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Mormonism, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was created in the early 19th century by Joseph Smith. The founder and first president, had two visions from an angelic figure in 1820 and 1823. The figure told Smith that he must uncover golden plates that were buried in a nearby hill that would help him the the true story of God’s will and the angel also told him not join any of the existing sects because they hadn’t interpreted God’s mission correctly. After translating the plates, Smith published the religious book in 1830, he called it the Book of Mormon.

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, having angelic visions.

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The Book of Mormon is the base of Mormon faith. The book tells the story of a group of Hebrews who immigrated from Israel to America many years ago. According to the story, the group developed in America and then was later destroyed by war, but those who survived became known as the Native Americans. The story helped Smith understand what God wanted and how to do it, which became Smith’s life mission, and the mission of those who followed. (McGuire and Wheeler)

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Smith started on God’s mission on April 6th, 1830 when he officially established the church, and quickly began to grow into a community. Smith eventually became the president of the community and convinced them that god had given him a great gift. He also claimed he was a “prophet” and was the one who decided who went to heaven and who went to hell. The things the Smith implemented long ago, are surprisingly still believed today. The group followed Smith from New York to the Midwest where they colonized and grew in numbers for many years. (McGuire and Wheeler) The second president of the Church was Brigham Young. As leader, Young established a religious, social, and economic base for the small colony. Brigham was introduced to the religion after reading the Book of Mormon which he admired and understood. He followed Smith and the church which eventually led him to become president in 1847. As president, Young moved the group to Salt Lake City, Utah, which became the headquarters for the Church. In the years following, the community quickly grew in size and created a large community which is now most of Utah. (McGuire and Wheeler) The beliefs that Smith introduced to the people are still significant to Mormon’s today (Telephone interview). The Church had a small start, but as one can see has continued to grow and like many other religions. (McGuire and Wheeler)

Brigham Young, the second president of the Mormon community.

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The Contemporary Shape of Mormonism is often discussed, but is often misunderstood. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the religion, like their political views, views on different races, etc. To start off, the Church of Latter-Day Saints has progressed a lot over the years even though it is still a fairly new practice. The religion is growing everyday because of their appealing family aspect, the work of missionaries, and accepting attitude. (John Gordon Melton) Mormons have a population that’s quite strong and there are more than 14 million members around the globe. (Jay Carlander) The religion has been spread around the world because of the increase of missionaries over the years. Missionaries work to teach the word of God and spread the belief in Him too. Missionaries are set up all over the world and are the main reason that Mormonism is growing so quickly every day.

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The headquarters of the Mormon community are still located in Utah and the beliefs that were implemented by Joseph Smith, many years ago are still honored today. (Telephone interview) Today, the majority of Mormons reside in Utah and other U.S. states, but the belief is global. (John Gordon Melton) Mormonism is represented through a variety of races, social backgrounds, and cultures since missionaries have worked to spread the religion in places like, Asia, South America, and Africa.

Percentage of Mormons around the world.

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Another reason why the faith is spreading so rapidly is because of the value in family that the Mormons believe in, it is appealing to many around the world. (Lindsay Jones) Their open attitude also helps them grow. Like many other religions, Mormonism respects other religions, but they also love to share their faith. Surprisingly, the Church doesn’t have a set political belief, people are entitled to their own opinions. (Chat with Mormons) Mormons have a varied view on politics and it is clearly represented by the many different devotees. All in all, Mormons are fair to others, attempt to spread their beliefs, and still follow the beliefs from the very beginning of their Church.

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Mormonism has also begun to change. Before 1978, the black community wasn't accepted and they weren't allowed to convert to Mormonism or join the priesthood. Recently things have changed and Mormons are more accepting of that population. According to sources, Mormons have changed their beliefs and now accept the black people. (Flores, Cassia C.)

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Mormons have grown as a whole and some of those who have entered the Church are Mitt Romney, the Imagine Dragons, and many participants of the Biggest Loser. The community has members from many different backgrounds and occupations. The religion is pretty versatile. (Famous Mormons)

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The beliefs in Mormonism are centralized around one; Jesus Christ died, was buried, and and was resurrected on the third day. He then ascended into heaven (Newsroom).

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They refer to god as their “loving Heavenly Father.” They believe that he is looking over all of his children and cares for them deeply. God wants his children to return to him eventually in heaven. This is their ultimate goal; to return to God(Newsroom). Mormons believe that they left heaven, their “pre-mortal life” to come to earth because there was a limit to their growth. Their “pre-mortal life” determined their personality and knowledge they have in their mortal life(Mormon.org). He continues to speak to his children. He communicates through modern day prophets. They also believe that faithful followers may receive god’s fullness then they can become god themselves.

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There is a big emphasis on family. It is the most important subunit of Mormonism. It is a promise that they will stay with their families forever.

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People can by saved from their sins because of Christ’s Atonement.  This relates to God’s plan for his children to return to him. Followers are able to be forgiven for their sins because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Mormons believe that even though sins and mistakes are will happen, but they take it as a learning experience. But they do cleanse themselves of these sins. They are baptized, follow his teachings, embrace his mercy, and the other sacraments. Although they have a very strong belief in God and his plan, they still believe that their actions and decision determine their future.

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Another belief is that the church mentioned in the testament has been restored in modern day. Christ established his church with apostles and prophets, he also created it under one faith and one baptism. But after the apostles died the church slowly faded away. The mormons thought it needed to be restored. It has been restored with living apostles and prophets.

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Baptism happens for children at the age of eight and adult converts. But something that mormons do that is not very common is baptism for the dead(ones who have not converted). The reasoning for this is to save the deceased population so that they can return to their families in heaven. This happens through a proxy. To make sure that the proxy is eligible to partake in this ritual, genealogy is used. Mormons take this very seriously because baptism is essential for salvation. Mormons started using this after jews who have lost their lives during the holocaust were not baptized through a proxy(Melton).

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The next practice that is held in the temple is endowment. This is held to deepen one’s understanding of the faith. This is done through a series of activities such as lessons. The follower fist is ritually washed, then they are anointed with oil, then dressed in temple garments(Melton). These garments always touch the skin reminding the person of their commitment to god. For men, endowment happens before they do on a mission, while for women it happens before they marry. This is not a practice that only happens once a lifetime, followers can always deepen their knowledge of the faith(PBS). To partake in this ritual, one has to have a temple recommend.

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Another practice that takes place in the temple is the sealing of families. Husbands and wives are officially bound together. This means that they will stay together forever. Divorce is looked upon as a evil. Families also are sealed meaning that they will always stay together(PBS).

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Mormons also live a very healthy lifestyle. The health code was written by Joseph Smith. One can not drink alcohol or hot drinks such as tea and coffee. They aren’t permitted to smoke or chew tobacco and meat is not often eaten (Health Practices). A study by UCLA showed that the mormons who followed the health code had the lowest death rate from cancer and cardiovascular disease (Liu).

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Many Mormon also pray at least once a day, some more. They go to church one or more times a week and they also observe sabbath each week(PBS). There is also missionary work that mormons do. Most are under 25 years old, and there are more men than women(Liu).