Why was Joseph Smith so important in the history of Mormonism?

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  • Created on: 16-04-13 19:29
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  • Why was Joseph Smith so important in the history of Mormonism?
    • He started the Mormon religion
      • He claimed  to have seen a vision of an angel called Moroni in 1823
        • Moroni  told Smith to find some gold plates hidden on a hillside
          • Translations were published in the Book of Mormon in 1830
            • It told the story of how Jesus had visited America after the Resurrection, and also how three of the lost tribes of Israel had come to America, from which the Indians descended
            • The followers of the Mormon religion increased rapidly after this
    • Establishing Nauvoo as an independent city state in 1839
      • In 1844, Nauvoo was the largest city in Illinois
      • Nauvoo was described as the best built city in the West
      • They tried to create an ideal society
      • People came over from Europe
        • They were mostly poor and downtrodden but they converted to mormonism
          • Now there were over 35,000 mormons
    • He was the reason why the Mormons had to head west
      • He made some fatal mistakes
        • He allowed Mormons to practice polygamy
          • Why Americans hated the Mormons
            • The Mormon's efforts to convert people raised fears of rapid expansion and annoyed non-converts
            • Political aspirations threatened non-believers with religiously inspired legislation
              • He planned to run for President of the USA
                • Everyone turned against him
                  • He was killed
                    • The new leader decided that the Mormons couldn't live peacefully in the East
                      • They decided to move west, to Salt Lake City
            • Mormons raised an army and police (the Danites) and there was violence against dissenters
            • Claims to be the chosen ones of God made the Mormons seem arrogant
            • Individual ownership is pivotal to American culture. Ironically, working as a community made them wealthy - this alsom annoyed non-Mormons
          • Polygamy was seen as scandalous. Many thought it was as bad as slavery
            • Why Americans hated the Mormons
              • The Mormon's efforts to convert people raised fears of rapid expansion and annoyed non-converts
              • Political aspirations threatened non-believers with religiously inspired legislation
                • He planned to run for President of the USA
                  • Everyone turned against him
                    • He was killed
                      • The new leader decided that the Mormons couldn't live peacefully in the East
                        • They decided to move west, to Salt Lake City
              • Mormons raised an army and police (the Danites) and there was violence against dissenters
              • Claims to be the chosen ones of God made the Mormons seem arrogant
              • Individual ownership is pivotal to American culture. Ironically, working as a community made them wealthy - this alsom annoyed non-Mormons

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