Joseph Smith And The Mormon

Smith was sent to jail and was later killed by a mob of Non Mormons.

This research will address the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, a sect of Mormonism based in Utah, Warren Jeffs and his cult of fear. Warren Jeffs had control over ten thousands of followers for nearly a decade. Warren Jeffs coerced young girls into polygamous marriages with older men. Jeffs is estimated to have over 70 wives. The media was shunned, and he created a hidden community where polygamy was prized above anything else. In 2007, after there was a two year FBI manhunt, Jeffs was convicted as an accomplice to rape. Warren Jeff's rise to power effort led to his fallout. Even after his conviction his followers believed that he was innocent and held onto his beliefs and practices.

People and religion are a part of everyday life. The world is sure to be empty without the existence of God’s creation. When people and religion are viewed as different, the history, beliefs, and practice are formed unrealistically by outsider, more so than an insider. In an interview with a LDS, the author attempts to write and summarize a Mormon‘s journey through life with God and others.

One of the largest struggles for members in the church is animosity of non-members. On one hand, many express their dislike of the LDS church without even knowing what Sacrament Meeting is or the full the title of the “Mormon church” (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). On the other hand, there are a number supposed experts about Mormon doctrine. Some have belonged to the Church themselves at one point, leaving after finding unresolved dissonance between their beliefs and the Gospel. Others are often learned scholars, criticizing the Mormon doctrine to prove their own views. The following paper involves the latter of the two in an analysis of Ezekiel 37:15-17, a Biblical scripture that the LDS Church believes to refer to The Book of Mormon.

Moving to Palmyra, New York in 1816 with his parents and seven siblings, Joseph Smith and his family found themselves confused and troubled by the opposing churches in the area. His family tried to associate themselves with the Presbyterian Church for a time. Then his father shifted his interest to Methodism, but none of the churches suited their needs.

Joseph Smith believed the Laminites were the ancestors of the Native American Indians. “There are detailed descriptions of the land of the dead among almost all American tribes. Usually, the land of the dead is the reverse of the land of the living with day and night and seasons reversed. The dead live very much as they had while alive” . The various tribes of Native American Indians had their own rituals. When they prepared the bodies for burial, some painted the faces of the dead. Other clans put on the dead relative’s moccasins. The Pueblos cover the face of the dead with cloud masks of cotton. Others burned the dead’s property to supply to ensure ghosts of dead were released so they can proceed to the spiritual world. Bodies would be mummified, buried in caves, mounds, boxes, or even on scaffolds. Any cremated ashes are deposited into urns. They are buried on the surface of the ground, in boxes, placed in pits, scaffolds, trees, or in canoes. This sent the individual off into the spiritual world. They clearly were not adverse to cremation that was prevalent in the Mormon community. However, Jesus confirms, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28). This implies only one soul per body. This is another misconception due to the limited understanding of humans over God’s divine nature. Perhaps, man was being too detailed in their interpretation of the soul.

Mormonism was founded by Joseph Smith, a man who came from a family of poor New York state farmers that were involved in occult practices according to Malise Ruthven and Peggy Fletcher Stack. He claimed to have been visited by the angel Moroni after attending a revival in the New York area. During his visitation, he was given spiritual revelation from God, which Joseph claimed were written on “golden plates”, which he then translated using sacred stones . His translation of these golden plates was printed in 1830 with financial aid from a farmer by the name of Martin Harris who obtained a loan for the publication fees. Criticism of the book of Mormon was almost immediate, the Wayne Sentinel declared that “most people entertain an idea that the

No one has ever been able to articulate just what makes a cult, and what makes a religion different. Yet most people, when listing mainstream religions, name Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, among others. These religions have existed for thousands of years and have millions of followers; they have thus earned a degree of respect even from outsiders. However, Mormonism—the tradition of the Latter Day Saints movement—is considered strange, and by some, a cult. In the modern age, many consider its very premise a hoax. Mark Twain criticized the Mormon holy scripture, calling it “chloroform in print” (Turner 229), and Jacob Weisberg (editor of the Washington Post) called Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, “an obvious con man” (Ostling xv). Yet

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.

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 is known as one of the most successful (in present time) and government involved religions from the 1800’s. Joseph Smith, who had much curiosity in religion, and what was real and what was made up, founded the religion. He claimed that Jesus Christ and God himself visited him and that they told him, .all denominations have strayed from the truth and that he should not join any of them. After that event, he didn’t think much of it and moved on through his life. Once he told his father of his vision, he was scorned, and went to seek forgiveness. When praying for his sins to be relinquished he received a vision by the angel named Moroni, who spoke of a book written on gold plates and buried in a nearby hillside. As Smith went to the gold plates, he continued translating what became the Book of

John Smith believed that success in such adventures requires individual initiative and commitment. His journey began working with his dad in his shop up until the age of 16. After his father had passed, he attempted to run it on his own, but that didn’t last long; so he joined the French Army. After a while he started exploring the new world which included Virginia, New England and Summer Isles. Smith had a very prestigious and independent outlook on life and throughout his journey it had brought him misfortune for much of his explorations, but with the misfortune came a bundles of successes. One incident which played a significant role in his journey was being captured by Powhatan; and Pocahontas, herself, helped free him. John Smith was an

He signed the Mayflower Compact in 1620 when he arrived in Massachusetts. He was part of the separatists who left Holland to be free and make a living. He then governed the colony for 31 years in which he centered on private subsistence agriculture. and believed in religious freedom and would politely help each other. While John Smith told his people, “ He doesn't work won’t eat”

Smith attempted to utilize first amendment religious rights to maintain the legal concept of polygamy, which was not established as legal illegal within by Illinois laws, but, unfortunately, it was established determined that free exercise rights did not extend to religion. 5 Some members of the Mormon community in Nauvoo were against the idea of polygamy and its abuse by religious leaders and thus seceded themselves to fight against the Mormon movement in Nauvoo. 6 The dissenting members that seceded filed adultery charges against Joseph Smith on the basis of plural marriage. 7 Joseph Smith was ultimately murdered by a mob when he was being held in a jail near Nauvoo, at Carthage 8 Incidentally, Thomas C. Sharp, author of the Warsaw Signal, was named as a defendant in the murder trial for of Joseph Smith, on account of his strong connection to the anti-Mormon movement. 9

In the late 1500s, John Smith, 1580, and William Bradford, 1590, were both born in England where later on in life they would become something better. John Smith left his house at the age of 16 where he would then fight for the Dutch against Spain and in 1602, he was captured into being a slave, but soon after escaped and returned back to England (Smith). William Bradford joins the Scrooby Separatist in 1609 and later, in 1613, marries a woman named Dorothy May (Bradford).