{"slug":"mormon-fundamentalism","title":"Mormon fundamentalism","summary":"Mormon fundamentalism encompasses religious groups that separated from the mainstream LDS Church to continue practicing polygamy and other early Mormon doctrines, representing a small but highly visible movement that maintains 19th-century Mormon practices while facing ongoing legal and social challenges in contemporary America.","content_md":"# Mormon Fundamentalism\n\n**Mormon fundamentalism** is a religious movement consisting of groups that broke away from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to continue practicing polygamy and other early Mormon doctrines that the mainstream church abandoned in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These fundamentalist groups believe they are preserving the original teachings of Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of Mormonism, particularly the doctrine of plural marriage, which they consider essential for achieving the highest degree of salvation.\n\nMormon fundamentalists represent a small fraction of people with Mormon heritage—estimated at 37,000 to 60,000 individuals worldwide—but have gained significant public attention due to high-profile legal cases, media coverage, and their distinctive lifestyle practices. Unlike the mainstream LDS Church, which officially discontinued polygamy in 1890 and excommunicates members who practice it, fundamentalist groups maintain that plural marriage remains a divine commandment.\n\n## Historical Origins\n\nMormon fundamentalism emerged in response to the LDS Church's gradual abandonment of polygamy under intense pressure from the U.S. government. The practice of plural marriage, introduced by Joseph Smith in the 1840s, became a defining characteristic of early Mormonism and was openly practiced after the Mormon pioneers settled in Utah Territory.\n\nThe **Edmunds Act** of 1882 and the **Edmunds-Tucker Act** of 1887 imposed severe penalties on polygamists, including imprisonment and disenfranchisement. Facing the threat of federal intervention and the potential loss of church property, LDS Church President Wilford Woodruff issued the **1890 Manifesto**, officially ending the practice of new plural marriages. A second manifesto in 1904 strengthened this prohibition and threatened excommunication for those who continued the practice.\n\nSome church members rejected these changes, believing that the church leadership had compromised divine principles for political expediency. The first organized fundamentalist group emerged in the 1920s when **Lorin Woolley** claimed to have received authority from church apostle **John Taylor** to continue performing plural marriages. Woolley's followers formed the foundation of what would become multiple fundamentalist sects.\n\nThe **Short Creek Raid** of 1953 marked a significant moment in fundamentalist history, when Arizona authorities arrested 263 fundamentalists in the border communities of Short Creek, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah. The raid, intended to break up polygamous families, ultimately backfired when public sympathy turned toward the families that were separated, leading to most participants being released within two years.\n\n## Core Beliefs and Practices\n\nMormon fundamentalists adhere to many standard LDS doctrines while maintaining several practices and beliefs that the mainstream church has abandoned or modified. **Plural marriage** remains the most distinctive practice, viewed not merely as permitted but as necessary for men to achieve the highest degree of celestial glory in the afterlife.\n\nFundamentalist theology emphasizes the **Law of Consecration**, an economic system where members contribute their property and labor to the religious community. Many groups practice various forms of communalism, from shared business enterprises to complete economic integration where individual ownership is minimized.\n\nThe **United Order** represents another key doctrine, referring to an idealized form of Christian communalism that Joseph Smith attempted to establish. Fundamentalist groups often organize their communities around principles of economic cooperation and shared resources, believing this system will be restored when Christ returns to earth.\n\nMost fundamentalist groups reject the **priesthood ban** that the LDS Church maintained against Black members until 1978, though their reasoning differs from mainstream Mormon positions. They typically maintain that the ban was never doctrinally justified rather than accepting it as a policy that was later revealed to be incorrect.\n\n**Prophetic leadership** plays a crucial role in fundamentalist communities, with each group typically led by a man believed to hold special revelatory authority. These leaders often claim direct revelation from God and may introduce new doctrines or practices specific to their group.\n\n## Major Fundamentalist Groups\n\nThe **Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)** represents the largest and most well-known fundamentalist group, with an estimated 10,000 members. Led by **Warren Jeffs** since 2002, the FLDS gained national attention due to Jeffs' conviction on charges related to sexual assault and his authoritarian control over the community. The group maintains compounds in Utah, Arizona, Texas, and other locations.\n\nThe **Apostolic United Brethren (AUB)**, with approximately 7,000 to 10,000 members, represents a more moderate fundamentalist approach. Founded by **Rulon Allred** in the 1950s, the AUB allows more individual freedom than the FLDS and has been featured in media portrayals of polygamous families, including the HBO series \"Big Love.\"\n\n**The Kingston Group**, officially known as the Latter Day Church of Christ, operates extensive business enterprises in Utah and maintains strict internal marriage practices, often encouraging marriages between close relatives to preserve bloodlines and consolidate wealth within the group.\n\nSmaller groups include the **Centennial Park Action Committee (CPAC)**, which split from the FLDS in the 1980s, and various independent fundamentalist families who practice plural marriage without formal group affiliation.\n\n## Legal and Social Challenges\n\nMormon fundamentalists face ongoing legal challenges due to polygamy's illegal status throughout the United States. While prosecution for polygamy itself has become relatively rare, authorities often pursue fundamentalist groups for related crimes including welfare fraud, tax evasion, and child abuse.\n\nThe practice of **spiritual marriage**—religious ceremonies that create additional wives without legal recognition—allows fundamentalists to avoid direct polygamy charges while maintaining their religious practices. However, this creates complex legal situations regarding child custody, inheritance, and social services.\n\n**Underage marriage** has become a particular focus of law enforcement, with several fundamentalist leaders convicted for arranging marriages between adult men and girls under the age of consent. Warren Jeffs received a life sentence in 2011 for sexual assault of minors, highlighting the intersection between religious freedom and child protection laws.\n\nEducational challenges arise in fundamentalist communities, where children often receive limited secular education and may be unprepared for life outside their religious community. Some groups operate private schools that emphasize religious instruction over standard academic subjects.\n\n## Contemporary Issues and Public Perception\n\nModern Mormon fundamentalism faces internal tensions between maintaining traditional practices and adapting to contemporary legal and social pressures. Younger generations within fundamentalist communities increasingly question authoritarian leadership structures and seek greater individual autonomy.\n\nThe **decriminalization movement** in Utah, which reduced polygamy from a felony to an infraction in 2020, reflects changing attitudes toward consensual adult polygamy while maintaining strong penalties for fraud and abuse often associated with fundamentalist groups.\n\nMedia portrayals have significantly shaped public perception of Mormon fundamentalism, ranging from sympathetic depictions of polygamous families to exposés of abuse and authoritarian control. Television shows, documentaries, and news coverage have brought fundamentalist practices into mainstream awareness while often focusing on the most controversial aspects.\n\n**Women's rights** within fundamentalist communities remain a contentious issue, with critics arguing that plural marriage inherently subordinates women, while some fundamentalist women defend their lifestyle choices as expressions of religious freedom and personal agency.\n\n## Related Topics\n\n- Polygamy in the United States\n- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\n- Joseph Smith Jr.\n- Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church\n- Religious freedom and constitutional law\n- Communalism and religious communities\n- Utah territorial history\n- Short Creek Raid of 1953\n\n## Summary\n\nMormon fundamentalism encompasses religious groups that separated from the mainstream LDS Church to continue practicing polygamy and other early Mormon doctrines, representing a small but highly visible movement that maintains 19th-century Mormon practices while facing ongoing legal and social challenges in contemporary America.\n\n\n\n","sources":[],"infobox":{"Type":"Religious Movement","Founded":"1920s","Key Practice":"Plural Marriage","Legal Status":"Polygamy illegal in US","Largest Group":"FLDS Church","Primary Location":"Utah, Arizona, Texas","Estimated Members":"37,000-60,000"},"metadata":{"tags":["mormon-fundamentalism","polygamy","religious-movements","utah-history","flds","plural-marriage","american-religion"],"quality":{"status":"generated","reviewed_by":[],"flagged_issues":[]},"category":"Society","difficulty":"intermediate","subcategory":"Religious Movements"},"model_used":"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4","revision_number":1,"view_count":4,"related_topics":["the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints","joseph-smith-jr"],"sections":["Mormon Fundamentalism","Historical Origins","Core Beliefs and Practices","Major Fundamentalist Groups","Legal and Social Challenges","Contemporary Issues and Public Perception","Related Topics","Summary"]}