Mormonism

My religious family has been writing emails back and forth, with unusual intensity. They think their little church may recover after all - because it has a prophet at its head!

There is nothing I can say to them about this - they have their own ideas, and I would be foolish try to change them. But I can write in this little blog, and explain what is going on to you.

It all goes back to the founder of their religion, Joseph Smith. who thought he had special talents - that he never had at all, but he did have the talent of making other people believe in him.

He began as a person who could see buried treasure. Many people at the time, thought treasure had been buried somewhere in the fields of New York State - and they were digging trenches in their fields, in an effort to find it. But they needed someone to show them where the treasure was, and Joseph was just such a person. He had a special stone, he would put in his hat, then put the hat on his head, covering his eyes with it. He could then see where the treasure was.

But he had a problem - this practice was illegal! And a preliminary hearing was held, to see if he should be tried for this crime. But he left the state, and the trial was never held.

What to do next? He was the kind of person who concentrates on deceiving other people - a fairly common type, actually. And he next came up with the idea of writing a book, using his special powers to translate, from the plates of ancient book that had been reveled to him. The living room of their home was divided by a blanket that hung from the ceiling. Joseph on one side of the room, would dictate the contents of his new book - and a person on the other side of the room, would write down what he said. 

Eventually this was printed, and was called the Book of Mormon. How this could impress anyone, is a complete mystery to me, and to many other people of the time. But some people took to it instantly, and took it England (at their own expense) to show people there. And it was obvious to them, that it was divine scripture.

No one has done an analysis of who these English people were - but they knew Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God - and they wanted to come to America, and become his followers. And this they proceeded to do - in considerable numbers. Joseph Smith found himself the head of a new church - The Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-Day Saints - usually abbreviated to LDS.

His church moved many times - to Ohio, to Missouri, and then to Illinois. Where he was killed by an angry mob, in 1844.