Mormon fundamentalism

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Teens From Polygamous Families protesting on August 19, 2006, in Salt Lake City
Teens From Polygamous Families protesting on August 19, 2006, in Salt Lake City

Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administration of Brigham Young, a president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Mormon fundamentalists seek to uphold tenets and practices no longer held by mainstream Mormons.

Mormon fundamentalist beliefs generally include the following elements:

Of these, the principle most often associated with Mormon fundamentalism is plural marriage, a form of polygyny first taught by Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The LDS Church eventually modified or altogether abandoned these early principles, including plural marriage.

Mormon fundamentalists believe these principles were wrongly abandoned or changed by the LDS Church. However, there is no central authority for all Mormon fundamentalists. The viewpoint and practices of individual groups vary widely. Fundamentalists have formed numerous small sects, often within cohesive and isolated communities in areas of the Western United States, Western Canada, and northern Mexico. At times, the press has claimed there are as many as 37,000 Mormon fundamentalists, with fewer than half of them living in polygamous households, although there may be as few as 25,000.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The LDS Church began prohibiting the contracting of plural marriages within the United States in 1890 after a decree by the president of the church, Wilford Woodruff. It is claimed, however, that the Church allowed the practice to continue underground in the U.S. and openly in Mormon colonies in northern Mexico and southern Alberta. According to some sources, many polygamous men in the United States continued to live with their plural wives with the approval of church presidents Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph F. Smith.[2][3]

Some fundamentalists have suggested that the 1890 Manifesto was not a real revelation of the kind given by God to Joseph Smith, Jr., but rather was a politically expedient document intended by Woodruff to be a temporary measure until Utah Territory gained statehood. After joining the Union, Utah would have the authority to enact its own laws with respect to marriage, rather than being bound by U.S. territorial laws that prohibited polygamy. Before statehood could be granted in 1896, however, the federal government required Utah to include a provision in its state constitution stating that "polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited".[4]

With the selection of Latter-day Saint Reed Smoot to be one of Utah's representatives to the U.S. Senate in 1903, national attention was again focused on the continuation of plural marriage in Utah, which culminated in the Reed Smoot hearings. In 1904 church president Joseph F. Smith issued a "Second Manifesto", after which time it became LDS Church policy to excommunicate those church members who entered into or solemnized new polygamous marriages.[5]

Today, the LDS Church continues to excommunicate members who advocate plural marriage, enter into or solemnize plural marriages, or actively support Mormon fundamentalist groups. Although some LDS Church members continue to believe in the doctrine of plural marriage without practicing it, Joseph Smith's teachings on plural marriage remain part of the scriptural canon of the LDS Church: see Doctrine and Covenants[6][7] the LDS Church prevents any of its members who sympathize with Mormon fundamentalist teachings from entering its temples.[8] Changes in official church policy did not prevent some LDS Church members from continuing the practice of plural marriage. During the 1920s a dissenter named Lorin C. Woolley claimed a separate line of authority from the mainstream LDS Church hierarchy, effectively setting in motion the development of Mormon fundamentalism.[9] Most of the Mormon polygamous groups can trace their roots to Woolley's legacy.[10]

For the most part, the Utah state government has left the Mormon fundamentalists to themselves unless their practices violate laws other than those prohibiting bigamy. For example, there have been recent prosecutions of men who belong to fundamentalist groups for marrying underage girls. In one highly publicized case, a man and one of his polygamist wives lost custody of all but one of their children until the wife separated herself from her husband.[11] The largest government effort to crack down on the practices of fundamentalist Mormons was carried out in 1953 in what is today Colorado City, Arizona, which became known as the Short Creek Raid.

[edit] Distinctive doctrines and practices

Mormon fundamentalists embrace the term Fundamentalist (usually capitalized).[2] As with other fundamentalist movements, Mormon fundamentalists see religious authority as inerrant and unchanging. One of the most basic beliefs is that of plural marriage, which they view as essential for obtaining the highest degree of exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Mormon fundamentalists dislike the term polygamy and view polygyny as a term used only by outsiders.[2] They also refer to plural marriage as "the Principle", "celestial marriage",[12] "the New and Everlasting Covenant", or "the Priesthood Work".[2]

The practice of plural marriage usually differs little from the manner in which it was practiced in the nineteenth century. However, in some fundamentalist sects it is considered acceptable for a much older man to marry underage girls as young as 13 years old. This practice, which is illegal in most states, apart from polygamy itself, has generated public controversy. Examples include the Tom Green case, and the case in which a man from the Kingston clan married his 15-year-old cousin, who was also his aunt.[13] However, the majority of fundamentalists do not condone this practice.

[edit] Terminology and relationship with the LDS Church

The term "Mormon fundamentalist" appears to have been coined in the 1940s by LDS Church Apostle Mark E. Petersen.[14] Today the LDS Church considers the word "Mormon" to apply only to its members, not to members of other sects of the Latter Day Saint movement. The LDS Church therefore claims that there is no such thing as a "Mormon fundamentalist", nor that there are any "Mormon sects". The LDS Church suggests that the correct term to describe these splinter groups is "polygamist sects".[15]

[edit] Mormon fundamentalist sects

The majority of Mormon fundamentalists belong to sects that have separated themselves from the LDS Church.

[edit] Apostolic United Brethren

Main article: Apostolic United Brethren

The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) is estimated to have about 5000 to 9000 members throughout Utah, Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, Missouri, and Mexico. Several of its towns are organized into United Orders; the church has established a temple in Mexico, an Endowment House in Utah, and operates several schools.

The AUB emerged when their leader, Joseph W. Musser, ordained Rulon C. Allred as an apostle and counselor, which led to a split between Mormon fundamentalists in Salt Lake City and those in Short Creek, Arizona. The AUB is currently headed by J. LaMoine Jenson and a priesthood council of seven men.

The AUB is one of the more liberal of the Mormon groups practicing plural marriage. The leaders of the AUB do not arrange marriages nor do they authorize plural marriages for people under 18 or for those who are closely related.

[edit] Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

A view of the FLDS compound in Eldorado, Texas
A view of the FLDS compound in Eldorado, Texas
Main article: Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church) is estimated to consist of 6000 to 8000 members. A succession crisis has been brewing in the church since 2002, when Warren Jeffs, recently convicted of accessory to rape and who could be sentenced to life in prison, became president of the church. There has been extensive litigation regarding the church for some time, as property rights of disaffected members are weighed against the decisions of church leaders who hold trust to the land their homes are built upon. A large concentration of members lives in the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, as well as in Bountiful, British Columbia. The church has built a temple near Eldorado, Texas. The members of the FLDS Church tend to be very conservative in dress and lifestyle.

Beginning April 4, 2008, over a four day period, troopers and child welfare officials searched the church's YFZ Ranch and removed 416 children into the temporary custody of the State of Texas.[16] Originally officials from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services took 18 girls into temporary custody of the state, after responding to a phone call from the YFZ ranch alleging physical and sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl, who also claimed to have been married at age 15 to a 49-year-old man.[17] On the following day, Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st District Court issued an order authorizing officials to remove all children, including boys, 17 years old and under out of the compound.[18] The children were being held by the Child Protective Services 45 miles away, north of the ranch. 133 women also voluntarily left the ranch with the children.[19] On May 29, 2008 the Texas Supreme Court ruled that CPS must return all of the children. The court stated, “On the record before us, removal of the children was not warranted.” It was also discovered that the caller alleging abuse who provoked the raid was a hoax. [20]

[edit] Latter Day Church of Christ (Kingston clan)

Main article: Latter Day Church of Christ

The Kingston clan, officially known as the Latter Day Church of Christ, includes approximately 1200 members. This secretive group runs several businesses including pawnshops, restaurant supply stores, and a coal mine. The Kingston clan is one of the fundamentalist groups that have allowed marriage to underage girls.

[edit] Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Main article: Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a group of about 100 to 200 people, most live near Modena, Utah or Tonopah, Nevada. The Righteous Branch was organized in 1978 by Gerald Peterson, Sr., who claimed that, after AUB leader Rulon C. Allred was murdered, he appeared to him as an angel to pass on the presiding keys of the priesthood. This church has built a pyramid-shaped temple and Gerald Peterson, Jr. is their current leader. Like the AUB they are modern in their dress and do not allow girls under 18 to be married.

[edit] True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days

Main article: True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days

The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC) is headquartered in Manti, Utah. Membership is estimated at 300 to 500. Organized in 1994, the TLC was a new "restoration" for the "very last days" before the Second Coming of Jesus. While the church initially grew rapidly, it has since stagnated and declined in numbers and converts since it ceased missionary efforts in 2000.

[edit] Centennial Park group

A community event in Centennial Park
A community event in Centennial Park

About 1500 people are members of a group located in Centennial Park, Arizona, called The Work of Jesus Christ. In the early 1980s there was a conflict of leadership in the FLDS Church. Some of the members were very unhappy with the changes being made by various influential men in the community. When the FLDS Church abandoned leadership by council and instituted a "one-man rule" doctrine, those who wanted to maintain leadership by a priesthood council founded Centennial Park in 1986, just south of the twin communities of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah.

The name "Centennial Park" is a reference to the 1886 events surrounding Lorin C. Woolley, which serve as the basis for fundamentalist claims of priesthood authority. Members of this group (referred to by members as "The Work") denounce all violence and abuse, do not permit marriage of young girls, and disavow the extreme practices of the FLDS Church. However, like the FLDS Church, they practice a form of arranged marriage. They dress in modern, modest attire.

The Centennial Park group has built a meetinghouse for weekly services and a private high school. A charter school was built in 2003 for the town's growing elementary-age population. About 300 members of this group live in the Salt Lake Valley, where they hold meetings monthly. Members living in Salt Lake City often travel to Centennial Park every month to help in building the community. This group is led by a Priesthood council.

The group was profiled on the ABC television program Primetime in a story entitled, The Outsiders, and also on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

[edit] Nielsen / Naylor Group

The Naylor group is based in the Salt Lake Valley, and has around 200 members. They trace their authority through Alma Adelbert Timpson and Frank Naylor. Most—if not all—of the members of this group were previously associated with the Centennial Park or FLDS Church.

[edit] United Latter-day Church of Jesus Christ

Main article: United Latter-day Church of Jesus Christ

The United Latter-day Church of Jesus Christ is currently led by Steven H. Tucker, who succeeded Heber G. Smith. They claim authority through John Peter Smith, who they believe received authority from Joseph Smith, Jr. This small group is currently based in Davis County, Utah.[21]

[edit] Other groups

[edit] Independent Mormon fundamentalists

There is a large movement of independent Mormon fundamentalists. Independents do not belong to organized fundamentalist groups and do not generally recognize any man as their "prophet" or leader. Because Independents are not one cohesive group, they are very diverse in their beliefs and interpretations of Mormonism; therefore, their practices vary. Many Independents come from a background in the LDS Church, while others come from other Christian or Mormon fundamentalist backgrounds.

Independents rely upon personal inspiration and revelation to guide them; there is no ecclesiastical structure among the Independents, although Independents often socialize with each other and may meet together for religious services.

Statistically, it is difficult to estimate how many Independents there are, but a recent estimate indicates that there may be more independent fundamentalists than there are in any one of the formally organized polygamous groups and may number as many as 15,000.[22] According to this informal survey, about half of Mormon fundamentalists, both those in groups and those outside of groups, currently practice polygamy. There is a large concentration of Independents in Utah, Arizona, and Missouri.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ General Questions Regarding Mormon Fundamentalists
  2. ^ a b c d D. Michael Quinn, "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Volume 31, Number 2, Summer 1998, Accessed 2007-06-08.
  3. ^ Authorized Plural Marriage 1835-1904
  4. ^ Utah Code — Constitution — Article 03 — Ordinance. Utah State Legislature web site. Retrieved from http://le.utah.gov/~code/const/CO_04.htm on 2007-06-08.
  5. ^ Church Educational System. Church History in the Fulness of Times Student Manual, Chapter 36. (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
  6. ^ section 132.
  7. ^ For example, one LDS Church commentator has said regarding plural marriage that "[o]bviously the practice will commence again after the Second Coming" of Jesus Christ: see Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 578.
  8. ^ Anderson, Lavina F. (ed) (Spring 1998). “History of LDS Temple Admission Standards: Plural Marriage” Journal of Mormon History. Layton, UT: Mormon History Association, 144-146. 
  9. ^ Biography of Lorin C. Woolley
  10. ^ Mormonfundamentalism.Com
  11. ^ Hummel, Debbie Eight children removed from polygamist family in Utah, Associated Press, 20 October 2004, as quoted at www.rickross.com, Accessed 1 April 2008
  12. ^ In the LDS Church, celestial marriage has a meaning compatible with monogamy.
  13. ^ "Man sentenced for marrying his 15-year-old cousin", 26 January 2004, CNN.com, Accessed 8 June 2007
  14. ^ Ken Driggs, "'This Will Someday Be the Head and Not the Tail of the Church': A History of the Mormon Fundamentalists at Short Creek", Journal of Church and State 43:49 (2001) at p. 51.
  15. ^ "Church Responds to Questions on HBO's Big Love," dated 6 March 2006, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Accessed 8 June 2007.
  16. ^ http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695268544,00.html
  17. ^ "52 children taken during raid", The Eldorado Success, 4 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-24. 
  18. ^ "Update: Judge orders all children out of FLDS compound", The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-05. 
  19. ^ [1].
  20. ^ Sullivan, John. "Court Rules Sect Children Should Go Home", New York Times, 29 May 2008. 
  21. ^ The Official Website of the United Latter-day Church of Jesus Christ accessed 27 August 2007
  22. ^ Brooke Adams, Fundamentalists: Most espouse polygamy as a tenet, but fewer actually practice it as their lifestyle, Salt Lake Tribune, 11 August 2005, as quoted at principlevoices.org, Accessed 8 June 2007

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