Introduction

The aim of this article is to provide a brief overview of Mormon history and theology. My purpose is not to debunk Mormonism or to prove Christianity, but I hope this quick survey will demonstrate that the two are not the same. Joseph Smith was born in rural Vermont in 1805, the fourth of nine children. With little success farming in Vermont, the Smith family moved west to Palmyra, New York. At one revival meeting, a preacher quoted from James 1 5: "Let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally"