A Peculiar People: Anti-Mormonism and the Making of Religion in Nineteenth-Century America

by J. Spencer Fluhman

Though the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion, it does not specify what counts as a religion. From its founding in the 1830s, Mormonism, a homegrown American faith, drew thousands of converts but far more critics. In A Peculiar People, J. Spencer Fluhman offers a comprehensive history of anti-Mormon thought and the associated passionate debates about religious authenticity in nineteenth-century America. He argues that understanding anti-Mormonism provides critical insight into the American psyche because Mormonism became a potent symbol around which ideas about religion and the state took shape.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Mormonism, Christianity, Cultural, Lds

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2012

Reviews

[Bill Kte'pi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly an important work, and it seems increasingly important to remember that "freedom of religion" as practiced in this country has often meant "freedom of choice from among as many Protestant flavors as you please." The larger story of anti-Mormonism in the context of other 19th century religious hostilities still needs to be told, but the author is clear about his scope. An early chapter comparing 19th century views of Mormons and Muslims is especially valuable.

[Bren · Rating 3 out of 5]

fascinating, flawed apologia for mormonism against its 19th c. critics masquerading as critical study of meaning of religion. not fully successful in either, i think, but better when its the latter. obvs your preconceptions of the usefulness of mormon doctrine will influence your reading but i find myself questioning why fluhman is so often eager to discount studying religion as moral/intellectual/even THEOLOGICAL (??). valuable read nonetheless

[Jenny Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Solid research and insightful analysis, written clearly and argued well. Fluhman skillfully connects the more particular details of the shifts in anti Mormonism to the larger cultural-historical events; one learns as much about the peculiar history of Mormonism about the entanglement between religion and politics in early American history. Both topics leave legacies that are important to understand in contemporary American cultural, political, and religious life. Highly recommended.

[William Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concisely written, though don't mistake it for light reading. Some "initiation" into the academic study of Mormonism is required, else this book would be incomprehensible.

Despite being a by BYU professor, the book has no heavy handed pro-mormon agenda. It is a very interesting and illuminating window both into the history of Mormonism and the history of American religious sentiment.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to understand early Anti-Mormonism and their claims against the church. Not a light read as Fluhman uses some hefty language that took the use of a dictionary often. I would highly recommend this as an authoritative text on the time period. Very interesting read.

[James Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very dry. I'm not sure what I was expecting but whatever it was, the author failed to deliver.

[Magila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

There are certainly better books out there about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but few make an effort at helping to demonstrate the discord that's followed this church for almost 200 years. Helping to walk the fine line between the things which catch other Christians off-guard, the growth, and the sentiment surrounding those nearby this faith, it's worth a read.

I cannot speak to the academics of the books, I did not run down all the source material, etc., but I enjoyed this work very much. I will certainly read more by the author and it's something that I have recommended a number of times and that I feel improved my understanding of church history and the grander sociology connected to it.

It was nice that I ended up reading this a little while after I finished the book The Standard of Truth: 1815–1846. Reading this in concert with Saints, Revelations in Context and/or Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price will certainly help to put you in the place of early converts, their friends and families.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. While it covers a lot of ground that is covered in some other excellent Mormon Studies books, it still is a useful book that covers those subjects in a more compact format, and through a lens that is somewhat unique.

Dr. Fluhman does an admirable job covering ways in which Mormonism was defined by outsiders in the 19th century, and how those changes shaped both the Church in it’s reaction to the various forms of anti-Mormonism, and how those changing views ultimately defined the relationship between Mormonism and largely Protestant America as we entered the 20th century.

The book examines theological criticisms, political dynamics, how most 19th century Protestants orientalized the Latter-day Saints (viewed the same as far-eastern non-Christians), and how changes during the polygamy era (late 19th century), ultimately helped change outsider views of the Saints after the end of polygamy. Since polygamy became the issue that most defined the Saints as outsiders, when the church ceased the practice, most Christians viewed them as heretical Christians instead of a different form religion altogether.

The only complaint I had for this book is that the book has an understandably academic tone that was hard to get used to untoI was about 30 pages in. Aside from that, I highly recommend the book. Related books that I’ve read with more in-depth examination of themes from this book include Religion of a Different Color (Reeve), Viper on the Hearth (Givens), and Exhibiting Mormonism (Nielsen). I recommend readers of this book consider reading those books as well for further depth in anti-Mormonism.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short-ish outline of larger brush strokes of anti-mormonism through the history of the church. This is much more an academic approach, there is a lot of knowledge assumed and not a lot of clarity of points. I'd give it more like a 3.75. It isn't the easiest to read, but I thought it did a very good job at elucidating the major attitudes and moves that shaped how attacks on the church progressed.

At first it was largely the oddity of someone claiming to be a prophet and personal attacks, then it was magic and fortune-seeking, then it was new scriptures, then it was un-american (literally with calls of mormons being of a different race, etc.), then it was religious authority/legitimacy, then it progressed into politics, and ended with polygamy. None of this was linear and had a lot of overlap in arguments and timeline. By the end the church was in obscure Utah, both establishing a foundational perspective of difference from mainstream Christianity and resetting east cost scholarship to reexamine Mormonism with Christianity (some saying it is Christian and some saying it isn't). We still see these same battles happening today. It is interesting the reasons for criticism have only lasted as long as they are relevant to contemporary audiences (nobody is claiming magic is done wrong in Mormonism, anymore).

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting survey of the evolution of anti-Mormon thought and the different strategies and motivations that fueled their rhetoric in the mid-nineteenth century. The many comparisons of Mormonism and Joseph Smith to Islam and Muhammad were fascinating and not completely inaccurate. Contrary to present day maxims, Mormonism was about as far from the quintessential American religion as one could get. The account further reinforced my belief that the Church today is leagues beyond (afield?) from what Joseph initially founded.

[Kristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. Fluhman is a great thinker and a fabulous writer. The argument carries the narrative, and the value of considering the making of religion in 19th century America from the vantage of anti-Mormonism is evident on almost every page. Fluhman is attuned the potent rhetoric of the period and historicizes and contextualizes this rhetoric brilliantly. The book is incredibly rich.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent discourse analysis of anti-Mormon rhetoric from the emergence of the Mormon religion to the 1890's, this is an academic book that has applications to other disciplines. The work is also a book that, though it is academic, is approachable for a general audience, though those not used to the jargon will have to take their time.

His argument is interesting. His argument is not only a descriptive analysis of anti-Mormon rhetoric and the response by Mormon's to this rhetoric, but he also argues that the mainstream American understanding of religion shifts in response to the Mormon challenge. I do not completely buy his argument, but the evidence is fairly compelling.

His discussion of race is also fascinating. Fluhman shows how Mormon's were framed increasingly as non-white as their religion was percieved as increasingly heterodox. The evidence for this is even more convincing than his other points and is an object lesson in how constructed race is.

A wonderful academic book that looks at the discourse of anti-Mormons, but not one of those scare academic books that is impenetrable for the general reader. I definitely recommend this for those interested in the history of the American West, Mormonism or understanding how rhetoric shapes perception.

[Lewis Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won’t stoop to call this Mormon Apologia because I think that misses the point of this book. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll always have a Tad Callister. I think this book is both useful for Mormons and also anyone interested in American Protestant identity. I think the anti-Mormon lens does more to explain American identity than a strictly Mormon lens ever could.

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The things I wish I had known when I was young.......

[Jerrika Rhone · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Nikki Leick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic & concept to consider how the anti-Mormonism movement shaped both the religion & the American perception of “true” religion, but not my favorite read

[David Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough summary of the fears and rationales (there were a lot) that drove anti-Mormonism (there was a lot of that too) during the 19th century.

[Michael Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A specific, clear, and succinct work concerning the construction of Mormons and Mormonism in the American imagination in the early nineteenth century.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at what religion and freedom of religion really meant in 19th century America and that’s impact on the Mormon church. I don’t know if it quite reached its potential, and I struggled with the writing style, but on the whole a worthwhile read.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is "religion" in the United States? For many in the Nineteenth century antebellum America, Mormonism was not a religion (a view even commonly held in our day). Fluhman's thesis is that through virulent anti-Mormon attacks, one can better understand what constituted "religion" as a legal, theological, and behavioral norm for Americans of the period. Anti attempts to discredit the church and its leaders included comparisons to alleged heretical religions and prophets from Islam and Mohammed to Anabaptist revolts in Germany. Additionally, Mormons were labeled as barbarians, bigots, effeminate, anti-democratic and enemies to the United States, delusional, insane, and even racially inferior through Darwinian eugenics (again, many of these labels stand the test of time). The infamous Extermination Order by Governor Boggs of Missouri, assassination of Joseph Smith and other church leaders, Buchanan's attempt to crush the church during the Utah War, congressional legislation aimed at gutting the church financially through seizure of property and bank accounts, mob rule, the Reed Smoot Senate Hearings, exclusion from statehood and participation in religious conventions, sensationalized Eastern fiction of life as a member through novellas and newspapers, and Supreme Court decisions are all examples of attempts to ensure that this "cult" fade ignominiously into obscurity. SCOTUS has ruled on several occasions that the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution applies to mental or emotional beliefs but not necessarily to free exercise of physical or legal beliefs. This paradox has yet be fully justified by proponents of these decisions other than the typical desire to prevent criminality through religion. Recent decisions leave people like me scratching our heads as to protection for specific groups based on fundamental rights while arbitrarily leaving others historically out to dry even after abandoning certain practices. Whether labeled or persecuted as a non-religion, heretical, mystical, or fanatical, members of the LDS faith have proven time and again their resilience and determination to not let victim hood define their existence in the United States. The most shocking parts of this historical analysis are the near identical attacks in modern times despite so-called "tolerance" movements and revisionist histories attempting to place modern progressive society above our "ignorant" and "barbaric" Founding Fathers and ancestors. I guess somethings never change. A must read to understand religion in the U.S.

[Dan Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluhman crafts some beautiful sentences and draws from an extensive primary source base, including forty nineteenth-century newspapers, but the book's argument is rather elliptical, making it hard to tell what is Fluhman's central point. There are three (four?) theses: Mormonism developed in dialogue with its critics; Protestants defined Mormonism as the opposite of religion; Mormonism still has a pronounced Protestant heritage, even though the Church leaders have wavered between a focus on Christ and a focus on their unique doctrines; and many Mormons today do not have a thorough understanding of their heritage. All fair points to say! But I'm not sure what is the key takeaway. The book covers an awful lot of ground in only 147 pages. Fluhman's discussion of criticisms of early Mormonism in the mid-eighteenth century is strong, but the book gives a fairly cursory examination of anti-Mormonism at the century's end. The book should have been longer and gone into greater detail. Fluhman also doesn't articulate the broader religious context as well as he might have done. For instance, Fluhman posits that folk magic offended mainstream Christians, but D. Michael Quinn's "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View" argued persuasively that magical thinking saturated all elements of society, so Fluhman's claim is not entirely convincing. Additionally, Fluhman describes Protestant opposition to modern-day miracles. But he hasn't persuaded us that magic was unpopular. How do miracles fit into anti-miracle belief? Or if Michael Quinn is correct and magic was widely supported, how did Protestants arrange their anti-miracle stance in opposition to magic practitioners? Still, Fluhman well articulates the critical parallels that were made between Islam and Mormonism, and the bit near the end about the first World Parliament of Religions is deeply engrossing (enough so for another book, even!). Fluhman's discussion of Mormons not knowing their heritage or theology, because of historical omissions by the Church, could also have been developed more. Overall, the small size of the book and the issues with articulating religious trends in the broader public detract from the book's quality.

[Bridget Jeffries · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice summary of anti-Mormon history. While the book tries to tie anti-Mormonism to the broader context of American religion, I think the value of this book is mostly in what you learn about opposition to Mormons as part of Mormon history. To tie it in to broader U. S. History, I would have liked to have heard more about other anti-religious movements and how anti-Mormonism compared (like anti-Catholicism). I also thought some of the sections were rather short (Ann Eliza Young's section comes to mind).

Overall though, I enjoyed this book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

By examining the arguments against the LDS church, Fluhman illuminates the public debate of religion, ethnicity and political power during the 1800s. The U.S. Constitution ensures religious freedom, but failed to define religion. The mainstream Protestants could then argue that Mormonism wasn't a religion.

Why I started this book: I love putting something familiar in a broader historical context to understand it better.

Why I finished it: The public debate continues about the definition of religion in the United States. I am fascinated about the fact that this is not the first time that Protestants have gathered to legislate that we are a Christian nation, and then pushed to narrowly define Christianity.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information, presented a bit blandly. At times, I felt the writing could be improved. I also found myself very irritated by the author's continual misuse of the phrase "begging the question." Sorry, but that's a pet peeve of mine. It doesn't mean what most people think it means. It is not synonymous with "raises the question" or "compels us to ask." Look it up, folks.

[Clayton Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides a in depth look into the cultural and political influences behind the making of religion in America. Centered around the foundation of Mormonism and it's struggle to be accepted both socially and constitutionally, it illustrates America's larger struggle for true religious freedom.

[Amort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!! Great author!!!

[Mees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well crafted look at early anti-Mormonism.

[Mills College Library]

289.30903 F6464 2012

[A.]

This was both interesting and informative, especially the early chapters. This is an important book in Mormon studies.