Mormons and the 19th Century

The Book of Mormon is a very interesting book because of it's story of how it came about and the fact that it grasped so many people during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Mormon Faith is attractive to people at this time when so many groups are looking for the answers to life. It has structure and seems to have history that relates to already existing faiths.

One striking aspect found in Third Nephi in the Book of Nephi in Chapter 14 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (3 Nephi 14:15). At this time in American history, there were so many people looking for the right path to go down in life. This was the time that Utopian societies were popping up all over the place. Since this passage would have been written by Joseph Smith in the 19th century it makes sense that he would include this idea. All generations have their false prophets, and at this point in time its the utopian community. Many of these groups were religious societies where there was an attempt at ridding of superstitious though and they believed in science. The Mormon religion is attractive at a time when there are many different ideas floating around; with a seemingly structured belief based on already existing religion. It also gives explanation to the idea of Manifest Destiny.

The book of Mormon seems to lead itself to justifying the Genocide of Native Americans. At the point in time that this was written, there was about only half the states we have today and the rest were owned by European countries and populated by the Native Americans. Also at this time the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which is more famously known as trail of tears. 

"For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles." (3 Nephi 20:19-20)

This quote clearly promotes violence towards the Native Americans, and justifies it with the idea that violence is done in the name of the Lord, and that it's okay because they don't believe in the Right God.

Mormonism, though it has very questionable aspects, has aspects that make sense for the time in which it was developed. It makes sense even when you look at just a few aspects of Mormonism why this relates to the people of the 19th century.