THE HISTORY OF MORMONISM AND USING THIS KNOWLEDGE TO EVALUATE ROMNEY AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. THIS IS WHAT MAKES HIM TICK. THIS TICK TOCK IS NOT FOR ME. I WILL NEVER CONVERT WHICH IS HIS MISSION
HE HAS NO MORAL COMPASS EXCEPT HIS MORMON BELIEF. HE WILL LIE, CHEAT, AND STEAL, TO BE PRESIDENT. HIS LIFE IS A COVER UP. WHAT OR WHO IS THE REAL MITT ROMNEY?
A DEACON OF THE MORMON CULT.
The history of the Mormons has shaped them into a people with a strong sense of unity and communality.[13] From the start, Mormons have tried to establish what they call Zion, a utopian society of the righteous.[14] Mormon history can be divided into three broad time periods: (1) the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, (2) a "pioneer era" under the leadership of Brigham Young and his successors, and (3) a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century. In the first period, Smith had tried literally to build a city called Zion, in which converts could gather. During the pioneer era, Zion became a "landscape of villages" in Utah. In modern times, Zion is still an ideal, though Mormons gather together in their individual congregations rather than a central geographic location.[15]
Mormons trace their origins to the visions that Joseph Smith reported having in the early 1820s while living in upstate New York.[16] In 1823 Smith said an angel directed him to a buried book written on golden plates containing the religious history of an ancient people.[17] Smith published what he said was a translation of these plates in March 1830 as the Book of Mormon, named after Mormon, the ancient prophet-historian who compiled the book, and on April 6, 1830, Smith founded the Church of Christ.[18] The early church grew westward as Smith sent missionaries to preach the new gospel.[19] In 1831, the church moved to Kirtland, Ohio where missionaries had made a large number of converts[20] and Smith began establishing an outpost in Jackson County, Missouri,[21] where he planned to eventually build the city of Zion (or the New Jerusalem).[22] In 1833, Missouri settlers, alarmed by the rapid influx of Mormons, expelled them from Jackson County into the nearby Clay County, where local residents took them in.[23] After Smith led a mission, known as Zion's Camp, to recover the land,[24] he began building Kirtland Temple in Lake County, Ohio, where the church flourished.[25] When the Missouri Mormons were later asked to leave Clay County in 1836, they secured land in what would become Caldwell County.[26]
The Kirtland era ended in 1838, after the failure of a church-sponsored bank caused widespread defections,[27] and Smith regrouped with the remaining church in Far West, Missouri.[28] During the fall of 1838, tensions escalated into the 1838 Mormon War with the old Missouri settlers.[29] On October 27, the governor of Missouri ordered that that the Mormons "must be treated as enemies" and be exterminated or driven from the state.[30] Between November and April some eight thousand displaced Mormons migrated east into Illinois.[31]
In 1839, the Mormons converted a swampland on the banks of the Mississippi River into Nauvoo, Illinois[32] and began construction of the Nauvoo Temple. The city became the church's new headquarters and gathering place, and it grew rapidly, fueled in part by converts immigrating from Europe.[33] Meanwhile, Smith introduced temple ceremonies meant to seal families together for eternity, as well as the doctrines of eternal progression or exaltation,[34] and plural marriage.[35] Smith created a service organization for women called the Relief Society, as well as an organization called the Council of Fifty, representing a future theodemocratic "Kingdom of God" on the earth.[36] Smith also published the story of his First Vision, in which the Father and the Son appeared to him while he was about 14 years old.[37] Long after Smith's death, this vision would come to be regarded by some Mormons as the most important event in human history after the birth, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.[38]
In 1844, local prejudices and political tensions, fueled by Mormon peculiarity and internal dissent, escalated into conflicts between Mormons and "anti-Mormons".[39] On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois.[40] Because Hyrum was Joseph's logical successor,[41] their deaths caused a succession crisis,[42] and Brigham Young assumed leadership over the majority of Saints.[43] Young had been a close associate of Smith's and was senior apostle of the Quorum of the Twelve.[44] Smaller groups of Latter Day Saints followed other leaders to form other denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement.[45]
Pioneer era
For two years after Smith's death, conflicts escalated between Mormons and other Illinois residents. To prevent war, Brigham Young led the Mormon pioneers (constituting most of the Latter Day Saints) to a temporary winter quarters in Nebraska and then eventually (beginning in 1847) to what became the Utah Territory.[46] Having failed to build Zion within the confines of American society, the Mormons began to construct a society in isolation, based on their beliefs and values.[47] The cooperative ethic that Mormons had developed over the last decade and a half became important as settlers branched out and colonized a large desert region now known as the Mormon Corridor.[48] Colonizing efforts were seen as religious duties, and the new villages were governed by the Mormon bishops (local lay religious leaders).[49] The Mormons viewed land as commonwealth, devising and maintaining a co-operative system of irrigation that allowed them to build a farming community in the desert.[50]
From 1849–52, the Mormons greatly expanded their missionary efforts, establishing several missions in Europe, Latin America, and the South Pacific.[51] Converts were expected to "gather" to Zion, and during Young's presidency (1847–77) over seventy thousand Mormon converts immigrated to America.[51] Many of the converts came from England and Scandinavia, and were quickly assimilated into the Mormon community.[52] Many of these immigrants crossed the Great Plains in wagons drawn by oxen, while some later groups pulled their possessions in small handcarts. During the 1860s newcomers began using the new railroad that was under construction.[53]
In 1852 church leaders publicized the previously secret practice of plural marriage, a form of polygamy.[54] Over the next 50 years many Mormons entered into plural marriages as a religious duty, with the number of plural marriages reaching a peak around 1860, and then declining through the rest of the century.[55] Besides the doctrinal reasons for plural marriage, the practice made some economic sense, as many of the plural wives were single women who arrived in Utah without brothers or fathers to offer them societal support.[56]
By 1857, tensions had again escalated between Mormons and other Americans, largely as a result of accusations involving polygamy and the theocratic rule of the Utah territory by Brigham Young.[57] In 1857 President James Buchanan sent an army to Utah, which Mormons interpreted as open aggression against them. Fearing a repeat of Missouri and Illinois, they prepared to defend themselves, determined to torch their own homes in the case that they were invaded.[58] The relatively peaceful Utah War ensued from 1857 to 1858, in which the most notable instance of violence was the Mountain Meadows massacre, when leaders of a local Mormon militia ordered the killing of a civilian emigrant party that was traveling through Utah during the escalating tensions.[59] In 1858 Young agreed to step down from his position as governor and was replaced by a non-Mormon, Alfred Cumming.[60] Nevertheless, the LDS Church still wielded significant political power in the Utah Territory.[61]
At Young's death in 1877, he was followed by other LDS Presidents, who resisted efforts by the United States Congress to outlaw Mormon polygamous marriages.[62] In 1878 the Supreme Court ruled in Reynolds v. United States that religious duty was not a suitable defense for practicing polygamy, and many Mormons went into hiding; later, Congress began seizing church assets.[62] In September 1890, church president Wilford Woodruff issued a Manifesto that officially suspended the practice of polygamy.[63] Although this Manifesto did not dissolve existing plural marriages, relations with the United States markedly improved after 1890, such that Utah was admitted as a U.S. state. After the Manifesto, some Mormons continued to enter into polygamous marriages, but these eventually stopped in 1904 when church president Joseph F. Smith disavowed polygamy before
Congress and issued a "Second Manifesto" calling for all plural marriages in the church to cease. Eventually, the church adopted a policy of excommunicating members found practicing polygamy, and today seeks actively to distance itself from "fundamentalist" groups that continue the practice.[64]
During the early 20th century, Mormons began to reintegrate into the American mainstream. In 1929 the Mormon Tabernacle Choir began broadcasting a weekly performance on national radio, becoming an asset for public relations.[65] Mormons emphasized patriotism and industry, rising in socioeconomic status from the bottom among American religious denominations to middle-class.[66] In the 1920s and 1930s Mormons began migrating out of Utah, a trend hurried by the Great Depression, as Mormons looked for work wherever they could find it.[67] As Mormons spread out, church leaders created programs that would help preserve the tight-knit community feel of Mormon culture.[68] In addition to weekly worship services, Mormons began participating in numerous programs such as Boy Scouting, a Young Women's organization, church-sponsored dances, ward basketball, camping trips, plays, and religious education programs for youth and college students.[69] During the Great Depression the church started a welfare program to meet the needs of poor members, which has since grown to include a humanitarian branch that provides relief to disaster victims.[70]
The 360-member, all-volunteer Mormon Tabernacle Choir
During the latter half of the century, there was a retrenchment movement in Mormonism in which Mormons became more conservative, attempting to regain their status as a "peculiar people".[71] Though the 1960s and 1970s brought positive changes such as Women's Liberation and the Civil Rights Movement, Mormon leaders were alarmed by the erosion of traditional values, the sexual revolution, the widespread use of recreational drugs, moral relativism, and other forces they saw as damaging to the family.[72] Partly to counter this, Mormons put an even greater emphasis on family life, religious education, and missionary work, becoming more conservative in the process. As a result, Mormons today are probably less integrated with mainstream society than they were in the early 1960s.[73]
Although black people have been members of Mormon congregations since Joseph Smith's time, before 1978, black membership was small. From 1852 to 1978, the LDS Church had a policy against ordaining men of African descent to the priesthood.[74] The church had previously been criticized for its policy during the civil rights movement, but the change came in 1978 and was prompted primarily by problems facing mixed race converts in Brazil.[75] Mormons greeted the change with joy and relief. Since 1978 black membership has grown, and in 1997 there were approximately 500,000 black members of the church (about 5% of the total membership), mostly in Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean.[76] Black membership has continued to grow substantially, especially in West Africa, where two temples have been built.[77] Many black Mormons are members of the Genesis Group, an organization of black members that predates the priesthood ban, and is endorsed by the church.[78]
Global distribution of LDS Church members in 2009
The LDS Church grew rapidly after World War II and became a world-wide organization as missionaries were sent across the globe. The church doubled in size every 15–20 years,[79] and by 1996, there were more Mormons outside the United States than inside.[80] In 2010 there were an estimated 14.1 million Mormons,[81] with roughly 57% living outside the United States.[82] Most Mormons are distributed in North and South America, the South Pacific, and Western Europe. The global distribution of Mormons resembles a contact diffusion model, radiating out from the organization's headquarters in Utah.[83] The church enforces general doctrinal uniformity, and congregations on all continents teach the same doctrines, and international Mormons tend to absorb a good deal of Mormon culture, possibly because of the church's top-down hierarchy and a missionary presence. However, international Mormons often bring pieces of their own heritage into the church, adapting church practices to local cultures.[84]
Isolation in Utah had allowed Mormons to create a culture of their own.[85] As the faith spread around the world, many of its more distinctive practices followed. Mormon converts are urged to undergo lifestyle changes, "repent of their sins," and adopt sometimes foreign standards of conduct.[85] Practices common to Mormons include studying the scriptures, praying daily, fasting on a regular basis, attending Sunday worship services, participating in church programs and activities on weekdays, and refraining from work on Sundays when possible. Mormons also emphasize standards they believe were taught by Jesus Christ, including personal honesty, integrity, obedience to law, chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage.[86]
In 2010 Around 13–14% of Mormons lived in Utah: the center of cultural influence for Mormonism.[87] Utah Mormons (as well as Mormons living in the Intermountain West) are on average more culturally and/or politically conserv
conservative than those living in some cosmopolitan centers elsewhere in the U.S.[88] Utahns self-identifying as Mormon also attend church somewhat more on average than Mormons living in other states. (Nonetheless, whether they live in Utah or elsewhere in the U.S., Mormons tend to be more culturally and/or politically conservative than members of other U.S. religious groups.)[89] Utah Mormons often place a greater emphasis on pioneer heritage than international Mormons who generally are not descendants of the Mormon pioneers.[84]
Mormons have a strong sense of communality that stems from their doctrine and history.[90] LDS Church members have a responsibility to dedicate their time and talents to helping the poor and building the church. The church is divided by locality into congregations called wards with several wards making up a stake.[91] The vast majority of church leadership positions are lay positions, and church members may work 10–15 hours a week in unpaid church service.[92] Engaged Mormons also contribute 10 percent of their income to the church as tithing, and are often involved in humanitarian efforts. Many LDS young men choose to serve a two year proselytizing mission, during which they dedicate all of their time to the church, without pay.[93]
Mormons adhere to the Word of Wisdom, a health law or code that prohibits the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, coffee, and tea, and encourages the use of wholesome herbs, grains, fruits, and a moderate consumption of meat.[94] The Word of Wisdom is interpreted to also prohibit other harmful and addictive substances and practices, such as the use of illegal drugs and abuse of prescription drugs.[95] Mormons also oppose addictive behavior such as viewing pornography and gambling.[86]
The concept of a united family that lives and progresses forever is at the core of Latter-day Saint doctrine, and Mormons place a high importance on family life.[96] Many Mormons hold weekly family home evenings, in which an evening is set aside for family bonding, study, prayer and other wholesome activities. Latter-day Saint fathers who hold the priesthood typically name and bless their children shortly after birth to formally give the child a name. Mormon parents hope and pray that their children will gain testimonies of the "gospel" so they can grow up and marry in temples.[97]
Mormons have a strict law of chastity, requiring abstention from sexual relations outside of marriage and strict fidelity within marriage. All sexual activity (heterosexual and homosexual) outside of marriage is considered a serious sin.[98] Same-sex marriages are not performed or supported by the LDS Church. Church members are encouraged to marry and have children, and Latter-day Saint families tend to be larger than average. Mormons are opposed to abortions, except in some exceptional circumstances, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, or when the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.[99] Practicing adult Mormons wear religious undergarments that remind them of sacred covenants and encourage them to dress modestly. Latter-day Saints are counseled not to partake of any form of media that is obscene or pornographic in any way, including media th
that depicts graphic representations of sex or violence. Tattoos and body piercings are also discouraged, with the exception of a single pair of earrings for LDS women.[100]
LGBT Mormons, or Mormons who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from homosexual relations and obey the law of chastity.[101] While there are no official numbers, LDS Family Services estimates that there are on average four or five members per LDS ward who experience same-sex attraction.[102] Gary Watts, former president of Family Fellowship, estimates that only 10% of homosexuals stay in the church.[103] Many of these individuals have come forward through different support groups or websites stating their homosexual attractions and concurrent church membership.[104]
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