Why Are We Afraid Of Mormons | BU today

You’ll be able to inform by their underwear.

Latest USA in the present day the story reveals what number of People are “uninformed” about Mormonism and “cautious” of it, postpone by such practices as sporting blessed underwear as an indication of full communion within the church. And though The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renounced polygamy (aside from the militant half) within the Nineties, some non-Mormons suspect that “fundamentalist teams have in some way been hiding in plain sight within the fold of the church,” says scholar Cristine Hutchison -Jones (GRS'11).

In reality, he says, “nobody on this nation within the twentieth and twenty first centuries has been extra aggressive in prosecuting polygamists than the Mormons.” As for underwear, he notes that different religions imbue sure clothes with sacred that means. Info apart, Mitt Romney's Mormonism frightened some conservative Christian voters who have been contemplating his run for president.

Hutchison-Jones, a Harvard College administrator, will not be Mormon, however her curiosity in non secular intolerance led her to jot down her BU doctoral dissertation on “Insulting and Worshiping Mormons: Defining American Values, 1890-2008.” (These years marked the Mormons' official abandonment of polygamy and Mitt Romney's first run for president.) She started with the belief that this is able to be one other American story of minority assimilation and acceptance into mainstream tradition. To her shock, she realized that Mormonism stays “actually problematic for lots of people. The unfavourable perceptions of Mormons far exceeded my expectations. If the voters' self-description is to be believed, it is probably not so grim. A Pew Discussion board ballot in July discovered that 81 % of respondents mentioned they have been comfy with or detached to Romney's religion.

BU in the present day spoke with Hutchison-Jones about what prejudice towards Mormons says about us and the prospects for Romney's second bid for the White Home.

BU in the present day: What do People take into consideration Mormons in 2012, and the way correct is what they suppose?

Hutchison-Jones: I believe numerous what People suppose they find out about Mormonism is flawed. We consider Sister's Wives and Huge Love [TV shows about polygamous apostate Mormons]. Within the final 30 years, a robust theme has emerged in fashionable depictions of Mormon violence towards non-Mormons, pioneer violence. In 2007, it was referred to as a film September daybreakconcerning the 1857 Mountain Meadows Bloodbath [the slaughter of a wagon train by Mormon militia]. It is vitally traditionally inaccurate. I've had family and friends name me who caught it on HBO and say, “I realized a lot from that film.”

Why do unfavourable stereotypes about Mormons persist?

There are a number of causes. You had the rise of evangelical Christianity in politics, and to conservative Protestant Christians, Mormons aren’t Christians; Mormons are a cult. So you’ve an elevated quantity of anti-Mormon propaganda popping out of non secular communities.

The opposite people who find themselves uncomfortable with Mormons are socially and politically liberal People. Polls ask, would you vote for a Mormon presidential candidate? Individuals who determine as liberal are inclined to say no. There’s a tendency to see Mormons as a hegemony, as if en masse in thrall to church management. The Ethical Majority reached out to Mormons, and due to this affiliation, liberals are inclined to see Mormons as outlaws. I needed to overcome a few of it myself. I entered my analysis with this expectation. I headed to the Mormon Historical past Affiliation's nationwide convention, and the group of students there are largely Mormon and never in any political limbo. There’s a vast variety of opinion.

With the Ethical Majority, Mormons appear to have gotten into mattress politically with individuals who have been prejudiced towards them.

It’s true. Within the Nineteen Eighties New York Occasions he didn't know what to make of Orrin Hatch, who had entered the Senate as a conservative Republican Mormon. Then conservative Republicans proposed an modification to the Structure on faculty prayer. He mentioned, “Completely not.” I'm a part of a minority faith that has been abused and I'm not going to be part of telling somebody methods to pray or to not pray.” Hatch famously went on to work with Ted Kennedy on federally funded youngsters's well being care. Mormons have a really sturdy sense of the frequent good.

The fellows who did it South Park did The E book of Mormon on Broadway.

I'd argue, profanity apart, that they’ve probably the most sympathetic and understanding views of Mormons in modern illustration. They by no means speak about polygamy as a result of they see it as historic historical past, which it’s.

If there’s a lot misperception, do universities want to supply extra programs on Mormonism?

It’ll cowl any faith course in the US taught in a faith division. How effectively it’s coated is one other query. Mormonism normally will get the day. Whether or not or not you’ll be able to justify your complete course since they’re lower than 2 % of the US inhabitants generally is a little bit of a stretch. However, Jews are an especially small minority, and each college value its salt has some type of Judaic Research. And Mormonism is rising by leaps and bounds. Final I noticed the syllabus for [College of Arts & Sciences religion professor] Steve Prother's faculty course on faith in the US included Jan Shipps' ebook on Mormonism. It's not only a one-day factor. It will get to the purpose the place it most likely deserves some dialogue within the context of the world faith clock.

What do People' views of Mormonism say about our beliefs and values?

This boils all the way down to our sense of ourselves as a nation during which church and state are separate. I’d say that People don’t separate all faith from all politics. We're simply not comfy with teams that don't match the commonly reasonable Protestant mildew. I’ve a colleague who did his PhD on Hollywood film depictions of conservative Christians as villains. In any crime drama, you’ll be able to nearly actually inform that when somebody quotes the Bible, you'll later discover out they're a psychopathic killer.

And we’re nervous about teams that brazenly say that the church must be concerned in our politics, no matter it’s for that group. And Mormons put on their faith on their sleeve. The typical Mormon spends about 20 hours per week on actions in his native church. It’s actually the core and middle of their neighborhood and they’re fully open to their faith shaping their social and political values. And People don't like that.

Do you suppose Romney might lose the election due to his faith?

I believe if Romney loses will probably be for quite a lot of causes. And sure, Mormonism could also be problematic for him sooner or later. Conservative voters could also be rather less excited to vote as a result of they're nervous he's Mormon they usually're those he wants. And you might discover independents who discover his politics interesting, however some could also be postpone by the affiliation with Mormonism and the concern that each one Mormons are conservative.