From its outset, the Mormon faith was the subject of persecution just about wherever its members are. Its inherently different religious views and claim to be the “restoration of all things” angered other the Christian sects that existed in America at the time. Mormons had to move constantly in order to avoid persecution, eventually ending up in Utah, where they had no neighbors to anger. However, the existence of polygamy in the Western reaches of the United States caused many to associate the Mormon faith with everything that America was trying to leave behind.
The outrage against plural marriage arose from the long-standing tradition of monogamy as the status quo. Society’s reverence of single marriage as a time-honored tradition to be upheld at all costs, and polygamy was seen as one of the two major threats to this institution. “Divorce and polygamy, so the theory went, were twisted strands, already strangling society through the destruction of marriage” (Gordon 174). Polygamy was seen as a threat to marriage as it should be in society. It was seen to destroy marriage in a similar way to divorce. The avid outcry against polygamy began to pick up steam and eventually caught the attention of those in charge of the country.
Spurred on by many dissenters, the federal government began to raise questions about the legality of polygamy, and the matter eventually made its way to the Supreme Court. “The weakness in the system exposed by Mormon polygamy, they argued, could topple the whole structure. In the wrong hands, precious liberties were perverted into justifications for licentiousness” (Gordon 40). The Mormon polygamist movement was seen as something that took advantage of the freedom in America and the start of what could become a rush of immoral developments that could follow. The Constitution offered the citizens freedom, but many argued that polygamy blatantly crossed the line of American freedom and utter freedom.
Once the issue reached the Supreme Court, polygamy was doomed to be outlawed. The massive public outcry from the northeastern United States forced the Supreme Court to deem plural marriage illegal. The reasons stated didn’t really matter, but involved calling the precedents of English law, in which polygamy was punishable by death. The opinion of the court was stated as “Polygamy has always been odious among the northern and western nations of Europe, and, until the establishment of the Mormon Church, was almost exclusively a feature of the life of Asiatic and of African people” (Waite 3). The polygamous nature of the Mormon Church was seen as a barbaric and very un-American establishment by the majority of the American population. The American ideal was seen as a philosophy of restrained personal freedom, not a free-for-all attitude as polygamy implied.
Questions
1. Mormonism suffered because it came to being in the religiously focused climate of nineteenth century America. How do you think Mormonism would fare if it had never existed until now and started up in today’s climate?
2. Do you think the opposition to Mormonism arose from a religious objection or from a defense of the Constitution?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I do not believe that Mormonism, if beginning in this day and age, would survive beyond a few years after its birth. The 19th century American social and religious environments provided a rich soil that cultivated the seeds of Mormonism.
ReplyDeleteAs for the social environment, though the general American public abhorred polygamy, as strongly evidenced by the readings, the spirit of Western freedom and of Manifest Destiny pushed the Mormon community towards Utah. This particular social trend emphasized individualism and perhaps even dissent against authority. The Mormon community, without this social background, most likely would not have continued to push against the orders of the federal government to stop practicing polygamous relations.
As for the religious environment of the era, contrary to what question one implies (that the religious climate of 19th century America harmed the growth of Mormonism), the extreme piety of the era actually aided the growth of Mormonism. Without the religious fever of the time, the followers of Smith most likely would never have joined his community nor would they have believed he received the Word of God. Furthermore, the Mormons would most likely not have entered into celestial marriages in the first place, since the reasoning for these marriages was mainly religious.
Today, our society neither possesses neither the spirit of Manifest Destiny/Western dissent nor the religious piety that infiltrated the hearts and minds of the late 1800s. Science and knowledge are supreme. Our rules are law, and our military is always available to crush rebellion. Thus, I strongly believe that if Mormonism bloomed today, the movement would soon disappear.
I believe that it might be possible for polygamy to exist today. Some of the arguments supporting polygamy mentioned that polygamy was almost the same as getting divorced and then remarrying. With polygamy, one has simultaneous wives while with divorce and marriage one has consecutive wives. The ex-husbands (or ex-wives) of today are still supporting their prior spouses with alimony as well as their current spouses. In practicing polygamy, the husbands (or wives) are also supporting their multiple partners. I believe that this argument could be well justified in this day and age if there was not already the existing bias against polygamy.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason that I believe that polygamy might survive in this day and age is that people are not nearly as religious today as they were in the era of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Some traditional values have been weakened since then. For example the nuclear family is not nearly as strong, especially with the multitude of divorces and stepparents.
Yet I do believe that there would be a loud opposition to polygamy by some. We can just look at the opponents to gay marriage. These groups are trying to preserve the traditional family. Thus they would definitely see polygamy as a threat.
All in all, I believe that polygamy, if introduced for the first time in this day and age, could attain the same level of acceptance as gay marriage. Some people would accept them and advocate that people should be able to marry whomever they please. Others would lambast polygamy as defaming the sacred union of marriage.
I do not think that Mormonism would have survived had it been started in today’s time. Though religion is important to the American people, it is not as important as it once was. Americans do not regularly attend religious services like they used to. During the time when the religion was founded, people were looking for hope and comfort. Many present-day Americans have found less time consuming alternatives to worship that offer them these same benefits (like yoga…just kidding! Kinda.). Furthermore, the Mormon religion was founded in a time where it was common for one to change their religious beliefs; people today do not regularly waiver in their faith. Like Christine mentioned, I think it would be difficult for people to accept plural marriage, especially since our society cannot accept gay marriage. I don’t see how Americans would be okay with letting a man marry 3 or 4 women as young as 16 when Americans are not okay with two people of the same sex marry.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify about the yoga comment - I don't mean to offend anyone. What I mean by this is that people have found what they believe are valid substitutes for religion. Our society has moved away from "susie homemaker" and core family values, both of which had a large religious component. They have made the spiritual aspect of their lives less a part of their lives and usually more convinent for them.
ReplyDelete