Revisiting Plural Marriage in the 21st Century: Polygamy, Politics and Power

This paper reviews the complex history of plural marriage associated with the Mormon Church, giving consideration to views that are both favorable and unfavorable to the practice of polygamy. Interdisciplinary in nature, this paper delves into the religious underpinnings common to the practice of polygamy in the United States, alongside a discussion of media framing and court decisions that could impact the future of polygamy. Utilizing a social constructionist framework informed by historical information, media narratives from women who have experienced polygamy first-hand, and legal arguments surrounding the practice of plural marriage, the author argues that modern opposition to polygamy is rooted in ideas of moral superiority and is not aligned with many historical accounts of polygamy nor with the changing tides of legal recognition of fundamental rights and familial status occurring in the United States in the 21st century.

Polygamy

Why did the Latter-day Saints practice polygamy? Joseph Smith never left a record of his thoughts on the origin of a practice that Latter-day Saints called plural marriage, celestial marriage, or “the principle.” Nor did he ever present to his people or to an...

The Americanization of Mormon Apocalyptic

This chapter examines the impact of Americanization on apocalypticism. The LDS Church’s relationship with the federal government changed radically when Utah obtained statehood in 1896. Church leaders pursued national respectability since the First Presidency had publicly abandoned plural marriage six years previously. With such a drastic transition, the reining in of dissenting voices became essential. It was in this era that church leaders opposed prominent themes in vernacular apocalypticism in an effort to engender conformity to the Americanizing project within Mormonism. Apocalyptic themes that were embraced in the 1880s were now seen as a threat. Instead of disavowing the apocalyptic master narrative or their own statements from years past, church leaders criticized the same themes when they appeared in vernacular prophecy among the laity. New institutional discouragement from sharing dramatic visions, dreams, and other manifestations also limited the influence of apocalypticists.

Political Perceptions of Mormon Polygamy and the Struggle for Utah Statehood, 1847–1896

This chapter explains the culture war being waged by the federal government against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It describes how Mormons were typically characterized as representatives of systems and practices that were quintessentially un-American or even anti-American. It also recounts the admission of Utah as the forty-fifth state of the Union in 1896, which was a momentous occasion for both the Mormon church and the United States. The chapter focuses on polygamy as one of the reasons for the unprecedented delay of Utah's admission as a state. It analyzes the religious doctrine of plural marriage that was openly practiced by Mormons from 1852 to 1890, which was unanimously disapproved by members of Congress and American citizens in general.

Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are

This book examines how and why people use the concept of coming out as a certain kind of person to resist stigma and collectively mobilize for social change. It examines how the concept of coming out has taken on different meanings as people adopt it for varying purposes—across time, space, and social context. Most other books about coming out—whether fiction, academic, or memoir—focus on the experience of gay men and lesbians in the United States. This is the first book to examine how a variety of people and groups use the concept of coming out in new and creative ways to resist stigma and mobilize for social change. It examines how the use of coming out among American lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) people has shifted over time. It also examines how four diverse US social movements—including the fat acceptance movement, undocumented immigrant youth movement, the plural-marriage family movement among Mormon fundamentalist polygamists, and the #MeToo movement—have employed the concept of coming out to advance their cause. Doing so sheds light on these particular struggles for social recognition, while illuminating broader questions regarding social change, cultural meaning, and collective mobilization.

Introduction

This chapter argues that coming out has become what sociologists call a “master frame,” a way of understanding the world that is sufficiently elastic and inclusive that a wide range of social movements can use it in their own campaigns. It introduces five movements that are the focus of the book—(1) the American lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus (LGBTQ+) rights movement; (2) the fat acceptance movement; (3) the undocumented immigrant youth movement; (4) the plural-marriage family movement among Mormon fundamentalist polygamists; and (5) the #MeToo movement. It reviews the data and methods that form the basis of the book—participant observation, textual analysis, and 146 in-depth interviews. It argues that disparate groups use coming out to challenge negative stereotypes and overcome oppression, and that the close association of coming out with gay people informs the meaning of the term in other contexts. It previews the subsequent chapters.

The Joseph (F.) Smith Story

Following the death of Lorenzo Snow in 1901, Joseph F. Smith was next in the line of prophetic successors. Joseph F. became the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in autumn. He ramped up efforts to commemorate Joseph Smith’s birthday and especially to rehearse his first vision. In the turn-of-the-century crisis that threatened to undermine Mormonism, Joseph F. Smith’s selection, relation, and repetition of the story of his uncle’s first vision helped the saints navigate their way to a new narrative, one in which plural marriage could be relinquished without eroding the saints’ faith in revelations received by their prophets past or present.