Mormon fundamentalism

Polygamous Mormon fundamentalists are sects devoted to Mormon fundamentalism who continue to practice plural marriage (a form of polygamy), even though that practice has been abandoned by the larger mainstream denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Many polygamous Mormon fundamentalists belong to sects that have separated themselves from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which officially abandoned the practice in 1890. Almost invariably, the practice of plural marriage in these sects consists of polygyny, where men are married to multiple women simultaneously, though some groups practice polyandry as well after the manner of Joseph Smith the church's first prophet. According to one source there are as many as 37,000 Fundamentalist Mormons, with less than half of them living in polygamous households. [1]

Although somewhat rare, in some of these sects, it is considered acceptable for an older man to marry underage girls as young as 13-15 years of age. This practice, which apart from polygamy itself is illegal in most states, has generated recent public controversy. Examples include the Elizabeth Smart case, the Tom Green case, and the case described in [2], in which a man married his 15-year-old cousin, who was also his aunt.

The Apostolic United Brethren

The Apostolic United Brethren, commonly called AUB, is estimated to have about 5000 to 9000 members throughout Utah, Montana, Mexico and elsewhere. The AUB is one of the more liberal of the Mormon groups practicing plural marriage. The AUB does not arrange marriages nor authorize plural marriages for people under 18, or for those who are closely related.

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , commonly called FLDS, is estimated at around 6000 to 8000 members. A succession crisis has been brewing in the church since 2002 when Warren Jeffs became president of the church. There has been extensive litigation regarding the church for some time, as property rights of disaffected members are weighed against the decisions of church leaders who hold trust to the land their homes are built upon. A large concentration of members live in the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah, as well as in Bountiful, British Columbia. In 2004 the church started contruction on a temple near Eldorado, Texas. The FLDS tend to be very conservative in dress and lifestyle.

Latter-day Church of Christ (Kingston clan)

The Kingston clan, also known as the Latter Day Church of Christ, claims that it includes 1,200 members. The group runs a $150 million business including pawn shops, restaurant supply stores, a coal mine and dairies. Several members have been charged and convicted of polygamy. The Kingston clan is one of the clans which allows the marriage of underage girls.

Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This is a small group of about 100-200 people, most living in Modena, Utah, west of Cedar City. It was founded by Gerald Peterson, who claimed that the deceased Rulon Allred (lead of the Apostolic United Brethren from 1954-77) returned to restore the priesthood keys to him. They have subsequently built a pyramid shaped temple, and Gerald Peterson, Jr. is their current leader. Polygamist Tom Green was previously a member of this Church.

True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days

The True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days, often called TLC, is headquartered in Manti, Utah. Membership is estimated at 300 to 500. The church is led by the charismatic Jim Harmston. Prior to 1999 the church engaged in aggressive missionary work, but has since lead a quiet lifestyle.

Other Groups

There are many hundreds of small polygamist clans, with membership in the tens or hundreds, located in many parts of the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Independent polygamists

There is also a large movement of independent Mormon polygamists; former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and of the mormon fundamentalist groups, who feel called to practice the principle of plural marriage, but don't feel like anyone holds proper authority to regulate the principle. These people practice plural marriage based on the idea that if God issues a revelation to an individual regarding that individual's personal life, that it is more important to follow the individual revelation than to follow a church leader speaking generically. It is difficult to measure who these people are, but preliminary estimates indicate that there may be more independent polygamists than there are the formally organized polygamist group, perhaps 15,000[3]. There is a large concentration of these independent polygamists in Utah, Arizona and Missouri. Not all of these polygamists have been formally excommunicated from the LDS church, but would be if the LDS church found out, because the church maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards plural marriage.

References

Quinn, D. Michael, "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism", Dialogue, Summer, 1998, p. 1-68.

External links

Mormon Fundamentalism Wiki - An attempt by Fundamentalists and others at creating an encylopedia of Mormon Fundamentalism.
Man sentenced for marrying his 15-year-old cousin -- from CNN
BBC on Warren Jeffs legal problems
PrincipleVoices.org - A Polygamy Advocacy group run by Mormon Fundamentalist women.
Mormon Fundamentalism.org - An overview of Fundamentalist Mormon views by a Fundamentalist