My audience is comprised of African American women born and raised in Baptist Churches. My audience is a Mormon, and they believe in polygamy. Anything that is not in the King James Bible, or those who practice other religions, will be given to hell. My culture is ignorant of the many types of Mormons. However, they believe that all Mormons are fundamentalist Mormons. My audience isn’t interested in Mormons. My paper is a critique of the creation of Mormonism. Despite Mormons being Christians, it would not be lost on my audience. Fundamentalist Mormons would not be viewed as people living normal lives. Unknown to me, Mormons share the same beliefs and values as us, whether they are fundamentalists or not. Mormons share a Protestant belief. They also believe strongly in charity, family, worship, and the environment.
A polygamous marital relationship is where four wives and seventeen children live together. The entertainer’s perspective on the lives of fundamentalist Mormons is reflected in reality TV shows like TLC’s Sister Wives. But not all Mormons believe that polygamy is possible. The few who do are known as Fundamentalist Mormons. Despite their controversial beliefs however, they are still part and parcel of the Christian religion. They are still a part of the Christian denomination and share some values with other mainstream religions. Richard Wagoner maintains that Smith was a private advocate for polygamous marriages, and that it wasn’t until 1852 did the Mormons make public their support of polygamy (IX). Wagoner states that polygamy was banned by the United States in 1890 after public outcry. (IX). Wagoner states that polygamy continued to be practiced up until 1904, when Joseph F. Smith became president of the religion. (IX). Wagoner claims that certain Mormons refused change and still practiced polygamy along with the teachings from the broader Mormon religion. Many people still believe Fundamentalist Mormons and Church of Latter-Day Saints to be the same. Polygamy is an important part the Mormon faith. This belief has been shared by many religions, even Christian ones. Wagoner first published his book in 1949. The Census Bureau estimates that there were six-million Latter-Day Saints in 2009, with less than three-percent being Fundamentalists (Section 1, Population). Despite this, Fundamentalist Mormons hold close to the original Protestant values, with polygamy added.
The FLDS church has a few values that are important to them. Fundamentalist Mormons are not likely to work unless members desire to be there. People who are interested in charity, volunteer work, and mission trips should do so because it is difficult and rewarding. Nate Tabak interviews Daniel Harlow, an 18-year-old European man who spent many months living in Kosovo while he was still able to communicate back home. Harlow’s faith and dedication helped him to overcome the isolation and distance from his family and friends. Richard Foltz says that Fundamentalist Mormons allow their boys to become priests by the age of twelve. They also encourage their sons to dedicate two years to missions or education (5). Foltz also showed that Mormons believe in the existence of “souls”, and that parents must work to bring them down to Earth. Fundamentalist men often take on multiple wives, bringing back the lost souls. Mosiah of Book of Mormon says that all of us are beggars. We all depend upon the one Being, even God, to have all that we have. This is why fundamentalists become so dedicated. God is what brought us here (Mosiah 4.99). Foltz reveals that believers believe that with much dedication and devotion they can become gods. Fundamentalist Mormons will give everything to their faith in order to achieve fulfillment and brighter afterlives.
Family is very important to Fundamentalist Mormons. A large family includes more than a man, his woman, and his children. Family members must make sacrifices for their children. The FLDS members understood this and gave their religious twist. “Every sacrifice made for each others was rewarded tenfold. We learned how to worship, share our sorrows, laugh, cry, and enjoy life together. The wife represents the love that one has for his or her family and how important it is to their daily life. These large polygamous households sacrificed for the family’s welfare, while their wives gave for their own children. Wagoner explains that men had to care for their spouses and children regardless of whether they were married in the sanctity or second, third, or fourth marriages. Wagoner continues to quote Apostle George Cannon. Cannon explained that “not seulement is the man bound by her desire to have that effect,” but that he was also bound to share his whole property with her (qtd. in 1993). According to the Polygamy Journal, a polygamous marriage can result in one spouse being infertile while others are capable of bearing many children. The couple doesn’t have to consider divorce an option. William Jankowiak states that “sister wives”, who believe in the family bond beyond death, feel that everyone should have one mind. Jankowiak’s research reveals that the fundamentalist Mormon culture places the greatest importance on the father-son bond (166). This is how the social-cultural rules and beliefs of the faith are transmitted from generation to generation. Jankowiak provides an example: Abraham passed the keys to God’s kingdom to Isaac (166). Families are valued for the fact that each member of the family has a purpose. Fundamentalist Mormons teach that family commitment is not an option.
FLDS believes all church members should be involved in missionary work to follow the example of Jesus Christ. This culture shares a lot of missionary work. The Doctrine of Covenants tells his people that they must “proclaim the gospel from landto land and from cities to cities… bear witness at every place, unto any people” (Doctrine of Covenants 66.5). This is how fundamentalist faith members send missionaries to spread gospel and increase population. The missionaries wear business clothes and rarely wear casual attire when on duty (see figure 2). Tabak speaks with Daniel Harlow about his mission. He said that “our purpose is to invite other people to Christ.” “The Mormon Missionary” (we don’t force anyone) Even though most mission trips are merely about giving flyers out and encouraging people to convert, FLDS missionaries often find other activities to fill their time away from home. Tabak documents missionaries on their mission trips and shows how they are able to keep their focus on their work (“The Mormon Missionary”) Harlow, who is 19 years old, must get up at 6:30 in the morning and fall asleep at 10 thirty at night. His family and friends back home are limited to two phone calls per year and weekly email. Tabak states that Harlow can only speak to women if it’s about his missionary work. He is prohibited from dating. The importance of missionary work was also demonstrated in the 1830s when Mormonism began. Kim Ostman explains that missionaries who traveled across North America to Europe, then back to North America, before migrating to Finland or Sweden, started to have civil conflicts with authorities in these areas (268). Ostman describes the threat civil authorities made to missionaries to get them out of their land. Ostman states that the missionaries refused to leave their land and Ostman says they continued to meet in houses to talk to people about joining the FLDS church (269). Fundamentalist Mormons will risk their lives and jail time to promote missionary work.
Polygamy is the biggest value associated with Fundamentalism’s Mormon faith. The practice of having more than one spouse at once (usually wives) is polygamy. Many of the most well-known polygamy methods have been turned into television shows, such as Sister Wives or Big Love. (see figure 3). Wagoner exposes the handful of radicals who formed their own church and decided to leave the Church of Latter-Day Saints. Joseph Smith believed that polygamy was possible, but only in his private life (29). O’Kendall White explains that Joseph Smith left behind private journals detailing his private life and a book that wiped out the condemnation for polygamous conduct (166). Wagoner adds on by recalling Joseph Smith’s realization that polygamy is allowed to be practiced in the Old Testament. Fundamentalist Mormons were able to hold onto this book, earning the title Fundamentalist Mormons. Jankowaik reports on the tolerance of Fundamentalist Mormons living in the West. The practice of polygamy, which is still a common western practice, is “publicly known” by Jankowaik. Jankowaik said that after polygamy was illegalized and rumors of assault and sexual abuse began to circulate, the government made an agreement that they would not arrest any more men unless there were further reports. Another decrease in FLDS members was caused by this negative connotation. The Fundamentalists did not use the decline in polygamy practice to make people separate. They built communities to stay together. Jankowaik explains that Colorado City/Centennial Park hosts forty-five% of polygamous households (165). It is isolated from the rest of the world and can practice its beliefs peacefully because it has very little or no contact with outside towns and cities. The Fundamentalist Mormons believe in polygamy and have continued to adapt to all obstacles to maintain their faith.
Although fundamentalist Mormons believe polygamy is important, they also value many other things. The FLDS church is also committed to understanding the family’s role and dedication. Members who do missionary work within and outside the church are able to understand and apply the values. The FLDS church is more than a collection of beliefs. It is all the beliefs. The entire Latter-Day Saint church is growing. In fact, it has been called that the fastest-growing religion. They are trying to prove they are just like everyone else and not sexual deviants. They have a house with one man and four wives, 17 children, but they still live in a world where survival is possible.
