For Mormons, the recent spasm of media attention to church founder Joseph Smith’s polygamy was the stuff of century-old nightmares—painful evidence that, even after 100 years of performing conservative American-ness so cheerfully that it can appear paradoxically creepy, Mormons are still perceived as strange and secretive. News outlets seemed downright eager to put “Mormon” and “polygamy” together in headlines, and many publications repeated the not-entirely-accurate assertion that Smith’s multiple marriages—possibly as many as 40, one to a girl of 14, and some to women married to other men—were being acknowledged by Mormon leaders “for the first time.” Such stories rehashed the narrative that has framed the American relationship with Mormonism since its beginnings, one of estrangement and persecution followed by difficult, halting steps toward assimilation. Polygamy is always at the center of this narrative, despite the fact that Mormons have now not practiced polygamy for almost twice as long as they did practice it.
But the three new essays that prompted this latest wave of attention—a total of about 10,000 words outlining the history of what was called “plural marriage” by the Mormons—highlight an unlikely fact about life after the “Mormon Moment,” that recent stretch when, thanks largely to the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney, Mormonism was in the news on a daily basis. That moment is now, most everyone agrees, over. In its wake, something unexpected has become clear: The relationship between Mormons and non-Mormons hasn’t really changed that much, despite all the attention and scrutiny. In fact, that outside attention had a more significant impact within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than it did on relations between its members and their fellow citizens. While the outside world continues to perceive Mormons in largely the same old terms, the culture within Mormonism is changing, and more Mormons, including some in the upper ranks of the church, are coming to terms with the faith’s sometimes troubled history.
Read Full Article »