I am an assistant professor of folklore and literature at Brigham Young University, as well as the co-editor of the Journal of Mormon History and co-president of the Folklore Society of Utah.
Terrible Revolution: Latter-day Saints and the American Apocalypse, 2020
The relationship between early Mormons and the United States was marked by anxiety and hostility,... more The relationship between early Mormons and the United States was marked by anxiety and hostility, heightened over the course of the nineteenth century by the assassination of Mormon leaders, the Saints' exile from Missouri and Illinois, the military occupation of the Utah territory, and the national crusade against those who practiced plural marriage. Nineteenth-century Latter-day Saints looked forward to apocalyptic events that would unseat corrupt governments across the globe, particularly the tyrannical government of the United States. The infamous "White Horse Prophecy" referred to this coming American apocalypse as "a terrible revolutionEL in the land of America, such as has never been seen before; for the land will be literally left without a supreme government." Mormons envisioned divine deliverance by way of plagues, natural disasters, foreign invasions, American Indian raids, slave uprisings, or civil war unleashed on American cities and American people. For the Saints, these violent images promised a national rebirth that would vouchsafe the protections of the United States Constitution and end their oppression.
In Terrible Revolution, Christopher James Blythe examines apocalypticism across the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, particularly as it took shape in the writings and visions of the laity. The responses of the church hierarchy to apocalyptic lay prophecies promoted their own form of separatist nationalism during the nineteenth century. Yet, after Utah obtained statehood, as the church sought to assimilate to national religious norms, these same leaders sought to lessen the tensions between themselves and American political and cultural powers. As a result, visions of a violent end to the nation became a liability to disavow and regulate. Ultimately, Blythe argues that the visionary world of early Mormonism, with its apocalyptic emphases, continued in the church's mainstream culture in modified forms but continued to maintain separatist radical forms at the level of folk-belief.
This article introduces the Latter-day Saint "legend of the naked dead, " which in the late ninet... more This article introduces the Latter-day Saint "legend of the naked dead, " which in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a widely known story emphasizing the importance of proper burial, including the ritual clothing of the dead. The ceremonial robes and garments that Latter-day Saints wear in temple services are also worn in the grave. In these stories, apparitions appear to the living to coax them to fix some error in their burial clothing. The legend cycle emphasizes the place of the family in caring for their dead, the significance of these rituals, and, of course, the continuing connections between the living and the dead, while simultaneously reinforcing the expectation for Latter-day Saints to always wear the garment under their secular clothing. Historically, some have viewed the practice of wearing the garment as onerous and altered their garments for purposes of comfort or fashion. The legend of the naked dead assures Latter-day Saints that there is purpose in this tradition that transcends even death.
This article examines how a series of nineteenth century Mormons read Codex Boturini as a visual ... more This article examines how a series of nineteenth century Mormons read Codex Boturini as a visual retelling of the Book of Mormon, although they were divided on just which portions it portrayed.
This article documents one strain of Mormon thought concerning the Woman of Endor narrative in 1 ... more This article documents one strain of Mormon thought concerning the Woman of Endor narrative in 1 Samuel 28, in which the woman was interpreted as a prophetess enabled to raise the dead through her spiritual gifts. Church leaders eventually condemned this narrative because of its similarities with Spiritualist exegesis and American Christianity's use of the narrative to condemn Spiritualism as necromancy. Through establishing an orthodox reading of the passage, leaders strengthened the boundaries separating the two faiths – boundaries that many Spiritualists had argued were at best blurry and overlapping.
Examines how our understanding of succession after the death of Joseph Smith take into account th... more Examines how our understanding of succession after the death of Joseph Smith take into account the new publication of the Council of Fifty Minutes.
This is a study of alternative interpretations of the Mormon Council of Fifty, a theocratic counc... more This is a study of alternative interpretations of the Mormon Council of Fifty, a theocratic council, known as the Kingdom of God.
This article follows James Strang's integration of Mormon esotericism (i.e. temple rites) into hi... more This article follows James Strang's integration of Mormon esotericism (i.e. temple rites) into his brand of Mormonism in the late 1840s, demonstrating influences of and responses to Joseph Smith's Council of Fifty.
This article examines how Mormons reinterpreted the figure of Joseph Smith (1805–1844) in the wak... more This article examines how Mormons reinterpreted the figure of Joseph Smith (1805–1844) in the wake of their prophet’s death. As a number of Mormon sects emerged in the years immediately following 1844, rival prophets claimed continued access to Smith as a means of legitimating themselves against opposing bodies. The article argues that these re-conceptualizations of Joseph Smith served to draw boundaries between movements, with particular attention to the processes of sacralization common to many new religious movements facing their founder’s death. Specific emphasis is on the Latter-Day Saints’ efforts to regulate such practices originating from their sectarian competitors but also from LDS adherents.
The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) established its own singular identity among nineteenth cen... more The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) established its own singular identity among nineteenth century Mormon sects through the observance of Mormonism's temple rites. In performance and rhetoric, these ceremonies served as a link to the past before Joseph Smith's death and the subsequent fissuring of Mormonism's original incarnation in the mid-1840s. "The upper room work" acted as a means of legitimation - evoking a sense of authenticity for the movement when challenged by rival sects.
"This article is divided into two major parts. The first section is devoted to a history of the p... more "This article is divided into two major parts. The first section is devoted to a history of the proto-Cutlerite - that is, the movement as it existed as a colony before organization as a church - involvement with polygamy. Here we will count wives and husbands and measure the extent of overall knowledge of polygamy during the period. The second section is devoted to a history of a history of the Cutlerite ... memory or representation of polygamy [in the early days of Mormonism.]"
"This essay establishes a point often neglected: the history of Mormon polygamy embraces much mor... more "This essay establishes a point often neglected: the history of Mormon polygamy embraces much more than one faction of the original church and one geographic area situated in the intermountain west..."
Terrible Revolution: Latter-day Saints and the American Apocalypse, 2020
The relationship between early Mormons and the United States was marked by anxiety and hostility,... more The relationship between early Mormons and the United States was marked by anxiety and hostility, heightened over the course of the nineteenth century by the assassination of Mormon leaders, the Saints' exile from Missouri and Illinois, the military occupation of the Utah territory, and the national crusade against those who practiced plural marriage. Nineteenth-century Latter-day Saints looked forward to apocalyptic events that would unseat corrupt governments across the globe, particularly the tyrannical government of the United States. The infamous "White Horse Prophecy" referred to this coming American apocalypse as "a terrible revolutionEL in the land of America, such as has never been seen before; for the land will be literally left without a supreme government." Mormons envisioned divine deliverance by way of plagues, natural disasters, foreign invasions, American Indian raids, slave uprisings, or civil war unleashed on American cities and American people. For the Saints, these violent images promised a national rebirth that would vouchsafe the protections of the United States Constitution and end their oppression.
In Terrible Revolution, Christopher James Blythe examines apocalypticism across the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, particularly as it took shape in the writings and visions of the laity. The responses of the church hierarchy to apocalyptic lay prophecies promoted their own form of separatist nationalism during the nineteenth century. Yet, after Utah obtained statehood, as the church sought to assimilate to national religious norms, these same leaders sought to lessen the tensions between themselves and American political and cultural powers. As a result, visions of a violent end to the nation became a liability to disavow and regulate. Ultimately, Blythe argues that the visionary world of early Mormonism, with its apocalyptic emphases, continued in the church's mainstream culture in modified forms but continued to maintain separatist radical forms at the level of folk-belief.
This article introduces the Latter-day Saint "legend of the naked dead, " which in the late ninet... more This article introduces the Latter-day Saint "legend of the naked dead, " which in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a widely known story emphasizing the importance of proper burial, including the ritual clothing of the dead. The ceremonial robes and garments that Latter-day Saints wear in temple services are also worn in the grave. In these stories, apparitions appear to the living to coax them to fix some error in their burial clothing. The legend cycle emphasizes the place of the family in caring for their dead, the significance of these rituals, and, of course, the continuing connections between the living and the dead, while simultaneously reinforcing the expectation for Latter-day Saints to always wear the garment under their secular clothing. Historically, some have viewed the practice of wearing the garment as onerous and altered their garments for purposes of comfort or fashion. The legend of the naked dead assures Latter-day Saints that there is purpose in this tradition that transcends even death.
This article examines how a series of nineteenth century Mormons read Codex Boturini as a visual ... more This article examines how a series of nineteenth century Mormons read Codex Boturini as a visual retelling of the Book of Mormon, although they were divided on just which portions it portrayed.
This article documents one strain of Mormon thought concerning the Woman of Endor narrative in 1 ... more This article documents one strain of Mormon thought concerning the Woman of Endor narrative in 1 Samuel 28, in which the woman was interpreted as a prophetess enabled to raise the dead through her spiritual gifts. Church leaders eventually condemned this narrative because of its similarities with Spiritualist exegesis and American Christianity's use of the narrative to condemn Spiritualism as necromancy. Through establishing an orthodox reading of the passage, leaders strengthened the boundaries separating the two faiths – boundaries that many Spiritualists had argued were at best blurry and overlapping.
Examines how our understanding of succession after the death of Joseph Smith take into account th... more Examines how our understanding of succession after the death of Joseph Smith take into account the new publication of the Council of Fifty Minutes.
This is a study of alternative interpretations of the Mormon Council of Fifty, a theocratic counc... more This is a study of alternative interpretations of the Mormon Council of Fifty, a theocratic council, known as the Kingdom of God.
This article follows James Strang's integration of Mormon esotericism (i.e. temple rites) into hi... more This article follows James Strang's integration of Mormon esotericism (i.e. temple rites) into his brand of Mormonism in the late 1840s, demonstrating influences of and responses to Joseph Smith's Council of Fifty.
This article examines how Mormons reinterpreted the figure of Joseph Smith (1805–1844) in the wak... more This article examines how Mormons reinterpreted the figure of Joseph Smith (1805–1844) in the wake of their prophet’s death. As a number of Mormon sects emerged in the years immediately following 1844, rival prophets claimed continued access to Smith as a means of legitimating themselves against opposing bodies. The article argues that these re-conceptualizations of Joseph Smith served to draw boundaries between movements, with particular attention to the processes of sacralization common to many new religious movements facing their founder’s death. Specific emphasis is on the Latter-Day Saints’ efforts to regulate such practices originating from their sectarian competitors but also from LDS adherents.
The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) established its own singular identity among nineteenth cen... more The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite) established its own singular identity among nineteenth century Mormon sects through the observance of Mormonism's temple rites. In performance and rhetoric, these ceremonies served as a link to the past before Joseph Smith's death and the subsequent fissuring of Mormonism's original incarnation in the mid-1840s. "The upper room work" acted as a means of legitimation - evoking a sense of authenticity for the movement when challenged by rival sects.
"This article is divided into two major parts. The first section is devoted to a history of the p... more "This article is divided into two major parts. The first section is devoted to a history of the proto-Cutlerite - that is, the movement as it existed as a colony before organization as a church - involvement with polygamy. Here we will count wives and husbands and measure the extent of overall knowledge of polygamy during the period. The second section is devoted to a history of a history of the Cutlerite ... memory or representation of polygamy [in the early days of Mormonism.]"
"This essay establishes a point often neglected: the history of Mormon polygamy embraces much mor... more "This essay establishes a point often neglected: the history of Mormon polygamy embraces much more than one faction of the original church and one geographic area situated in the intermountain west..."
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In Terrible Revolution, Christopher James Blythe examines apocalypticism across the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, particularly as it took shape in the writings and visions of the laity. The responses of the church hierarchy to apocalyptic lay prophecies promoted their own form of separatist nationalism during the nineteenth century. Yet, after Utah obtained statehood, as the church sought to assimilate to national religious norms, these same leaders sought to lessen the tensions between themselves and American political and cultural powers. As a result, visions of a violent end to the nation became a liability to disavow and regulate. Ultimately, Blythe argues that the visionary world of early Mormonism, with its apocalyptic emphases, continued in the church's mainstream culture in modified forms but continued to maintain separatist radical forms at the level of folk-belief.
In Terrible Revolution, Christopher James Blythe examines apocalypticism across the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, particularly as it took shape in the writings and visions of the laity. The responses of the church hierarchy to apocalyptic lay prophecies promoted their own form of separatist nationalism during the nineteenth century. Yet, after Utah obtained statehood, as the church sought to assimilate to national religious norms, these same leaders sought to lessen the tensions between themselves and American political and cultural powers. As a result, visions of a violent end to the nation became a liability to disavow and regulate. Ultimately, Blythe argues that the visionary world of early Mormonism, with its apocalyptic emphases, continued in the church's mainstream culture in modified forms but continued to maintain separatist radical forms at the level of folk-belief.