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Joseph Smith's First Vision
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"Mormonism is one of those complex human phenomena that are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to write about with anything resembling fairness."
-Thomas F. O'Dea
In recent years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints has gained increased notice in media coverage and public interest.
The fast growth of the church and the high profile of its missionaries
worldwide have increased public awareness. With the upcoming Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City, Utah, the world's attention will be focused on the
Mormon homeland. Their scripture, the Book of Mormon, is the source
for their nickname, the Mormon Church. In the year 2000, the church reported
its membership as over 11 million people, with over 60,000 full-time missionaries.
Members of the church are known particularly for their healthy habits
and conservative lifestyle. 
Once thought to be a cult, the Mormon Church
has not disappeared as some thought it would. In the spring of 1820, Joseph
Smith, then a boy of 14 years, claimed that God and Jesus Christ appeared
in his First Vision, in response to a prayer inquiring which religious
sect he should join. Smith organized the church with six members on April
6, 1830 in upstate New York. Smith led his fledgling church until he was
martyred on June 27, 1844. Because of repeated persecution, members of
the young church migrated to Utah, entering the Salt Lake valley on June
22-24, 1847. Utah has served as the center of the church since the Mormons
settled the state. The church has had a tumultuous history, notorious
for polygamous marriage, racial prejudice, and sexist policies.
Materials have been organized under the following headings:
Library of Congress Subject Headings, Browsing Areas, Frequently Mentioned
Texts, Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, Bibliographies, Journals, Books,
Photographs, Geography, Biographies, Women and Polygamy, Multimedia, and
Internet Sources.
Note: Church leaders have been concerned about the name
of the church, since its inception. In February 2001, leaders of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints requested that the nickname "Mormon
Church" not be used. I have used the official name and the nickname
because the names are interchangeable to members and non-members alike.
Furthermore, scholarly material about the church is often categorized
under two headings: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mormon
Church.
This pathfinder is intended as a guide for the college-level
adult interested in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, commonly called the Mormon Church. Although members of the church
will be familiar with some sources and history, they, in addition to those
unacquainted with the faith, will benefit from this resource guide. All
the material included in this pathfinder is held in the Davis
Library on the campus of the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Because of its controversial nature, religion is difficult
to write about without bias. The sources contained in this guide have
been carefully selected to represent scholarly, well-respected works.
Resources that are extremely polarized have not been selected. Few official
church publications are included. However, some biased works, both pro-
and anti-Mormon material, have been included to present a multitude of
viewpoints. Bias is noted in the source annotation.
Although Mormon history is inextricably tied to Utah
history, this pathfinder does not include Utah history resources. Overall,
they are too specific for the general scope of this guide.