joseph smith

At the end of the 18th century, the prospects for American Christianity were not hopeful and the memories of the First Great Awakening faded. The chaos of the Revolutionary War era had greatly affected religious life. The start of the new century brought religious activity unique to all of world history. This period, now known as the Second Great Awakening brought with it the emergence of Mormonism. There was an optimistic sense of a new beginning for religion. Society was transforming quickly, with religion emerging as a force that helped shape the wider social problems.
Many longed for a return to the past, and tried to recover it by recreating New Testament Christianity. Some religious groups declared themselves independent seekers, because they were unhappy with the existing religious authority. They longed for a more powerful religious experience than was provided in the existing church, resulting in many new religions. New groups often shared theological concepts with more mainstream churches, but innovation led beyond Christian orthodoxy. Among the many new groups to emerge were the Mormons. Early Mormonism reflects the social and religious environment of western New York during the Second Great Awakening, and during the time of a young man named Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith Jr. lived in the "burned-over district" of western New York in the early 1800s. In 1816 Joseph Jr. arrived in New York with his parents Joseph Smith, Sr., and Lucy Mack Smith, in search of a brighter future while distancing themselves from their Calvinist heritage. Like many around them, the Smiths were Christians but did not feel compelled to join a particular denomination. While Joseph Jr. seemed interested in Methodism he found the disagreements betwee...

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...m, the Nauvoo-era Endowment, and the ordinance of the Second Anointing. He also created the Anointed Quorem, a new inner council of the church containing both men and women.
In 1844, Smith organized a secret council of the church called the "Council of the Kingdom". Acclaiming Joseph Smith as "Prophet, Priest, and King" in addition to polygamy, were some of the practices. These secret practices were threatened to be released in a newspaper, so Smith ordered the destruction of the press. This action intensified anti-Mormon hostility and resulted in Smith’s arrest by the state government. While in a Carthage jail, Smith was murdered by a mob on June 27, 1844. His unexpected death led to conflict and crisis, but successors continued his church and beliefs. The “Prophet” Joseph Smith’s left behind a religion that would spread across the country, and become universal.