The Mormon Community Observation Ideas

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.

Men and women from other religions, did many things to harm as many of the mormons they could. There were mass murders, rages, attacks on homes, and massacres that were set against the mormons. One common thing done to them,was tarring and feathering them. This is where boiling tar was poured over their head, to run down their body then they were covered in feathers. Thousands were killed, or at least hurt, year after year. Many of the righteous and steadfast followers were put in jail for no reason, then starved to death, or shot. Others were killed on the spot. The Prophet, Joseph Smith, was taken from his home, and put in jail with four other mormon leaders, then him and two others were shot by a mob just days later.

All these differing theological issues pale in comparison to the disagreement that many Christians have with the LDS Church’s origins. In 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded after Joseph Smith claimed to have received a vision of God and Jesus Christ telling him that the true church was not on the earth at that time (Perry). If this is true, it implies that all other Christian religions are false. Prior to the Church’s organization, Joseph Smith published The Book

Growing up in Utah and not being Mormon intensifies how difficult making friends and going to school can be. There is a heavy idioculture, distinctive customs and values (p. 398), around Mormons that seeps into every aspect of life from young men & women to missionaries to green jello with carrots in it. I am Greek Orthodox, and before you get ahead of yourself let me clarify the first thing that probably popped in your head. No, we do not believe in Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Hades or any other Gods. We are Christians, the first Christian religion to be exact. Marx’s conflict theory, the social inequality or the uneven and often unfair distribution of resources (p.23), plays well in growing up in Utah and not being Mormon. It was very clear from

With renewed devotion to the miracle of the gospel and a desire to meet with my fellow saints, I searched for the church in the phone book. I called the bishop and organized a ride to church the following Sunday for Reggie and me. Reggie decided not to attend anymore. I waited for my ride that never came. I was unaware, but I lived in a very dangerous neighborhood. Once the person at the other end of the phone found out where I lived, it must have deterred them. It was a blessing in disguise. What I did not know was there existed another latter-day Church, The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now called the Community of Christ. I had called a splinter group that had nothing to do with the church I had joined. If someone

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been the center of much attention throughout modern history, whether it be about the polygamists, the Book of Mormon, or Joseph Smith seeing God, or the restored priesthood. Though the church is known to have these forms of controversies, we see through history that no organization or group is free from mistakes and criticism. Throughout history in general, there has always been some sort of religious contention around the globe. A large point of contention then and even now is the factor of race in religion and the certain rules and restrictions implemented into the religion regarding race.

As described in the book, Pattyn feels strong opposition to the Mormon religion because it oppresses women. Pattyn’s father is an example of how someone who is very religious can turn out to be an awful person, while Aunt Jeannette, an atheist, can be a great person. In some cases, religion can guide and reflect a person’s morals. However, in others, there can be a great deal of hypocrisy, “How despite the church’s prohibition of all things alcoholic, he only drank more and more” (35). At times, I felt that Burned misrepresents the values of the Mormon community because the book is in first person point of view.

The most interesting and useful thing that was learned from watching the episode was the beliefs that the Mormons shared, while the most relevant thing was how Mormons don’t quite fit in with other religions, as they are excessive with generosity. This story of Mormonism can be explained with historical circumstances by watching the scenes where the story of Joseph Smith was told, in which it is similar with the facts told, however different with the humor used to dictate the

Mormons are well known for the missionaries that come door to door to proselyte non-believers, this is done in efforts to share the love of God and the mercy for His people. They want to unify the community in God because they are commanded to by their scripture and they believe this with better sustain society spiritually. I have known many Mormons in my life and while I never converted to Mormonism I do believe that their strong conviction to the family principals would definitely benefit society. We as a secular community have stayed from our traditions not only in faith & religion but with our funeral traditions that are dying out with cremation, “green burial”, and water resonation become increasingly more popular. Mormons place their traditions very high in the Mormon life.

This essay will discuss Mormon fundamentalism and provide a brief history of the tenets and practices of the religion. The term Mormon fundamentalist refers to a religious group, sect, or individual who believes the teachings of the Mormon scriptures, and follows the teachings of early Mormon leaders. In Western New York in 1830, Joseph Smith Jr. organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS Church. Other early leaders of the church include Brigham Young and John Taylor, who along with Joseph Smith Jr., are accepted by Mormon fundamentalists as prophets of God. There are an estimated 38,000 Mormon fundamentalists living in North American territories, though the estimate is only based on the number of people who openly distinguish themselves as such. The majority of reported Mormon fundamentalists are located in the western states of Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho.

The religion commonly known as the “Mormonism” or The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints (LDS) is a religion divined from Christianity. Mormonism has been traced back to 1830 C.E in New York, where Joseph Smith formally organized The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. During this time period of the 1800’s, also known as the time of the “Second Great Awakening” a religious boom was on the rise. There was much speculation and uncertainty centered on religious beliefs. Joseph Smith claimed that during this time he was called upon by God to restore the church that had been established on earth by Christ. Joseph responded to God’s message by reclaiming the church of Christ, through the creation

Just because we learned the thirteen articles of faith in primary doesn’t mean that we’ve grown out of them. The articles of faith are not just for primary children they can apply to us now, in our young adult lives. In Elder L. Tom Perry’s talk The Articles of Faith he “[encourages] each of [us] to study the Articles of Faith and the doctrines they teach. [He insists that] they are “one of the most important statements of inspiration, history, and doctrine for the Church…Each article is a positive statement [explaining] the differences between Mormonism and the [beliefs of other peoples of the

There is a power that lies in each of us, a flame that burns so bright. Yet, it is only unlocked as we search, ponder and pray. But about what you may ask. The answer may come as a surprise to some, or may hit home for others. We each must Search, Ponder and Pray about "The Book of Mormon", about The Prophet Joseph Smith, about the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Imagine yourself a kindergarten student who was told that the Book of Mormon is not a source of truth; imagine yourself a grade school student who was told by your classmates and your teachers that Joseph Smith was not a Prophet of God; lastly, imagine yourself a 16-year-old college student of one of the top universities in the country who was taught by the professors that worshipping God in our time is similar to worshipping the Greek gods and goddesses in the olden days – trivial and tedious.

Ask and you shall receive, it is that simple. This semester you have spoken a lot about your MTC experience and it’s been a memorable story for me. I personally feel that reading and praying about the Book of Mormon just as Moroni exhorts is one of the many ways you can know that the church is true. After all it is part of how I reactivated in church in my early twenties. I absolutely love reading the last few chapters of the Book of Mormon. They bring so much into focus and help us understand so many core doctrines. Such as; faith, hope, virtue, charity, patients, love and the atonement. All of these are central to a lasting conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have also helped me in many ways. Yet, I want to focus on the last chapter, and how it has helped me