Dig deep into the Mormon past to understand the church today. One of America's fastest-growing religions and, relative to its size, one of the richest. Church membership, now at twelve million and growing, sweeps the globe. From the moment of its founding in 1830, the church has been controversial. In the early years Mormons were hated, ridiculed, persecuted and feared. In the past several decades, the Mormon Church has transformed itself from a fringe sect into a thriving religion that embraces mainstream American values.