Item Detail
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24502
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0
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0
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English
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Saints in Conflict : Elements of Moderate Mormonism in the Early Church, 1830-1844
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University of Missouri-Kansas City
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Master's thesis
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"Mormon historians traditionally cite the 1840's as the period when the followers of Joseph Smith, Jr., split into two major factions. After Smith's death in 1844, the largest faction followed Brigham Young to Utah where he built the radical Great Basin Kingdom. Rejection of the theocratic and radical theological developments, first introduced into the church in the 1840s, kept many Mormons from traveling west. After 1860, the Mormons who preferred the moderate practices of the 1830's gathered around the leadership of Joseph Smith III. Mormonism after Smith's death is readily recognized as divided into Radical and Moderate factions. No such dichotomy is identified in histories of the early church. However, examination of four incidents in Mormon history prior the Smith's death reveal the roots of conflict between the conflicting elements of Mormonism prior to Smith's death. Conflict between the elements of Mormonism is evident in the changes in the 1831 "Law of Consecration." the "Law" included the economic framework of the coming Kingdom of God. Moderating adjustments were soon made in its practice to make it less threatening to converts and neighboring nonmembers. Moderating influences are also evident in the printing of latter-day revelations. An 1833 mob prevented the completion of the Book of Commandments. In the second printing, the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants church leaders modified some of the more radical language. The conflict again surfaced at Far West, Missouri when Smith and Sidney Rigdon led a purge of those who openly challenged theocratic authority. The final incident of conflict occurred in Nauvoo, Illinois, where radical church thought developed in secret. Plural marriage, baptism for the dead, theocracy and the secrecy itself induced a group of church leaders to defy Smith and expose the radical developments in their newspaper, the Nauvoo Expositor. Smith, as mayor, ordered the press destroyed as a public nuisance. This unleashed gentile violence and lead to Smith's death." [Author's abstract]