Founded by Joseph Smith, he claims to have received a personal visit from God who told him that all churches and their creeds were an abomination. He then set out to "restore true Christianity" and claimed his church to be the "only true church on earth". Smith translated the Book of Mormon and claimed that it is the "most correct book" on earth and that a person can get closer to God by following its precepts "than by any other book". Joseph Smith is essentially the person who started the Mormon religion. After Joseph Smith died, Brigham Young was chosen as the next leader of the Mormons. He lead a great group to salvation in Utah.
Mormon men are required to attend a two year mission spreading the word of Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Polygamy was an essential aspect to Mormons in the past but is no longer practiced today. Prayer is an important part in Mormons lives and so pray frequently throughout the day. Sunday is to be a day of rest and not a day for normal activities meaning that Mormons don’t work, shop, go out to eat, go to the movies, etc. on Sundays. Instead, Mormon families attend church meetings, rest, read, and generally spend this time doing family activities.
Joseph Smith
(left)
Brigham Young
(right)
In the chapter "John Ferrier talks with the Prophet", it is revealed that he has made a promise to himself when they were found that he would not let Lucy marry a Mormon. In this sense, he has not made a reversal. However, by refusing to acknowledge this rule, he has broken the pact that he made when he was rescued. Through this, he did not make a sacred promise but instead deceived everyone else into thinking he did. Based on this, he is justified to make this judgement as he has fully lived the life of a Mormon and learned the rules which he does not agree too. He is fully capable of making his own choices.
A plural marriage is marriage between multiple husbands and multiple wives and is illegal in Canada. Polygamy was not explicitly banned in the Bible. First, while there are slightly more male babies than female babies, due to women having longer lifespans, there have always been more women in the world than men. Current statistics show that approximately 50.5 percent of the world population are women. Second, warfare in ancient times was especially brutal, with an incredibly high rate of fatality. This would have resulted in an even greater percentage of women to men. Third, due to patriarchal societies, it was nearly impossible for an unmarried woman to provide for herself. Women were often uneducated and untrained. Women relied on their fathers, brothers, and husbands for provision and protection. Unmarried women were often subjected to prostitution and slavery. Polygamy is currently banned in Canada due to the mistreatment and abuse that comes from plural marriages.
Cultural norms are present in every aspect of our lives. Such "norms" include offering an abundance of food to guests whenever they enter our house. Many women in my family are also expected to go into the respected profession of medicine, usually as a nurse.
Lucy's nickname, the "Flower of Utah" has causes her many inconveniences. Her beauty attracts the attention of many young men, Stangerson, Drebber, and Hope included. She is torn between doing what she thinks is right and choosing to save her father from death. However, because her father would much rather lose his life then let his only daughter marry a Mormon, he urged her to escape with Hope. I believe that she should have the right to leave and marry a gentile as it is her own choice and not the council's decision.
Lucy's abduction from her father to be brought back to the Mormon community to serve as a wife shows that women are seen as children bearers and are easily expendable. The way that Drebber acts towards Lucy's death a month after her marriage shows little sympathy towards Mormon wives.
"Her Scottish husband, who had married her principally for the sake of John Ferrier's property, did not affect any great grief at his bereavement; but his other wives mourned over her, and sat up with her the night before the burial, as is the Mormon custom."
Doyle's portrayal of the Mormon community indicates hostility to the people and the underlying notion that Mormons are an evil and corrupt society that poison the minds of their young ones.
http://www.gotquestions.org/Mormons.html
http://www.mormonnewsroom.ca/article/who-are-the-mormons-
http://www.history.com/topics/brigham-young
http://mormonrules.com/mormon-rules-spirituality/sabbath-day-holy
http://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html
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