United States of America
From The Encyclopedia of Mormonism
See this page in the original 1992 publication.
Author: Porter, Roger B.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was first organized in the United States. It is now known worldwide as one of the most distinctive and successful religions organized in America. Its members acknowledge that its American origins made possible much of its contemporary success. They also believe that the United States of America is a divinely blessed land of promise and that it will continue to play a pivotal role in important events of the Restoration and the last days.
ROLE IN THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL. Latter-day Saints believe that the United States was divinely prepared as a suitable place for the prophesied restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their scriptures teach that God kept the Americas hidden from the rest of the world until the time had come when he could accomplish his purpose and prepare the way for the American Republic (2 Ne. 1:8-9), that columbus was inspired in his discovery of the Western Hemisphere (1 Ne. 13:12), and that the Lord governed and controlled the settling of the continent (1 Ne. 13:13-19). The War of Independence, the ultimate victory of the colonies, the establishment of representative political institutions, and the peace and prosperity that prevailed in early nineteenth-century America were all divinely inspired and guided.
By 1820, at the time the Restoration commenced, political domination of the American continents by European nations had ceased. The established state religions that had prevailed in the majority of the English colonies had been replaced by constitutional guarantees of the separation of church and state. Representative political institutions and a commitment to individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom of assembly sustained unprecedented religious toleration and a spirit of inquiry. Economic arrangements largely free of the direction of governments or guilds contributed to a sense of freedom and a cascade of innovations. A vast, sparsely inhabited continent encouraged mobility and attracted the restless and those seeking a new life. This combination of conditions provided fertile ground for establishing a new church and enabling it to grow and flourish.
A PROMISED LAND WITH RESPONSIBILITIES. Latter-day Saints view the American continent as a land "choice above all other lands" (1 Ne. 13:30). It is the land in which the New Jerusalem will be established (3 Ne. 20:22). It is also a land whose security, prosperity, potential, and stature are conditioned by the actions of its inhabitants. Further, the land of America was designated to be a land of liberty for the Gentiles. It has been a land of liberty for the righteous. The Book of Mormon teaches that no king shall be raised up here and that those who seek to establish a king in this land shall perish (2 Ne. 10:11).
Latter-day Saints believe that the United States is guaranteed protection against all other nations only on the condition of righteousness. It is a blessed land for all the inhabitants of the earth who will act righteously, but it is, and will be, cursed to those who will not act righteously (2 Ne. 1:7; Ether 2:9-12).
Not only is the United States a land of great promises, it is also a land with special responsibilities. It serves as a standard of liberty to the world, as a warning to oppressors, and as a star of hope to the oppressed (cf. O. Hyde, JD 6:368). The United States has a mission to be a benefactor to all nations. Moreover, it is to provide an example of righteousness and good government to all people. It has a mission to teach the principles of freedom and religious liberty (Benson, pp. 588, 655).
REVERENCE FOR THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. Latter-day Saints respect and revere the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the united states as documents framed by the hands of wise men who were raised up and inspired by God (D&C 101:80). They recognize that the Constitution and the law of the land are the foundation of the people's freedom (D&C 98:8; see also Constitutional Law) and that its principle of freedom, which maintains "rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before" God (D&C 98:5). As a matter of loyalty to the message of God and in the service of their fellow citizens, Latter-day Saints are taught to uphold, defend, and cherish the Constitution.
Speaking in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord instructs the Saints to observe the constitutional laws of the land, to uphold them by their votes, and to sustain good, wise, and honest officials to administer them. In this sense, the Saints carry on much of an older American civil religion (see Politics: Political Teachings).
ATTITUDE TOWARD THE UNITED STATES. During the first two decades following the organization of the Church in 1830, the Latter-day Saints suffered much persecution within the boundaries of the United States. They were driven from Ohio to Missouri, to Illinois, and finally to the Rocky Mountains, which were not a part of the United States at that time (see Politics: Political History).
When expelled from the state of Missouri under an Extermination Order of its governor, they held that the federal government, by virtue of the Constitution, had the responsibility and power to protect and reinstate them in their rights. President Martin Van Buren, when confronted with this request, replied, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you" (HC 4:40, 80).
In 1845, following the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young addressed letters to all the governors of the states and territories in the Union, asking for asylum within their borders for the Latter-day Saints. All either were silent or flatly refused. Three members of Congress negotiated with the Saints to have them leave the confines of the United States. Ultimately, the main body of the Church left Nauvoo, the city they had founded and then the second-largest city in the state of Illinois, and, beginning in 1847, settled in the Great Basin in an area then governed by Mexico.
This pattern of persecution did not weaken the Latter-day Saints' attachment to the principles of free government. Upon arriving in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, they raised the American flag and announced their determination to live under the U.S. Constitution.
Notwithstanding the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the sustained persecution suffered by the Saints as a whole, they were able to differentiate the Constitution and the laws of the United States consistent with it from the cruel and illegal deeds committed against Church members in various states of the Union. The Church and its members have continued to see the Constitution and laws of the United States as a potential and real source of protection for their worship, as is reflected in a number of court cases involving these issues (see Legal and Judicial History of the Church).
LATTER-DAY SAINTS IN THE UNITED STATES. During the early period of the Church's history, the United States was a place of gathering. Tens of thousands of converts, principally from England and Europe, journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean and the American continent to the headquarters of the Church, first in Nauvoo and then in Salt Lake City.
The economic opportunity and relative prosperity enjoyed by members of the Church in the United States helped provide a strong financial base that has sustained a growing global missionary effort, the establishment and support of congregations in developing countries, and humanitarian relief programs. By the middle of the twentieth century, the Church had become virtually a worldwide faith, a trend that accelerated sharply during the last half of the century.
LDS wards and branches exist in all fifty states, with a heavy Latter-day Saint population in several Rocky Mountain and western states. By 1990, Church membership in the United States had grown to more than 4 million, making it the sixth-largest religious denomination in the nation.
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