The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Denmark

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reports 4,454 members organized in 22 congregations in Denmark.[1]

History

During the October 1849 general conference of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, it was decided to send missionaries to several European nations. Erastus Snow, Peter O. Hansen, and George P. Dykes were sent to Denmark where they arrived in 1850 and quickly established a congregation in Copenhagen.[2][3] The first converts were from the Baptists but later ones included Lutherans, the official state religion. Denmark had recently obtained put in place a new constitution, which granted freedom of religion for the first time. Nevertheless, some of the early missionaries were imprisoned due to government opposition to the preaching of Mormonism.[4]

While in Denmark, Snow baptized the first Icelander converts to the LDS Church.[5]

Snow's and his missionary companion, Peter O. Hansen, worked together on translating the Book of Mormon into the Danish language.[6] When it was completed in 1851, it was the first time the book had been printed in a language other than English.[7] By 1882, 8,000 copies of the book had been printed in the Danish language.[8]

During the 19th century, there were more converts from Denmark than any other country in Europe excepting England, and Scotland.[9] Many of the early converts (up to 17,000) immigrated to Utah, as was common practice among European converts at the time.[10] The first immigrants were led back to Utah by Erastus Snow. Reasons to immigrate included to get away from the anti-Mormon attitude of many Danes and to avoid conscription in the Danish army during the Second Schleswig War. One early Danish convert, Anthon H. Lund, immigrated to Utah as a child and later became president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a counselor in the First Presidency of the church.

The first stake was organized in Copenhagen in 1974 with Johan H. Benthin as president. In 2004, the temple was completed, having been converted from an older building that was used as an LDS chapel since its construction in 1931.[11] Prior to that, the Danish members attended the Swiss Temple.

References

  1. ↑ "Facts and Statistics". LDS Newsroom. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Facts and Statistics". LDS Newsroom. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Seljaas, Helge (Autumn 1988). "SCANDINAVIAN MORMONS AND THEIR "ZION"". 60: 445–452.
  4. ↑ Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, vol. 1, p. 380–81.
  5. ↑ Larson, Karl Andrew, Erastus Snow: The Life of a Missionary and Pioneer for the Early Mormon Church (Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1971) p. 225.
  6. ↑ Deseret News Church Almanac, 2005 ed., p. 319
  7. ↑ Toone, Trent (2012-02-21). "Danish: The first foreign language edition of the Book of Mormon". Deseret News. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Mulder, William (June 1956). "Image of Zion: Mormonism as an American Influence in Scandinavia". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 43 (1): 23.
  9. ↑ Hvidt, Kristian (1966). "Danish emigration prior to 1914 trends and problems". Scandinavian Economic History Review. 14 (2). doi:10.1080/03585522.1966.10407653. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Jensen, Richard. "DANISH IMMIGRATION AND LIFE IN UTAH". Utah History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Danish chapel will become new temple", Church News, May 29, 1999
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