislature created Caldwell County specifically for Mormon settlement and Missouri branches of the church gathered there, centering on the town of Far West.
Church headquarters established in Far West
In 1838 Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and their loyalists left the former church headquarters of Kirtland and relocated to
While the church was headquartered in Far West, Smith announced revelations that changed the name of the church to the "
As a result of the war, 2,500 Missouri militia troops were called out to put down the Mormon "rebellion." Smith and other church leaders were imprisoned in Liberty, Missouri and the majority of the Latter Day Saints were deprived of their property and expelled from the state.
Movement in Illinois
With the help of sympathetic non-Mormons in Illinois, in the spring of 1839 the Latter Day Saint refugees regrouped and began to establish a new headquarters in Nauvoo. Smith and other leaders were allowed after several months of harsh treatment to escape Missourian custody, and they rejoined the main body of the movement in April, 1839. In 1841, construction began on a new temple, significantly more elaborate than the one left behind in Kirtland. The Nauvoo city charter authorized independent municipal courts, the foundation of a university and the establishment of a militia unit known as the "Nauvoo Legion." These and other institutions gave the Latter Day Saints a considerable degree of autonomy.
Nauvoo saw the final flowering of Joseph Smith's vision for the movement, including some of Mormonism's more
In March 1844, Smith was said by
Death of Joseph Smith
Whenever Latter Day Saints gathered in large numbers, they met with opposition from neighbors who suspected that Mormon bloc-voting would lead to theocracy. By the mid-1840s, many non-Mormons in Hancock County felt threatened by growing Mormon political power, commercial rivalries, and a new religion with at least two elements that were hard to digest in the religious community of that time: first, Latter Day Saints had a somewhat different perspective on the nature of God from traditional Protestants; second, the claim of modern revelation, together with the claim of new scripture, opened the canon of the Bible.[8]
Smith's destruction of the Expositor exacerbated all these fears and non-Mormons throughout Illinois began to clamor for his arrest. When Smith submitted to imprisonment in the county seat of
All men who were tried for the murders were acquitted after the prosecuting attorney dismissed the testimonies of the state's witnesses suddenly in his closing remarks.[9]
Change in leadership
Succession Crisis of 1844
In the months following Smith's murder, it was not immediately clear who would lead the church. His brother,
As a result, three of the principal claimants on the scene were:
- Sidney Rigdon, the only remaining member of the First Presidency—the church's highest executive council before his excommunication.
- The (Presiding) William Marks.
- The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—the council in charge of the church's missionary program—led by Brigham Young.
Smith's widow,
In a general meeting of the church at Nauvoo on August 8, 1844, Rigdon and Young presented their respective cases. As the only surviving member of the First Presidency (who had not officially apostatized), Rigdon argued that he should be made "guardian" of the church. Young argued that without Smith there, there was no presiding authority higher than the Twelve. Therefore, he proposed that the
Rigdon, Young and Marks were later joined by a fourth claimant,
Further schisms and the "Mormon War in Illinois"
With Rigdon's flight, Young and most of the Twelve Apostles assumed control of church headquarters in Nauvoo. A conflict with Joseph Smith's last surviving brother,
Meanwhile, at Nauvoo, the conflict between Mormons and non-Mormons escalated into what is sometimes called the "
Major divisions
The largest group of Latter Day Saints followed nine of the Twelve Apostles west, establishing a way station at
The bulk of Sidney Rigdon's church had dissolved by 1847, but some loyalists reorganized as
Joseph Smith's family—including his widow,
Others remained unaffiliated, however, and in 1863 a group of Latter Day Saints from Illinois and Indiana united under the leadership of Granville Hedrick and reclaimed the name of the movement's original organization, the "Church of Christ." This group was the first group of Latter Day Saints to return to Independence, Missouri, to "redeem Zion." They are now headquartered on portion of the original Temple Lot there and are known as the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).
The Latter Day Saint movement today
Denominations
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
By far the largest of the sects, with membership in the millions, the LDS Church continues to be led by Brigham Young's successors. Young reorganized the First Presidency in 1847, and the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have continued the same succession pattern: when the Prophet dies, the senior Apostle becomes the head of the LDS Church. As of January 2018, Russell M. Nelson is the church president. Among other things, the LDS Church has become known for its proselyting and humanitarian work worldwide.
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) until 2001, is the second largest group, with over 250,000 members. Joseph Smith's descendants continued to serve as Prophet and President until the retirement of Wallace B. Smith in the early twenty-first century. Today the church is led by President/Prophet Stephen M. Veazey, who is no relation to Joseph Smith. While the Community of Christ is somewhat more in line doctrinally with mainline Protestantism, they also believe in the Book of Mormon and an open scriptural canon, and place great emphasis upon peacemaking and similar pursuits. The Community of Christ has ordained women to priesthood since 1985 and dedicated a temple in Independence, Mo., in 1994.
Minor factions
Other notable minor factions of the Latter Day Saint movement include: the
Important beliefs
Jesus Christ
Latter Day Saints share a central belief in
Revelation and scripture
Latter Day Saints generally share an open canon. While different sects believe in different revelations, a central theme of the Latter Day Saint movement is that God always has more to say to the church, because the church's situation is always changing.
Latter Day Saints believe in the Bible and other ancient scripture. However, the modern prophet is usually considered to be a more important source of revelation, because he receives contemporary (and, thus, more relevant) instructions from God.
Priesthood authority
Most Latter Day Saint sects believe that authority from Jesus Christ is necessary in order to baptize, give the gift of the Holy Ghost, or administer the Lord's Supper (or the sacrament). This Priesthood authority can be traced to the day that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James, and John, who received the Priesthood from Jesus himself.
Zion
Many of Joseph Smith's early revelations prophesied that the Latter Day Saints would build Zion, a new Jerusalem, a religious utopia centered in Jackson County, MO. The Prophet urged his followers to give everything they had to this cause. However, when they failed to live the Law of Consecration, which was a promise to voluntarily give all their property to the community for equal distribution, Joseph Smith received a revelation that God would build Zion later, when the people were ready. Both the Community of Christ and the LDS Church have come to understand Zion as primarily a community way of life that is centered around Jesus Christ, but many people still believe that, when they are ready, they will be able to build the literal city of Zion as well.
See also
- Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Cunning Folk Traditions and the Latter Day Saint Movement
- Latter Day Saint Historians
- List of articles about Mormonism
- Mormonism and history
- Mormonism in the 19th century
- Mormonism in the 20th century
- Mormonism in the 21st century
- Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy
- Restorationism (Christian primitivism)
References
Citations
- ^ a b Turley, Richard Jr.; Jensen, Robin; Ashurst-McGee, Mark (Oct 2015). "Joseph the Seer". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
- ^ a b "Book of Mormon Translation". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
- ^ "Masonry". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ Smith, Joseph. "Journal Entry March 15, 1842". josephsmithpapers.org.
- ^ Fe, Mailing Address: National Trails Intermountain Region Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail PO Box 728 Santa; Us, NM 87504 Phone:741-1012 Contact. "History & Culture - Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Stott, David Keith (2010). "Legal Insights into the Organization of the Church in 1830". BYU Studies. 49 (2): 121–148.
Note 3:David Whitmer estimated the number at fifty, although as many as seventy-three could have been in attendance. See [Larry C.] Porter, "Organizational Origins," 153-55
- ^ Anderson, Karl Ricks, Joseph Smith's Kirtland: Eyewitness Accounts, 1989
- ^ "Elder Oaks Interview Transcript from PBS Documentary". Newsroom. LDS Church. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ISBN 9780252005541.
General and cited sources
- Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-day Saints (Urbana: 1992).
- Richard P. Howard, The Church Through the Years (Herald House: 1992).
- Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill, "Carthage Conspiracy" (University of Illinois Press).
- Platt, Lyman D. (1989). "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Baptized by September 26, 1830" (PDF). Nauvoo Journal. 1: 18–30.
Further reading
- Matthew Bowman (January 24, 2012). The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith. Random House. ISBN 978-0679644903.
Historiography
- Turner, John G. (April 2014). "More than a Curiosity: Mormonism and Contemporary Scholarship". Journal of Religion 94#2 pp. 229–241. doi:10.1086/674956.