Why Are Mormons?

Mr. Beat gives a brief history of Mormonism, a uniquely American religion. A special shout out to @MrTerry, @CynicalHistorian, and @MLaserHistory for their help making this video.

Uh ok, so this is, like, the description of the video so keep reading. Produced by Matt Beat. Filmed by Matt Beat and Shannon Beat. Additional images used under fair use guidelines or found in the public domain. Creative commons credits: Aaron Shafovaloff, Don LaVange, Jon Ridinger, Ken Lund, J. Stephen Conn, Tim Stewart, Nyttend, EGDJ, and Mangoman. Music by Bad Snacks, LATASHA, Quincas Moreira, Sextile, Density & Time, and White Hex.

Related videos:

Sources/further reading:
American Crucifixion: The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church by Alex Beam
First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins by Steven Harper
American Zion: A New History of Mormonism by Benjamin E. Park
Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet (A Biography) by Dan Vogel
Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard L. Bushman
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#mormonhistory #latterdaysaints #exmormon

Mormonism describes the beliefs and traditions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Mormons are both a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism.

That said, you might be surprised to hear that the Latter Day Saint movement is one of the NEWEST religions. It’s only been around less than 200 years…so not that much longer than I’VE been around, yo, and I’ve been around. But DESPITE only being around for less than 200 years, more than 17 million people around the world currently follow the Latter Day Saint movement. Whether it’s because of the Book of Mormon musical that the South Park guys created or the common site of missionaries like these guys knocking on your doors, you have probably already heard of Mormonism, especially if you’re an American. So why did Mormonism become such a big deal?

Here’s the story of Mormonism, a uniquely American religion.

[iammrbeat]

I left a lot of interesting stuff out, so I encourage you to please explore more on your own. One of the things I left out was that there's a spot in Daviess County, Missouri, that the LDS believe is where Adam and Eve lived after being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Fun times.

[StarWarsHour]

“Where are Mormons”
“I’ll do you one better. Who are Mormons?”
“I’ll do you one better. Why are Mormons”

[GeneaVlogger]

In the 1880s, many Jews living in the Russian Empire knew about the Mormons in Utah and saw it as an example of religious freedom in the US. One of the founders of Am Olam, a group which created Jewish agricultural communities in the US, specifically noted the Mormons and their communities in Utah as an inspiration to create the Jewish agricultural communities in the US.

[mac_is_stuck]

imagine if joesph smith was actually trying to be a comedian but someone took the joke too literally

[lennon]

Mr Beat I told my history teacher about your videos and he watches them now

[spfanimator]

"Hello, my name is Elder Beat, and i would like to share with you the most amazing book"

[jasonchilado]

Non-Mormon born and raised in Utah here, I had to learn a lot of this in school. I wish you were my history teacher then! Keep up the great content

[annekeener]

I think the only missing piece is how Mormonism fit into the broader religious picture at the time. Mormons weren’t the only splinter group forming at the time, this is also the era that gave birth to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Shakers. It was a time of a major shake-up in Protestantism as it was practiced in the US.

[nathangale]

It's pretty cool that you went to a bunch of the historical sites. A lot of people just make videos from their desks, but seeing the physical context makes a big difference.

[CynicalHistorian]

SLC was so much fun. The city has changed so much over the last decade. I think we made a difference at the National Council on Public History. I've had at least 10 emails from folks who went to our panel and wanted to discuss more. Plus, it's just plain fun hanging out

[amadeosendiulo]

You could make a religion out of this.

[BELUGASEAN]

The South Park clips got me thinkin it would be interesting to do a similar video about Scientology.

[nicholasdelucca]

I grew up in a very traditional Mormon family (left the religion almost a decade ago after returning from my missionary work), and the video was very well made, it shows how much and how well Mr. Beat researched this topic.

I liked that while you've kept the tone respectful, you didn't beat around the bush and outright said it: Joseph Smith Jr was a con artist, and saying otherwise is whitewashing history, the historical evidence is just too ample to believe otherwise.

Anyway, thanks again for another great video Mr Beat! Happy to be a Patreon supporter ❤

[jaydonbooth]

I think Mormonism is just a perfect example of how many religions form. Jesus was just like Joseph Smith, a religion is basically just a successful cult, it starts by one person convincing a few others that he's somehow divine and then they convince others of it and once it spreads to enough people we call it a religion.

[newindianajones]

Johnny Harris: Who are Mormons?
Mr. Beat: I’ll do you one better: Why are Mormons?

[BullyMaguire-]

People often ask why are Mormons? But they never ask how are Mormons?

[whisper]

I met a dude who was Mormon. He was chill, I learned a lot about Mormonism from him.

[vulgarschool]

Hey Mr Beat!

So I made a decision today: I’m going to run for my local school board. I was inspired both by your educational value and by some recent immoral behavior by some of the school staff. However, I wish to learn more about the school board and how it works in detail. I really want to make a positive change in my community, and I feel like your experience could really help me out! Thanks for all you do!

[glenhood]

As a former member of the LDS church, I have to say, this is the most well balanced telling of the Church's history, including viewpoint outside and within the church. Very well done and well researched. One of the things that drives me crazy in today's standards is how far right-wing so many members of the church are, when even as you stated in the video even just briefly, communism was one of the goals of the early church. Everybody chipped in to make sure everybody was taken care of and had their basic needs met. That was often one of the excuses used for polygamy. When a husband died, another elder of the church would be called to take upon him the widow as his wife to make sure she and her children were taken care of.

[JayDagny]

I'm surprised you got through this entire video without mentioning Freemasonry even once. It had a HUGE part to play in Nauvoo. Joseph Smith's last words were the start of a Freemason call for help