Abstract

Whether in its earliest or its most recent formulations, Mormon millennialism is essentially premillennial. At no time can it be considered postmillennial or a millennial. Along with a millenarian ideology, Latter-day Saints of the 1830s maintained a polarized perception of society and salvation. Apparently, it was not until the 1840s that Mormons began to explore the millennial implications of the "Vision" of the three degrees of glory. Other strands of thought unique to the earliest years of Mormonism are also considered. Furthermore, it is shown how millenarianism informed Mormon perceptions of Native Americans, missionary work, persecution, the Apostasy, and Zion. With the aid of recent scholarly studies of millenarianism in other religions and cultures, the early Mormon mind is set in a broad eschatological framework. Finally, recent attempts to explain Mormon millenarianism as a response to socioeconomic frustrations are found to be inadequate. Mormon millenarianism is better viewed as a religious response to doctrinal and spiritual frustration.

Degree

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; History

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