essay

Sources of strain in Mormon history reconsidered

Mormonism and American cultureNew YorkPublished In 1972 • Pages: 147-167

By: O'Dea, Thomas F..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This study reviews the impact of the youth and civil rights movements of the 1960s on Mormonism. According to the author, the 1960s raised fundamental questions about human purpose and values in the nation and in the Mormon Church. Mormons had to re-evaluate the inherent racism of some of their doctrines and policies, such as barring blacks from the priesthood. These policies stem from the so-called Missouri experience when the Mormons themselves were badly persecuted and enacted policies against abolition (which Joseph Smith had championed at the end of his career) so as not to stand out from the local Missourians. The challenge to the Church in the late 1960s was that doctrinal change could only be brought about through revelation. A reform-minded branch, the Reorganized Church, attempted accommodation. For references cited see Hill and Allen (1972 “Selected bibliography”).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Comparative evidence
Sociocultural trends
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Ethnic stratification
Theological systems
Priesthood
Congregations
Religious denominations
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Mormons
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2018
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southwest and Basin
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Historian
Indigenous Person
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Marlene Martin; Martin Malone; 1978. Ian Skoggard; 2012
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
not applicable
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1957-1971
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Utah, United States
NotesAdditional notes
Thomas F. O'Dea
For bibliographical references see document 95
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
72082900
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Mormons