MORMON

a member of any of several denominations and sects, the largest of which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that trace their origins to a religion founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in about 1830. The religion these churches practice is often referred to as Mormonism. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the principal formal body embracing Mormonism, had more than 9,700,000 members by the late 20th century and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. About 50 percent of the church's members live in the United States, with the rest in Latin America, Canada, Europe, and parts of Oceania. The next-largest Mormon denomination, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is headquartered in Independence, Mo., and had a membership exceeding 200,000 in the late 20th century. Mormonism was founded in upstate New York by Joseph Smith after he had allegedly translated by revelation the Book of Mormon, which recounts the history of certain tribes of Israel that migrated to America centuries before Christ and underwent experiences similar to those recounted in the Old Testament. The religion Smith founded had its origins in the millennial enthusiasm of the early 19th century. Mormonism proclaimed a new dispensation and the restoration of the true church, i.e., the primitive Christian church, since it viewed the various Christian denominations as having strayed from the true faith. The Mormons believe that spiritual perfection and thus godhood can be attained through a process of spiritual evolution. They are millennialists, that is, they believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which will usher in a 1,000-year period of peace under his rule. The Mormons gave millennialism the goal of building up Zion in the American West under prophets to whom were revealed not only theological truth but also day-to-day practical guidance. They devised new secular institutions, including collective ownership (later changed to a system of tithing) and polygamy, which was practiced by Smith himself and by most leading Mormons until, under pressure from the federal government, the practice was given up. The Mormon way of life is still distinguished by order and respect for authority, church activism, strong conformity within the group, and vigorous proselytizing and missionary activities. Additional reading An excellent sociological treatment of Mormonism is Thomas F. O'Dea, The Mormons (1957, reissued 1964). Jan Shipps, Mormonism (1985), argues that Mormonism is separate from the Judeo-Christian tradition. The church's 19th-century history is treated in Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism (1984); Marvin S. Hill, Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism (1989), setting the early history of Mormonism in the larger context of contemporary American religious experience; Klaus J. Hansen, Mormonism and the American Experience (1981), analyzing the cross-influence of the early church and American culture in the formative period 18201890; and Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience, 2nd ed. (1992), a topically arranged interpretive history to the turn of the century. Thomas G. Alexander, Mormonism in Transition (1986), examines the church's changing positions on various issues during the critical period 18901930. Daniel H. Ludlow (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vol. (1992), is a well-organized reference work with numerous entries on contemporary topics; it is written primarily by Mormons.