Their History is Sacred

I am reading Brigham Young, the third biography of his life. 

I was struck by this passage: 

For the Latter-day Saints, their history is sacred. Mormons venerate their ancestors who first responded to the gospel, who pioneered there way across the American continent, and their church devotes considerable resources to maintaining its historical sites, preserving its documents, and defending the reputation of its former leaders. 

My family belongs to a smaller Mormon church (the RLDS) but their attitudes are similar.