Mormon religion and family effects on the family

Mormon Religion: Effects on the Family

The members of the modern Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, have experienced their fair share of hardships since their founding by Joseph Smith in 1847. Although church members were driven from one place to another out of fear and in some cases envy, the Mormons found a home in Salt Lake City, Utah, where there headquarters remains today. It would seem that much of the controversy concerning the Mormon Church relates to a number of popular misconceptions, but there is no little or no debate concerning the positive influence that the Mormon religion has on its family members in some ways, with many church members outscoring the rest of the American population in terms of longevity and health. To see how they do it, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature to determine the effects of the Mormon religion on family members, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Much confusion still surrounds the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints among some mainstream Americans who may believe that church members still practice polygamy and while the practice was abandoned long ago, such misperceptions linger on. This virtual ostracization by the rest of American society may have contributed to the clannish appearance of Mormon families as they seek out the comfort and companionship of those who understand them rather than those who do not. As one authority points out, "Whatever the theological differences between Mormonism and mainstream Protestant and Catholic denominations, Latter Day Saints otherness appears to have been defined around specific points of cultural negotiation and contention. Mormons have been simultaneously feared and envied on the basis of a perceived sense of group cohesion extending to the point of tribal and even conspiratorial tightness" (Wollheim, 2006, p. 26). Amid such perceptions, Mormon families can perhaps be forgiven even if they are close to this point, but it is clear that the church's dogma contributes to the moral and physical well-being of its younger members. For example, as Howard and Powell (2004) point out, "Family structure influences contraceptive decisions in that women raised by both parents from birth to age 14 are likely to use more effective methods of contraception. Additionally, any family structure that is unchanging has this effect implying it is the stability of the structure rather than of whom it consists that created the effect" (p. 3). In addition, Mormon adolescents are also less likely to smoke tobacco than their non-religious counterparts (Weaver, Flannelly & Strock, 2005).

The church stresses a well-balanced family life that is characterized by a mother and father at home, as well as the knowledge that the family unit will remain together in the afterlife. According to the church's official Web site, "The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity" (the family, 2008, p. 3). All of this is not to say, though, that Mormons do not know how to have fun or enjoy themselves; in fact, happiness is clearly a primary objective of the church's teaching for its families: "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities" (the family, 2008, p. 4).