The Atlantic: How Mormons Became American

If you have any interest in the Church of Latter-Day Saints, McCay Coppins’ How Mormons Became American is an excellent read.

I have little regard for Mormon theology, but it’s hard not to be impressed by their worldly accomplishments. By sheer lack of imagination, I’d never really considered their progression from American exile to respectability.

It’s a remarkable profile, but even more striking is how Coppins captures this moment of soul searching—not just for the Church of LDS, but for all Americans:

“But the reality, of course, is that America will never be “saved” by a single person, or even a single group. What holds the country together is its conviction in certain ideals—community, democracy, mutual sacrifice—that it once possessed, and now urgently needs to reclaim.”

Indeed.