Since Joseph was himself the personification of the church, its hero and ideal, whatever he did became a pattern for imitation. Because he took Christian theology and ethics and mixed them with business, politics, and empire-building, his people came to do the same. The result was that Mormonism became not only a belief but also a way of life. It had never pretended to be a mystical sanctification or even a new ethical code. As a religion it was as raw-boned and pragmatic as Joseph himself, and as dynamic.
