Mormons.
We know the name thanks to high profile members like Mitt Romney and a popular broadway musical,
but according to a recent survey, most Americans don’t know much about them.
In fact, critics suggested that voters didn’t allie with Romney in 2012 because they were
suspicious of the Mormon faith.
So who exactly are the Mormons?
Well, let’s break it down.
Mormons identify themselves as Christians, belonging to the Latter Day Saint movement
of Restorationist Christianity.
They follow the teachings found in the Bible and The Book of Mormon amongst others.
The religion itself is actually quite young.
The church was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith in upstate New York.
Smith claimed that he received a revelation from God saying that Jesus would one day return
to a New Jerusalem in America.
When Smith died, Brigham Young led a significant number of Mormons to Salt Lake City in Utah,
where the religion’s headquarters was established.
By and large, Mormons are considered a conservative religion, abstaining from drugs, alcohol,
pornography, gambling and even drinking caffeine.
The majority of Mormons are also outspoken about being opposed to abortion, homosexuality
and sex before marriage.
Most people also believe them to be polygamists, yet the Mormon church denies it, saying it
discontinued the custom over a century ago and anyone who practices it will be excommunicated.
Reports suggest that Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives and it’s noted that there are some
fundamentalist sects of the Latter Day Saints that continue to practice the tradition.
While some Mormon beliefs seem to go against the grain of modern society, according to
the church, it’s the fastest growing faith in the world.
Since it was established with just six followers, according to the National Council of Churches,
it is now the second-fastest growing church in the United States and worldwide it the
church now boasts over 15 million members.
With new members, the Mormon church has grown in more ways than one.
Mormons practice something called tithing where each person is required to donate 10
percent of their earnings to the church.
And with 15 million followers worldwide that amounts to a lot.
So just how rich is the Mormon Church, and how influential are they?
It’s true, the Latter Day Saints are pretty wealthy but they are also notoriously tight-lipped
about how much they earn.
It’s reported that tithing brings in around 7 billion dollars annually.
In fact, Mormon’s have developed a solid reputation for being great business leaders
and it’s understood that the churches holdings are immense, comprising around 35 billion
dollars worth of corporate commercial ventures including temples, ranches and shopping malls.
Religious scholars suggest that for Mormons, giving to the poor and making a million dollars
is all part of doing Gods work.
Aside from their economic wealth and power, Mormons have also started to get more involved
in the political arena.
According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, 74 percent of Mormons lean toward the Republican
Party and although Mitt Romney recently withdrew from the 2016 presidential race, experts suggest
that with financial backing from the Mormon church and community business leaders we may
see more Mormon candidates representing the Republican party in the future, however, they
might have to work on their reliability to the voting public, first.
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