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Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

After atrocities were committed both by the Mormons and the State Militia, the church moved again. Their destination was Commerce IL, which Smith renamed Nauvoo. It was in Nauvoo that the Law of Jacob (that men should take many wives) and the Law of Sarah (that women must stoically accept polygamy) were first widely practiced. Joseph Smith himself assigned women to the Mormon men, a process called sealing.

At the age of38, Smith decided to run for the presidency of the US. After a local newspaper (the Nauvoo Expositor) was critical ofhis political platform, he ordered his followers to destroy the presses. Smith and his brother Hyrum were arrested for the crime. A mob later broke into the jail and killed them both.

As with many religious organizations, the death of the founder provoked a crisis. Most of the church members elected Brigham Young (1801-1877) as the second president of the church. A minority split from the main body and created the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-Day Saints under the leadership of Joseph Smith III and Emma Smith (the son and wife of the founder). Other smaller splinter groups were the Bickertonites, the Strangites and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).

Young led most of the church on a long and difficult trip to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, where they established Salt Lake City. Mormon anger against the Gentiles (non-Mormons) remained high. With the apparent knowledge of Brigham Young, a group of Danite Mormons and Paiute Indians deceived and attacked a group of 137 emigrants from Arkansas; all were killed except for children under the age of 10. This act caused an increased federal presence in Utah which reduced the church's political power.

The Mormon practice of polygamy was countered by the federal Edmunds Act of 1882. Multiple attempts to have Utah recognized as a state failed because of that practice. Finally, in 1890, the Mormons received a revelation from God that outlawed polygamy. The fourth president of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, issued a manifesto (called the "Great Accommodation") in 1890 which banned polygamy. Utah became a state six years later. Many small Mormon splinter groups formed at this time; some in Utah and British Columbia still engage in polygamy. (Polygamy is against the law in theory but legal in practice in British Columbia; the Attorney General of the province recently elected to not pursue a charge of bigamy because it would probably conflict with the religious freedom provision in Canada's constitution).
During the 20th century, the church maintained a dominant role in the state of Utah. More federal political pressure was felt by the church in the 1970's over the church's institutionalized racism. The Book of Mormon limited the advancement within the church by blacks or by persons with black ancestors. The LDS's tax exempt status was threatened by this policy. A new revelation from God was received in 1979 which abolished racism within the church and preserved their tax status.

Mormon Religious Texts
The Mormons recognize two texts as the revealed word of God:
     - the King James translation of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures
     - the Book of Mormon, as translated from the original golden plates and published in 1830.
      In addition, the following books are considered authoritative writings, but are not considered the revealed word of God:
     - Doctrine and Covenants, a group of 138 revelations given to Joseph Smith by God, and two declarations which have been revealed to         the church since Smith's death.
     - The Pearl of Great Price, a compilation of revisions to the King James Version of the Bible and additional revelations from God. It                  concludes with the Mormon 13 Articles of Faith.
     - Journal of Discourses is a group of writings from General Authorities, who were close associates of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
     Mormon Church Organization

The church is organized like a pyramid:
     - the "family" level is composed of a husband, wife and children; the husband is in very definitely
       in charge
     - level two are the "wards" which correspond to churches in Roman Catholicism, and are each headed by a male bishop.
     - level three are the "stakes" which correspond to Catholic dioceses, and are each headed by a male president.
     - level four is are "lesser Quorums of the Seventy" which are controlled by
                     D - the "First Quorum of the Seventy, which is controlled by
                     D - the "Quorum of the Twelve", which is controlled by
     - the "First Presidency" which consists of "The Prophet" and two counselors.
     Women are excluded from this chain of command. New members are nominated to vacant positions. The membership confirms their                selection at annual meetings without debate.

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