Anti-Mormonism In America
Anti-Mormonism in America is a unique case of religious intolerance. The Mormons were discriminated almost only because of their religion and beliefs. In the early 1800s, most of the intolerance against the Mormons was violent. Although these violent actions were commonly inspired by the media. The attackers justified themselves by portraying Mormons as a threat to society and their leader as too powerful. The Mormons evaded conflict at first by moving west, but as tensions grew, they fought back harder and harder. Amongst their fellow Americans, they were functioning members of society and culturally identical. But even when the Mormons seemed to fit in so well, they were pushed away (Cater, para. 6). Mormonism started within the States in
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the late 1820s to early 1830s. The founder of this religion, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), began the Mormonism movement in 1820 when he had a vision of Jesus Christ and God the Father telling him that past revelations had been misinterpreted by the world. Initially, Smith’s alleged vision did not sit well with many the people of New York, which started intolerance against Mormons. Further opposition was sparked as he made more claims of seeing visions of the supernatural (Corrigan 73). Corrigan explains Smith’s religious publishing and the founding of his church:
In 1830, Smith published what he called a translation of the writing on the golden plates, titling it the Book of Mormon. Smith immediately sought converts and founded the Mormon movement, which eventually became the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Corrigan 74).
Smith was even charged with vagrancy and being an impostor (Corrigan 74).
As public tensions rose, the Mormons felt the need to move west to Ohio.
Contrary to their hopes of having a peaceful life after making the move, Ohioans almost immediately showed the same hostility as the New Yorkers. The community at large did not like to see this new group’s leader having such an enormous reign of power. In an effort to expel the Mormons from their land, locals beat and tarred and feathered Smith and his partner. In the coming years Smith would make pilgrimages further west in an attempt to avoid conflict with locals while seeking a place for his people to truly call home. He called this mystical place the “City of Zion”. Smith was assaulted again in Independence, Missouri, where locals also burned homes belonging to the Mormons (Corrigan 74). In 1834, E.D. Howe published a book directly against Mormonism. His book made claims that Smith created the Book of Mormon by plagiarizing stories from a fictional novel. Howe goes on to describe that Smith’s driving motive for creating such works is to trick his followers into handing over their property to him (Corrigan 74). Corrigan points out that multiple anti-Mormon works soon followed in Howe’s …show more content…
footsteps:
Numerous other anti-Mormon publications followed, such as a cluster of pamphlets in 1838 railing against the fraud that had been perpetrated upon religiously unsophisticated or uneducated persons. Such writings stressed that Mormonism was a “false religion” and that its founder was an impostor (Corrigan 74).
Aside from these publications being generally full of hatred for the Mormons, they capitalized on the fact that Americans at the time defined religion as having to make sense and that it must be reasonable. Such published accusations against Mormonism made it fake, especially to 19th century Americans who believed that if any religion did not make sense, then it must not be a real and genuine religion (Corrigan 75).
Anti-Mormonism in America is a unique case of religious intolerance.
Unlike other cases, the Mormons weren’t discriminated because of race or color, but almost only because of their religion and beliefs. A majority of the intolerance incidents against Mormonism were violent, however many of these violent actions were fueled by the media. The assailants felt justified because they saw Mormonism as a threat to their community. At first, Mormons chose to run away from conflict, then fought back with violence as tensions rose. Within their society, they were a culturally normal and integrated people, and yet they were rejected (Cater, para.
6).
the late 1820s to early 1830s. The founder of this religion, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), began the Mormonism movement in 1820 when he had a vision of Jesus Christ and God the Father telling him that past revelations had been misinterpreted by the world. Initially, Smith’s alleged vision did not sit well with many the people of New York, which started intolerance against Mormons. Further opposition was sparked as he made more claims of seeing visions of the supernatural (Corrigan 73). Corrigan explains Smith’s religious publishing and the founding of his church:
In 1830, Smith published what he called a translation of the writing on the golden plates, titling it the Book of Mormon. Smith immediately sought converts and founded the Mormon movement, which eventually became the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Corrigan 74).
Smith was even charged with vagrancy and being an impostor (Corrigan 74).
As public tensions rose, the Mormons felt the need to move west to Ohio.
Contrary to their hopes of having a peaceful life after making the move, Ohioans almost immediately showed the same hostility as the New Yorkers. The community at large did not like to see this new group’s leader having such an enormous reign of power. In an effort to expel the Mormons from their land, locals beat and tarred and feathered Smith and his partner. In the coming years Smith would make pilgrimages further west in an attempt to avoid conflict with locals while seeking a place for his people to truly call home. He called this mystical place the “City of Zion”. Smith was assaulted again in Independence, Missouri, where locals also burned homes belonging to the Mormons (Corrigan 74). In 1834, E.D. Howe published a book directly against Mormonism. His book made claims that Smith created the Book of Mormon by plagiarizing stories from a fictional novel. Howe goes on to describe that Smith’s driving motive for creating such works is to trick his followers into handing over their property to him (Corrigan 74). Corrigan points out that multiple anti-Mormon works soon followed in Howe’s …show more content…
footsteps:
Numerous other anti-Mormon publications followed, such as a cluster of pamphlets in 1838 railing against the fraud that had been perpetrated upon religiously unsophisticated or uneducated persons. Such writings stressed that Mormonism was a “false religion” and that its founder was an impostor (Corrigan 74).
Aside from these publications being generally full of hatred for the Mormons, they capitalized on the fact that Americans at the time defined religion as having to make sense and that it must be reasonable. Such published accusations against Mormonism made it fake, especially to 19th century Americans who believed that if any religion did not make sense, then it must not be a real and genuine religion (Corrigan 75).
Anti-Mormonism in America is a unique case of religious intolerance.
Unlike other cases, the Mormons weren’t discriminated because of race or color, but almost only because of their religion and beliefs. A majority of the intolerance incidents against Mormonism were violent, however many of these violent actions were fueled by the media. The assailants felt justified because they saw Mormonism as a threat to their community. At first, Mormons chose to run away from conflict, then fought back with violence as tensions rose. Within their society, they were a culturally normal and integrated people, and yet they were rejected (Cater, para.
6).