Kirtland in the 1830s became an early gathering place and headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which
had been organized under divine inspiration by Joseph Smith in
western New York in 1830. Here the Mormons, as they are known
outside the faith, created a religious community and introduced doctrinal
concepts, organizational programs, and social practices that have been
central to the religion ever since. The Kirtland Temple, dedicated
in 1836, was the spiritual center of the faith. Internal dissension
and external persecution arose largely from the distinctive features
of the religion and weakened the Mormon community in Kirtland. In
1838, the majority of the Mormons here followed Smith westward
to Missouri, Illinois, and eventually Utah.
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