Mormons
Haley Yarborough
Professor Christopher Martinez
Introduction to World Religion
December 3, 2012
The Modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: A Secular Age and Integration America was founded on the idea of religious freedom. Puritans, Catholics, Quakers and Anglicans formed the original colonies established on the east coast of what is now called the United States. Since the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, a government was established that did not enforce any particular religion. This separation of religion from the government is known as secularism. Similar to many words associated with government and politics, there are different moderations of secularism. Terms such as hard and soft, or conservative and liberal, are applied to measure the amount of leeway given to the separation. In terms of religion, the more conservative form of secularism implies a complete dissociation with religion and government. People should be free from religious rule and government implication of any religious ideals. The more liberal form of secularism retaliates that political decisions specifically should remain unbiased by religious beliefs. In the United States, state secularism is implied which allows for religion to remain separate from government, but also gives religion the power to gain support on some political issues. Many believe that in this sense, there should be a complete redefining of secularism, in which, the applied meaning moves away from state secularism and towards a more secular society. While the distinctions between the separation of church and state and the simultaneous protection of religious minorities (primarily in democratic societies) are vaguely defined in state secularism, the ideals of a secular society are intentionally simplistic. For example, although political groups are permitted to gain support on issues such as abortion, contraception, and same-sex marriage through religion within the means of state secularism, a
Professor Christopher Martinez
Introduction to World Religion
December 3, 2012
The Modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: A Secular Age and Integration America was founded on the idea of religious freedom. Puritans, Catholics, Quakers and Anglicans formed the original colonies established on the east coast of what is now called the United States. Since the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, a government was established that did not enforce any particular religion. This separation of religion from the government is known as secularism. Similar to many words associated with government and politics, there are different moderations of secularism. Terms such as hard and soft, or conservative and liberal, are applied to measure the amount of leeway given to the separation. In terms of religion, the more conservative form of secularism implies a complete dissociation with religion and government. People should be free from religious rule and government implication of any religious ideals. The more liberal form of secularism retaliates that political decisions specifically should remain unbiased by religious beliefs. In the United States, state secularism is implied which allows for religion to remain separate from government, but also gives religion the power to gain support on some political issues. Many believe that in this sense, there should be a complete redefining of secularism, in which, the applied meaning moves away from state secularism and towards a more secular society. While the distinctions between the separation of church and state and the simultaneous protection of religious minorities (primarily in democratic societies) are vaguely defined in state secularism, the ideals of a secular society are intentionally simplistic. For example, although political groups are permitted to gain support on issues such as abortion, contraception, and same-sex marriage through religion within the means of state secularism, a
Cited: * "Family." Www.mormonnewsroom.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/family>. * “Missionary Program” Www.mormonnewsroom.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/missionary-progarm>. * “Political Neutrality” Www.mormonnewsroom.org * “Education” Www.mormonnewsroom.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/education>. * “Quorum of the Twelve Apostles” Www.mormonnewsroom.org * “Joseph Smith” Www.mormonnewsroom.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/joseph-smith>. * "BYU - Brigham Young University." Welcome to Brigham Young University. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://home.byu.edu/home/>. * "National Council of Churches USA." National Council of Churches USA. NCC, 2010. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html>. * "Secularism." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2102. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secularism>. * “Theocracy." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2102. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thocarcy>. * “Tithe." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2102. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tithe>. * "Academic Rankings for 2010-2011." Yfacts. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2011. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://yfacts.byu.edu/Article?id=282>. * Bentley, Joseph I. "Legal Trials of Joseph Smith." Legal Trials of Joseph Smith. Light Plantet, n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/people/joseph_smith/legal_trials.html>. * Kirn, Walter. "Mormons Rock!" The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 05 June 2011. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/06/05/mormons-rock.html>. * "Official Declaration-1." Official Declaration 1Â . Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 21 Feb. 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng>. * Poll, Richard D. "Utah History Encyclopedia." Utah History Encyclopedia. UEN.org, n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/u/UTAH_WAR.html>. * "Polygamy: Official LDS Church Statement." About.com. N.p., 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://lds.about.com/od/basicsgospelprinciples/a/polygamy_2.htm>. * Perpetua, Matthew. " 'The Book of Mormon ' Triumphs at the Tony Awards." Rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone, 13 June 2011. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-book-of-mormon-triumphs-at-the-tony-awards-20110613>.