The Trouble with Mormons: Liminality and Communitas in a Latter Day Saints Congregation

Mormon Schoolgirls in Schleicher County, Texas

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints exists in a liminal place in the American religious community. Since it's inception, the LDS church has been in high tension with the world around them, and it's history is a story of schism and discrimination. The congregation of the Second Ward on Hendricks Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida is all too familiar with this position and its members have experienced the pain of that discrimination personally. But what has occurred in their community is an increase of fellowship and a true picture of Victor Turner's communitas. The liminality and uncertainty that they feel outside the church has brought them together in an egalitarian manner which is reflected not only in the way they worship and interact on a personal level, but in the way the congregation itself is structured.

First, it is necessary to explain what I mean by liminality in this context. Turner says that liminal entities are "neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention and ceremony" (Turner 48). The LDS Church is betwixt and between its inception as a highly contentious, cult-like sect and the status or a solid, settled branch of Christianity. The church has left the dusty, Utah desert of its birth and spread its way across almost every continent thanks to the diligence and devotion of it's missionaries. The religion grew by leaps and bounds and is continuing to grow. In her book, "Building the Kingdom" Claudia Bushman says "The little sect led by the prophetic voice of one man, has grown into a vast movement winning converts in all parts of the globe" (Bushman ix). In spite of all of this the LDS church still occupies a space in public perception that is tenuous at best. Due to their views on the Trinity and temple worship some people doubt their status as a Christian faith. In a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center 31% of non-Mormons polled did not consider Mormons to be Christians (2007). The misconceptions and discrimination are furthered every time mass media has a reason to focus the spotlight on the LDS Church or their splinter sects. With Elizabeth Smart, Mitt Romney and the polygamy scandal plaguing the FLDS splashed regularly onto the screen it creates a vicious cycle that reinforces this liminal state. With their liminality reinforced so regularly and for so long it is no longer a fleeting phase that the church is passing through, it has become permanent.

A (Very Brief) History of the Mormon Church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr. Smith claimed that as a young man he had experienced visions of God and angels that led him to write the Book of Mormon and found the Mormon faith. The church was started in New York state on April 6 and by October missionaries were on their way to finding their first converts in the mid-west. The Latter Day Saints moved from New York to Ohio and then to Missouri where they settled in the town of Independence where the foundations and doctrines of the church were formally created. Just a few years later they were forcibly expelled after several violent attacks on the Mormons went unchecked by the state government. From there, they went to Illinois and founded the city of Nauvoo (Hebrew for "the city beautiful") where their internal struggles began. Disagreements over doctrine, and particularly about Smith's adoption of the process of polygamy, let to rioting and Smith's murder at the hands of an angry mob. Brigham Young took the majority of the LDS followers to Utah to found the Great Salt Lake City. Those that stayed behind were the first members of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints. In 1890, the Mormon Church officially gave up the practice of polygamy so that the Federal Government would admit Utah to the Union. Mormons that were unhappy with the end of plural marriage would found the Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints. Since the beginning of the 20th century the Mormonism has spread its way across the globe and today, American Mormon families are "likely to be young and urban, with one more child then the people next door" (Bushman 88)

The Second Ward
The Second Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is situated just to the East of the St. John's river in San Marco, nestled between an Episcopal Church and the burned out remains of a Baptist Church. It's a beautiful Sunday. A little light rain had drizzled earlier but as I arrived only a slight haze hung in the sunny, mid-morning air. It's about an hour before the service is scheduled to start but the parking lot is already mostly full of mini-vans and mid-sized sedans--family cars. The Spanish language service, held a little earlier in the morning, is just ending and people are milling around, some departing while others arrive. There are loud, jovial conversations being carried out in broken English and tentative half-Spanish. As I make my way into the mid-century brick building I'm greeted by broad smiles from every angle. I took a seat in the lobby and waited for my contact, a work associate of my husband's, to meet me. It's a little noisy as children run around squealing happily and the organist warms up a little in the chapel. Several people stop to say good morning. Before my contact shows, I'm entertained by a very young man showing me all of his crayons. My contact, Jeremy, is twenty-four and he's been a member of this ward since for eight years. He's soft spoken and I have to lean in to hear him over the cacophony in the lobby. He takes a minute to explain that the The term "ward" in The LDS Church means a congregation. They are divided up according to size and geographical location. There are different kinds of wards, some for young, unmarried people, some for older widowed or divorced people. Jeremy gestures towards my friend with the crayons and says "This is what you'd call a 'family ward'." Unlike most denominations people are not encouraged to "shop around" for the ward that they like best but are expected to attend the one nearest to where they live. We talk generally about the church and what to expect in the service as people continue to file into the chapel. He tells me that several members of the congregation will be giving talks today which is a common occurrence. As the music starts up, he gives me his contact information to answer any more specific questions I have after the service and then goes inside to sit with his family. Later, over email, I ask if he feels that people outside the church understand the distinction between the sects of the Mormon faith and can generally tell them apart from the polygamous Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints.

I served a mission for my church and one of the overwhelming problems that the LDS church faces is Polygamy. Yes, we practiced it over 100 years ago. Yes, it was part of our doctrine. But there are many people who still consider RLDS (the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints, now known as The Community of Christ Church) and FLDS the same as Mormons. I think most people know there is a distinction, just most people dont care to find out what those distinctions are.

This problem can be clearly illustrated with poll results from the Pew Research Center in which 132 out of 1,461 people (9.04%) associated Mormonism with the words "polygamy" and "cult" (2007). People always fear what they don't understand and that fear can cause them to lash out. I asked Jeremy about any personal instances of discrimination he's experienced as a result of his association with the church. He told me that the list was long and that most of the incidents occurred doing one of the things he likes the best about his faith, missionary work.

My friend and I were riding our bikes home one evening. We were on one of the main roads and we were having a race back to the apartment. We were almost home when a car pulled up next to us and some young guys started shouting at us and flagging us off. I honestly do not remember what they said, but it was not pleasant. They recognized us and were letting us know what they thought of us. I have had friends, fellow missionaries, have bottles thrown at them, words shouted, even guns or knives drawn.

Jeremy is very quick to point out that he does not hold a grudge about any of the discrimination that he's suffered. He explains that he cannot let the actions of "a few ignorant people" affect the way he practices and feels about Mormonism. Another member, Ben, who Jeremy introduced me to, acknowledged that media scrutiny sometimes served to exacerbate the problem of discrimination, but he took a very optimistic view saying that anytime the LDS Church appears in the news for any reason it can be used as a tool to teach the public about the faith.

The first thing I notice when I enter the chapel is the diversity of the congregation. There is a fairly equal mix of Hispanic and Caucasian worshipers with several African-Americans in the crowd. The room is fairly full but I find a pew near the back occupied only by a young woman with two rambunctious toddlers. There is a very relaxed air about the place. The dress is relatively casual, young men in polo shirts and women is sun dresses or skirts. No one bothers to shush the children who are playing just as boisterously inside the chapel as they were in the lobby. The little boys next to me are particularly excited about rubbing crushed up pretzels into the fabric of the pew. Lots of people look over, but just to give their mother warm, knowing smiles, not to scold. The theme of the service is Fathers and several of the congregates give moving, personal talks about their own fathers and what fatherhood means to them. One young man gets a little choked up relating a story about his father taking in a homeless man and helping him find a job. I was fortunate enough to meet him after the service and he explained a little bit about the organization of the church. Mike is 28 and he has been coming to the Second Ward with his parents and his brothers since he was a child. He told me that they don't employ clergy, rather the congregation nominates a member they feel would be the best leader and that person serves until, for whatever reason, they need to step down, at which point the process happens all over again. These positions are voluntary and the congregates are not paid for their service. This contributes to the feeling of egalitarian communitas within the congregation.

The service has ended but no one seems anxious to leave and people sort of mill around making easy conversation until cranky babies start to encourage them to head home. When I spoke to Jeremy later I asked him if he thought that the adversity they felt from the world outside the church increased the sense of fellowship they felt inside.
Well, when I have encountered someone that has been discriminated for whatever reason they tend to grow stronger in their faith and more firm in their testimony of the religion. I don't know of anyone who hasn't been in some way shape or form looked down upon or questioned about being a Mormon. In that sense, yes, it can and does bring us together as a ward family. Uplifting each other and being able to relate with one another is very important. I would say the amount of fellowship among members definitely increases but the quality of it has also increased. It feels like an extended family you see every week that shares your same principles and beliefs. Its really cool to have people surrounding you like that and wanting others to feel what you feel.

Drawing Conclusions
What does the future hold for the Latter Day Saints? They have secured their place as one of the most hotly contested religions in American history but is that enough to earn them a place at the same table as mainline Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant religions? One thing is certain, the members of the Second Ward congregation will continue to support each other through whatever hard times they go through.

YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas