Dissertation
“THE DAY SOON COMETH”: MORMONS, THE APOCALYPSE, AND THE SHAPING OF A NATION
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2020
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/111597
Abstract
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always been an apocalyptic religion since its founding in 1830. Yet, Mormons have never sat idly by waiting for Christ to return. Rather, the leadership and the laity developed a nationalistic eschatology that required participation in the end of the world. God demanded that they protect the United States and its Constitution from obliteration in preparation for the New Jerusalem to be built in North America. From the nineteenth to twentieth-first century, Mormons have been at the forefront of American political changes as they acted on their eschatological mission. This apocalyptic theology played a crucial role in developing modern American conservatism since the 1930s. The rise of New Deal liberalism during the Great Depression signaled for Latter-day Saint authorities that the moment for them to save the US Constitution in the last days had arrived. Hoping to redeem the nation before Jesus returned, LDS leaders, and increasing numbers of laypeople, fought against liberalism before and after World War II through their own welfare program, political activism, and alliances with other religious conservatives. Because Latter-day Saints were engaged in an apocalyptic war against liberalism, they were vital players in constructing the New Right and the Religious Right. Although church officials pushed aside Mormon eschatology’s nationalistic characteristics by the late twentieth century, it remained popular among everyday church members, and Mormon leaders continued to fight liberal trends like gay marriage to protect their beloved country from apocalyptic judgements. Therefore, Mormons were and are fundamental actors in nurturing a development that transformed the US political environment.
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Details
- Title
- “THE DAY SOON COMETH”: MORMONS, THE APOCALYPSE, AND THE SHAPING OF A NATION
- Creators
- Randal Powell
- Contributors
- Matthew A Sutton (Advisor)Jennifer Thigpen (Committee Member)Lawrence BA Hatter (Committee Member)Peter Boag (Committee Member)Patrick Q Mason (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of History
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 360
- Identifiers
- 99900581613701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation