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Michayla Arriola

Apollo

Compare/Contrast

12 October 2022

Mormonism vs Fundamental Mormonism

While both the FLDS and LDS churches continue to use the Book of Mormon, the FLDS church

practices polygamy. In contrast, LDS church members claim that by abstaining from polygamy, they are

abiding by all current state and federal laws. Fifteen million members worldwide of the Mormon Church

openly renounced polygamy in 1890. Polygamy started in the early 1830s by Joseph Smith. According

to______“By being ‘sealed’ in multiple marriages, good men can aid many women and children in

achieving eternal salvation. A man's glory in the afterlife was multiplied by having a large family”

(Brooks). This was seen as the doctrine by 1843. Later on, the United States Supreme court did not agree

with Mormonism at that time, “The Edmunds-Tucker Act, which was approved by the US Congress in

1887 and made polygamy a federal crime, authorized the confiscation of LDS Church property” (Brooks).

Many LDS believers hid out in order to prevent imprisonment, which led the president of the LDS church,

Wilford W. Woodruff, to face a decision. According to“In accordance with American law, Wilford W.

Woodruff declared in 1890 that the Mormon Church would no longer permit plural marriages” (Brooks).

Some Believers that went to Mexico decided to still practice polygamy, which led to the separation of the

Fundamental Mormon church and the LDS.

Racism, Especially with African Americans is such a struggle in Mormonism even in the LDS.

Although Racism has improved since the 18th century for blacks it is still a problem faced today. “African

Americans were among the religion's earliest adherents and even held leadership positions; yet, for more
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than a century, they were not permitted to enter Mormon temples, where the religion's most sacred rituals

are performed, or to be ordained to the priesthood” (Mosley). It took until 1978 for African Americans to

start getting treated like most members but only in the LDS. Thoughts on slavery changed multiple times

throughout the 18th to 19th century. For example, “Ezra Taft Benson was one of many prominent figures

who openly opposed the civil rights movement. But Joseph Smith occasionally argued both in favor of

and against slavery” (Wikimedia). There was also a lot said in Mormonism preachings on how the color

of Black skin was related to the devil and even Cains's curse that God had put on him. Although some

presidents of the church rejected this idea, it was supported by some that, “the pre-existent spirits of black

people lacked the same virtue as those of white people” (Wikimedia). The LDS separate from the FLDS

has grown much since then with approximately one million blacks in the church and 14 Mormonism

churches in Africa. While the LDS church has changed much since then the FLDS sticks to beginning

teachings and still believes most of the 18th to 19th-century accusations related to slavery.

The last difference between the FLDS church and the LDS church is the dress codes. The FLDS

church and LDS church vary in dress code by strictness. The FLDS have many rules including, hair,

shoes, colors of clothing, and length of clothing. According to “Fundamentalist teachings assert that God's

soldiers will distinguish between the good and the bad on Judgment Day based on their appearance”

(Anton). Women in the FLDS have to wear around four to five layers of clothing to be modest enough.

Their hair has to be pinned and braided a certain way to be perfect. They aren't allowed to cut their hair so

they can anoint God's feet with their hair in heaven. They take the dress code very seriously in the church

starting at a very young age. Acording to “It was sobering – especially to a 6-year-old – to think that you

could . . . end up dead if you didn’t wear the right clothes.” (Carolyn Jessop). People in the LDS church

have a different look at the clothing they wear. They want to still stay modest but it is hardly as strict,

“When you are sitting or standing, skirts and dresses should completely cover your entire knee (front and

back). Slits have to begin just below the knee whether you're seated or standing. Put on a slip if
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necessary” (For the Strength). Although both have a dress code to abide by, the FLDS definitely goes

more extreme with the rules.

FLDS members believe in polygamy, LDS Seperated from FLDS and chose to go by the law.

Racism was a struggle in both churches for a while, mormonism came to being more accepting only more

recently while the Fundamentals of Mormonism still discriminate towards blacks. FLDS has a widely

more strict dress code the the LDS. So why does all of this matter?

Closing Sentence:

Works Cited (MLA)

Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, October 9). Black people and Mormonism. Wikipedia. Retrieved

October 27, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_and_Mormonism

Brooks, Joanna Professor of English and Comparative Literature. (2022, September 13). Explaining

polygamy and its history in the Mormon Church. The Conversation. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from

https://theconversation.com/explaining-polygamy-and-its-history-in-the-mormon-church-81384

Mosley, T. (2020, September 22). Mormons grapple with the Church's history of discrimination

amid wider racial reckoning. Mormons Grapple With Church's History Of Discrimination Amid

Wider Racial Reckoning | Here & Now. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/09/22/mormon-church-lds-black-racism
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Anton. (2016, May 21). FLDS: Clothes differentiate between the righteous and the evil.

Apologetics Index. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from

https://www.apologeticsindex.org/682-flds-fashion

For the strength of youth: A guide for making choices. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2022, from

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth?lang=eng