Orson Scott Card, most famously known for Ender's Game and the ensuing series, recently wrote an article that sums up the Mormon tribal experience. When I first heard of the concept of "tribe" as a social construct, it rang true in regards to my experience in the Mormon culture associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For those of you that do not know, I am a seventh generation member on both sides. There are no famous Mormons in my family, at least not that I'm aware of, but I come from pioneer heritage. My ancestors crossed the plains in the mass exodus from Ohio and Missouri. The point is, Mormonism is part of my heritage and no matter where I live, who I meet, what I do in life, or how strictly I adhere to the fundamental principles of this religion, I will always be a part of this tribe and this tribe will always be a part of me. As a father and husband, I have decided to practice the tenets of my faith, to live this religion, in spite of any misgivings I may have concerning orthopraxy and orthodoxy.
Setting aside the doctrine of foreordination, as children we have little to no control over where and how we are raised. For example, I can remember my family moving thirteen times in an eleven or twelve year period. (Twice we simply moved within the same townhouse complex, so that hardly counts. Another time we moved to a better house in the same neighborhood, so all in all, maybe I should say we moved ten times.) Regardless, I attended six elementary schools and three junior high schools. Luckily, my parents settled down and I only attended one high school. In contrast, my two younger brothers attended one elementary, one junior high, and one high school. They are as much a product of Kearns, Utah as I am a product of the instability I experienced growing up. In running the risk of waxing nostalgic and overtly sentimental, my parents did the best they could and they did a pretty good job raising me, especially when you consider what they had to work with. In fact, my ability to make friends quickly is due in large part to the numerous moves. There were, however, two constants in my childhood--school and church. Wherever we lived, I excelled at school and was usually the star pupil of my class. At church I would experience the same rituals, ceremonies, lexicon, social structure, and beliefs --whether it was in Salt Lake City, UT, Green River, WY, or Vancouver, WA. Only now, as an adult, do I appreciate the stability these two institutions provided.
In high school, almost all of my friends came from active Latter-day Saint families. Having said that, I always had friends that were not members of the church growing up. The demographics of Utah, however, increased the statistical probability that my friends would come from a Mormon background. This also provided stability--a stability and foundation I took for granted. Drugs, sex, and alcohol were not major temptations in my adolescence because I was never invited to the kinds of parties where drugs and alcohol were present, and because the girls I dated were taught the same high standards of chastity and abstinence that I had been taught. Now, it is a logical fallacy to believe that all Mormon kids are good and that all non-Mormon kids are bad. Of course Mormon teenagers face that same struggles and problems that all teenagers face. And there are plenty of teenagers that live wholesome lives even without any religious structure. I guess I was lucky to fall into a crowd of upstanding young men and women that respected and supported one another. We mutually helped each another to live the standards we had been taught.
I realize I have a lot more to say about this subject but I think it will have to wait for another post. I guess the point I am trying to make is that Mormonism, for me and for many members of the church, is much more than a religion or a church we attend on Sunday. It is community, it is culture, and, if you exclude race, it is almost ethnicity.
In future posts, I hope to address the following issues: missionary service as a rite of passage; orthodoxy and orthopraxy; cultural Mormonism; raising Mormon spawn; and the complexities of faith and scholarship.
In high school, almost all of my friends came from active Latter-day Saint families. Having said that, I always had friends that were not members of the church growing up. The demographics of Utah, however, increased the statistical probability that my friends would come from a Mormon background. This also provided stability--a stability and foundation I took for granted. Drugs, sex, and alcohol were not major temptations in my adolescence because I was never invited to the kinds of parties where drugs and alcohol were present, and because the girls I dated were taught the same high standards of chastity and abstinence that I had been taught. Now, it is a logical fallacy to believe that all Mormon kids are good and that all non-Mormon kids are bad. Of course Mormon teenagers face that same struggles and problems that all teenagers face. And there are plenty of teenagers that live wholesome lives even without any religious structure. I guess I was lucky to fall into a crowd of upstanding young men and women that respected and supported one another. We mutually helped each another to live the standards we had been taught.
I realize I have a lot more to say about this subject but I think it will have to wait for another post. I guess the point I am trying to make is that Mormonism, for me and for many members of the church, is much more than a religion or a church we attend on Sunday. It is community, it is culture, and, if you exclude race, it is almost ethnicity.
In future posts, I hope to address the following issues: missionary service as a rite of passage; orthodoxy and orthopraxy; cultural Mormonism; raising Mormon spawn; and the complexities of faith and scholarship.
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