Mormon: Definition and Much More from Answers.com
- ️Sat Sep 09 2006
Mormons, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, result from visions experienced in Manchester, NY, during the 1820s by Joseph Smith (1805-44), enabling him to locate and translate The Book of Mormon (1827), a history of American religion from Babel to the 5th cent. AD, written on gold tablets in ‘reformed Egyptian’ and deciphered by sacred crystals which Smith had to return to the angel Moroni on completion. There followed seventeen years of sectarian vagabondage: founded in 1830, the sect reached Great Salt Lake Valley, Utah, in 1847. In that time twelve apostles were appointed, Smith became first president, received his revelation about plural marriages (1843), and was killed in prison. Mormonism's survival, therefore, owes most to Smith's successor Brigham Young (1801-77), who shaped Utah into a model state (polygamy was abolished in 1890). The whole was expressed in lives of strenuous simplicity and aggressive missionary endeavour. The first Mormon missionaries reached England in 1837.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called the Mormon church) was founded at Fayette, New York, on April 6, 1830, by Joseph Smith, Jr. Smith, the recipient of dreams and heavenly manifestations in the 1820s, dictated to scribes the translated text of a holy book he said had been engraved on gold plates by an American Indian historian about a.d. 400. The six-hundred-page Book of Mormon was published in the spring of 1830.
The Latter-day Saints church, as it is more accurately called, was intended to be a restoration of the primitive church established by Jesus and his apostles. God was a personal being, Jesus his literal son, and at the head of the church was a prophet, functioning under divine leadership and through an appointed, male, lay priesthood. The church accepted the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and revelations of the prophet as sacred Scriptures.
Missionaries preached throughout New England, the Old Northwest, Canada, and England, and within five years there were more than eight thousand converts. The religious beliefs of the Mormons and their attempts to institute a government in which the godly ruled, however, ran counter to the democratic pluralism of American society, and the Mormons experienced repeated difficulties with their neighbors. Mormon settlers were driven by hostile mobs, in succession, from New York to Ohio, to Missouri, and to Nauvoo in Illinois. In these moves, the Mormons lost most of their property, and many were killed or died from illness.
In Nauvoo Mormons established a well-planned city and began building a temple, the University of Nauvoo, and a number of mills and shops. But once more the Mormons had difficulties with their neighbors, and in 1844 a mob, including members of the state militia, stormed the jail where Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were being held on the charge of inciting a riot and murdered them.
Within a few weeks, Brigham Young, leader of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was "sustained" as the new prophet. Under his leadership preparations were made for removal of the church to the Great Basin in western America. Nauvoo was abandoned in 1846. A pioneer company of 148 persons reached the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, where they made preparations for those to follow. About 2,000 wintered in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847-1848, and the remainder of some 16,000 exiles migrated to the Great Basin at a rate of about 3,000 per year. Meanwhile, the 30,000 or more converts in the eastern United States, Great Britain, and Scandinavia were arriving at a similar rate. By 1860 there were 40,000 Latter-day Saints in Utah; by 1900, more than 200,000.
Some believers who chose not to follow Brigham Young founded the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1860 in Amboy, Illinois, with Joseph Smith III as their president. Headquarters were later removed to Iowa and still later to Missouri, where a large auditorium and other facilities were built. There were approximately 220,000 members of the Reorganized Church in 1990.
The Utah Mormons colonized 350 settlements in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, and Idaho and established industries required for their relatively self-sufficient agricultural economy. Community growth and welfare were supported by a system of voluntary "consecrations" and tithing.
Although the Mormons had hoped to establish a state government, Congress instead set up Utah Territory (which included present-day Nevada). This meant that Mormon settlers had to deal with officers appointed by the president. Although Brigham Young was the first governor, most of the federal appointees were hostile to the Mormons, and few, from any point of view, were competent.
Because the Mormons failed to cooperate with the "outsiders," President James Buchanan, accusing them of being in "a state of substantial rebellion" in 1857, sent the U.S. Army to occupy the territory. The troops remained until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.
Federal appointees and visiting journalists complained of three problems: the attempt of the Mormons to control the political life of the territory at the expense of the non-Mormon minorities; exclusivist economic practices, which inhibited the activities of "outside" businessmen; and the practice of plural marriage, even if by only a small minority. Federal legislation was directed at each of these practices during the 1860s and into the 1880s, culminating in the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887. This act disincorporated the Mormon church, placed regulation of elections in the territory in the hands of a commission appointed by the U.S. president, disfranchised Mormon women (who had been given the vote in 1870), and required the seizure by the territorial marshal of all assets of the church, except chapels and burial grounds. After Mormon leaders agreed in 1890 to refrain from performing plural marriages, to disband the church's political party, and to disengage from church-supported business enterprises, Utah was granted statehood in 1896.
Mormon religious beliefs have continued in the twentieth century essentially as promulgated by Joseph Smith and his successors. A worldwide network of forty thousand voluntary (unpaid) missionaries, usually young people, has continued to preach the gospel in some 110 countries and make conversions. The membership of the church rose from 300,000 in 1900 to 700,000 in 1930, 3 million in 1970, and 7 million in 1990. Approximately half the membership is in the United States.
Mormons emphasize strong family life, the work ethic, education and group progress, and abstinence from tobacco, harmful drugs, and alcoholic beverages. The church operates Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; Ricks College, in Rexburg, Idaho; Brigham Young University (Hawaii Branch), in Laie, Hawaii; and other educational institutions in New Zealand, Mexico, and elsewhere. The church operates Institutes of Religion adjacent to most universities where college-level training in religious subjects is given, and seminaries adjacent to high schools where early-hour instruction is offered.
The local congregation, called a ward, consists of five to six hundred members in a given part of a city or settlement and is run by an appointed unpaid bishop. From five to ten wards make up a stake, with an appointed, unpaid stake president. The central church of the Latter-day Saints church, still headquartered in Salt Lake City, is headed by a president or prophet, with two counselors. The governing board of the church consists of the Council of Twelve Apostles, assisted by a Council of Seventies who hold various administrative posts. The Women's Relief Society is directed by a president and two counselors.
The church operates a daily newspaper, the Deseret News, a network of television and radio stations, a large printing establishment, and other enterprises to assist in its programs.
Bibliography:
James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints (1976); Leonard J. Arrington, Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints (1958; paperback ed., 1966); Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience: History of the Latter-day Saints (1979).
Author:
Leonard J. Arrington
See also Missionaries; Religion; Smith, Joseph; Young, Brigham.
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This article is about the history and use of the word "Mormon". For information about the religious beliefs and culture of Mormons, see Mormonism. For other uses, see Mormon (disambiguation).
Mormon is a term used to describe the adherents, practitioners, followers or constituents of Mormonism. The term most often refers to a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which is commonly called the Mormon Church. The LDS Church believes that "Mormon" may only properly be applied to its members; however, the term is occasionally used more broadly to describe any individual or group that claims belief in the Book of Mormon, including other Latter Day Saints groups. According to Latter Day Saint belief, Mormon is also the name of the compiler of the book of scripture known as the Book of Mormon.
Origin of the term
- See also: Book of Mormon
The term "Mormon" has its origins from the Book of Mormon, which is believed by Latter Day Saints to be a collection of writings and teachings of the ancient prophets and followers of Jesus Christ who lived in the Americas from approximately 600 B.C. to A.D. 421. Mormons believe that Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon into English by divine inspiration from golden plates that he received from the angel Moroni. Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon is another scriptural witness of Jesus Christ that is comparable to the Bible, which they also believe to be the word of God.[1] The book gets its name from Mormon, the prophet who abridged the record during the 4th century.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the earliest published usages of the term "Mormon" to describe believers in the Book of Mormon was in 1833 by the Louisville (Kentucky) Daily Herald in an article, "The Mormons and the Anti-Mormons".[2]
Popular usage
The term "Mormon" is most often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The LDS Church holds that it is incorrect to apply "Mormon" to other groups or their members.[3] The Associated Press Stylebook agrees, specifying that the term "Mormon" is not properly applied to other Latter Day Saint groups founded after the death of Joseph Smith, Jr.[4]
Nevertheless, the term is also often used to refer to fundamentalist groups who continue to practice plural marriage,[5] a practice that the LDS Church officially abandoned in 1890.[6][7] These groups, while numerically much smaller than the LDS Church, continue to use the term "Mormon" and claim to represent "true Mormonism" as taught and practiced by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
The term "Mormon" is generally disfavored by other denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, such as the Community of Christ, which has had a distinct history from that of the LDS church since Smith's death in 1844. On the other hand, the Strangite Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—with only a few hundred members—embraces the term, though the sect's existence is unknown to even the majority of LDS Church members.[citation needed]
The terms "Mormon" and "Mormonite" were first used in the 1830s as pejoratives to describe those who followed Joseph Smith and believed in the divine origin of the Book of Mormon. However, by the 1970s, "Mormon" had become so common and accepted that the LDS Church began to use the term in its radio and television Public Service Announcements, which ended: "A message from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: the Mormons."[citation needed]
"Mormon Church"
The official name of the Salt Lake City, Utah-based church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the term "Mormon Church" has long been attached to the church as a nickname, it is an unauthorized title, and its use is discouraged by the church, although the use of "Mormon" in other contexts is not generally considered offensive and is commonly used by members of the LDS Church.[8][9][10] Leaders of the LDS Church have encouraged members to use the church's full name to emphasize the church's focus on Jesus Christ.[11]
Scholarly usage
Some scholars, such as J. Gordon Melton, in his Encyclopedia of American Religion, subdivide the Mormons into Utah Mormons and Missouri Mormons. In this scheme, the Utah Mormon group includes all the organizations descending from those Mormons who followed Brigham Young to what is now Utah. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is by far the largest of these groups, and the only group to initially reside in Utah. The Missouri Mormons include those who chose not to travel to Utah, and the organizations formed from them — the Community of Christ, Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and others.
The terms "Utah Mormon" and "Missouri Mormon" are problematic because the majority of each of these branches' members no longer live in either of these U.S. states. Although a majority of Utahns are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the LDS Church has a worldwide membership with the majority of its members outside the United States. Nor are most "Missouri Mormons" based in Missouri. Notable exceptions include the Pennsylvania-based Church of Jesus Christ, which considers Sidney Rigdon to be Joseph Smith's rightful successor, and the Wisconsin-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), which considers James J. Strang to be Smith's rightful successor.
Addressing some of the limitations of the Utah/Missouri designations, some historians have now coined the terms Rocky Mountain Saints and Prairie Saints to rename the "Utah" and "Missouri" branches of the movement. These new terms have begun to gain a following among historians today, but similar to the above mentioned titles, they are not of common usage among the majority of those who call themselves Mormons.
Meaning of the word
In the May 15, 1843, issue of the Mormon periodical Times and Seasons published in Nauvoo, Illinois, Joseph Smith, Jr., wrote the following on the subject of the meaning of the word "Mormon" (T&S 13:194):[12]
To the Editor of the Times & Seasons:
Sir:—Through the medium of your paper, I wish to correct an error among men that profess to be learned, liberal and wise; and I do it the more cheerfully, because I hope sober-thinking and sober-reasoning people will sooner listen to the voice of truth, than be led astray by the vain pretensions of the self-wise. The error I speak of, is the definition of the word "Mormon." It has been stated that this word was derived from the Greek word "mormo." This is not the case. There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon. Let the language of that book speak for itself. On the 523d page, of the fourth edition, it reads: "And now behold we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters, which are called among us the 'Reformed Egyptian,' being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech; and if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in Hebrew: but the Hebrew hath been altered by us, also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold ye would have had no imperfection in our record, but the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also, that none other people knoweth our language; therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof."
Here then the subject is put to silence, for "none other people knoweth our language," therefore the Lord, and not man, had to interpret, after the people were all dead. And as Paul said, "the world by wisdom know not God," so the world by speculation are destitute of revelation; and as God in his superior wisdom, has always given his Saints, wherever he had any on the earth, the same spirit, and that spirit, as John says, is the true spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus, I may safely say that the word Mormon stands independent of the learning and wisdom of this generation.—Before I give a definition, however, to the word, let me say that the Bible in its widest sense, means good; for the Savior says according to the gospel of John, "I am the good shepherd;" and it will not be beyond the common use of terms, to say that good is among the most important in use, and though known by various names in different languages, still its meaning is the same, and is ever in opposition to "bad." We say from the Saxon, "good"; the Dane, "god"; the Goth, "goda"; the German, "gut"; the Dutch, "goed"; the Latin, "bonus"; the Greek, "kalos"; the Hebrew, "tob"; and the Egyptian, "mon." Hence, with the addition of "more," or the contraction, "mor," we have the word "mor-mon"; which means, literally, "more good."
JOSEPH SMITH.
Confusion with other religious groups
Despite some misconceptions over similar nicknames and stereotypes, Mormons are not in any way associated with the Quakers (members of the Religious Society of Friends), Mennonites, Amish, or Jehovah's Witnesses. Mormonism originated separately from these groups, and is distinct in culture, practice, theology, and worship.
Trademark
In some countries, Mormon and some phrases including the term are registered trademarks owned by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.[13][14] In the United States, the LDS Church has applied for a trademark on "Mormon" as applied to religious services; however, the United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected the application, stating that the term "Mormon" was too generic, and is popularly understood as referring to a particular kind of church, like "Presbyterian" or "Methodist", rather than a service mark.[15] The application is on appeal as of mid-2007.[16]
See also
- List of Latter-day Saints (well-known Mormons)
- Restorationism
References
- ^ Article of Faith #8
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. "Mormon".
- ^ Mormons and Polygamy, LDS News Room.
- ^ Associated Press, The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2002, ISBN 0738207403, p.48
- ^ The term "Mormon fundamentalist" appears to have been coined in the 1940s by LDS Church Apostle Mark E. Petersen: Ken Driggs, "'This Will Someday Be the Head and Not the Tail of the Church': A History of the Mormon Fundamentalists at Short Creek", Journal of Church and State 43:49 (2001) at p. 51.
- ^ The LDS Church now strictly prohibits polygamy and any member practicing it is subject to excommunication. For description of the dispute over the term "Fundamentalist Mormon," see Carrie Moore and Elaine Jarvik. "Plural lives: the diversity of fundamentalism", Deseret Morning News, 2006-09-09.
- ^ Some confusion has been caused in the media by fundamentalists clarifying their status as breakaway sects. The confounding of the term is similar in principle to the reciprocal excommunications of Roman and Greek Catholic pontiffs, with each sect claiming to be the original and authoritative church; this led to the originally external adoption of the distinctive labels "Roman Catholic" and "Greek Orthodox" for the sake of clarity among people not involved in schismatic propaganda.
- ^ LDS Church Style Guide.
- ^ Gordon B. Hinckley, "Mormon Should Mean 'More Good,'" Ensign, Nov. 1990, 51.
- ^ See Style Guide - The Name of the Church. Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
- ^ Russell M. Nelson, "Thus Shall My Church Be Called," Ensign, May 1990, 16.
- ^ Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 299-300
- ^ For example, "Mormon Tabernacle Choir" is registered as United States Federal TM Reg. No. 2766231, and "Mormon" is registered in the European Community serial number EC004306701, registered July 6, 2006
- ^ Intellectual Reserve is a corporation formed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to hold the church's intellectual property.
- ^ Office Action, Nov. 1, 2005.
- ^ Federal TM Ser. No. 78161091
External links
- LDS Newsroom LDS Church criticisms of the use of the word "Mormon" in news reports
- "The Mormons" - PBS Special can be watched online
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - mormon (rel.)
Nederlands (Dutch)
mormoon, mormoons
Français (French)
n. - Mormon
adj. - mormon
Deutsch (German)
n. - Mormone
adj. - mormonisch
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) Μορμόνος
adj. - των Μορμόνων
Português (Portuguese)
n. - mórmon (m)
adj. - mórmon
Русский (Russian)
мормон, многоженец
Español (Spanish)
n. - mormón
adj. - mormón, de la secta de los mormones
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - mormon
adj. - mormonsk
中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
摩门教徒, 一夫多妻主义者
中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 摩門教徒, 一夫多妻主義者
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - モルモン教徒, モルモン, 一夫多妻主義者
adj. - モルモン教の
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) مورمون وهي طائفه دينيه منسوبه لمؤسسها (صفه) المورمونيه
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