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114-496: The publication of Mormonism Unvailed is significant in Mormon history as it is considered to be the first anti-Mormon book. The book represented the first significant opposition to Mormonism by an author who had actually addressed the contents of the Book of Mormon . Of the many subjects discussed in the book, two had a significantly lasting impact. The first of these was the publication of

228-669: A 2001 chapel-bombing in Croatia. Although a position on anti-Mormonism is not part of the official doctrine of the LDS Church, it has been mentioned specifically in a number of general conference talks made by church general authorities . Marvin J. Ashton , speaking as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , began a fall 1982 conference by relating an experience he had with a protester outside Temple Square . He went on to declare "[t]o

342-493: A bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me. In New York and Pennsylvania , anti-Mormonism dealt mainly with issues including whether or not Smith actually had the gold plates ; whether those plates belonged to the people rather than Smith; whether or not Smith ever really had had visions (at least ones of theological import); Smith's treasure-digging episodes; and alleged occult practices by Smith. In Ohio , anti-Mormons focused on

456-558: A church history that included a more detailed account of his visits from the angel. In this text, Smith's scribe erroneously identified the angel as " Nephi ", which is the name of the Book of Mormon's first narrator. Smith's 1838 identification as "Nephi" was left unchanged when the 1838 history was published in 1842 in Times and Seasons , which Smith edited himself, and in Millennial Star . In

570-745: A community hundreds of miles away in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah . Beginning in 1849, every federally appointed official left Utah under duress. In 1857 President Buchanan concluded that the Mormons in the territory were rebelling against the United States . In response, President Buchanan sent one-third of the United States army to Utah in 1857 in what is known as the Utah War . Much of this anti-Mormon sentiment

684-550: A conversation that he states that he had with the father of Joseph Smith in June 1827. The story relates to Smith's claim to have seen an angel named Moroni at the time that he was attempting to retrieve from a stone box the Golden Plates from which the Book of Mormon is said to have been translated. According to Chase, there were certain requirements related to treasure-seeking that Smith had to fulfill so that he would be able to obtain

798-861: A deadlier form. In May 1989, members of a terrorist organization called the Zarate Willka Armed Forces of Liberation murdered two Mormon missionaries in La Paz, Bolivia. Another Bolivian terrorist group, the Tupac Katari Guerrilla Army , claimed responsibility for two attacks against Mormon chapels. The Lautaro Youth Movement in Chile conducted 27 small-scale bombings against LDS meetinghouses in 1992. The MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base lists 149 individual attacks that have been carried out against Mormon targets in Latin America since 1983. It also lists

912-465: A dozen years without seriously working but spent days and nights in seeking treasures and finding none." Smith himself wrote in his journal: "At the age of about ten years my Father Joseph Smith, Siegnior [Senior], moved to Palmyra, Ontario County in the State of New York. And being in indigent circumstances [we] were obliged to labour hard for the support of a large Family having nine Chilldren. As it required

1026-570: A friend to the Smiths' house to view it. The response related by Chase is that his friend said that Smith said, "I don't care who in the Devil it belongs to, you shall not have it." LDS scholars note that Chase's statements all represent second- or third-hand accounts. They also note that Chase was just as involved in treasure-seeking as Joseph Smith and so perhaps envied the seer stone once he became aware of its purported abilities. The Chase affidavit relates

1140-402: A great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create

1254-545: A history of her son. As a further complication, Mary Whitmer , mother to one of the Three Witnesses and four of the Eight Witnesses , said she had a vision of the golden plates, shown to her by an angel whom she always called "Brother Nephi", but never clarified or indicated whether she believed this was the same angel that Smith and others later reported as Moroni. Nevertheless, based on Smith's other statements that

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1368-407: A legitimate factual or religious debate. Eric Johnson, for example, makes a distinction between "personal animosity and intellectual dialogue". Johnson insists that he is motivated by "love and compassion for Mormons", and that while he "[might] plead guilty to being against Mormon ism ", he finds the suggestion that he is anti- Mormon "both offensive and inaccurate". Stephen Cannon elaborates, It

1482-517: A letter received from Charles Anthon on a visit made to him by Martin Harris. Harris showed him a copy of characters, reported to have been copied from the gold plates. Anthon states that he initially viewed this as a hoax and later decided it was a scheme to cheat Harris out of his money. Anthon described the characters as "evidently copied after the Mexican Calender given by Humboldt, but copied in such

1596-420: A number of affidavits and other statements related to the character of Joseph Smith and Martin Harris . The second significant item was the introduction of a popular early authorship theory for the Book of Mormon known as the " Spalding–Rigdon theory of Book of Mormon authorship ". The full title of the book is Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion from Its Rise to

1710-574: A number of points: notably for the vitriolic tone of some of their more polemical pieces, their resistance to change, and their unauthorized publication of several copyrighted documents. In recent years, however, the apologists' antagonism toward the Tanners has somewhat subsided. In their study of anti-Mormon "word games", for example, Daniel C. Peterson and Stephen D. Ricks have nothing negative to say about them. Instead, they enlist them as allies against New Age anti-Mormons like Ed Decker, whose fabrications

1824-435: A particular type of treasure guardian incompatible with an angel". Isaac Hale was the father-in-law of Joseph Smith Junior. Hale's affidavit concerns his belief that the story of the translation of the gold plates was a delusion on the part of Smith and his associates. Hale states: "I told them, that I considered the whole of it a delusion, and advised them to abandon it. The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret,

1938-631: A replica of the Dallin angel in the 1930s, but the casting of his angel wasn't placed on a temple until many years later. In 1983, castings of this angel were placed on the Idaho Falls Temple (8th operating temple) and the Atlanta Temple (21st operating temple). Millard F. Malin 's angel, which was placed on the Los Angeles Temple in 1953, is known as the second Angel Moroni statue. His angel

2052-443: A standard part of the temple architecture. The Quilter angels are made of fiberglass and covered with gold leaf. In 1998, with the construction of many new smaller temples, Quilter was commissioned to create a new angel. This angel was similar in design to his previous angels, but he gave Moroni a slightly larger build, with his left hand opened and his body turned slightly to show more action. The Bern Switzerland Temple 's Angel Moroni

2166-769: A statement condemning the "defacement and destruction of property." In November 2008, the United States Postal Service delivered envelopes containing white powder to two LDS Church temples —the Los Angeles California Temple and the Salt Lake Temple —and to the Knights of Columbus ' national headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut , prompting a hazardous materials response and a federal domestic terrorism investigation. The LDS Church blamed opponents of

2280-403: A stone box a few miles from Smith's home. Smith said that the same angel visited him various times over the course of the next six years; Smith also said that the angel visited him to retrieve the golden plates after Smith had finished translating a portion of the writing on the plates into the Book of Mormon. In addition to Smith, several other early Mormons said they had visions where they saw

2394-539: A way as not to betray the source whence it was derived." Anthon requested for his letter to be published immediately in case his name was mentioned again "by these wretched fanatics". The Howe/Hurlbut affidavits have continued over the years to provide a source of information for authors skeptical of the origins of the Book of Mormon and of the Latter Day Saint movement. Author Rodger I. Anderson, in his 1990 book Joseph Smith's New York Reputation Reexamined , supports

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2508-520: Is "traditional anti-Mormonism", typified by Rev. Wesley Walters , Jerald and Sandra Tanner , and Walter Martin . Anti-Mormons in this category generally try to explain Mormonism in naturalistic terms. They appeal to "Joseph Smith's environment and his (wicked or pathological) character, perhaps assisted by a co-conspirator or two", as a sufficient explanation for Mormon origins. "New Age anti-Mormonism", according to Peterson, "is quite different. It admits

2622-438: Is 5.5 meters high and weighs over 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg). The Seattle Washington , Jordan River Utah , and México City México temples each have a 4.6 meter casting of this statue. Karl Quilter sculpted his first Angel Moroni in 1978. Two sizes were made, one three meters high, the other just over two meters. These statues were designed to reduce the cost and weight of the previous Angel Moroni statues, in order to become

2736-463: Is a dignified, neoclassical angel in robe and cap, standing upright with a trumpet in hand. It stands 3.8 meters high, was molded in hammered copper from the plaster original, and was covered with 22-karat gold leaf. On March 18, 2020, the trumpet held by the statue of Angel Moroni on the Salt Lake Temple fell to the ground as a result of a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. Torleif S. Knaphus fashioned

2850-534: Is also helpful to know that Mormons are a group of people united around a belief system. Therefore, to be "anti-Mormon" is to be against people. Christians who desire to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Mormons are never to come against people of any stripe. Yes, evangelical Christians do have strong disagreements with Mormonism, but the argument is with a belief system and not a people. The LDS people are no better or no worse than any other group of people. Any dispute

2964-494: Is an angel whom Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter Day Saint movement , reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel Moroni was the guardian of the golden plates buried near his home in western New York, which Latter Day Saints believe were the source of the Book of Mormon . An important figure in the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, Moroni

3078-481: Is featured prominently in its architecture and art. Besides Smith, the Three Witnesses and several other witnesses also reported that they saw Moroni in visions in 1829. Moroni is thought by Latter Day Saints to be the same person as a Book of Mormon prophet-warrior named Moroni , who was the last to write in the golden plates. According to the Book of Mormon, the angel Moroni was a pre-Columbian warrior who buried

3192-457: Is named. Moroni may have been named after Captain Moroni , an earlier Book of Mormon figure. Before Mormon's death in battle, he passed the golden plates to Moroni. Moroni then finished writing on the plates and concluded the record, presumably burying them in the hill Cumorah in western New York. He is the namesake of the Book of Moroni in the Book of Mormon . Because of his instrumentality in

3306-489: Is satanic in nature, and that it is a political conspiracy by nature. Protesters have been visible as "street preachers" at LDS General Conferences , outside of LDS pageants, and temples. At the Sacramento temple, for example, protesters dispersed pamphlets to visitors who came to take a guided tour. They also held up signs directing people to websites critical of the LDS Church. Notably, protesters also made an appearance at

3420-447: Is to be a disagreement with the "ism", not the "Mormon". Even some members of the church who write negatively about it have had their writings labeled anti-Mormon. Ex-Mormons who write about the church are likewise frequently labeled anti-Mormon, even when their writings are not inflammatory in nature. The debate on who is "anti-Mormon" frequently arises in Mormon discussions of authors and sources. Stephen Cannon has argued that use of

3534-632: Is true that, just as some Mormons want nothing more than to ridicule and insult those with whom they disagree, some Christians have done the same. This is wrong and always will be wrong. Some other individuals have been seen throwing copies of the Book of Mormon on the ground, stepping on them, and portray using temple garments, which LDS hold sacred, as toilet tissue, and other similarly offensive actions. However, nearly every evangelical ministry, including those that actively challenge truth claims of Mormonism, vehemently condemns this sort of offensive and belligerent behavior, and further object to being placed in

Mormonism Unvailed - Misplaced Pages Continue

3648-534: Is used by some to describe all thought perceived as critical of the LDS Church. Siding with the latter, less-inclusive understanding of the term, Latter-day Saint scholar William O. Nelson suggests in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism that the term includes "any hostile or polemic opposition to Mormonism or to the Latter-day Saints, such as maligning Joseph Smith , his successors, or the doctrines or practices of

3762-568: The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. One group that actively organizes peaceful protests, a non-profit organization called Mormonism Research Ministry, insists that its activities are not "anti-Mormon". Our goal at MRM is not to be antagonistic. In fact, whenever a representative of MRM speaks publicly on this subject, we often emphasize how Christians should reflect a Christ-like attitude when sharing their faith. We must be firm in our convictions but compassionate and patient as well. ... It

3876-416: The Book of Mormon witnesses , as "perhaps the most infamous liars and impostors that ever breathed. ... By their deception and lies, they swindle them out of their property, disturb social order and the public peace, excite a spirit of ferocity and murder, and lead multitudes astray on the subject in which, of all others, they have the deepest interest." He voiced outrage at "the miscreants who are battening on

3990-490: The Utah Lighthouse Ministry . The Tanners' work has included "publishing [reprints of] many hard-to-find Mormon historical documents" and "[debating] virtually every significant topic in Mormonism". During their prolific career, they have published more than two hundred items on a variety of social, doctrinal, and historical issues. Despite the high caliber of some of their work, the Tanners have been criticized on

4104-729: The deification of man . After the destruction of the press of the Nauvoo Expositor and institution of martial law , Joseph Smith was arrested on charges of treason against the state of Illinois and incarcerated in Carthage Jail where he was killed by a mob on June 27, 1844. The persecution in Illinois became so severe that most of the residents of Nauvoo fled across the Mississippi River in February 1846. In 1847, Mormons established

4218-419: The "twin relics of barbarism" along with slavery . Modern-day opposition generally takes the form of websites, podcasts, videos or other media criticizing Mormonism, or protests at large Latter-day Saint gatherings such as the LDS Church's semiannual general conference , outside of Latter-day Saint pageants , or at events surrounding the construction of new temples . Non-Mormon critics generally believe that

4332-548: The 1980s largely as a result of the rise of Third-wave Pentecostalism and its emphasis on spiritual warfare . Traditional anti-Mormons, according to Peterson, are those who "are content to argue that Mormonism is untrue" and "incompatible with the Bible." While some may believe that Satan was indirectly involved in the founding of the LDS Church, they place little emphasis on his role. For them, naturalistic and historical explanations are always preferable to supernatural ones. Among

4446-572: The American standing army in 1857 to Utah in what is known as the Utah War . More recent persecution against Mormons in the U.S. has occasionally taken the shape of acts of vandalism against church property. At an LDS Church building in Orangevale , Sacramento County , vandals spray painted "No on 8" and "No on Prop 8" on the front sign and sidewalk. An affiliate group of the radical Trans/Queer organization Bash Back! , claims credit for pouring glue into

4560-478: The Anti-Mormons" (the article was also the first known to label believers in the Book of Mormon as "Mormons"). In 1841, it was revealed that an Anti-Mormon Almanac would be published. Mormonism had been strongly criticized by dozens of publications since its inception. In 1834, Eber D. Howe published his book Mormonism Unvailed . The Latter Day Saints initially labeled such publications "anti-Christian", but

4674-463: The Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates and it is historically accurate , and that Native Americans are descended from Israelites who left Jerusalem in 600 BC . The court case was tossed out before trial. A court judge called it an "abuse" of court process. Tangible acts of violence against Latter-day Saints are considerably less common in the United States today than they were in the 19th century. The first significant violent persecution occurred in

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4788-503: The Book of Mormon. Statues of the angel stand atop many LDS temples , with most statues facing east. In 2007, the LDS Church stated that an image of the angel Moroni in an advertisement violated one of the church's registered trademarks . Commenting on the name of the angel Moroni, Grant H. Palmer speculates that Smith had read of the city Moroni on the island Comoros from either a map or tales of Captain William Kidd , popular at

4902-498: The Church. Though sometimes well intended, anti-Mormon publications have often taken the form of invective, falsehood, demeaning caricature, prejudice, or legal harassment, leading to both verbal and physical assault." Many of those who have been labeled "anti-Mormon" object to the designation, arguing that the term implies that disagreement or criticism of Mormonism stems from some inherent "anti-Mormon" prejudice, rather than being part of

5016-553: The Hurlbut affidavits in Volume 2 of his compilation of early Mormon documents as the "Philastus Hurlbut Collection". Vogel cites Anderson's 1990 work as support for the validity of the documents. According to LDS scholars, author Grant Palmer relied extensively upon the Hurlbut affidavits in his 2002 book An Insider's View of Mormon Origins for the purpose of "overlaying run-of-the-mill treasure lore" onto Joseph Smith's original account of

5130-641: The Institutional LDS Church and its doctrines and policies. In March 2014, a court case was brought against LDS Church president Thomas S. Monson in the United Kingdom. Monson was accused by disaffected member Tom Phillips of breaching the Fraud Act 2006 . The summons alleged that two men were induced to pay tithes to the LDS Church by church teachings which are objectively untrue. The allegedly untrue teachings included that Joseph Smith translated

5244-516: The LDS church, he was a member of a Methodist congregation but was "expelled for unvirtuous conduct with a young lady". As a member, Hurlbut "immediately commenced his old practices, in attempting to seduce a young female ... for this crime he was immediately expelled from the church." In response to his expulsion from the church, Hurlbut "now determined to demolish, as far as practicable, what he had once endeavoured to build up". Hurlbut traveled to Palmyra and

5358-517: The Manchester treasure-seekers" as well as a Methodist class leader. The Willard Chase affidavit discusses the joint discovery that he and Joseph Smith made of a "seer" stone while they were digging a well together. Chase states that Smith claimed to be able to see things in the stone and that he allowed it to remain in Smith's possession for several years. Chase describes how he wanted the stone back and sent

5472-501: The Mormons were "the most vile, the most impudent, the most impious, knot of charlatans and cheat with which any community was ever disgraced and cursed." Antidote to Mormonism describes Mormons as "miserable enemies of both God and man—engines of death and hell." He described combat with them as being "desperate, the battle is one of extermination." Bushman describes the characteristics of these anti-Mormon materials as sensationalizing actuality: The critics' writings largely controlled

5586-507: The Nauvoo temple) and installed in January 1846. This figure was positioned in a flying horizontal position holding an open book in one hand and a trumpet in the other. Cyrus Dallin sculpted the first angel which was identified as Moroni. This angel was placed on the Salt Lake Temple during the capstone ceremony on April 6, 1892, one year to the day before the temple was dedicated. Dallin's design

5700-915: The Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought Before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published As a Romance . Howe introduces

5814-526: The Spalding theory as "a sheer fabrication". Winchester attributed the creation of the entire story to Hurlbut. In 1884 a Spalding manuscript, Manuscript Story — Conneaut Creek , was discovered and published. The manuscript is believed by some to bear no resemblance to the Book of Mormon story but is believed by others to contain parallels in theme and narrative. Anti-Mormon Anti-Mormonism includes people and literature that are critical, or opposed to,

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5928-526: The State." Three days later, a renegade militia unit attacked a Mormon settlement at Haun's Mill , resulting in the death of 18 Mormons and no militiamen. The extermination order was not formally rescinded until 1976. After the destruction of the press of the Nauvoo Expositor in Nauvoo, Illinois , Joseph Smith was arrested and incarcerated in Carthage Jail where he was killed by a mob on June 27, 1844. The persecution in Illinois became so severe that most of

6042-774: The Tanners have denounced on more than one occasion. Walter Martin , founder of the Christian Research Institute , was another traditional anti-Mormon. Martin was more controversial and contemptuous than others noted here. He portrayed Mormons as deceivers who "pose as Christians," calling them "anti-Christian" and "a cult infiltration." Martin also claimed that Mormons secretly harbor a "deep contempt for Christians," and accused them of being egomaniacs and "cultists". New Age anti-Mormons have generated considerably more controversy than traditional anti-Mormons. The most prominent of their number, Ed Decker , produced The God Makers and The God Makers II , and wrote books by

6156-398: The adherents, institutions, or beliefs of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole. It may include physical attacks, discrimination , persecution , hostility, or prejudice against Mormons and the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Opposition to Mormonism began before the first Latter Day Saint church

6270-495: The affidavits and contrasts the statements in them with statements made by Joseph Smith in his own published history. Anderson states that the affidavits "must be granted permanent status as primary documents relating to Joseph Smith's early life and the origins of Mormonism". LDS scholars respond that Anderson has "attempted to rescue the Hurlbut-Howe and other similar statements from the ravages of Mormon sophistry". Vogel presents

6384-482: The affidavits was to discredit the Smith family by emphasizing their treasure-seeking activities as a negative reflection upon their character. In doing so, some of those providing the statements revealed their own involvement with treasure-seeking as well. Martin Harris was also the subject of a number of these statements. Hurlbut had previously been excommunicated on charges of immorality. A contemporary author discusses Hurlbut's background and noted that prior to joining

6498-404: The angel Moroni. Three Witnesses said they saw the angel in 1829: Oliver Cowdery , David Whitmer , and Martin Harris . Other early Mormons who may have said they saw Moroni include: Mary Whitmer may also have seen Moroni, although she referred to the angel she saw as "Brother Nephi". According to the Book of Mormon, Moroni was the son of Mormon , the prophet for whom the Book of Mormon

6612-499: The angel was "Moroni," and based on both prior and later publications, most Latter Day Saints view Smith's 1838 identification of the angel as Nephi as a mistake on the part of the transcriber. In the version of Smith's 1838 history published by the LDS Church, as well as the portion canonized by that denomination as the Pearl of Great Price , the name "Nephi" has been changed by editors to read "Moroni". The Community of Christ publishes

6726-518: The angel was referring to himself as Moroni. Smith identified the angel as Moroni in 1835, while preparing the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants , in which he indicated a number of angels who would come to the earth after the Second Coming and drink sacramental wine with himself and Oliver Cowdery . Among those angels, the revelation listed "Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal

6840-480: The animal was an "enormous toad" which turned into a "flaming monster with glittering eyes". According to author D. Michael Quinn , early American folk traditions associate the toad with "Satanism, black magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. ... If anything changed from the appearance of a toad to the appearance of a person, that thing was an evil spirit, or a witch, or a bewitched person". It is suggested by LDS scholars that Chase and others "intentionally portrayed Moroni as

6954-423: The best interest of the Mormon at heart. Mormonism, or the Latter Day Saint movement , arose in western New York , the area where its founder, Joseph Smith , was raised, during a period of religious revival in the early 19th century. Smith claimed to have several visions involving God, Jesus and angelic Native American prophets. These claims were often not received well by those in the community, as evident in

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7068-445: The body of Mormons, and contained the contents of a debate between the author and Parley Pratt , with Pratt's side omitted. Bushman describes the author's rhetoric as indistinguishable from that uttered by "scores of other polemicists of his time," providing a glimpse into the kind of material considered anti-Mormon. The pamphlet described Joseph Smith as a "blockhead", a "juggling, money-digging, fortune-telling impostor" and, along with

7182-419: The book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel; to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim ". Around this time, Cowdery was writing a history of Smith in which he identified the angel as the prophet Moroni from the Book of Mormon. In July 1838, Smith wrote an article for the church periodical Elders' Journal , in the form of questions and answers, that stated

7296-501: The church's claims are false, that it is non-Christian, or that it is a religion based on fraud or deceit on the part of its past and present leaders. The FBI began tracking anti-Mormon hate crimes in the United States in 2015 and have noted an increase in incidents over time (through 2019). The term, "anti-Mormon" first appears in the historical record in 1833 by the Louisville ( Kentucky ) Daily Herald in an article, "The Mormons and

7410-425: The command of NEPHI and LEHI. They afterwards had quarrels and contentions, and separated into two distinct nations, one of which he denominated Nephites and the other Lamanites." Martha Spalding, John's wife, tells a similar story, and states that "the names of Nephi and Lehi are yet fresh in my memory, as being the principal heroes of his tale". Author Fawn Brodie expressed suspicion on the statements and claims that

7524-658: The early 1830s in Missouri . Mormons tended to vote as a bloc there, wielding "considerable political and economic influence," often unseating local political leadership and earning long-lasting enmity in the frontier communities. These differences culminated in the Missouri Mormon War and the eventual issuing of an executive order (since called the extermination order within the LDS community) by Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs , which declared that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from

7638-555: The eventual issuing of an executive order (since called the Extermination Order ) by Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs declaring "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State." Three days later, a renegade militia unit attacked a Mormon settlement at Haun's Mill , resulting in the death of 18 Mormons and no militiamen. The Extermination Order was not formally rescinded until 1976. In Nauvoo, Illinois , persecutions were often based on

7752-549: The exertions of all that were able to render any assistance for the support of the Family, therefore we were deprived of the bennifit of an education. Suffice it to say I was merely instructed in reading, writing, and the ground rule of Arithmatic which const[it]uted my whole literary acquirements." Willard Chase was a friend of Joseph Smith. According to one author, ordinary people at the time had "no difficulty blending Christianity with magic" and described Chase as "the most vigorous of

7866-472: The following excerpt from Smith's account of LDS Church history: ... one of the Methodist preachers ... treated my communication ... with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them. I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited

7980-454: The following statement: "We, the undersigned, being personally acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, sen. with whom the celebrated Gold Bible, so called, originated, state: that they were not only a lazy, indolent set of men, but also intemperate; and their word was not to be depended upon; and that we are truly glad to dispense with their society". One LDS scholar points out the contradiction that "the large household of ten Smiths survived

8094-503: The following: Question 4th. How, and where did you obtain the book of Mormon? Answer. Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from whence the book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, as a resurrected being, appeared unto me, and told me where they were; and gave me directions how to obtain them. However, on May 2, 1838, a few months before Smith's statement in Elders' Journal , Smith began dictating

8208-400: The foundation of Salt Lake City . Mormons are presented as violent, rigidly intolerant and corrupt, systematically terrorizing both members of the church and non-Mormon neighbors as well as forcing polygamous marriage on Mormon girls against their will. Later in his career, Conan Doyle apologized to the Mormons for his depiction of their religion. During a 1923 tour of the United States, Doyle

8322-494: The golden plates. After he died, he became an angel who was tasked with directing Smith to their location in the 1820s. According to Smith, he then returned the golden plates to Moroni after they were translated and, as of 1838, Moroni still had the plates in his possession. Initially, when talking about his receipt of the golden plates, Smith referred only to "an angel" without identifying its name. Thus, in an 1831 letter from Lucy Mack Smith to her brother, she discusses Moroni as

8436-433: The ignorance and credulity of those upon whom they can successfully play off this imposture." He described the Book of Mormon as, "the most gross, the most ridiculous, the most imbecile, the most contemptible concern, that was ever attempted to be palmed off upon society as a revelation." He believed the religion "can be viewed in no other light than that of monstrous public nuisances, that ought forthwith to be abated" and that

8550-659: The ill-fated banking efforts of the Kirtland Safety Society and other failed economic experiments including the United Order . In Missouri , once the gathering place of the Latter Day Saints, Mormons tended to vote as a bloc, wielding "considerable political and economic influence," often unseating local political leadership and earning long-lasting enmity in the sometimes hard-drinking, hard-living frontier communities. These differences culminated in hostilities and

8664-554: The influence of treasure hunting on Smith's actions. LDS scholars respond that Vogel "fails to see how weak and vague these charges are" and point out that for the majority of the treasure hunting expeditions described, Smith is not even recorded as having been present. Furthermore, in an earlier collection of Mormon documents which he edited, Vogel opined, "the collection of affidavits gathered in 1833 by Doctor Philastus Hurlbut ... shed no light on Mormon origins." Hurlbut heard of an unpublished romance novel by author Solomon Spalding as he

8778-467: The label is a "campaign by Latter-day Saints to disavow the facts presented by simply labeling the source as 'anti-Mormon'". Critics of the term also claim that Mormon authors promote the ideal of a promised heavenly reward for enduring persecution for one's beliefs. Those individuals and groups who challenge Mormonism, particularly those who approach the challenge from an evangelical Christian perspective, would generally sustain that they do, in fact, have

8892-406: The latter, an editorial referred to the 1823 vision and praised "the glorious ministry and message of the angel Nephi". In 1851, after Smith's death (1844), the identification as "Nephi" was repeated when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) published its first edition of the Pearl of Great Price . It was also repeated in 1853 when Smith's mother Lucy Mack Smith published

9006-525: The lives of their unsuspecting victims. Joseph Smith became the worst of the type—a religious fraud who preyed upon the sacred yearnings of the human soul. British author Arthur Conan Doyle 's A Study in Scarlet (1887), the novel in which the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance, includes a very negative depiction of the early Mormon community in Utah after its migration westwards and

9120-540: The locks of an LDS Church building and spray painting on its walls. An internet posting signed by Bash Back!'s Olympia chapter said: "The Mormon church ... needs to be confronted, attacked, subverted and destroyed." According to the Chicago Tribune , the acts of vandalism against the LDS Church appear to be in retaliation for support of Proposition 8. Police reported that nine church buildings were also damaged in Utah that month. The Anti-Defamation League released

9234-485: The marriage ban for sending the hoax mailings , while a group that also supported the measure condemned "acts of domestic terrorism against our supporters." LGBT rights groups, such as Equality Utah and Equality California , have spoken out against the use of violence in protests, and note that the source of the "white powder" mailings has not been determined. In Latin America, however, opposition to Mormonism has taken

9348-470: The most prominent of the traditional anti-Mormons are Jerald and Sandra Tanner. Both former members of the LDS Church, the Tanners converted to evangelical Protestantism; in 1964, they founded the Modern Microfilm Company to "document problems with the claims of Mormonism and to compare LDS doctrines with Christianity." In 1983, they turned their company into a non-profit organization and renamed it

9462-415: The original story, including the identification of "Nephi", but indicates "Moroni" in a footnote. In one of Smith's histories, he described him as an "angel of light" who "had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen .… His hands were naked and his arms also a little above the wrists .… Not only was his robe exceedingly white but his whole person

9576-459: The person who buried the plates, but does not identify him as the unnamed "holy angel" that gave Smith the means to translate the golden plates . In Smith's 1832 (second hand, but officially authorized) history, he said he was visited by "an angel of the Lord ", who mentioned the Book of Mormon prophet "Moroni" as the last engraver of the golden plates; however, that account did not mention whether or not

9690-452: The plates. One statement attributed by Chase to Joseph Smith, Sr., is that Smith, Jr., "saw in the box something like a toad, which soon assumed the appearance of a man, and struck him on the side of his head". Years later, Chase's brother-in-law, Benjamin Saunders, claimed that he heard the story directly from Joseph Smith. By 1893, Saunders's nephew was "quoting" Joseph Smith as having said that

9804-573: The presence of supernatural events in the founding events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is quite willing to acknowledge continuous supernatural influence in the life of the Church today." However, "unlike faithful Latter-day Saints, New Age anti-Mormons see the supernatural agents involved in the founding and progress of the Church as demonic, occultic, diabolical, luciferian." This "New Age anti-Mormon" grouping includes Ed Decker , Loftes Tryk, James R. Spencer and many others. According to Introvigne, New Age anti-Mormonism emerged in

9918-520: The publication of the Almanac and the subsequent formation of an " Anti-Mormon Party " in Illinois heralded a shift in terminology. "Anti-Mormon" became a common self-designation for those opposed to the religion. Today, the term is primarily used as a descriptor for persons and publications that are active in their opposition to the LDS Church, although its precise scope has been the subject of some debate. It

10032-471: The reading public's image of [Joseph Smith] for the next century, with unfortunate results for biographers. The sharp caricature of "Joe Smith" as fraud and con man blotted out the actual person. He was a combination of knave and blockhead. No one had to explain what motives drove him. He was a fixed type, the confidence man, well known in the literature of antebellum America. Americans knew all about these insidious scoundrels who undermined social order and ruined

10146-425: The recovery of the golden plates . Author Dan Vogel repeatedly used the statements in the Hurlbut affidavits and Mormonism Unvailed in his 2004 biography Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet . In that book, Vogel proposes that Joseph Smith created the Book of Mormon and founded a church to save his family from poverty. The statements contained in the affidavits are used as sources to support Vogel's assertion of

10260-512: The residents of Nauvoo fled across the Mississippi River in February 1846. Even after Mormons established a community hundreds of miles away in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, anti-Mormon activists in Utah Territory convinced U.S. President James Buchanan that the Mormons in the territory were rebelling against the United States; critics pointed to plural marriage as a sign of the rebellion. In response, President Buchanan sent one-third of

10374-483: The restoration of the gospel, Moroni is commonly identified by Latter Day Saints as the angel mentioned in Revelation ;14:6 , "having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." The image of the angel Moroni blowing a trumpet is commonly used as an unofficial symbol of the LDS Church. Moroni appears on the cover of some editions of

10488-496: The same category as those few who engage in such behavior. As a result of organized protests at Mormon events, a number of Latter-day Saints, and even non-Mormons, have begun to counter-demonstrate at events (by singing hymns, for example). Opposition to Mormonism has been more prominent in the 21st century from atheist perspectives. Richard Dawkins , Bill Maher and John Dehlin are among those who more prominent individuals who have used media appearances or podcasts to oppose

10602-403: The same name. The God Makers has attracted criticism not only from Latter-day Saints, but from traditional anti-Mormons as well. The film is generally considered acerbic and misleading, and has provoked bomb threats against LDS meetinghouses and death threats against members. In other publications, Decker has asserted that the literal source of Mormonism is Satan , that its religious symbolism

10716-536: The section containing the affidavits by stating: "We next present to the reader a few, among the many despositions which have been obtained from the neighborhood of the Smith family, and the scene where the far famed Gold Bible had its pretended origin." The affidavits attesting to the character of Joseph Smith were collected by Doctor Philastus Hurlbut. The affidavits themselves are not known to exist outside of their printing in Mormonism Unvailed . One purpose of

10830-450: The snares of the wicked one, and have been left destitute of the Spirit of God, to manifest their wickedness in the eyes of multitudes. From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions ... "When once that light which was in them is taken from them, they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened, and then, no marvel, if all their power should be enlisted against

10944-488: The source of Hale's statement other than to state that it was "[a]ffirmed to and subscribed before me, March 20, 1834. Charles Dimon, J. Peace" of Susquehanna County, approximately one-and-a-half months before its publication in the Susquehanna Register . Howe's introduction to the affidavit section of his book implies that all statements (including Hale's) contained therein were obtained as "depositions". Lucy Harris

11058-432: The source of at least some anti-Mormon and apostate groups, relates an experience of a Mormon convert being excommunicated and encourages the avoidance of "those who would tear down your faith.” A passage from an early Mormon epistle addresses a claimed tendency of ex-Mormons to criticize the church of which they are no longer a part: [A]postates after turning from the faith of Christ ... have sooner or later fallen into

11172-418: The style of the statements was too similar and displayed too much uniformity. Brodie claimed that Hurlbut did a "little judicious prompting". Howe concluded that Joseph Smith and Sidney Ridgon plagiarized a Spalding manuscript and then produced the Book of Mormon to make money. Hurlbut obtained a manuscript from Spalding's widow and provided it to Howe in 1833 before the publication of Mormonism Unvailed . Howe

11286-476: The surrounding regions at the request of an Ohio anti-Mormon committee for the purpose of "collecting statements disparaging to the Smith name". LDS scholars have challenged the Hurlbut affidavits, claiming that they appear to contain "selected rather than random comments" and that they "appear to be hearsay and gossip rather than a reflection of firsthand knowledge". Eleven residents of the Manchester area signed

11400-489: The tendency of Mormons to "dominate community, economic, and political life wherever they resided." The city of Nauvoo had become the largest in Illinois, the city council was predominantly Mormon, and the Nauvoo Legion (the Mormon militia ) had grown to a quarter of the size of the U.S. Army . Other issues of contention included polygamy , freedom of speech , anti-slavery views during Smith's presidential campaign, and

11514-493: The theory, "he would not have made strenuous efforts to recover Spalding's manuscript". Eight of the affidavits acquired by Hurlbut from Spalding's neighbors stated that there were similarities between the story and the Book of Mormon. An example is the statement of Solomon Spalding's brother John, which declared that Spalding's manuscript, referred to as Manuscript Found , "gave a detailed account of their journey from Jerusalem, by land and sea, till they arrived in America, under

11628-436: The time. According to Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley , the use of "mor" in the Book of Mormon is an Egyptian word, and means "beloved, good, everything nice and desirable." The Nauvoo Temple was the first Latter Day Saint temple to be crowned with a figure of an angel. This angel, not officially identified as Moroni, was a metal weathervane with gold leaf on the trumpet. It was designed by William Weeks (architect of

11742-546: The truth," and they, Judas like, seek the destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors. In 1985, Vaughn J. Featherstone, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of the LDS Church, addressed students at the church-owned Brigham Young University , calling anti-Mormon material "theological pornography that is damaging to the spirit." Angel Moroni The angel Moroni ( / m oʊ ˈ r oʊ n aɪ / )

11856-539: The world, and especially to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" that "there is no time for contention," and encouraged "all our members to refuse to become anti-anti-Mormon. In the wise words of old, can we 'live and let live'?" Carlos E. Asay of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy spoke in the fall 1981 conference concerning opposition to the LDS Church. He describes " Lucifer " as

11970-496: Was cast in aluminum, stands 4.7 meters high, and weighs 953 kilograms. It has Native American features, wears a Mayan style cloak, and holds the gold plates in its left hand. Avard Fairbanks sculpted the third Angel Moroni statue, which was placed on the Washington D.C. Temple , dedicated in 1974. This angel was created as a one-meter model which was sent to Italy where it was enlarged, cast in bronze, and gilded. The finished statue

12084-406: Was established in 1830 and continues to the present day. The most vocal and strident opposition occurred during the 19th century, particularly the forceful expulsion from Missouri and Illinois in the 1830s and 1840s, during the Utah War of the 1850s, and in the second half of the century when the practice of polygamy in Utah Territory was widely considered by the U.S. Republican Party as one of

12198-402: Was expressed in publications during the early part of LDS Church history. In his 2005 biography of Joseph Smith, Richard Lyman Bushman cites four 1838 pamphlets as anti-Mormon: Mormonism Exposed by Sunderland, Mormonism Exposed by Bacheler, Antidote to Mormonism by M'Chesney, and Exposure of Mormonism by Livesey. The first was the work of Origen Bacheler, who had no direct contact with

12312-408: Was glorious beyond description". According to Smith's sister Katharine , the angel "was dressed in white raiment, of whiteness beyond anything Joseph had ever seen in his life, and had a girdle about his waist. He saw his hands and wrists, and they were pure and white". Smith said that on the night of September 21, 1823, Moroni appeared to him and told him about the golden plates that were buried in

12426-653: Was invited to speak at the LDS Church's Salt Lake Tabernacle ; while some individual Mormons remained deeply upset over the negative depiction, in general, the Mormons present received him warmly. Vehement opposition to the LDS Church comes from individuals or groups associated with the Christian countercult movement , which is mostly an evangelical Christian phenomenon. In the 21st century, opposition to Mormonism has become frequent among Secular groups. Among those with religious motives, Daniel C. Peterson has identified two major streams of modern anti-Mormon thought. The first

12540-412: Was once worth ten thousand dollars. She stated, "If he had labored as hard on his farm as he has to make Mormons, he might now be one of the wealthiest farmers in the country." She stated the Harris's motivation in being associated with Mormonism was to make money. She also accused her husband of beating her with a whip and implied that he was having an affair with a neighbor, Mrs. Haggard. Howe includes

12654-429: Was the former wife of Martin Harris. While she was married to Martin Harris, Lucy Harris once claimed to have a dream in which she said that she saw the gold plates. She thus offered Joseph Smith a gift of $ 28 to help finance the Book of Mormon translation. She was also involved in the lost 116 pages incident. Harris's affidavit claims that her husband "was once industrious attentive to his domestic concerns" and that he

12768-494: Was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with the stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods!" One author suggests that the Isaac Hale affidavit was not obtained by Hurlbut but was instead published first in a local newspaper, the Susquehanna Register , on 1 May 1834 and that Howe simply reprinted the letter in Mormonism Unvailed . Howe does not single out

12882-399: Was touring Pennsylvania giving lectures against Mormonism. Hurlbut concluded that the description of the story in the manuscript bore some resemblance to that of the Book of Mormon. Author Dan Vogel suggests that Hurlbut was not the originator of the theory, noting that Hurlbut pursued that in response to what he had heard about the manuscript and suggests that had Hurlbut been the inventor of

12996-454: Was unable to find the alleged similarities with the Book of Mormon that were described in the statements and instead argued that there must be a second Spalding manuscript that was now lost. After the publication of Howe's book in 1834, the Spalding manuscript in his possession was either lost or suppressed. In 1840 Benjamin Winchester , who personally knew Hurlbut, published a book rejecting

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