Mormonism in Polynesia: The Reasoning of the Prevalence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Islands of the Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Today, there are about 6 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States. On the contrary, there are approximately 1.5 million Pacific Islanders within America. Simultaneously, we can promptly estimate that 7% of Pacific Islanders are a part of the LDS Church. This study aims to determine the cause of the unusually high LDS membership rate within the Pacific Islander community. Specifically, it investigates how the Book of Mormon, Mormon folklore, and the United States have played an influence on the religious demographics of the Pacific Islands and the Pacific Islander community. In this context, the terms members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mormon are used interchangeably. To answer my research question, I researched and took note of various publications which are also a part of an ongoing investigation to discover new connections between the Mormon and Pacific Islander community. The results that I and various sources can conclude are that the religion of Mormonism and its structure contributed to its growth in the Pacific Islands. More specifically, these results suggest that The Book of Mormon, Mormon folklore and U.S. influences all played a key role in the relationship between Latter-day Saints and Pacific Islanders. Although there are additional factors contributing to this phenomenon, we can concur that those are the most likely possibilities.