Can Mormonism Escape Its Extremist Past?

The Mormon religion has their own 9/11 story. On September 11th, 1857, a man named John D. Lee led a massacre of Arkansas settlers. It was an act of religious vengeance and 120 people were murdered in cold blood. Lee, who was very close to Brigham Young, an adopted son in fact, became known as the Terror of the West. Extremism has been a part of the church since the beginning.

In the 1800’s, Brigham Young institutionalized racism in the Mormon Church for the next century. The Utah territory chose to side with the Confederacy and supported the institution of slavery. Mormonism was a racist religion and believed that blacks were cursed by God. They believed in the Curse of Cain and the Curse of Ham, they preached it, they taught it, it was accepted, it was the word of God. It wasn’t until 1978 that the Mormon Church decided blacks could be full members and the Curse of Cain was nullified.

The Curse of Ham is still in effect though. It’s a story that’s been used to legitimize slavery and justify terrorism in the name of God before the Civil War and later during the Civil Rights struggle.

Many associate Mormonism with polygamy. Both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young believed, without reservation, that polygamy was a fundamental tenet of the church, so it’s natural that many followers see the practice as part of God’s plan. This has been renounced by the current church hierarchy, but that doesn’t stop many Mormons from following the religious dogma their founders established. These polygamists can be very brutal, kicking young men out of the community and taking child brides. Child rape is a common occurrence with brides as young as thirteen being taken against their will.

There can be no doubt that Mormonism has a checkered past. Former heads of the church have been extremists who’ve been members of the John Birch Society and who fought hard against Civil Rights. Mormons have established a quasi-theocracy in Utah, a far right state where political advancement is almost totally dependent on religious orthodoxy. Mormons support the far right agenda and it remains in question whether they can escape their extremist past.

Aaron Dahl

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