Item Detail
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22825
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0
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0
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English
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Utopian Religions in America : the Shakers, the Oneida Perfectionists and the Mormons, an Issue of Survival
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Ypsilanti, Michigan
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Eastern Michigan University
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Honors thesis
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"Since the foundation of the United States of America, many new religious groups have developed here. Some have died out rather quickly and some have attracted numerous members and have actually grown into world religions. This paper will focus specifically on three 'utopian' religious movements that began in the U.S. at approximately the same time, namely the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming, the Oneida Perfectionists, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These groups are all considered 'utopian' religious movements. Utopian movements are totalitarian groups that were founded and developed in response to the society in which they live. These movements are based upon the need to form a separate and distinct community from the rest of the American public. These movements were founded by people who disagreed with the practices of their larger society, and hoped to correct those problems by forming their own segregated communities. The word utopian is used to describe these authoritarian and idealistic, which were trying to perfect society. In other words, these people would see something wrong in their world and then envision and create a community that intended to not only correct that wrong but to be completely flawless. This study will consider in depth each founder's childhood, adult life, and life as a community organizer. I will then analyze the personality traits that have led to each founder's successes and failures. Then, we will focus on the key sexual attitudes of each community and observe a few rituals that each used in their worship. Each community had diverse ways of attempting to attract new members. Some of these methods were fruitful in recruiting new members, while other methods were not very successful in enticing people to join their community. By examining the founding figures' personality traits, each community's sexual attitudes and key rituals, and especially their recruitment methods, I will demonstrate why the Mormons have attracted so many more followers than the other two utopian communities, and why people have found the attitudes and rituals of the Mormon Church to be more attractive. In other words, I will show why the Mormons were much more successful at recruiting new members." [From author's introduction]