Fundamentalist: the Fine Line Between Religion and Cult Essay

In the case of the Church of Latter Day Saints, fine lines are drawn in the societal perception of this group of people. Their doctrines and practices make the American public debate whether they are a religion or a cult. The largest factor in the decided public perception lies mainly in their belief of polygamy. While the Church of Latter Day Saints denounced the practice in the 1890s, fundamentalist sects formed over the subject continuing to perpetuate the connection between Mormonism and polygamy. This fundamentalist practice, along with a few doctrines, continues to keep the Mormon faith as an â€Å"outside religion† in the eyes of the general American public. The practice of polygamy is central to the tenants of Mormon faith, extending back to the founder, Joseph Smith. Smith was not the first religious leader to support multiple wives. The Oneida perfectionist supported the practice of polygamy in backlash against the changing family norms due to industrialization (White). Families no longer needed to be large in size to help in a rural farm setting. Smith, being of a displaced farm family, soon craved a change in family life. According to White, Jr. , Smith’s â€Å"personal experience of economic insecurity, death of siblings, and fragile community structure also reinforced his quest for renewing the kinship and community bonds† (White). In some sort of subconscious need for a sense of community stemming from childhood experiences, Smith begins the practice of taking multiple wives. His reasons, according to the faith, are sound. His primary argument is that it was revealed to him by God. The belief in revelations is highly respected by Mormons and is one of the most distinguishing traits of the faith (Perry). It will be discussed in further detail later. Smith also called attention to multiple Old Testament passages that promote polygamy. Yet, his final argument is what upholds this practice today, procreation. Smith argued that, â€Å"man’s righteousness is measured by the size of his family† (Anderson). A proper Mormon man was expected to extensively multiple his family in order to provide more individuals to spread the faith. After social disagreements in several states, many members of the Church of Latter Day Saints fled to western territories hoping to find; â€Å"geographical, social, and cultural isolation required to implement their radical social agenda† (White). However, as the nation grew smaller and assimilation to the mainstream culture became desirable, in addition to persecution by the Federal Government, the Church of Latter Day Saints changed one of their founding principles. Essentially, in the fight for Utah territory statehood, the Mormon Church traded their practice of polygamy. This trade caused dissention among the ranks and multiple fundamentalist sects formed, continuing their practices in even more isolated communities. Joseph Musser, a prophet of the faith, established a fundamentalist community at Short Creek, Utah, that still exists today. There, families live in multi-wife homes where the domestic work is divided between eight or nine women, sometimes many more. The polygamous relationships are consensual and most women have little complaints about their situations. There are many reasons why the women choose to stay. Mainly, they don’t know anything else (Anderson). The religious beliefs they were raised with have been preparing them to be a plural wife. Rowenna Erikson, a plural wife who was excommunicated after speaking out against the treatment of women, says that growing up she; â€Å"sensed that [she] was supposed to be a plural wife mostly because [her] mother guided [her] in that direction. [She] didn’t really want to marry this way but [she] felt pressured and thought that this is what [she] had to do† (443). However, unlike Erikson, there are many women who enjoy their polygamous contract. To them, there is a sorority sense of community, their children are always cared for. During his stay at Short Creek, National Geographic journalist Scott Anderson also noticed a strange power that came with being a woman in the Mormon faith. Women are sought after in the community due to the need for reproduction creating a larger need for men to prove themselves as acceptable partners (Anderson). Brigham Young, another fundamentalist sect leader, also argued that polygamy allows all women the equal opportunity for marriage and, â€Å"†¦eliminates prostitution, economic exploitation and abandoned children† (White). Fundamentalist still argue procreation as a necessary reason for polygamy in the community. However, the main reasons fundamentalist broke off from the Church of Latter Day Saints were the revelations of new prophets. Both Brigham Young and Joseph Musser had revelations from God ordering them to take multiple wives and reproduce, and they weren’t the only ones. Fundamentalists refused to give into the assimilation of their religion. It is these radical, fundamental sects of the Church of Latter Day Saints, like Colorado City, Utah (formerly the Short Creek Community) that continue to tie the Mormon faith to the practice of polygamy. In doing so, along with ample aid from the American media, Mormonism is still considered by the mainstream to be â€Å"lumped into a category of ‘the religious outsiders’† (Perry). Yet, it is not only the practice of polygamy in these sects that support societies’ view. Several other practices continue to perpetuate their perception as part of the odd; some keep Mormons in isolated communities, some condone violence, and others speak out against the American government. Firstly, the practice of polygamy not only ostracized fundamentalist from the United States Government and mainstream, but also from the central Church of Latter Day Saints. Fundamentalist were heavily persecuted by elders of the church in the 1940s and 1950s culminating in the Short Creek Raid of 1953. American media broadcast children being ripped from mothers’ hands right into mainstream America’s living rooms. Decades of persecution and media misrepresentation only supported Mormon practices that led to communal isolation. One of these is the idea of The Gathering. Mormons believe that second coming of Christ is constantly near and that it is their duty to be ready no matter when it happens. Therefore, they live in tight knit communities that seek to prove their righteous existence to Christ. Secondly, their community is slightly communistic. There is the Law of Consecration that allows all property to be held in common and distributed (LeBaron). Additionally, United Order is the Mormon economic system of self-sufficiency (LeBaron). Both of these beliefs keep member separate from the mainstream and make it difficult to leave since they don’t have the rights to their own property. Additionally, many Fundamentalist believe in Blood Atonement established by Joseph Smith and Oaths of Vengeance. Blood Atonement is the basic belief of an eye for an eye. Smith preached that those who commit acts against Mormon should be punished with bloodshed for their sins. The Oath of Vengeance developed after the assassination of Smith stating that all Mormons are to pray for the sins committed against the prophet and should taught through lineages (LeBaron). Both of these practices have been used for justification for murder between sects. Murder justification has also come from the practices of personal revelation and heavenly visitations. As mentioned before, revelation is extremely important to the Mormon faith due to that fact that it is what the Church was founded on and from where most doctrines are derived. Personal revelations are the wishes of God and should be acted upon by faithful practitioners, yet, they give the prophet the okay from God to do whatever they want, even kill if needed (LeBaron). Obviously, murder is illegal in the United States, so how were the Mormons able, beyond personal revelation, to justify to their behavior in the court system? Fundamentalist practices believe in the triumph of God’s Law over Man’s Law. Due to their beliefs that they are forming a community for the return of Christ, Mormons believe they live in a theocratic society separate from Federal Government rule. Therefore, the rules set in place by God reign higher than those set in place by the state. Mormon belief justifies most actions, even murder, by claiming it as a personal revelation and an act of God’s will. Finally, in a religion where the members’ ultimate goal is to prepare for the end, Fundamentalist in the Church of Latter Day Saints awaits the fall of the United States Government. This belief, fueled by bitterness from lack of Federal aid in the 1820s, only reinforces the view that there is superior judgment than the United States Court system. While separation of church and state exists in the United States, Mormon religious beliefs, to a certain extent, defy that right claiming religious rule over states. There were several acts of violence that took place over the last forty years, all justified by different Mormon doctrines. Ervil LeBaron, a Fundamentalist prophet, used personal revelation for the reason he killed his brother in 1972. He then proceeded, with the same justification to kill dozens of others. LeBaron wasn’t finished when he was finally sent to jail. While in Utah State Penitentiary, LeBaron wrote the â€Å"The Book of New Covenants† ordering the deaths of members on God’s Will (LeBaron). His children then proceeded to follow his will working their way down his list. Ervil wasn’t the only one searching for power over the sects; the Lafferty brothers had similar problems in the 1980s. These events perpetuate public stereo types of the Mormon religion and polygamy. A survey I conducted of 25 people showed 100% of them still believe the Mormon Church officially sanctions polygamy and a cult like lifestyle (Venzen). It is these acts of violence based on God’s will that raise mainstream America’s eyebrows at the true classification of this faith. The violence stemming from radical sects also calls attention to Mormonism as an â€Å"other† in society and religious beliefs and raises questions to the credibility of the religion. Fundamentalist don’t only tie the Church of Latter Day Saints with polygamy. Acts of violence based on the will of a high power is often associated with cults as, â€Å"murder and suicide have been inseparable on other [cult] occasions† (Lamberg 2). Additionally, Rowenna Erickson considered her upbringing as a plural wife to be â€Å"brainwashing†, another cult practice, and even outwardly claims Mormonism as a â€Å"polygamist cult†. According to cult studies, the sought out isolation of the Fundamentalist communities only reflects that the, â€Å"†¦cult seeks to control disciples’ entire environment, not only externally but also reaching internally, as if reality were the group’s exclusive possession† (Lamberg 1). The question then remains. Is the practice of Mormonism, the Church of Latter Day Saints, an organized religion or a cult? The practice of polygamy leads the public to view the Church and its Fundamentalist counterparts as one. Therefore, can the debate of organized religion versus cult be separated by the central Church of Latter Day Saints and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints?