Revelation, Resistance, and Mormon Polygamy

Revelation, Resistance, and Mormon Polygamy

Author: Merina Smith

Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Published: 2013-08-15

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 0874219183

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In Revelation, Resistance, and Mormon Polygamy historian Merina Smith explores the introduction of polygamy in Nauvoo, a development that unfolded amid scandal and resistance. Smith considers the ideological, historical, and even psychological elements of the process and captures the emotional and cultural detail of this exciting and volatile period in Mormon history. She illuminates the mystery of early adherents' acceptance of such a radical form of marriage in light of their dedication to the accepted monogamous marriage patterns of their day. When Joseph Smith began to reveal and teach the doctrine of plural marriage in 1841, even stalwart members like Brigham Young were shocked and confused. In this thoughtful study, Smith argues that the secret introduction of plural marriage among the leadership coincided with an evolving public theology that provided a contextualizing religious narrative that persuaded believers to accept the principle. This fresh interpretation draws from diaries, letters, newspapers, and other primary sources and is especially effective in its use of family narratives. It will be of great interest not only to scholars and the general public interested in Mormon history but in American history, religion, gender and sexuality, and the history of marriage and families.


A Peculiar People

A Peculiar People

Author: J. Spencer Fluhman

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2012-09-17

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0807837407

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Though the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion, it does not specify what counts as a religion. From its founding in the 1830s, Mormonism, a homegrown American faith, drew thousands of converts but far more critics. In "A Peculiar People", J. Spencer Fluhman offers a comprehensive history of anti-Mormon thought and the associated passionate debates about religious authenticity in nineteenth-century America. He argues that understanding anti-Mormonism provides critical insight into the American psyche because Mormonism became a potent symbol around which ideas about religion and the state took shape. Fluhman documents how Mormonism was defamed, with attacks often aimed at polygamy, and shows how the new faith supplied a social enemy for a public agitated by the popular press and wracked with social and economic instability. Taking the story to the turn of the century, Fluhman demonstrates how Mormonism's own transformations, the result of both choice and outside force, sapped the strength of the worst anti-Mormon vitriol, triggering the acceptance of Utah into the Union in 1896 and also paving the way for the dramatic, yet still grudging, acceptance of Mormonism as an American religion.


From the Outside Looking In

From the Outside Looking In

Author: Reid L. Neilson

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 439

ISBN-13: 0190244666

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This book contains fifteen essays from leading historians and religious studies scholars, each originally presented as the annual Tanner lecture at the conference of the Mormon History Association. Approaching Mormon history from a variety of angles, such as gender, identity creation, American imperialism, and globalization, these scholars, all experts in their fields but new to the study of Mormon history itself, ask intriguing questions about Mormonism's past and future and analyze familiar sources in unexpected ways.


The Christian Countercult Movement

The Christian Countercult Movement

Author: Douglas E. Cowan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-08-31

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13: 100906228X

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Many seemingly strange questions on yoga, salvation, religious pluralism, and so forth have been actively debated among members of a small but influential group of evangelical apologists known as the Christian countercult movement. This Element explores the history of this movement from its origins in the anti-heresy writings of the early church to its modern development as a reaction to religious pluralism in North America. It contrasts the apologetic Christian countercult movement with its secular anticult counterpart and explains how faith-based opposition both to new religious movements and to non-Christian religions will only deepen as religious pluralism increases. It provides a concise understanding of the two principal goals of Christian countercult apologetics: support for the evangelization of non-Christian believers and maintenance for the perceived superiority of the evangelical Christian worldview.


The Wide Divide

The Wide Divide

Author: D. Gonzales

Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2018-01-09

Total Pages: 559

ISBN-13: 1640791302

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Most people are not aware of the wide divide that exists between Mormonism and Christianity. Members of the LDS Church are taught not to question the teachings of the church despite the leaders being instructed to manipulate the facts and hide the truth whenever it is deemed useful to do so. The Wide Divide is a comprehensive and chronological study of Mormonism rendered in a holistic rather than a topical approach. It covers the panorama of early Mormon history with a comprehensive analysis of its doctrine. The major premise of the book is, "Are Mormons Christian?" If you are a Mormon, it is very critical that you answer this question correctly before you meet Jesus in eternity. Please do so.