The Scholars Speak – Matthew Bowman
Today’s guest post comes from Matthew Bowman, the author of The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith. Professor Bowman teaches at Hampden-Sydney College and is the associate editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. We asked him to reflect on teaching Mormonism in the U.S. history survey.
Mormonism in the US Survey Course
First, you have to decide which Mormonism you’re dealing with. Mormonism has most often beenuseful to teachers of the survey for its ability to uncannily embody particularnational characteristics, and so it is often dumped into the survey toillustrate (examples listed from most to least traditional) The Winning of theWest, the Antebellum Utopian Impulse, or The Patriotic Religion of the Cold War.
But at the same time, Mormonism also (usefully) revolts against such standardnarratives of the American past, and thus can be used in counterintuitive waysthat complicate all of the traditional narratives mentioned above.
A few examples.
1) The Winning of the West. For a long time Joseph Smith was a secondaryplayer in Mormon historiography: Brigham Young, the organizer, the colonizer, the settler was the main character, and the Mormons were less an odd religiousmovement than they were the exemplar pioneers. This is still a traditional place for Mormons to pop up in the survey course, but inconveniently the Mormon exodus comes a bit early for mosttraditional surveys, who take on the West only after the Civil War is done.
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| some early Mormon converts from Wales |
Another way to use the Mormons to examine the antebellum West, though, takes cues from Patricia Limerick and Richard White and other New Western Historians. Instead of lumping the Mormons in with the railroads and the Homestead Act, use their slow westwardmovement as a way to explore the American frontier as a crowded place full ofethnic and religious diversity. The Mormons, after all, were driven from Missouri in part because of questions over slavery. Those Mormons who wereAmerican were often New Englanders and Midwesterners – but a large number were in fact immigrants from Europe: the British Isles and Scandinavia, a fact that sheds interesting light on Mormonism’s Americanness. As they moved west they cultivated a verycomplicated relationship with Native Americans, fraught with tension betweentraditional American-Native American dynamics and Mormon theology, which understood Native Americans to be a remnant of the House of Israel.
2) The Antebellum Utopian Impulse. This interpretation refocuses attention ontoJoseph Smith himself: the visionary experiences he had as a young man in 1820s upstate New York and his attempts to build a religious community in Kirtland,Ohio, Far West, Missouri, and Nauvoo, Illinois. Involving economic communalism, polygamy’s radical reorganization of Victorian familial structure, and the creation of a strong, but entirely lay,priestly hierarchy that governed the nascent church.
The traditional interpretation here alreadyhas an interesting set of tensions built into it. Were antebellum utopias places where the democratic impulse ran wild and free, or were they enclaves for those whocraved structure and being told what to do? Nathan Hatch sees Mormons as the first, pointing to their lay priesthoodand new scripture; other historians, like Larry Foster or Gordon Wood, tend toward the second, acknowledging the complicated sacramental hierarchy Mormonsconstructed and the authoritarian nature of Smith and Young’s theocratic leadership. In dealing with thistension, teachers might usefully contrast Mormons with other groups that soughtto claim the American idea, but found themselves largely spurned for it: abolitionists, say, or Catholics.
3) The Patriotic Religion of the Cold War. A few newer surveys of American history, or American religious history, revisit the Mormons in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s,when they had largely discarded their older radical ways and instead begandevoting all their time to trying to stop their kids from becoming hippies. Indeed, along with Billy Graham, Mormons of the Cold War period were among the most assiduous believers that America and Christianity must stand together against communism, and Mormonleaders like Ezra Taft Benson and J. Reuben Clark combined their faith withpolitical careers.
At the same time, though, the Mormons also exemplified some of the challengesto American claims to freedom and democracy. From the time of Brigham Young to 1978, Mormons of African descent were restricted from holding the priesthood granted to every white man, a policy that came under increasing fire throughout the civil rights movement. Similarly, an insurgent feminist movement inthe 1970s and 1980s challenged the church’s stand against the Equal Rights Amendment, and pitted a few Mormon women against their male ecclesiasticalsuperiors.
The breadth of possibilities here is broad, as are the primary sources available to teachers of the first half of the US survey. Smith’s biographer Fawn Brodie once wrotethat Joseph Smith’s greatest scandal was his audacity at founding a new religion in the age of print, and reams of sources are available – from the diaries of the average converts who made up the backbone of Smith’s newreligion, to the revelations he dictated in the first person voice of God.
A useful place to start is the Joseph Smith Papers Project, an unprecedented attempt to organize, transcribe, and publish every documentproduced by Joseph Smith’s hand or under his direction. The website has posted a number of Smith’sdiaries, revelations, and capsule biographies of most of the important players in Joseph Smith’s life. It also hasother nuggets; particularly interesting is the earliest minute book of the Relief Society, the Mormon women’s organization founded in 1842. Including a debate about how close Mormon women wished to be associated with other female advocacy groups in antebellum America, the minute book is an invaluable source useful for positioning the Mormons in American life.
More obvious might be Joseph Smith’s new scripture: the Book of Mormon, a long, dense narrative of a Christian civilization that flourished in the Americas hundreds of years before Columbus arrived there; the Doctrine and Covenants, a collection of Joseph Smith’s revelations, and the Pearl of Great Price, a collection ofmiscellaneous other writings.
Teachers might be tempted toassign selections from the Book of Mormon or Doctrine and Covenants. They can be quite rewarding: certain passages from the Book of Mormon, particularly the books of Mosiah and 4 Nephi, reflect the Mormons’ later utopian bent, and much of the Doctrine and Covenants directly guided their religious practices: section 132 inspired polygamy andsection 42 the “law of consecration” which introduced economiccommunalism. Further, many of the early sections come in response to crises the early church faced. At the same time, the language of these works can be daunting, based as it is on the King James Bible, and their complicated provenance, internal structure, and underlying assumptions means thatundergraduates may flounder. If framed well, these sources can be extremely fruitful, but students will need a firmguiding hand. (Laurie Maffly-Kipp’s introduction to the Book of Mormon in the Penguin Classics edition is a useful guideto the book’s structure and plot.)
More accessible might be aselection or two from the Pearl of Great Price. “Joseph Smith – History” is a short 1838 account Smith produced with ascribe describing his early revelatory experiences, the social, cultural, and religiousanxieties which provoked them, and the resistance and reaction which followed. The Articles of Faith are a brief list of the essential beliefs of Mormonism Joseph Smith composed in his middle career, andmake for an interesting source for Mormonism’s utopian impulses and the verybeginnings of Mormonism’s divergences from historic Christianity.
As interesting, from the grassroots level of Mormonism, are the diaries of William McLellin, an early Mormon convert and missionary who abandoned the church after less than a decadeof membership, and the autobiography of Parley Pratt, another early convert whobecame the church’s leading pamphleteer and polemicist in its first few decadesof life. His vigorous prose remainsaccessible a century and a half after his death. Both sources are published and readilyavailable; both illustrate, to some degree, why Americans with no prior contactwith the Smith family might find Mormonism compelling; why they would embracethe strange sacramental structure and, in Pratt’s case, the marital revolutions that drew Mormonism so far from American culture.
In the end, such tensions are infact the point: Mormonism is neither a perfect avatar of antebellum American culture, but nor is it a revolt against it. Teachers would do well to take it on its own terms, and attempt to navigate the ways the Mormons understood themselves.
Having read this post, it strikes me Mormonism deviated from Christianity. According to a primary document from major problems, Joseph Smith refers back to the age of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon when polygamy was seen to be a normal occurrence. He feels that this justifies him being able to have more than one spouse and not be considered to have committed adultery as long as they were all virgins once they had belong to him. This is interesting because the Antebellum Utopian Impulse involved the “reorganization of the Victorian familial structure,” which Joseph Smith discusses in his revelation on pluralism.
-Ashley M.
813629122
The word that stuck out to me the most while reading was Polygamy. This, in a nutshell is plural marriage, meaning that a man has multiple wives that belong to him. the radical reformation of the Victorian familial structure by polygamy was a huge change in the sense of religion compared to others that had been around beforehand. in Major Problems Chapter 10.7 Joseph Smith explains plural marriage and justifies it claiming it is not considered adultery by law “if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first giver her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, than it is justified; he cannot commit adultery for they have given unto him and no one else.” but if a woman is espoused by one man and shall be with another, she has committed adultery and shall be destroyed. it also seems that the law of adultery in Mormonism is extremely sexist, because the man cannot commit it because they are given unto him, but the woman can because she belongs to someone. Completely changing the “Victorian familial structure.
^^^^^^^^ Cody G. ^^^^^^
THE ANONYMOUS IS CODY G. lol
After reading this post it strikes me how polygamy reformed the economy and the societal standard for families. Although Mormonism is derived from Christianity, Mormons were seen as people who broke social constructions and started almost a reform of their own with their unique religion and culture. After reading the passage from Joseph Smith about polygamy in Major Problems, it seems to me that they were not trying to be radicals and change societal norms, that their customs were normal and justified. So it seems as if Mormons have this radical reputation even though that was not their original intent.
Calli Ricker
After reading the blog, the topic that most surprised me was the Mormon’s practice of polygamy which basically means having more than one wife or husband at the same time. Before reading this post, Islam was the only religion that I knew of that practices polygamy. I did not have the opportunity to learn anything about Mormonism until now; my only knowledge about the religion was their followers would be riding bicycles and of course, Jimmer Fredette (BYU’s basketball star of last year). A Major Problems document that completely relates to this post is Chapter 10, document #7 which is Joseph Smith’s revelation on plural marriage. In this document, Smith translated what God told him regarding marriage. He stated, “And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.” All I can say about this is that Mormonism definitely gives more power to men since they are allowed to have multiple wives without getting punished because it is the law. Meanwhile, women are treated unequally because they are regarded as property of their husband. Furthermore, they do not have the same rights as men such as having multiple spouses and so forth. Since every religion is different, I would say that I still respect the religion of Mormonism despite of the information I have gathered from this post.
After reading this blog by Mathew Bowman, I realized so much more about the Mormon religion that i had previously known. A large aspect he covered in post was polygamy. Imidiately my mind spun to the TLC show “Sister Wives” where the man has four or five wives. This post ties well to Major Problems Chapter 10, Document 3, where Joseph Smith states that God had spoken to him about family life and living with many wives. “If any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified.”(Major Problems, 305) It becomes clear with this statement that the mormons were never trying to disregard the norms, they were just living as they thought justified.
Reading this blog post,written by Matthew Bowman in regards to Mormonism and Joesph Smith I would have to agree with the other posts written by my classmates on the issue and their stance to polygamy in the Mormon religion. In my opinion I find it interesting that, the Book of Mormon, which became” a new scripture [that consisted of] a long, dense narrative of a Christian civilization” permitted polygamy where as traditional christian values highly frown upon any form of adultery and support union between one man and woman, not ten. From chapter 10 in Major Problems, an excerpt from the passage “Joseph Smith Records a Revelation on Plural Marriage, 1843” states, “And again, as pertaining to the law of priesthood–if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first to give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins and have vowed to no other ma, then he is justified, he cannot commit adultery with that the belongeth unto him and to no one else”. The notion that a man, in the Mormon religion may take more than one wife if she were to “give her consent” seems ludicrous in that it tarnishes the reason for a marriage. It would seem to me that while Joseph Smith desired to practice his own beliefs and celebrate his own values, it would should not be comparable to the traditional Christian values for they have conflicting values.
Brianna Weltzien
After reading this blog, I feel like I have a different view of Mormonism than I previously had. Most importantly, I had no idea that Mormonism stems from Christianity, because I always thought that their ideals were completely different. The concept of polygamy most prominently stood out to me. Joeseph Smith’s document on plural marriage states that “if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified”. It is odd to me that this was justification for multiple wives, yet if “either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultry, and shall be destroyed”.
After reading this post I have never realize that the Mormons had being involve in many things other than just being polygamous, like politics, family structure, and women fighting for freedom. Also, it surprises me that they actually in the Cold War period they ask America and Christianity to stand together against communism. A source from Major Problems that relates to this post is Joseph Smith (ch. 10, sec. 7) postulates that a woman who has being “espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed…” this demonstrates that Mormons other than being just polygamous had their own “laws” like this one, and this relates to this post because it proves that Mormon woman want to fight for their freedom.
I have never thought to apply the concepts of Mormonism to Antebellum America. I found it especially interesting how Mormon women wanted to be like female advocacy groups during this era, adding to this time of reformation. Dorothea Dix, in Major Problems chapter 10 #6, describes the treatment of a mentally ill woman and how she was “disfigured to hideousness” and who was “exhibiting a condition of neglect and misery”. This evidence reiterates the how women were stepping up for change, and, as learned from this blog, Mormon women were among them.
After reading this excerpt it strikes me that Mormonism is the one religion that will cease to ever drastically change. It surprised me that during the free love era of hippies in the US the Mormons did their best to keep their young in line and to prevent them at all costs from conforming. I have learned from my own experiences as well as reading this that the Mormons are a dedicated people to conserving their way of life, much like the Southern slaveholders. Mormons will always be a conservative people who enjoy there way of life even if it goes against the grain of American culture.
After reading this blog entry, I’ve definitely learned more about Mormonism than I knew before. While I was aware the two religions shared similarities, I did not know that Mormonism actually derived from Christianity. Of course, like many others before me, the main thing about this entry that stood out and made me raise an eyebrow was the mention of polygamy. What I find most interesting about the topic itself is that people who are polygamists will often use religion to explain and justify their lifestyle. One key example that relates to the class is Document 7 in Chapter 10 of Major Problems, where Joseph Smith finds justification in his polygamist lifestyle because “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David, and Solomon” all had “many wives and concubines”.
I think the most infuriating aspect of Joseph Smith’s recording is that while he finds it perfectly fine for men to have as many wives as they may want, as long as “the first give her consent… and [all the wives] have vowed to no other man”, women “shall be destroyed” if they lay with another man after being espoused, “for they belong to him, and they are given unto him”. It is no wonder why women would end up fighting for their rights in this extremely sexist and demeaning male-oriented environment.
Having read this post it strikes me that most Mormons are either independent or non-practicing. Also, I found it interesting how Mormons have a strict law of chastity, requiring abstention from sexual relations outside of marriage and strict fidelity within marriage. In addition, Mormons dedicate most of their time to their church and most Mormons focus on proselytizing mission as well as being very family-orientated. In Major Problems Chapter 10 document 7, Joseph Smith describes plural mirage, by stating, “But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed.” Smith describes how Mormons have a strict law of plural marriage and if that law is violated then Mormons should be punished. This evidence clearly shows how women where fighting for rights in different religions and how Mormonism paved away for the future of religion in America.
Having read this post it strikes me that most Mormons are either independent or non-practicing. Also, I found it interesting how Mormons have a strict law of chastity, requiring abstention from sexual relations outside of marriage and strict fidelity within marriage. In addition, Mormons dedicate most of their time to their church and most Mormons focus on proselytizing mission as well as being very family-orientated. In Major Problems Chapter 10 document 7, Joseph Smith describes plural mirage, by stating, “But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed.” Smith describes how Mormons have a strict law of plural marriage and if that law is violated then Mormons should be punished. This evidence clearly shows how women where fighting for rights in different religions and how Mormonism paved away for the future of religion in America.
In reading this blog, I have increased my knowledge of Mormonism. I never knew that many of the Mormons were immigrants. It also strikes me as interesting that in wanting to build the perfect utopia, Mormons embraced and advocated polygamy. With many churches stemming from Christianity, out of the Mormon church, arose the idea of having multiple wives. In Document 7 of Chapter 10 of Major Problems, Joseph Smith advocates this and references the Bible. He uses Biblical characters such as Abraham, Issac, and Moses, who had “many wives and concubines.” The document also says that this is God’s “covenant” and the people don’t accept and follow that covenant, then they “are damned” and won’t be able to enter God’s “glory,” being heaven. In order to assert the dominance of man in this religion, Smith states that a man’s multiple wives “belong to him” and he is “justified.” The idea that “he cannot commit adultery” but if a wife does this she commits adultery and “shall be destroyed,” is incredibly sexist. This adds to the notion of patriarchy in the Mormon church, not giving women any power and considering them property. The thing that caught my attention most is the statement that the men are “justified.” From my prior knowledge in learning about religion and history, I have noticed that many people justify their decisions and actions with the thought of feeling justified from the Bible, God, or another higher power. A prime example of this would be slavery in America. Although many religions have different beliefs and rituals, I feel that the one thing they have in common is justifying their actions, especially the extreme ones, with the concept that a higher power told them that they could do so. I think that the idea of wives being the property of their husbands is one of the many factors that leads to women fighting for their rights in property and politics.
-Lauren Clay
815120456
Like many others here before me, the thing that caught my eye the most about Mormonism was the whole polygamy issue. Now, personally, I don’t have anything against polygamy and I don’t look down to those who do practice it. However, in my own personal opinion, it does feel a bit as though the main reason why Joseph Smith “created/invented/discovered” Mormonism is because he wanted to have more than one wife.
Now, with my own added research, I have come to learn that Mormonism derives from Christianity in the sense that a group of people agreed and disagreed on Christian beliefs and thus a new religion was born. Nothing wrong with that. More power to them I say. Buuut, the fact that so much emphasis is put on the whole, “it is ah-okay to have more than one wife/partner because look, others have done it as well!” makes me question the birth of this religion. In Chapter 10, Document 7, of Major Problems, it describes the seven recounts of which God told Joseph that it’s okay to have more than one wife. My personal favorite recount is, “62. And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore he is justified.” Again, this is one of seven, I repeat, seven recounts of God to Joseph about multiple marriages. Why must it be brought up so many times? Is there more accounts in the book that Major Problems failed to include? Now I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know how many times other issues are being brought up, but honestly, one topic is mentioned seven different times. Each one about how others have done it or it’s okay if it’s done a certain way. Knowing that a topic is being repeated so many times causes my eyebrow to perk up and say, “Wait a minute… is this thing for real?” Of course, men quickly accept this account and believe it to be the word of God because it states that men are allowed to have many wives. Isn’t it many straight men’s dreams to have many lovers at once? Why wouldn’t they want to follow this religion?! I bet the women get the same choice right? Oh… oh wait… it’s not mentioned anywhere that women can do the same… hmm… Well that’s another topic for another time.
All in all, Joseph Smith was a smart man for creating a religion that made it’s basis all about it being okay to have more than one wife. (Again, that is just my opinion. No thesis papers or evidence has proven this otherwise.) This just makes Episode 712 of South Park that much more funnier.
(http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s07e12-all-about-mormons)
After reading the blog written by Matthew Bowman, it strikes me that Mormons use polygamy. The term polygamy means that your relationship consists of more than one wife at a time. The church’s practice on polygamy has created controversies. I never knew much about the religion of Mormonism until now. One thing I found interesting was that Mormonism came from Christianity. This blog directly connects to the primary source document called “Joseph Smith Records a Revelation on Plural Marriage, 1843. Joseph Smith discusses what God thinks about marriage. He states “And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.” As well as “if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first giver her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, than it is justified; he cannot commit adultery for they have given unto him and no one else.” Morons did not think that a man having more than one wife was adultery. Though, if women were to have done the same deed, this would be considered adultery. Additionally, women were trying to fight for their rights and freedom. The Mormons thought they were justified when it came to polygamy and had their own cultural beliefs. Mormons did not think they were doing anything wrong; it was just a lifestyle they were accustomed to. In the Mormon society, the women were belittled in the eyes of men, as they are considered possessions. During this time, men had all the power and women were treated unfairly. The men could get away with any misfits and women remained the weaker sex. This is why women were trying to fight back. Overall, I respect Mormons and their religion because they were just living their lives the way they thought they should.
After reading the blog written by Matthew Bowman, it strikes me that Mormons use polygamy. The term polygamy means that your relationship consists of more than one wife at a time. The church’s practice on polygamy has created controversies. I never knew much about the religion of Mormonism until now. One thing I found interesting was that Mormonism came from Christianity. This blog directly connects to the primary source document called “Joseph Smith Records a Revelation on Plural Marriage, 1843. Joseph Smith discusses what God thinks about marriage. He states “And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.” As well as “if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first giver her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, than it is justified; he cannot commit adultery for they have given unto him and no one else.” Morons did not think that a man having more than one wife was adultery. Though, if women were to have done the same deed, this would be considered adultery. Additionally, women were trying to fight for their rights and freedom. The Mormons thought they were justified when it came to polygamy and had their own cultural beliefs. Mormons did not think they were doing anything wrong; it was just a lifestyle they were accustomed to. In the Mormon society, the women were belittled in the eyes of men, as they are considered possessions. During this time, men had all the power and women were treated unfairly. The men could get away with any misfits and women remained the weaker sex. This is why women were trying to fight back. Overall, I respect Mormons and their religion because they were just living their lives the way they thought they should.
Jenny Shah
Based on what I just read I can assume Mormonism derived from Christianity. Joseph Smith the founder of this religion, Mormonism, was revealed that Christianity’s truth was lost when the apostles died. Because Christianity’s truth was “lost” this new religion was born.Polygamy has been a great controversy within Mormons. In the Mormon society women were underestimated, the religion taught man to have the ultimate control in their houses. Polygamy was a belief practiced by Mormons since they believed that’s what God wanted for marriage. Also polygamy was sexist, men were able to have more than a wife, but women had to be loyal to the only men they were given to. “And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.” As we can see Mormons did not believe that having 10 wives was adultery. If they “belonged to him” he is justified. But women couldn’t practice this belief. In Major Problems Chapter 10, doc 7 it says “But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed.” The emphasis of being destroyed if committing adultery makes women seem week in society, therefore seem property of their husbands. It seems Mormonism doesn’t give nor protect women liberties and rights.
-Jessica Rodriguez (813985010)
After having read this blog I see how the religion of Mormons formed. This religion derived from Christianity since they have similar but yet different practices. Joseph Smith the founder of the new religion was revealed that Christianity’s truth was lost when the apostles died. Mormons believed in polygamy, having more than one wife. Although this was a practice within Mormons it is believed to be sexist. Men are justified because virgin women have been given to him, but women have no voice nor vote on this issue. According to our book Major Problems Chapter 10 “And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.” In within the Mormons community this practice of having 10 wives seems perfectly normal since they have adopted this new life style. While men are allowed to “justified adultery” women are not. Joseph Smith states that women have no justified infidelity to their men. “But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed.” The emphasis of a women being destroyed if she commits adultery portrays a lack of respect and inequality among women. Mormons believed God wanted marriage to be this way; men to have absolute power in their house. Women seemed to be weak, without the rights she deserved, she was only “owned”.
After having read this blog I see how the religion of Mormons formed. This religion derived from Christianity since they have similar but yet different practices. Joseph Smith the founder of the new religion was revealed that Christianity’s truth was lost when the apostles died. Mormons believed in polygamy, having more than one wife. Although this was a practice within Mormons it is believed to be sexist. Men are justified because virgin women have been given to him, but women have no voice nor vote on this issue. According to our book Major Problems Chapter 10 “And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.” In within the Mormons community this practice of having 10 wives seems perfectly normal since they have adopted this new life style. While men are allowed to “justified adultery” women are not. Joseph Smith states that women have no justified infidelity to their men. “But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed.” The emphasis of a women being destroyed if she commits adultery portrays a lack of respect and inequality among women. Mormons believed God wanted marriage to be this way; men to have absolute power in their house. Women seemed to be weak, without the rights she deserved, she was only “owned”.
-Jessica Rodriguez (813985010)
I found the section on the antebellum utopian impulse very interesting, as scholars disagree whether Mormon communities should be interpreted as places “where the democratic impulse ran wild and free” or “enclaves for those who craved structure.” I personally believe the latter interpretation better fits the Mormon form of society. While Mormon communities had standards and norms that differed drastically from the rest of American society, these rules did not fluctuate over time. These standards remained deeply rooted in Mormonism, as even today the idea of polygamy is often connected with Mormonism. In Major Problems Chapter 10 Document 5, Joseph Smith records his justification of polygamy, asserting the Lord had directly revealed to him “a new and an everlasting covenant” that permitted plural marriage. Polygamy was not accepted by popular consent as determined by “democratic impulse,” but rather by an intrinsic societal standard based on God’s permanent acceptance of plural marriage.
burrn
Having read this blog entry and Joseph Smith’s revelation on plural marriage, it strikes me how Mormons view the female principle. Though it is known, of course, that Mormon males practice polygamy, taking upon themselves many wives, their obliviousness towards the female principle does not end there; both this entry and Smith’s revelation disclose the fact that Mormons view the female principle as unequal and not on par with the male principle. Smith’s revelation blatantly states that though men may take for themselves as many wives as they see fit, a woman would have “committed adultery” and would “be destroyed” if she were to be with another man. Likewise, this blog entry comments on how during the ’70s and ’80s, Mormon leadership tried to stifle efforts by its female constituents to advocate the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, legislation that would have guaranteed equality of the sexes before the law. Thus, it is poignantly clear that Mormons do not view the female principle as equal to the male principle.
After reading the blog, I was not aware that there are different kinds of Mormanism. I was also not aware that Mormons are so strict because they thought that their kids were going to become hippies. Also, it is new to me that the Mormon religion was highly racist up until recently, if it is still not today. I did know that the Mormon religion in fact was founded in New York, however, I was not aware that “a large number were in fact immigrants from Europe: the British Isles and Scandinavia, a fact that sheds interesting light on Mormonism’s Americanness.”
I have no idea how the Mormon religion could even instate polygamy, which is the ability to have multiple wives, and consider itself a legitimate religion(along with being a recist one). I guess it may be due to the fact that the Mormon religion was based soley on structure and I would say it institued a household heirarchy of the father having absolute power. This is still not an acceptable reason to do such a thing in my mind.
REading this really made me compare to my family friends/neighbors who are morman. Growing up with that family really made me realize there strict policies and conditions they are surrounded their whole life. However reading this really made me question that old wife saying of multiple wifes. Polygamy is very confusing meaning, that aman has multiple wifes that belong to him. Even though they are not supposed to have sex till they are married. Mormonism is complety dveiated from christianity. according to Major Problems, Joseph Smith refers to Abraham/Isaac/Jacob/Solomon and etc when polygamy was seen to be a normal occurrence. He states that this defines him being able to have more that one wife and not to be considered to be commiteed adultry, as long as they are all virgins by the time they come to him. This is very intresting because the Victorain famiilial sturcture of polygamy was a huge change in the sense of religion compared to others that had been around beforehand. Smith later compares this to the impulse involved the “reorganization of the Victorian familia structure” which he compares to his relvation on pluralism…..
In the end it makes me worship Mormonism even more because i believe in their true morals and beliefs, even though some policies are too strict. It also makes me question their rule of adultery becuase it seems harsher on women becuase sshe belongs to some, wehre the man cannot commit becuase they are given unto him., kinda weird from Victorian Familial structure.
In the end i respect there religion and have found many family members convert to Mormonism and become happier.
Martin Brusko
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What I find most interesting about this assignment is that it revolves around Mormonism in history. I wasn’t caught by surprise by the rightful claims to polygamy of Article 7 like so many have posted. Polygamy after marriage and abstinence before it are two of the biggest stereotypes of the Mormon religion. I say that I find it interesting that this was assigned because in various history courses that I have taken, I’ve been assigned readings or assignments that involve Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and so forth, but never Mormonism. Maybe it was that the assignments were meant to be viewed in a broader sense, so many branches within a religion are skipped over. After reading this blog post and chapter 10 of Major Problems I find it rather odd that religion leads to so much violence from extremist being that most of the core values are the same throughout various religions. They all revolve around a man claiming to be God or being the only true messenger…Jesus, Muhammad, Joseph Smith, Prophet Matthias (article 4). Polygamy existed in the Old Testament as it does in the Mormon religion. The concept of having many virgin wives/mistresses was one of the incentives according to Muslim extremist surrounding attacks (including 9/11). Women as property of men and being a “second-class” citizen also abounds throughout.
Having read this blog I gained more knowledge about the Mormon Religion than the basic stereotypes i was aware of prior to. I have never had a class that included course material on Mormonism nor have I had any mormon friends so i found it pretty interesting to learn about a few different aspects. What was most striking to me about their culture, as other bloggers have repeatedly mentioned as well, is that the practice polygamy. Since Mormonism derived from Christianity it makes sense that one should remain abstinent until they are married, but having multiple wifes when one eventually does get married is slightly hard for me to wrap my head around, which is primarily because I am analyzing it from a woman’s perspective. In Major Problems Chapter 10 Joseph Smith explains the idea of multiple wifes, and to me at least, reveals the sexism intertwines with this tradition, “if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first giver her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, than it is justified; he cannot commit adultery for they have given unto him and no one else.” but if a woman is espoused by one man and shall be with another, she has committed adultery and shall be destroyed.” The last word destroyed expresses the harsh consequences women will receive from something all men are permitted to do. I respect the religion and many of the values they hold but polygamy is something I myself would never want to be a part of. Through this blog I learned a lot and understand Mormonism to a higher extent then I have before.
Domenique Grillo
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Upon reading this excerpt, I concluded that the founding of mormonism, by John Smith, was based off of Christianity. Through this new religion the idea of polygamy became acceptable for men. “And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.” This concept is extremely sexist thus promoting a protest by the women’s rights activists. It should not be acceptable that men are allowed to take on as many partners as they choose, yet women must be faithful and loyal to their husband. This religion belittles women and their attempts to become equal citizens with their husbands, and all men in general. It surprises me that many women still continue to practice mormonism to this day, considering how sexist it really is.
After reading “Teaching Mormonism in the American Survey” by Matthew Bowman, it strikes me that there was polygamy radical organization of Victorian familial structure. Polygamy is marriage that includes more than two partners. In Major Problems Ch. 10 in “Joseph Smith Records a Revelation on Plural Marriage, 1843,” it quotes,” Verify, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines.” It even shows that Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon had many wives and concubines that they would sleep with. That is polygamy and there was also polygamy in the Victorian familial structure as stated by Matthew Bowman. Joseph Smith tried to build a religious community in the Far West and in Ohio. In Major Problems it stated that God’s servants even bore children with the concubines which is polygamy because they had wives.
Alyssa Matis