Mormonism is a way of life practiced by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called Mormons or Latter-day Saints. Although two-thirds of the church's membership is in the United States, especially the western states, members are also located in many other countries, particularly in Latin America. In 1990, the church reported a worldwide membership of about 7.7 million. [Picture shows the Great Tabernacle at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA]
HISTORY
Joseph SMITH founded the church in Fayette, N.Y., in 1830. Earlier he reported having visions of God and other heavenly beings in which he was told that he would be the instrument to establish the restored Christian church. According to Smith, one of the heavenly messengers directed him to some thin metal plates, gold in appearance and inscribed in a hieroglyphic language.
Smith's translation of the plates, the Book of Mormon, describes the history, wars, and religious beliefs of a group of people (c.600 BC-AD 421) who migrated from Jerusalem to America. Smith attracted a small group of followers who settled in Kirtland, Ohio, and Jackson County, Missouri. Because of persecution the church moved to northern Missouri and then to Nauvoo, Ill. In 1837 missionaries were sent to England and later to Scandinavia; most of their converts emigrated to the United States.
Although the church prospered in Nauvoo, it faced difficult times. Neighbors resented Mormons' voting as a bloc and became irate when rumours spread that Smith had secretly introduced polygamy into Mormonism. Feelings peaked on June 27, 1844, when an armed mob assassinated Smith, who had been jailed in Carthage, Illinois. Brigham YOUNG, the head of the church's Council of the Twelve Apostles, was voted leader of the church at a special conference on Aug 8, 1844. In 1846 he organized and directed the epic march from Nauvoo across the plains and mountains to the Great Salt Basin.
In Utah the church continued to grow but was challenged by the U.S. Government because of the acknowledgment of polygamy as a Mormon tenet. A war almost developed, but Mormon leaders decided to compromise after only sporadic fighting. In 1862 and 1882, Congress passed antibigamy laws, and in 1879 the Supreme Court ruled that religious freedom could not be claimed as grounds for the practice of polygamy. In 1890 the Mormons officially ended the practice of plural marriage.
Not everyone supported Young's election as church leader. The opposition eventually withdrew to form other Mormon churches, the largest of which (with a membership of 225,000) is the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, headquartered at Independence, Missouri. The Reorganized Church holds that leadership rightfully belongs to the direct descendants of Joseph Smith.
ORGANISATION and BELIEFS
A 3-member First Presidency and a 12-man Council of Apostles constitute the major policy-making body of the Utah-based church. Two Quorums of Seventy and a Presiding Bishopric are the other general authorities who provide guidelines to local units. General conferences are held semiannually in Salt Lake City and regional conferences periodically in other areas. Local and regional leadership is provided by unpaid lay clergy.
Mormons use the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and two other books of revelations to Joseph Smith--Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price--as their standard scriptures. Thus they share most of the beliefs of traditional Christianity but with some modification. Mormons believe that God continues to reveal his word to individuals who seek it for their own benefit, to leaders of local units for their own jurisdiction, and to the President-Prophet for the church as a whole. In 1978, for example, Mormon church authorities announced that they had been instructed by revelation to strike down the church's former policy of excluding black men from the priesthood.
The church baptises by immersion at age eight or older. Vicarious baptism for those who have died and marriage for eternity are two distinctive Mormon practices. Latter-day Saints believe in the eternal progress of humans from a spiritual state to mortality and then to an afterlife where resurrected individuals will receive their reward. The church lays great emphasis on genealogical research so that members may undergo baptismal rites on behalf of their ancestors.
Church members pay a tithe to support numerous church activities and building construction and work on welfare farms or other projects to produce items for the poor. Local members operate the full program in each congregation, including individual weekly meetings for men, women, children, and young people, and two meetings--Sunday School and Sacrament--for the entire church body. More than 37,000 (1989) young men and women devote two years of their lives as missionaries. The church lays great emphasis on family solidarity, which is encouraged through a weekly family evening of religious instruction and entertainment. Its strong opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment is based on its belief that the effects would prove disruptive to family life.
Joseph Smith (1805-44), the founder of Mormonism, was lynched by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, in 1844. Most of his disciples then followed Brigham Young to Utah. Of those who remained, the majority formed (1852) the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the presidency of Smith's son Joseph Smith III. A document found in 1981 shows that the elder Smith apparently intended leadership to remain in his family.
Brigham Young (1801-77), who succeeded to the leadership of the Mormon church after the murder of Joseph Smith, led the Mormons in their migration (1846-47) from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Under his direction the Mormon community prospered. Young served as provisional governor of Utah Territory from 1849 to 1857 and remained leader of the church until his death.
THE MORMONS
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
