About Mormons

Before I get into where I come from in all this, I want to explain first about the Mormon church to any that may wonder what exactly it's all about.  Undoubtedly most people have heard of mormons, but in my experience, that's a very limited view they hold.  Most folks associate the mormons as polygamists, while never really understanding what the modern Mormon is.  For my purposes, when I speak of Mormons, I refer to those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  On the outside, they are wonderful people, but their deeply held convictions will always cause many of them to be innately bigoted.  So, if you've ever wondered about the mormons, here you go.... (the official Mormon story)

It all started in the year 1820......

It was a time of great religious revival.  All the big name christian sects were there, fighting to win souls for Jesus.  This also caused a great deal of confusion for the young 14 year old Joseph Smith.  Joseph went to church with his mother and found himself most fond of the Methodists, although he claims to never join a single congregation.  He wanted to do it right, but had not the answers.  He conferred with the Bible for his answers and read about asking God in faith.  He did just that one morning, and his life would change forever.

As he prayed in the forrest near his home in upstate New York, Joseph was enveloped with a brilliant light, which produced two beings who introduced themselves as God and Jesus.  They told Joseph that all these churches were posers, and none of them had the Truth.  Joseph was told to join NONE of them, but that he would be used to bring about the Truth which was lost long ago.  With his new found purpose, Joseph returned to his life and awaited further instructions.

Some time later, as Joseph was a little older, he was visited by an angelic being that called himself Moroni.  Moroni revealed to Joseph that he died long ago in North America, as the last remnant of a race of people who knew the Truth.  But fear not, Moroni had a book, a bound collection of Golden Plates rather, that were hidden conveniently nearby his home.  This message was repeated several times throughout the night and following day, and Joseph was once again told to hurry up and wait, as he was not ready to obtain these Plates.

Eventually, he did, and he was in possession of the Gold Plates Moroni had promised him.  Joseph claimed these were a record of a tribe of people that fled Jerusalem and sailed to America at the command of God around 600 B.C.E.  This tribe splintered and over the next thousand years warred with each other until that last of the "good" side was killed.  Joseph was said to translate this record into a book known today as The Book of Mormon.

Joseph obtained a following and later organized a bonafide church that eventually rested on the name "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints".  This following grew exponentially and moved from New York to Ohio to Missouri then to Illinois where Joseph finally met is demise.  Of course, that wasn't the end of the Mormons.  They would splinter from there, with the bulk heading westward at the command of Brigham Young to settle modern day Salt Lake City, Utah.

There's many more details omitted from this tale.  Both negative and positive details.  During my recollections of my life in the church and out, I should cover many of these things.  For now, this is sufficient and gives you a basic understanding of where Mormons originated.  Until next time, live life and enjoy reason.