The Second Great Awakening and the roots of Mormonsim

As I'm sure pretty much all of you know I am a Mormon and this year I've had the privilege of taking as US history class which covers the years 1815-1850, or in other words the same era the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded.

It is a fascinating class. It is amazing to see how much of my beliefs are really a product of early 19th century America.

For those unfamiliar with the origins of Mormonism here is basically Mormon history (as told by a Mormon) in a nutshell:

In 1820 the effects of religious freedom were in full swing. Many were coming to believe that all the answers of truth were to be found in the bible, and that anyone could read the bible and learn the truth for themselves.

The result was the democratizing of religion. Many Christian churches started during this time period. As different religious groups began to form they began to quarrel amongst themselves as to who had the truth.

The Smith family, who lived in Palmyra New York, was caught in the midst of this war of words. Neither the father, Joseph Smith, nor the Mother, Lucy Mack Smith were staunch converts of any particular sect. But Lucy Mack did attend the Presbyterian sect pretty frequently.

One of their children, Joseph Jr., was particularly concerned over which church he should join. Joseph was in his early teens and attended meetings when he had the time. He also did what most people across the United States were doing at that time... reading the bible to find the truth.

But Joseph found that “the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.”

But one day Joseph Smith Jr. stumbled across James 1:5 which reads, " If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God" (Italics added)

He later wrote of that moment, "Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did."

Joseph then decided to go into the woods near his house and prays to find which out which church the true church was. As he prayed he saw a light above his head and in the light he beheld two people: God the Father and Jesus Christ.

He asked which church he should join and was told none of them, but that he would be used to restore the true church of Christ.

He was fourteen when his first vision took place. He did not receive another vision for three years when an angel appeared to him in his room and told him about an ancient book hidden in a nearby hill. The angel showed him where that book was in a vision.

The next day Joseph climbed the hill and found the record which was written on plates made of gold. The angel, appeared and informed Joseph that he was not yet ready to receive the plates, but to come back once a year for the next four years. Joseph followed the instructions and four years later was given the ancient record more commonly known as simply the gold plates.

Joseph was then given a gift from God to be able to interpret the book, because it was written in an ancient language. This book is called The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ as is a book of Holy Scripture equal to the bible. During the translation of the Book of Mormon God sent John the Baptist as well as Peter, James and John to give Joseph Smith the power and authority from God known as the Priesthood.

And though there is certainly more that is sufficient for me to go back to my original point. As anyone who has studied US history in the early 19th century knows it was not uncommon for young boys to say that they had seen God. There was a lot of talk of visions and spiritualism in that day and age.

But it should be noticed that there were differences between Joseph and his contemporaries and this is what I thought was so interesting.

In several different papers we read in class on early evangelicalism it noted that among other things the Mormon Church was different because it claimed direct authority from God and the Book of Mormon. And even secular historians who may not say that the Book of Mormon is Holy Scripture do credit the Mormon Church’s success to that book.

Historians say one reason why the Book was so successful is because it played right along with the anti-elitist movement going around the US at the time. Most people considered themselves judicious enough to tell truth from error and did not need verification from an expert.

So a historian would say that the Book of Mormon was so successful because at the time it was introduced it played right into the culture of the early 19th century.

Though that is certainly true in part it begs the question “well than why is the Book of Mormon such a convincing missionary tool almost 200 years later?”

The answer, I think, lies in one of my favorite scriptures in the New Testament. “For this is life eternal, to know thee the one true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.”

I know that God can be known to anyone, and he wants us all to know him. It’s not merely something which 19th century Americans thought they could do. It’s something which men and women of all ages and ethnicity can do.

I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I have seen many people have similar experiences as my own as they have read the Book of Mormon and prayed about its message. It is something which they experienced for themselves, and which I have experienced for myself.

Jason Bentley is just a punk college kid who is attending Brigham Young University.