The Mormons

Venus is one of the most peculiar and unique planets in our solar system. It is the brightest entity seen in the night sky, Venus has more volcanoes than any other planet, and it is the only planet that rotates clockwise. Venus is singled out from its fellow planets just as the Mormons were singled out from all other religions. Rodman W. Paul explores the Mormon religion "From Poverty and Persecution to Prosperity and Power" in his historical account titled The Mormons.

Joseph Smith founded the Mormons, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1846, two years after Smith was murdered, the Mormons were forced to flee to the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. The Mormons believed they were God's "chosen people", but because of their eccentric ways, polygamy in particular, the Mormons were assaulted and beaten and called the "peculiar people" before escaping to Utah. Once the Mormons reached the land of Zion they quickly became one of the fastest growing denominations in America. Over the past 160 years the Mormons have integrated society through business, real estate, commerce, politics, industry, and finance. They are no longer the simple, unrefined, and uneducated people they once were.

The most significant part of The Mormons is when Rodman W. Paul made the statement: "nothing so united a group as the sense of standing together against a hostile world." The Mormons were scorned and persecuted for their different beliefs. For example, they believed that Joseph Smith had actually talked with God and angels and had discovered and interpreted the Book of Mormon, which structured every aspect of Mormon life. Most Americans found this notion to be ludicrous and absurd. Their disapproval of the Mormon beliefs would lead to Smith's martyrdom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the only complete theocracy ever created in America. The church controlled every aspect of life for the Mormons. The majority of Americans were very skeptical and cynical towards the Mormon way of life, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints found safety, strength, and confidence in numbers. Once the Mormons escaped persecution and fled to the land of Zion they had reached their sanctuary. They were excluded from society in the vast deserts of Utah, but, by way of ingenious irrigation, quickly fertilized and cultivated the land. They worked together to survive in a cruel

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