Mormonism

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Mormonism, particularly following the death of its founder Joseph Smith in 1844, as this created a struggle for succession which brought about a change of traditions. The paper, therefore, explores the ways in which Mormonism has changed since 1844. The paper then looks at a convoluted intersection of four competing, but closely related religious identities and two of the most contested places that are associated with these identities.

From the Paper:

"There are just two important points that must be considered concerning the name that the church had before 1844. The first is that there were various changes made, principally in response to the revelations. One of the ways to interpret the changes is to think that the church was looking for an identity of its own within the larger religious setting of America. Second, precise details of the changes are contested (Olsen & Dallen, 2002). Critically and specifically, there is debate among the Mormon churches that concerns the precise name that was being used during the time that Smith was murdered (Raento & Watson, 2000). The issue of the name during 1844 is considered to be critical, because the different groups are attempting to lay claim to the idea that each one of them is the one true church (Shipps, 2000). When they do that, they see the use of the name that was used in 1844 as very desirable. It has also been noted that many of the groups that have survived into present day still maintain, for various reasons, that they are in fact the true successor to the church, or that they are a small fragment of the church, which has been seen to continue without any kind of interruption (Olsen & Dallen, 2002)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Clark, David L. 2001. Earning Respect in Wisconsin: Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Mormons. Journal of Mormon History 27(1): 165-191.
• Graham, Brian, G., Ashworth, J. & Tunbridge, J.E. 2000. A Geography of Heritage: Power, Culture and Economy. London: Arnold.
• Olsen, Daniel H., & Dallen, J. Timothy. 2002. Contested Religious Heritage: Differing Views of Mormon Heritage. Tourism Recreation Research 27(2): 7-15.
• Raento, Paulina, & Watson, Cameron J. 2000. Gernika, Guernica, Guernica? Contested Meanings of a Basque Place. Political Geography 19: 707-736.
• Russell, William D. 2002. King James Strang: Joseph Smith's Successor? In Mormon Mavericks: Essays on Dissenters, edited by J. Sillito and S. Staker, 131-157. Salt Lake City: Signature Books.

More papers on Mormonism:

• Analytical Essay # 140740 : "Joseph Smith and Mormonism"
• Analytical Essay # 146807 : "Mormonism and Christian Faiths"
• Essay # 52600 : "The Origins and Importance of Mormonism"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: