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Anti-Mormonism
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Anti-Mormonism
Anti-Mormonism refers to individuals, literature, and media that are opposed to the beliefs, adherents, or institutions of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole. It may include hostility, prejudice, discrimination, persecution, and violent physical attacks targeting Mormons and the Latter Day Saint movement.
Opposition to Mormonism began before the first Latter Day Saint church was established in 1830 and continues to the present day. The most vocal and strident opposition occurred during the 19th century, particularly the forced expulsion from Missouri following the 1838 Mormon War, 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 condemned by the majority of Americans. Opponents of polygamy believed that polygamy forced wives into submission to their husbands and some described polygamy as a form of slavery.
The largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Modern-day opposition generally takes the form of websites, podcasts, videos or other media primarily criticizing the LDS Church, or protests at its large gatherings, such as its semiannual general conference, outside of Latter-day Saint pageants, or at events surrounding the construction of new temples. Scholars hold that the church's historical claims are false, while some non-Latter-day Saint Christians teach that the faith is non-Christian. Critics claim that it is a religion based on fraud or deceit on the part of its past and present leaders.
Most Americans accept Mormonism as a valid faith, and in 2012, the US presidential candidate Mitt Romney's membership in the LDS Church was described as "non-issue" in that year's election. Despite this, the percentage of Americans who stated that they would not be willing to vote for a Mormon president had increased from 25% in 2008 (Romney's first candidacy) to 34% in 2012.
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 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.
Dozens of publications had strongly criticized Mormonism since its inception. In 1834, Eber D. Howe published his book Mormonism Unvailed. The Latter Day Saints initially labeled such publications "anti-Christian", but 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 active in their opposition to the LDS Church, although its precise scope has been the subject of some debate. Some use it to describe all thought perceived as critical of the LDS Church.[citation needed] 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 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."
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Anti-Mormonism
Anti-Mormonism refers to individuals, literature, and media that are opposed to the beliefs, adherents, or institutions of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole. It may include hostility, prejudice, discrimination, persecution, and violent physical attacks targeting Mormons and the Latter Day Saint movement.
Opposition to Mormonism began before the first Latter Day Saint church was established in 1830 and continues to the present day. The most vocal and strident opposition occurred during the 19th century, particularly the forced expulsion from Missouri following the 1838 Mormon War, 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 condemned by the majority of Americans. Opponents of polygamy believed that polygamy forced wives into submission to their husbands and some described polygamy as a form of slavery.
The largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Modern-day opposition generally takes the form of websites, podcasts, videos or other media primarily criticizing the LDS Church, or protests at its large gatherings, such as its semiannual general conference, outside of Latter-day Saint pageants, or at events surrounding the construction of new temples. Scholars hold that the church's historical claims are false, while some non-Latter-day Saint Christians teach that the faith is non-Christian. Critics claim that it is a religion based on fraud or deceit on the part of its past and present leaders.
Most Americans accept Mormonism as a valid faith, and in 2012, the US presidential candidate Mitt Romney's membership in the LDS Church was described as "non-issue" in that year's election. Despite this, the percentage of Americans who stated that they would not be willing to vote for a Mormon president had increased from 25% in 2008 (Romney's first candidacy) to 34% in 2012.
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 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.
Dozens of publications had strongly criticized Mormonism since its inception. In 1834, Eber D. Howe published his book Mormonism Unvailed. The Latter Day Saints initially labeled such publications "anti-Christian", but 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 active in their opposition to the LDS Church, although its precise scope has been the subject of some debate. Some use it to describe all thought perceived as critical of the LDS Church.[citation needed] 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 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."
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