Mormons
Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons
In 1820 AD, a boy named
Joseph Smith, who was fourteen years old, lived in a small town in New York
State. He was upset when he realized that different Protestant ministers
in his town had different ideas about God and how to worship God - the Presbyterians
thought one thing, while the Methodists said something else. He went into
the woods to pray alone for God to tell him which was the right answer.
But instead, God told Joseph that none of these ministers was right, and
he should start his own church.
Joseph waited until he grew up, and then in 1830, when he was 24 years old, he got together with 56 other men and women and he did start his own church, which he called the Church of Latter-Day Saints. They published a book of their beliefs called the Book of Mormon. According to Joseph, he and his friend Oliver Cowdery got the power to baptize people directly from appearances of ancient Christian figures like John the Baptist, Peter, and Elijah.
Joseph waited until he grew up, and then in 1830, when he was 24 years old, he got together with 56 other men and women and he did start his own church, which he called the Church of Latter-Day Saints. They published a book of their beliefs called the Book of Mormon. According to Joseph, he and his friend Oliver Cowdery got the power to baptize people directly from appearances of ancient Christian figures like John the Baptist, Peter, and Elijah.
Joseph Smith, and the people who joined his church,
believed that God wanted their church to go back to the way Christianity
was in the time of Jesus.
They thought that over time the teachings of Jesus had gotten mixed up with
Greek philosophy and
other new ideas, and so by now Christian churches were doing everything
wrong, and God wanted the Mormons to go back and begin again.
Other Christians living nearby didn't like being told that they were doing everything wrong, and they tried to get rid of the Mormon people. Sometimes Protestant people put Mormon people in jail or killed them. The Mormon people moved from town to town, going further and further west, trying to find a place where they could live in peace. When they were in Illinois (ill-inn-OY), in 1844, the police arrested Joseph Smith and put him in jail, and the angry people of the town broke into the jail and killed Smith. He was only 38 years old. (This sort of thing often happens to prophets of new religions: check out for example the life of Jesus, or Zoroaster, or Socrates, or Paul, or Confucius.)
Other Christians living nearby didn't like being told that they were doing everything wrong, and they tried to get rid of the Mormon people. Sometimes Protestant people put Mormon people in jail or killed them. The Mormon people moved from town to town, going further and further west, trying to find a place where they could live in peace. When they were in Illinois (ill-inn-OY), in 1844, the police arrested Joseph Smith and put him in jail, and the angry people of the town broke into the jail and killed Smith. He was only 38 years old. (This sort of thing often happens to prophets of new religions: check out for example the life of Jesus, or Zoroaster, or Socrates, or Paul, or Confucius.)
Brigham Young
So the Mormons chose a new leader, Brigham Young (BRIG-am
yung) and left Illinois. In 1847, Brigham Young decided that the Mormons
should move way out west to Utah, where the Ute
people lived. Utah was part of Mexico at this time. In the next year, though,
Utah became part of the United States of America as part of the treaty that
ended the Mexican-American war. There was a long war between the Utes
(who wanted to keep their land), the Mormons (who wanted to settle on that
land), and the United States government (who wanted to keep power over Utah
themselves).
One of the things the Mormons believed was that each man should be able to have as many wives as he wanted (this is called polygamy). The United States government, because most of the people in it were Protestants, thought that was wrong, and they wouldn't let the Mormons become a state until they gave up polygamy.
By 1896 the wars were over. The Utes lost and the survivors had to move to reservations. Most of the Mormons agreed to a compromise with the United States Government where men would not marry more than one woman, and Utah became a state where most of the people living there were Mormons.
One of the things the Mormons believed was that each man should be able to have as many wives as he wanted (this is called polygamy). The United States government, because most of the people in it were Protestants, thought that was wrong, and they wouldn't let the Mormons become a state until they gave up polygamy.
By 1896 the wars were over. The Utes lost and the survivors had to move to reservations. Most of the Mormons agreed to a compromise with the United States Government where men would not marry more than one woman, and Utah became a state where most of the people living there were Mormons.
These Mormons thought that believing that Jesus was the son of God was the main
way to get into Heaven. People who wanted to become Mormons were baptized
by getting entirely into a pool of water (not just their heads). Most Mormon
kids were baptized when they turned eight years old, because Mormons thought that
was when kids are old enough to tell right from wrong. After you had been baptized, you got a
blessing from a priest which let you have the Holy Ghost by your side to watch over you and
take care of you for your whole life.
People who were Mormons went to church on Sundays, and often also on other days during the week. They took communion in much the same way as Protestant church members did, and sang hymns (songs) and had sermons. They also had Sunday School classes for both kids and adults.
Mormon people led healthy lives with no drinking alcohol (like beer or wine), no smoking, no tea or coffee, and no drugs (like marijuana or cocaine). They were not supposed to get tattoos or piercings. They were not supposed to gamble, or to have sex before they were married. Most Mormons had many children, and spent a lot of time with their families.
People who were Mormons went to church on Sundays, and often also on other days during the week. They took communion in much the same way as Protestant church members did, and sang hymns (songs) and had sermons. They also had Sunday School classes for both kids and adults.
Mormon people led healthy lives with no drinking alcohol (like beer or wine), no smoking, no tea or coffee, and no drugs (like marijuana or cocaine). They were not supposed to get tattoos or piercings. They were not supposed to gamble, or to have sex before they were married. Most Mormons had many children, and spent a lot of time with their families.
