Mormon in America

“The Mormon story is a quintessentially American tale,” writes On Faith columnist Lisa Miller.

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This image provided by the archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows Mormon prophet Joseph Smith Jr., circa 1843-1844. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has struggled for acceptance ever since Smith said in the 19th century that God told him to restore the true Christian church by revising parts of the Bible and adding the Book of Mormon as a sacred text. Smith was the faith's first presidential candidate, running as a third party before he was assasinated in 1844.

AP / AP

Visitors gather at a replica of the log house where Joseph Smith lived when he encountered his first heavenly vision in Palmyra, N.Y. The unschooled farmer's son was 14 years old in 1820 when he told of seeing God and Jesus Christ while praying in a maple grove. Over the next few years, Smith said the angel Moroni led him to a cache of gold plates on nearby Cumorah Hill that he translated into the Book of Mormon.

Wayne Scarberry / AP

Shown is the exterior of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Fleeing persecution, Joseph Smith and his followers settled in the city in the late 1830s. After Smith's murder in 1844, the Latter-day Saints fled Nauvoo and continued their journey westward.

/ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Covered wagons stretching back along the high plains of Wyoming make their way along the 1,300 mile Mormon Trail in a reenactment of the mid 19th-century Mormon trek from Illinois to Utah. Over 400 Mormons in pioneer dress and driving 52 wagons and a dozen handcarts commemorated the exodus to Salt Lake City lead by church leader Brigham Young 150 years ago.

Mike Nelson / AFP/Getty Images

May 15, 2012

The angel Moroni statue is lifted with cranes, to be placed on the spire of the new temple in Gilbert, Ariz. Moroni is an iconic symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is used on most of the Mormon temples worldwide. The church's growth one result of its missionary spirit, seeking to actively bring the LDS gospel to new people and places.

Tim Hacker / AP

Jan 19, 2012

The Eugene O'Neill Theatre and the marquee for "The Book of Mormon" are seen in New York. Some critics saw the musical as a coming-of-age moment for the American-born faith.

Charles Sykes / AP

In this theater publicity image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Andrew Rannells, center, performs with an ensemble cast in "The Book of Mormon" at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York. The musical, critiqued by some Mormons and welcomed by others, won nine Tony awards in 2011.

Joan Marcus / AP

Illuminated in the night, the Salt Lake Temple stands in the background of a fountain in Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.

David Zalubowski / AP

"American Idol" contestant David Archuleta appears at the MTV Times Square Studios in New York. Archuleta announced that he, like many young Mormons, will take a break from his singing career to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jason DeCrow / AP

Jan 11, 2012

Mormon missionaries Shea Sego, left, and Jacob Martin on January 11, 2012 in Camden, South Carolina. As part of their mission, Martin and fellow Sego go door to door spreading the word of the Book of Mormon and seeking conversions to the faith.

Jeff Blake / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Mormon missionary Jacob Martin's name tag. 'Elder' is a title Mormons give to members of the priesthood, which is all-male.

Jeff Blake / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Senator Mark Warner during a special guest appearance at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performance at Wolf Trap in June 2011. The popular singing group is made up entirely of members of the Mormon Church.

Courtesy of Wolf Trap / Courtesy of Wolf Trap

Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses the Republican Leadership Conference on Mackinac Island, Mich. A Baptist pastor who introduced Rick Perry at a campaign event ignited a firestorm when he called Romney's Mormonism a 'cult.' Romney has largely avoided discussion of his faith this election cycle.

Carlos Osorio / AP

Mormon single mingle after Bible study class at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Crystal City, Virginia on May 24, 2011. Weekly Bible study for a Mormon congregation made up entirely of singles. DC has the largest Mormon population outside Utah, and hosts the largest single Mormon population; thus the church recently invested in a facility specifically for their single population. The Mormons have had singles-only congregations for decades, part of their cultural and theological focus on marriage.

Marvin Joseph / WASHINGTON POST

Robert Bowen keeps an watchful eye on volunteer Jamie Anderson while she decorates a christmas tree at the Washington, DC temple visitor's center. The temple, off I-495, is a landmark in the region.

JUANA ARIAS / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

The Boston temple of the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Belmont Massachusetts on 18 Nov. 2011. For years, Mitt Romney served as bishop and stake president, leading thousands of church members in the Boston area.

CJ GUNTHER / CJ GUNTHER

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gather around the Mormon Salt Lake Temple at the 181st Annual General Conference of the church in Salt Lake City, Utah. "The Book of Mormon" debuted this year as a Broadway hit that won nine Tonys, and the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination features not one, but two candidates of the Mormon faith. Now the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is launching a major expansion of its "I'm a Mormon" advertising campaign, which, church officials say, seeks to educate the public and dispel myths about one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. To match feature MORMONS-MEDIA/ REUTERS/George Frey/FIles (UNITED STATES - Tags: RELIGION)

GEORGE FREY / REUTERS

Ruth Williams hands out programs as she greets those arriving for a Sacrament Meeting of the Washington, D.C. 3rd Ward at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints October 23, 2011 in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

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