about the Mormons, but I think for the most part it has helped to strengthen my Christian beliefs. References 1. Affington, Leonard. The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-Day Saints, New York:Alfred A Knott, Inc., 1979. 2. Gottliev, Robert and Peter Wiley. Americas Saint-The Rise of Mormon Power, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984. 3. Howells, Rulon. The Mormon Story, Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1962. 4. Martin, R. Dr. Walter. The Kingdom of the cults, Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship In. 1977. 5. Shipps, Jan. Mormonism, The Story of a New Tradition, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1985. 6. Smith, Joseph. Gospel Doctrine, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1963. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially organized by Joseph Smith in Western New York on April 6, 1830, and by 1978, spread to more than seventy nations. One uniqueness of the Mormon religion is that it was the first church to have begun in the United States. Following the revivals of the 1800's, religion entered a temporary decline in Western New York, reawakened in 1807-1808, then declined again because of the military exciteme The Chnts of 1812. After this time, a new wave of revivalism began, in liberal churches such as the Unitarians and to conservative churches such as the Congregationalists. Not surprisingly, as all of these churches participated in revivals, there was plenty of squabbling to go around. Joseph Smith Jr. was born in Sharon, Vermont, on December 23, 1805, and as a boy moved with his family to New York. His family by no means had it easy, in their first two years in New York they ran a small shop in town and hired themselves out as laborers to more prosperous citizens. Joseph Smith Jr. was taught at home, and he was literate. Joseph Smith had his first "vision" when he was between fourteen and sixteen years of age. He reported this to his parents and of course the claim that God and Jesus Christ actually ...
