I just finished The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith by Matthew Bowman and, as I walked to and from the voting polls, I realized I am a product of the time and social currents in which I've grown up.
Bowman's historical account gives an interesting perspective on the Mormon faith, placing our doctrinal, policy and structural changes within the context of evolving America. The result is astounding. We see the inception of our church during a time of revivalism in America where visions and angelic visits were more commonplace than 2012 peeps would suspect. We see that spiritualism give birth to a community Zion that started with Joseph and solidified with Brigham as members worked their way across the plains--practical, hardworking pioneers. Already chased from so many places, it is easy to see why leaders and members developed an air exclusivity and rejected outsiders (non-Mormons), echoes which can still be felt in our culture today. And other things, like the rise and fall of polygamy in a charged political climate, and the subsequent introduction of genealogy to help members feel the deep family connection polygamy once provided. Our beliefs were redefined during this Progressive Era--a time of great optimism. "Celestial Marriage", that had once meant plural or polygamist marriage, now meant eternal marriage between one man and one wife. Our "comprehensive history of the plan of salvation" was fashioned, emphasizing the creation of the universe and the similarity between God and man.
According to Bowman, "With few alterations, the achievement of [James] Talmage, [John] Widstoe, [B.H.] Roberts and [Joseph Fielding] Smith remains the Mormonism believed by most Latter-day Saints today" (p.165).
As America changed, so did Mormonism. From an emphasis on understanding the mysteries of God to a focus on character and the "dos" required. Meetings were created and standardized, the idea of frequent temple attendance introduced, Word of Wisdom added to the recommend interview, etc. All ways to improve the character of the individual that was so much the focus of Progressive Era religion.
The 1940s and 50s introduced a climate of efficient corporations, reflected in the church as correlation, missionary training and professionalism. The emphasis on "white shirts" was born. Standardization, simplification, conformity and so on.
The 60s and 70s "counterculture" movement created a more authoritarian voice from church leaders. Bruce R. McConkie even went so far as to say, "It is my province to teach to the church what the doctrine is. It is your province to repeat what I say or to remain silent" (p.202). We see the introduction of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, which directly addressed the issues of sex and drugs. We know of the Civil Rights Movement that gave way to the 1978 revelation that all worthy men could hold the priesthood. And the following decades of Church expansion around the globe meant changes to missionary training (from "baseball" baptisms to the strict format of the discussions to the current Preach My Gospel program), challenges to make programs and materials international, and, with the internet, a susceptibility to outside thought and information.
Which brings us to my generation and those younger than I am. I've heard this called the information age, a time like never before when information is both available and easily accessible. We are a people of inquiry and accountability. We ask for transparency in our governments and in our religions. We tire of white washed histories told from limited points of view, instead celebrating the complexity that is the birth and growth of any group of people. We're probably less likely to be shocked that Jefferson not only had slaves but also had sex with them too. We don't condone his actions, but we don't lose faith in America over it either. We want to know about the history of America from the point of view of blacks, immigrants, and women. We accept that the past isn't black and white, that our founding fathers had weaknesses, and that the "villains" were just people trying to do what they felt was right for their family and their nation. Yet we still love our country and the ideals it claims to represent. We are a generation craving the true or authentic self... from ourselves, from others, from our nation, from our religion.
We believe in equality and don't understand the barriers keeping us from achieving it. Why can't gays have the same rights as heterosexuals? Why shouldn't women be able to pursue whatever life they deem worthy and make the same amount of money at it? We look back at the Civil Rights Movement and wonder why the hell it took so long to figure out that we're all part of the human family and that segregation and discrimination are wrong.
We are seekers of information, pursuers of equality, lovers of authenticity regardless of what the walls of secrecy are trying to hide. I can't speak for all people who have also been raised during this time (even though it sounds like I already have), I can only speak for myself.
So the Church has changed, grown, progressed, digressed in tandem or reaction to the social climate around them. I'm not saying it's good or bad, only that it is. And it makes me wonder what changes could be on the horizon. How much is being influenced by the Information Age we are currently living in. Will books in the future look back on this time and say, "This is why leaders became more transparent with Church history. This is why members asked the hard questions and didn't take the proverbial shelf for an answer. This is why the focus shifted from the 'doing' to the 'being'... because with all the information accessible to anyone with an internet connection... with all the talk of equal rights and women's movements and passing of same-sex marriage laws... the fire of information and equality ignited a people and the Church shifted."
What will the book say? What will I believe? And does the pattern of change within the Church--a reflection of society itself--make it not true? To me it doesn't matter.
Because God works with the people He has... whether old school, progressive, corporate, or questioner. He loves all of them. He wants all of them in His house. Dare I say, all of them are necessary to the building up of the kingdom of God.
I am a product of my generation. I am a questioner. I am also a believer.
I am an unorthodox Mormon.
