The final installment in a longer-than-I-intended series on Mormon fundamentalism. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 to get some background, otherwise, forge ahead!
True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
Flock: 300-500
Locale: Manti, Utah
Extracurricular Beliefs: Wow, this is going to be long. First there’s polygamy, Adam-God Doctrine and the Law of Consecration, which are basically standard at this point, but there’s more here. They believe in “multiple mortal probations,” which is like reincarnation, but one keeps one’s gender and personality as one gets closer to godhood. They also believe in “rescuing” women: since women cannot hold the priesthood themselves, their place in heaven depends on the man they’re married to. If a woman is married to a man of low stature within the church, she can be “rescued,” by a man of more church authority. Essentially, more important men can take women away from less important men at will.
Two more. The TLC church believes that if the Temple rite is done correctly, one can “pierce the veil,” and talk to the dead. This is important, because then you can ask whether they would like to be baptised postmortem. It would seem that the dead usually say “Yes.” Finally, the leader, Jim Harmston, prophesied that the end times would come in 1999 and everyone but their church would be swept from the earth.
Mannerisms: Women are usually educated adults when married; they also own the Red Brick Store in Manti, UT.
Trivia: The church pursued adoption by the Sioux Indian tribe, since the tribe is not obligated to the US government. They failed.
Centennial Park
Flock: about 1500
Locale: South of Colorado City, AZ
Extracurricular Beliefs: mainly polygamy. Split from the FLDS church in 1986 when the FLDS went from government by council to government by individual; Centennial Park is still governed by council.
Mannerisms: wear modern dress, don’t marry off teenagers, and though they practice a form of arranged marriage, actually seem like they live in the same world as the rest of the country. They’re the main group raising polygamy “awareness” and trying to make it legal-so, they’re pretty public about it and the normal lives they claim to lead.
Trivia: are trying to piggyback the “polygamy equality” movement on the back of the gay rights movement. I’m not quite sure what I think about that.
Nielsen / Naylor Group
Flock: 200-ish
Locale: Salt Lake valley, UT
Extracurricular Beliefs: Polygamy, and what else I have no idea. Apparently they splintered from Centennial Park in 1990 because of “disagreements.”
Mannerisms: similar to Centennial Park, I think.
Trivia: the internet knows nothing about these people.
The United Latter-day Church of Jesus Christ
Flock: 100-200
Locale: Mostly David County, UT but also some in CA, AZ and WY.
Extracurricular Beliefs: Polygamy; Law of Consecration; Excludes black men from the priesthood. They split from the FLDS group during while Leroy S. Jenkins was prophet. They still accepted that priesthoods conferred by the FLDS were valid until Warren Jeffs took over.
Mannerisms: Men and women usually wear conservative, homemade clothing. Marriages are arranged, and if a man does something “bad” his wives can be taken away and given to someone else. Their webpage says they also turn off the electricity one weekend a month to live more simply and spend quality time together.
Trivia: the original leaders both converted from Anabaptism.
Hey you guys,
I know of some Jooooooz who have pregnant teenagers.
Also, those orthodox have really weird doctrines and teachings in the Talmud. And those arranged marriages? Plus they dress weird. And they only like to breed with Joooooooz.
And segregation of the genders by the Jooooooz is anti feminist.
We should take the children of the Joooooooz. Let’s give them to the Baptists.
Yeah, let’s take the children of the Joooooooz.
Your friend,
Adolph