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Definition: Mormons from Philip's Encyclopedia

Adventist sect, the full name of which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was established (1830) in Manchester, New York, USA, by Joseph Smith. Believing that they were to found Zion, or a New Jerusalem, Smith and his followers moved west. They tried to settle in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, but were driven out. Joseph Smith was murdered in Illinois in 1844. Brigham Young then rose to leadership, and in 1846-47 took the Mormons to Utah.


Mormonism

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Mormonism is a nickname given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded in the 1820s under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr. Those who belong to the church base their faith on both the Bible and the Book of Mormon (1830), prepared by Smith from earlier sacred texts revealed to him through angelic intervention in Palmyra, New York. Mormonism raises essential questions for a definition of America generally and especially for American studies. Precisely because the Americanness of Mormonism has been contested throughout much of its history, by politicians and by other faith communities, Mormonism reveals a great deal about American self-concepts. Through its history Mormonism alternatingly has been described as the epitome of anti-Americanness and as quintessentially American. For one hundred years after its founding in 1830, it was portrayed as being far outside the mainstream, even assailed by critics as a cult. Mormonism also is frequently labeled fundamentalist, …
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Full text Article MORMONISM

From International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in 1830. By the year 2000, there were more than 11 million church members, who are commonly referred to as Latter-day Saints (LDS) or Mormons. International expansion of the church has been significant since 1960 when 90 percent of the…
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormonism) was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Smith claimed to have received visions from God and angelic visitations. According to Mormon teaching, Smith received from an angel an ancient record engraved on metal plates which he translated and…
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Full text Article Mormons

From Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
Mormons travel in a caravan of covered wagons,...
Mormons are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and smaller, related groups. Unlike members of other Protestant churches, they view their founder, Joseph Smith, who established the LDS Church in 1830 in upstate New York, and his…
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Full text Article MORMONS

From The Reader's Companion to American History
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…
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Full text Article THE MORMONS

From The Handy Answer Book Series: The Handy Christianity Answer Book
The founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of...
Joseph Smith (1805–1844) founded Mormonism, which became the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church). He claimed to have had several visions, including one with the angel Moroni who directed him to find buried golden plates. In 1830 Smith published what he claimed was a…
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Full text Article Mormon

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Member of a Christian sect, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , founded at Fayette, New York, in 1830 by Joseph Smith . According to Smith, who had received visions and divine revelations during the 1820s, Mormon was an ancient prophet in North America whose hidden writings, the Book…
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Full text Article Mormon

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of a sect closely related to it (e.g., the Community of Christ ). The Mormon religion was founded by Joseph Smith , who claimed to have received an angelic vision telling him of the location of golden plates containing God’s revelation; …
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Full text Article MORMONS

From The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales
The popular name for adherents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, founded by Joseph Smith (1805-44) at Manchester, New York State, in 1830. The Church’s beliefs are based upon the contents of The Book of Mormon , a document Smith claimed had been revealed to him by an angel named…
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Full text Article MORMONS

From The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories
Joseph Smith (left) abandoned a dubious business...
Mormonism–or the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS)–is an offshoot of mainstream Christianity conceived by “prophet” Joseph Smith, Jr., in the early 19th century. According to Smith, as explained in the 1830s, he experienced a series of visions including personal conversations with Jehovah, JESUS…
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Full text Article Mormons

From The Great American History Fact-Finder
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a religious sect founded by Joseph Smith in western New York in 1830. He published the six-hundred-page Book of Mormon the same year. Their beliefs made Mormons unpopular with their neighbors in the early years. Following the murder of…
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