Especially for Mormonism in the 19th century, legitimacy was the top priority. Starting a new religion using dubious historical background without much tangible evidence required very strong leadership and literature. The third book of Nephi includes a chapter in which the Lord Jesus Christ comes to the Mormons. This discussion is littered with answers to the nineteenth century issues associated with establishing a this belief system.
Jesus starts by declaring certain members of the community able to baptize. The point of these words, "Behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them" is to provide a legitimate way for the Mormons to become a tight-knit group and easily facilitate the accumulation of other followers. The nineteenth century is notable for its intolerance and necessary development of communities, like China Town in New York City. The prospect of baptism into this very unique faith offers opportunities to its leaders; the association becomes one of more importance in society overall with more people. It also provides a stronger sense of belief through this very conventional but at the time compulsory activity of baptizing children and their entire families.
To further unite the community of Mormons, Jesus discusses peace; "Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away." This is another important aspect of acquiring a foothold in society. Peace brings people together, and this message also ties a religion into the group. The message of this conversation with Jesus suggests that the legitimacy of the religion is dependent upon the uniform belief system of its followers. This is accomplished by having everyone baptized and interested in working together. While this is a clear and hopefully often held desire for peace, it is one that Joseph Smith used to grab hold of his nineteenth century readers.
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