LDS Church (mainstream Mormonism)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains substantial behavioural and informational expectations (tithing, the Word of Wisdom, temple-recommend interviews, restricted access to founder-history materials) while permitting more outside engagement than the smaller fundamentalist offshoots.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — significant institutional control balanced by transparent governance and decreasing exit cost in recent decades.
In context
The mainstream LDS Church, headquartered in Salt Lake City, asks members to tithe 10% of income, abstain from alcohol/tobacco/coffee/tea, submit to temple-recommend interviews including questions on personal worthiness, and make extensive volunteer commitments. Until widespread internet access in the 2010s, materials about Joseph Smith's polygamy, the Book of Abraham translation issues, and the Mountain Meadows massacre were difficult for members to encounter; the Church has since published 'Gospel Topics Essays' addressing many.
History
Joseph Smith's 1830 publication of the Book of Mormon launched a fast-growing American restorationist movement that endured violent persecution and the 1844 assassination of its founder. Brigham Young led the Utah migration in 1847. The 1890 Manifesto ending polygamy enabled Utah statehood (1896).
Key control doctrines
- Word of Wisdom (no alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea)
- Tithing (10% of income) tied to temple access
- Temple-recommend interviews with worthiness questions
- Two-year missionary service expectation
- Eternal-family doctrine creating high cost of family departure
Notable public ex-members
- John Dehlin (Mormon Stories)
- Sandra Tanner
- Joanna Brooks
Legal cases & controversies
- Mountain Meadows massacre (1857) historical reckoning
- 2023 SEC settlement with Ensign Peak ($5M) over hidden investment accounts
- 2015 Policy of Exclusion (rescinded 2019)
Timeline
- 1830Joseph Smith founds the Church of Christ in Fayette, NY
- 1844Smith assassinated in Carthage Jail; succession crisis
- 1890Manifesto formally ends practice of polygamy
- 1978Priesthood restriction on Black members lifted
- 2013Church begins publishing 'Gospel Topics Essays' addressing controversial history
Sources
- Jana Riess, 'The Next Mormons' (2019)
- John Dehlin / Mormon Stories podcast and CES Letter
- LDS Church 'Gospel Topics Essays' (2013–)
- Brian Hales, 'Joseph Smith's Polygamy' (2013)
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Search the source title plus the group name to find the original.