What Is Mormonism? A Timeline

It’s not often that historians get the opportunity to document the birth of a religion in play-by-play format. But given the young age of Mormonism, they have been able to do just that. Here’s a somewhat quick timeline designed for all those occasions you’ve asked yourself, What is Mormonism? You might find it glaringly incomplete, but as the Mormon Church tells its own story in expurgated fashion, that’s only fitting. To help out, I used this book by the gifted writer Jon Krakauer.

 

1805

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, is born in Sharon, Vermont.

 

1820

Smith has a vision of Jesus and God on his family farm in Palmyra, New York, about 20 miles east of Rochester.

 

1823

Smith is guided by an angel named Moroni to a nearby hill (known as Hill Cumorah), where a book made of golden plates is buried. After several annual meetings with the angel, Smith is able to take possession of the plates, which are apparently witnessed but eventually returned to the angel, leaving only replicas today.

The plates are written in reformed Egyptian—a language that has not been confirmed by archaeological or linguistic evidence—thereby requiring translation, a task that Smith willingly undertakes with the help of divinely endowed spectacles and a seer stone.

 

1826

Smith is arrested and charged for being a “disorderly person and an imposter” in regards to his claims that he can unearth buried treasure, an unproven skill for which he has been charging unsuspecting clients.

 

1830

Smith’s English translation of the golden plates is printed as The Book of Mormon. In the text, Smith tells of an ancient tribe from Jerusalem that made its way to the New World in approximately 600 BCE. Division among the group resulted in two factions, namely the light-skinned Nephites and the impious Lamanites who are cursed by God to have dark skin. Harmony was restored after Jesus made a post-Resurrection appearance in the Americas, only to give way to recurrent strife. Ultimately, in about 400 CE, the Lamanites—who became the ancestors of Native Americans—slaughtered the Nephites.

One of the last leaders of the righteous Nephites, Mormon, recorded their history on the aforementioned golden plates, handing them to his son Moroni—the last surviving Nephite—who would then bury them in Hill Cumorah and return 1400 years later as an angel to guide Smith to the buried treasure.

(No archaeological or DNA evidence corroborates this version of events.)

In the same year (1830), Smith incorporates his religion, known today as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with followers referred to as Saints and the organization as the LDS Church.

Not feeling particularly welcome in New York, Smith and his followers would eventually make their way to Ohio, Missouri, and back east to Illinois, specifically a city named Nauvoo.

 

1838

Three companies of the Missouri Militia launch a surprise attack on a Mormon settlement known as Haun’s Mill, killing 18. The Haun’s Mill Massacre remains an important talking point with regards to the persecution that Mormons have faced.

 

1843

Smith makes a critical recording in The Doctrine and Covenants (D & C), another key text in Mormon scripture where revelations made to the prophet by God are compiled. In Smith’s recording, known as D & C 132, God reveals the “new and everlasting” covenant of plural marriage, also known as polygamy.

 

1844

Smith announces his candidacy for the American presidency.

In the same year, he is imprisoned for destroying the printing press of the Nauvoo Expositor after the nascent newspaper publishes a piece criticizing Mormonism’s embrace of polygamy. While in prison, he is killed by an anti-Mormon mob.

At the time of his death, Smith is thought to have married between 33 and 48 women, the youngest having been 14 years old when tying the knot.

After a brief power struggle, Brigham Young becomes the leader (also known as President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator) of the group.

Several offshoots also form in the aftermath of Smith’s death, with the most prominent being one that is joined by Smith’s first wife and headed by his son. This entity later becomes the Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, Missouri, and serving as the second largest Mormon denomination today.

 

1847

Young and his followers enter the Salt Lake Valley, where they would settle and establish the LDS Church as a major player. The occasion is commemorated annually on July 24, known as Pioneer Day, an official holiday in the state of Utah.

 

1857 – 1858

The Utah War, occurring between Mormon settlers and forces of the US government, is resolved largely via negotiation. Unfortunately, along the way, concerns about the possibility of invasion lead Mormon militiamen to kill 120 members of a group passing through to California in what is called the Mountain Meadows Massacre. While the perpetrators initially attribute the occurrence to a tribe of Native Americans, the LDS Church issues a formal apology in 2007.

 

1875

Young establishes a university that carries his name. To this day, almost all students at Brigham Young University (BYU)—owned and operated by the LDS Church—are Mormon. Famous alumni include Ken Jennings (of Jeopardy! fame), Stephenie Meyer (author of the Twilight series), Dan Reynolds (lead singer of Imagine Dragons), Steve Young (former NFL quarterback), and Mitt Romney.

 

1877

Brigham Young dies. By the time of his death, he has married between 20 and 57 women and fathered perhaps 57 children.

 

1887

US Congress passes the Edmunds-Tucker Act in response to ongoing polygamy (which is illegal under federal law), thereby allowing Church holdings to be seized by the government. In 1890, with his back against the wall, then LDS President Wilford Woodruff issues the Woodruff Manifesto, commanding the Church to stop sanctioning plural marriage.

Today, the practice of polygamy continues to play a central role in the doctrine adhered to by so-called Mormon fundamentalists, who point to the fact that D & C 132 remains a part of Mormon scripture.

 

1978

LDS President Spencer W. Kimball has a revelation that Black men should be allowed to enter the priesthood. A similar revelation regarding women has not been forthcoming.

 

1993

Former BYU professor and historian D. Michael Quinn is excommunicated from the LDS Church for writing books that are construed as a threat to the history promoted by the Church. He later becomes openly gay, leading to speculation that his sexuality might have factored into the decision.

 

1997

The LDS Church publishes a manual entitled Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, in which Young is portrayed as being monogamous.

 

2021

The LDS Church reports having 16,805,400 members worldwide. At any given time, somewhere around 50,000 – 60,000 proselytizing missionaries are scattered across the globe, explaining the practice of Mormonism in nearly every country and the availability of The Book of Mormon in 115 languages.

Of course, all this work must be funded, and the LDS Church—thanks largely to tithes—does not lack for resources. Although not disclosed, annual revenue could be in the $7 billion range.

 

So what is Mormonism? To some it’s inspiring. To others it’s delusional. In other words, it’s a religion.