The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), colloquially known as the Mormon Church, is a restorationist Christian denomination that emerged in the United States during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. From its humble origins with just six original members in 1830, the LDS Church has grown to become a global faith tradition with over 17 million adherents as of 2023.[^1] Mormonism‘s remarkable growth and cultural influence make it a compelling case study in the history of American religion.
Historical Context: The Second Great Awakening
To understand the rise of Mormonism, one must first examine the religious ferment of the Second Great Awakening (c. 1790-1840). This period of Protestant revivalism sought to reinvigorate American Christianity through emotional preaching, mass conversions, and a focus on personal piety. The Second Great Awakening gave birth to numerous reform movements like abolition and temperance as well as new religious groups like the Disciples of Christ and Seventh-day Adventists.[^2]
One hotspot of religious innovation during this time was the "Burned-over District" of western New York, so named for the intensity of revivalism that had "burned over" the region. This area witnessed the rise of several unorthodox Christian sects and communal societies like the Shakers and Oneida Community. It was also the birthplace of Mormonism, which began with the reported visions of a young farm boy named Joseph Smith.
Founding and Early History
In 1820, the fourteen-year-old Smith claimed to receive a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ in response to his prayer about which church to join. Three years later, Smith said he was visited by an angel named Moroni who revealed the location of an ancient record engraved on golden plates buried in a nearby hill.
Smith published the Book of Mormon in 1830, which he said was a divinely inspired translation of the golden plates‘ reformed Egyptian text. The Book of Mormon tells the story of ancient Israelites who sailed to the Americas around 600 BC and established a Christian civilization that was later visited by Jesus Christ after his resurrection.
On April 6, 1830, Smith organized the Church of Christ (later renamed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in Fayette, New York with just six initial members. The fledgling faith faced intense opposition and violence in its early years as Smith and his growing band of followers moved from New York to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. In 1844, Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered by a mob while imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois.[^3]
Westward Migration and Early Utah Period
After Smith‘s death, Brigham Young emerged as the leader of the main body of Latter-day Saints. Seeking to escape further persecution, Young led an epic westward migration of Mormon pioneers to the Great Basin region of the American West. The first pioneer company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, a date still celebrated annually as Pioneer Day in Utah.
Under Young‘s leadership, the Mormons established hundreds of settlements stretching from Idaho to Southern California. They also openly practiced plural marriage or polygamy, which Smith had introduced privately in the early 1840s. This practice sparked decades of conflict with the U.S. government, which saw polygamy as a threat to Victorian family values and the political and economic dominance of the Mormon hierarchy.[^4]
Membership Growth of the LDS Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1830 | 6 |
| 1844 | 26,146 |
| 1890 | 188,263 |
| 1930 | 670,017 |
| 1960 | 1,693,180 |
| 1990 | 7,761,207 |
| 2023 | 17,177,123 |
Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In 1890, church president Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto, officially ending the practice of polygamy and paving the way for Utah statehood in 1896. This shift allowed the LDS Church to assimilate more fully into the American mainstream, although it still faced suspicion from many traditional Christians who saw Mormonism as a non-Christian cult.
20th Century Developments
The 20th century witnessed a major transformation of the LDS Church from a regional subculture concentrated in the Intermountain West to a global faith with an international membership. Several key factors contributed to this growth:
- An ambitious missionary program that sent young Mormons around the world to seek converts
- Increased emphasis on the family, including "family home evenings" and genealogical research
- The standardization of church curricula and programs to create a uniform experience for members
- Improved public relations and media savvy on the part of church leaders[^5]
One pivotal moment came in 1978 when the LDS Church lifted its long-standing restrictions on people of African descent receiving the priesthood or participating in temple ordinances. This change opened the door for significant growth in Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean. As of 2023, over 60% of the global Mormon population resides outside the United States.[^6]
Distinctive Beliefs and Practices
While Mormons consider themselves Christians and affirm many traditional Christian teachings, LDS theology departs from mainstream Protestantism and Catholicism in some notable ways. These include:
- Rejection of the traditional doctrine of the Trinity in favor of three distinct divine personages
- Belief in a Heavenly Mother as the spouse of God the Father
- The potential for humans to become exalted to godhood in the afterlife
- A graded view of the afterlife with three levels or "degrees of glory"
- Belief in continuing revelation through modern prophets and apostles
- The performance of temple ordinances like eternal marriage and proxy baptism for the dead.[^7]
Participation in temple rites is reserved for adult members in good standing who adhere to the church‘s lifestyle standards, including abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea. The church also promotes a strong code of sexual morality that prohibits same-sex relationships and sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman.
Mormons place a high value on education, self-reliance, and community service. The church operates an extensive social welfare system to care for the needy, as well as universities, hospitals, and cultural sites. Mormon women are celebrated as wives and mothers but barred from the priesthood offices open to male members ages 12 and up.
Conclusion
From its visionary origins in the Burned-over District of upstate New York to its current status as a growing global religion, Mormonism has left an indelible impact on the American religious landscape. While it continues to face challenges and controversies, the LDS Church has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and thrive in the face of social change. As historian Jan Shipps put it, Mormonism is "a new religious tradition" that "has endured for nearly two centuries…by continually adding new revelations and new interpretations to old revelations."[^8] For scholars of American religion, the story of the Latter-day Saints offers valuable insights into the dynamic interplay of faith, culture, and identity in the modern world.
[^1]: "Statistical Report, 2021," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, April 2022, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/april-2022-general-conference-statistical-report.[^2]: Nathan O. Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), 220-226.
[^3]: Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 550-552.
[^4]: Sarah Barringer Gordon, The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth-Century America (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002), 1-11.
[^5]: Armand L. Mauss, The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994), 22-25.
[^6]: "Facts and Statistics," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accessed April 25, 2023, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics.
[^7]: Douglas J. Davies, An Introduction to Mormonism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 87-113.
[^8]: Jan Shipps, "Mormonism: An Independent Interpretation," in Judd and Lacey, eds., Religion in America (New York: Routledge, 2020), 455-473.
