Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Origins of Mormonism Research Paper

Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Origins of Mormonism - Research Paper Example Currently, the religious group of Mormons has expanded to a greater extent and known as the Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter- day Saints with its thirteen million members. Out of these thirteen million members of this group, more than half are outside the US territory. Beside the group the Latter- day Saints, another smaller group which is known as Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints (RLDS) has membership of 250,000 members in more than fifty countries. The headquarter of the Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter- day Saints is situated in the Salt Lake City and directing a worldwide movement- a strong missionary force composing of fifty thousand members both male and female. The Mormons use to wear their special conservative dresses and can be identified easily. Although Mormonism supports the original traditions of Christianity and works out for the restoration of ancient Christian’s faith, it also holds a wide range of distinctive practices a nd doctrines. Beside its faith on various practices and doctrines, Mormons have also strong beliefs on holy writ and holy books. As far as the origin of Mormonism is concerned, there are several links and set of various associations and stories related to the originator of Mormonism- Joseph Smith. The most widely distributed concept about Smith is that he maintained a claim that the angels directed him towards gold plates. He translated the scripture of these gold plates as the religious Book of the Mormons. Later on in 1840s, Smith instituted the concept of polygamy among his devotees and finally, in 1844- at a very young age, Smith was murdered by a non- Mormon enemy. Brigham Young was the successor of Smith and led Mormonism after the death of Joseph Smith. Currently, the efforts of Brigham Young have proved to develop a strong hierarchical system controlling the church from top to bottom. The followers of Joseph Smith’s faith are known as Mormons and their faith is called Mormonism. In the beginning, the term Mormons was considered negative and uncomplimentary. Later on, it was not like that; however, Mormons most often prefer to be known as Later- Day Saints (LDS) (Russell Ballard, 2). The Mormons as well as the Latter Day Saints, both, share a common set of ideas. These generally include the ultimate belief in Bible and religious scripture like the Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormons. The teachings of eternal progression and marriage and polygamy were ultimate parts of their religious teachings. However, in the late 19th century, Latter Day Saints have abandoned the practices of plural marriages in Mormonism. Some other variations of Mormons include the cultural Mormonism and fundamentalism in Mormons. Cultural Mormons are more concerned about their cultural and traditional traits than theology. On the other hand, fundamentalists in Mormons still practice the concept of polygamy that was initially the concept in Mormonism and later on disco ntinued by the Latter Day Saints. Beginnings Joseph Smith born in 1814, resided with his family members in Windsor. This is the only authentic trace about Smith’s family. Smith always cradled on Green mountains and roam freely to explore the narrow gullies and deep ravines. He always love to explore the snow covered mountains and broad lands. He spent the younger years of his life with curiosity- in search of the soul of the world (Belisle & Joseph Smith, 17- 18). This is known as historical faith of Smith where he explored the facts of