Depending on whom you ask, the Mormon Church and the people that form their membership is either a fringe group on the edge of the American frontier and the Christian theological tradition, or a successful if unique people that have managed to become a regular part of American society. But what is rarely in dispute is the Mormons are the only large religious sect, with domain over effectively the entire state of Utah and a significant presence in the surrounding states, to have fought a series of skirmishes and small wars with the US federal government and managed to survive. Not only that, but the Mormons have also thrived financially, as well as demographically, with higher birthrates than the American average, and constitute a growing segment of the population in the Mountain West as well as abroad with their missionary work. The old distrust, however, still lingers among many, as the recent standoffs involving the Mormon Bundy family in 2014 attests. Tonight we are joined by Dillon Schmitt, who grew up in the Church, to offer his personal experience as well as a perspective on the outlook of the Mormons going forward.

— Brought to you by —

Very special guest Dillon Schmitt

The Myth of the 20th Century – Episode 152 – The Mormon Question – Destiny and Faith

— References —

– No Man Knows My History, Brodie (1945)