Mormon Miracle Pageant
Encyclopedia
The Mormon Miracle Pageant is a Latter-day Saint Pageant
(an annual outdoor theatrical
performance
) held in Manti
, Utah
. It is produced by an amateur cast of over five hundred members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the LDS Church). The nightly program takes place on the south lawn of temple hill at the Manti Temple
. The two-week pageant typically draws an average of 15,000 people per night over an eight-night performance.
The performance begins shortly after sunset, during the early summer (usually late June). People often start arriving several hours before the performance. In addition to restaurants in the town, there are special food stands for the event. Light security is provided at the performance site and the surrounding streets to ensure general order and to direct traffic, though it has not typically been known to be needed (never any significant disorder). The pageant is, for Mormon believers, a faith-promoting family event.
in 1967 under the leadership of stake president Vernon Kunz. Helen and Morgan Dyreng of Manti directed the production. Although crude in comparison to the current pageant, nevertheless the performance was accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra. The original music directors were McLoyd Erickson, Harry A. Dean, and Evan Bean. Among the orchestra members was Richard Nibley
(brother of Hugh Nibley
), who had trained most of the rest of the musical group.
Christian church groups, including some nationally-recognized evangelists, who attempt to proselytize the largely Mormon attendees prior to the nightly event. These evangelists typically hand out anti-Mormon (or pro-Evangelicalism
) literature and engage pageant-goers in religious discussion as they approach the site. Some evangelists carry picket signs and wear "overtly anti-Mormon t-shirts." In addition, some local "fundamentalist Mormon" groups have been known to carry picket signs in the approach area, criticizing the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on polygamy
and abortion
. (The church has abandoned the practice of polygamy; and believes that abortion should be allowed in rare cases such as rape or incest). Once the pageant begins, these critics generally disperse.
Latter-day Saint pageant
This list of pageants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delineates those annual outdoor theatrical performance produced by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is reminiscent of early Christian Pageants which reenacted the world history in processional...
(an annual outdoor theatrical
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
) held in Manti
Manti, Utah
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,040 people, 930 households, and 742 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,560.2 people per square mile . There were 1,010 housing units at an average density of 518.3 per square mile...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It is produced by an amateur cast of over five hundred members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the LDS Church). The nightly program takes place on the south lawn of temple hill at the Manti Temple
Manti Utah Temple
The Manti Utah Temple is the fifth constructed temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Located in the city of Manti, Utah, it was the third LDS temple built west of the Mississippi River after the Mormons' great trek westward. The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple)...
. The two-week pageant typically draws an average of 15,000 people per night over an eight-night performance.
The performance begins shortly after sunset, during the early summer (usually late June). People often start arriving several hours before the performance. In addition to restaurants in the town, there are special food stands for the event. Light security is provided at the performance site and the surrounding streets to ensure general order and to direct traffic, though it has not typically been known to be needed (never any significant disorder). The pageant is, for Mormon believers, a faith-promoting family event.
Content
The Mormon Miracle Pageant includes three separate but related faith-promoting dramatizations from an LDS perspective:- The story from the Book of MormonBook of MormonThe Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
of the post-resurrectionResurrectionResurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
appearance of JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
to the native IsraeliteIsraeliteAccording to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
inhabitants of North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in the first century A.D., and other portions of said book. - Experiences of the first LDS prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. during his young-adulthood in the burned-over districtBurned-over district"Burned-over district" refers to the religious scene in western and central region of New York, in the early 19th century, where religious revivals and Pentecostal movements of the Second Great Awakening took place....
of New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the 1820s including the recovery and translation of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the "Church of Jesus Christ" in 1830 (which was renamed the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in 1838) and its infancy, and the death of Smith in 1844. - The journey of the Mormon pioneerMormon PioneerThe Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
s who followed the LDS prophet Brigham YoungBrigham YoungBrigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
to UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and the group of pioneers sent to central Utah (now Sanpete ValleySanpete County, UtahSanpete County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. The population according to the 2010 U.S. Census was 27,822. It was possibly named for a Ute Indian chief named Sanpitch, which was corrupted to Sanpete. Its county seat is Manti and its largest city is Ephraim.-Geography:According to...
) where the Manti Temple stands.
History
The pageant was first produced by the Manti Utah LDS stakeStake (Mormonism)
A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. A stake is approximately comparable to a diocese in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations...
in 1967 under the leadership of stake president Vernon Kunz. Helen and Morgan Dyreng of Manti directed the production. Although crude in comparison to the current pageant, nevertheless the performance was accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra. The original music directors were McLoyd Erickson, Harry A. Dean, and Evan Bean. Among the orchestra members was Richard Nibley
Richard Nibley
Fred Richard Nibley was an American violinist, composer, and educator. He is often cited as an expert on the influence of music on behavior.Richard spent many years as a professor at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah...
(brother of Hugh Nibley
Hugh Nibley
Hugh Winder Nibley was an American author, Mormon apologist, and professor at Brigham Young University...
), who had trained most of the rest of the musical group.
Pageant evangelists and protesters
There are usually several evangelicalEvangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian church groups, including some nationally-recognized evangelists, who attempt to proselytize the largely Mormon attendees prior to the nightly event. These evangelists typically hand out anti-Mormon (or pro-Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
) literature and engage pageant-goers in religious discussion as they approach the site. Some evangelists carry picket signs and wear "overtly anti-Mormon t-shirts." In addition, some local "fundamentalist Mormon" groups have been known to carry picket signs in the approach area, criticizing the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. (The church has abandoned the practice of polygamy; and believes that abortion should be allowed in rare cases such as rape or incest). Once the pageant begins, these critics generally disperse.
See also
- List of pageants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Temple (LDS Church)Temple (LDS Church)In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
External links
- The pageant page at the LDS Church website
- The unofficial but authoritative Mormon Miracle Pageant website
- Another pageant link
- The Manti Temple
- The Sanpete County website
- Manti’s ‘Miracle’, New EraNew Era (magazine)New Era is an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. First published in January 1971 along with the Ensign and the Friend, the New Era's intended audience has always been the youth of the Church...
, July 1978, page 18 - Pageant Visitor Information Page