Chapter Fourteen - Mormons - The Sequel No One Saw Coming

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Mormons - The Sequel No One Saw Coming

YOU’VE HEARD OF the Bible.
Now meet The Book of Mormon.
America’s homegrown scripture, delivered by an angel, found on golden plates, and translated by a 19th-century teenager with a seer stone in a hat.

Welcome to the world of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons.

This is Christianity, reimagined through visions, revelations, family trees, ancient American prophets, and one very determined farm boy named Joseph Smith.

He was born in Vermont in 1805.
He came of age during America’s religious chaos known as the Second Great Awakening.
He claimed to have his first vision at age 14, where God the Father and Jesus appeared and told him all the churches were wrong.
He later said an angel named Moroni showed him the location of golden plates buried in a New York hillside.
He translated the plates into The Book of Mormon using a seer stone.
He founded a growing community of believers, faced intense persecution, and was killed by a mob in 1844 at age 38.

And yet, his movement survived.

And grew.

A lot.

The Book of Mormon claims to be another testament of Jesus Christ.
It claims to be a record of ancient American civilizations.
It claims to be written by prophets who left Jerusalem around 600 BCE and ended up in the Americas.
It tells a story of faith, warfare, prophecy, and Jesus visiting America after his resurrection.

To outsiders, it reads like biblical fan fiction meets ancient American epic.

To Mormons, it’s sacred scripture, on par with the Bible. But clearer, more direct, and restored through divine revelation.

LDS doctrine is a major remix of traditional Christianity.

They teach that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings.
They teach that God has a physical body and dwells in a literal place described in LDS scripture as being near a star called Kolob.
They teach that humans are spirit children of God, literally His offspring, sent to Earth to learn and grow.
They teach that Jesus is our older brother and that Lucifer was a sibling too.
They teach that the Fall of Adam and Eve was a good thing and necessary for progression.
They teach that salvation comes through grace, faith, and obedience, including temple rituals, baptism, and church membership.
They teach that modern prophets still receive revelation today.

They also teach that heaven has levels.
They teach that hell is temporary for most people.
They teach that families can be sealed together for eternity.
They expect missionary work, which is why you see the suits and name tags.

It’s Christianity with a cosmic upgrade and heavenly infrastructure.

Latter-day Saints meet weekly in local churches.

But temples are a different story. They’re set apart for sacred rituals like eternal marriage (sealing), baptisms for the dead, and anointings and covenants meant to prepare believers for exaltation.

You can’t just walk into a temple.
You need a “temple recommend,” proof of faithful living, tithing, and belief in church teachings.

To outsiders, it’s mysterious.
To insiders, it’s the holiest space on Earth.

The early Mormons were chased out of every state they settled in.
They finally trekked west, led by Brigham Young, and settled in Utah, where they could build a society of their own.

Today, the LDS Church is one of the wealthiest religious organizations in the United States.
It is globally present with over 17 million members.
It is highly organized, with detailed genealogical records, clean-cut missionaries, and stunning temples on nearly every continent.
It is still led by a living prophet and apostles in Salt Lake City.

It’s not just a faith. It’s a civilization.

Mormonism isn’t without controversy.

Polygamy was practiced by early leaders, including Joseph Smith.
It officially ended in 1890, though fundamentalist offshoots continue it.
Black members were banned from priesthood until 1978.
Gender roles remain strict, with male priesthood authority and female leadership in auxiliary organizations.
They believe all other churches are partially or wholly wrong, though they have softened that language in public messaging.
Temple rites, tight community structures, and the overall belief system can feel insular to outsiders.

Still, the LDS Church has worked hard to modernize its image, emphasize family values, and present itself as just another flavor of Christianity, even though doctrinally, it’s very much its own thing.

Mormons are extremely community-oriented.
They are disciplined, cheerful, and service-driven.
Many are multilingual because of mission work.
They are proud of their pioneers, temples, and moral code.
They are highly structured, and every role in the church is assigned and rotated.

They’re not just showing up on Sundays.

They’re building Zion.

Mormonism is bold.
It didn’t try to reform Christianity. It claimed to restore it.

New prophet.
New scriptures.
New cosmology.
New world order.

It’s not just a denomination.
It’s a new revelation.

And whether you believe it or not, they’re still knocking.