This is a research paper written and presented 5 years ago in May of 2011
at the Mormon History Association in St. George Utah. I will be posting it in 2-3 parts
over the next few days as it is too long for one post. The purpose of this
paper at the time was to dispel the pervasive thought process that all
polygamists can be lumped into one stereotype as
portrayed by the media. The research for the paper was done with numerous
interviews of current and former individuals in Pinesdale with an attempt to
capture a wide variety of viewpoints. The following is as it was
presented 5 years ago with a few minor grammatical corrections.
Having been born and raised in the Allred Polygamist Group I am
keenly aware of how the outside world views polygamists. I vividly
remember the hot summer day when as a teenager, my brother Dave and I walked
into a Maverick Gas station in Salt Lake City to take a much needed break from
our construction job. The girl behind the counter was cute and after
a couple of minutes of flirting with her she leaned in close and whispered,
“Guess what…some polygamists were just in here”! Thinking quickly, I
answered, “No way…how can you tell”? She then proceeded to let us
know just how easy it is to spot a polygamist. According to her,
“They all dress, act, and talk the same…even the kids”. Little did she know she
had been flirting with a couple of polygamist boys.
Although just a small snapshot, the incident is insightful into
the way most people view polygamists. The word polygamist instantly
conjures up thoughts, images, and stereotypes. People outside of Utah and
even many in Utah actually know very little about the polygamist embedded in
their midst other than what they see or hear in the media.
Nearly all polygamists share a common priesthood lineage dating
back to the alleged 1886 Revelation of President John Taylor while he was on
the underground evading federal agents who were aggressively pursuing Mormon
Church leaders for the practice of polygamy. Over the past hundred
and thirty years, schisms and splits have led to literally dozens of different
polygamist groups, each with its own individual brand of fundamentalism.
Many suppose all polygamists share the same beliefs, doctrines,
and philosophy. However, this could not be further from the
truth. Even though there are two main polygamist groups (AUB and FLDS)
there is actually a wide variety of philosophy and doctrinal belief among the
various polygamist groups with each claiming a unique stake on their particular
line of authority to keep the principle alive. Perhaps even more
surprising is the diversity of belief in regards to leadership, the
mainstream LDS Church, priesthood keys, and religious doctrine held within a
polygamist community. The following is an attempt to define
the different emerging philosophical and doctrinal views within the AUB or “Allred Group” and
more specifically its satellite community in Pinesdale, Montana.
Historically, community members living in Pinesdale have been more
self-sufficient and free thinking than other AUB polygamist communities not
only because of its geographic separation from leadership in Utah but also due
in part to its civic makeup, and independent “Montana” mentality. The land for the small Montana community was purchased in 1961
through the efforts of Rulon Allred and donations from members who were seeking
a place of refuge where fundamentalist saints could build a community without
fear of reprisal from federal authorities. By-and-large the
community has functioned according to its intended purpose. However,
the unique make of Pinedale’s religious structure and civic government have led
to an intertwined mixture of church and state. The religious leaders
certainly take the lead and their advice is constantly sought after regarding civic
matters but there is enough autonomy in the civic government that the people
have become use to the freedom to question and debate openly.
For instance, Pinesdale was incorporated as a town in the 1980’s
and is governed by Selectmen who are elected by popular vote. The
Selectmen and advisory board, although technically autonomous to make civic
decisions, are certainly influenced by their religious leaders, Marvin and
Morris Jessop, who are both members of the AUB priesthood council called back
in the 60’s and 70’s by Rulon Allred to oversee the community. Pinesdale
also has a K-8 private school with an elected school board and just like the
city government; their decisions can be made without approval of the council but at the same time they are still heavily influenced
by the priesthood council.
The priesthood council has functioned as more of an administrator
with the elected officials in Pinesdale often making their decisions based on
what they think The Council would like to have happen. It would be
impossible to separate the Church from the State in the community of
Pinesdale. However, the makeup of the community’s civic government
has at least given rise to an atmosphere of openness and willingness to express
public opinion.
Even though there are regular town meetings and school board meetings
the important discussions surrounding vital community issues more often than
not take place in priesthood meeting on Sunday mornings. This
development over the years has given rise to a mixture of history, philosophy,
doctrine, spiritualism, and politics as the basis for the direction of the
community. It is not uncommon for a typical priesthood meeting to
discuss the 1890 Manifesto, community water issues, complaints regarding
vandalism of the school, the importance of living plural marriage, The
Constitution, and the current crop of political candidates. Differences
of opinions are sought and fought over vigorously and it all starts and ends
with a prayer. For this reason, the Pinesdale community is often viewed as
rebellious and even a thorn in the side to LaMoine Jenson (current head of the
priesthood council) and many members in Utah.
The mindset of the Allred Group particularly in Pinesdale is
undeniably diverse and is constantly changing which has led to differing
beliefs and practices within the community. As a result… the shifts in
doctrine, leadership, and financial scandals have the potential to
significantly change the landscape of the Allred Group for upcoming
generations.
There are four religious profiles of belief pattern developing
within Pinesdale. They are: 1) Expansionists, 2) Traditionalists, 3) Analyzer, 4) Cultural Community Member
The foundation for defining and understanding the different
profiles begins with how they view themselves in relation to the mainstream LDS
Church. Those adhering to the Expansionist mindset
make up the largest sub group and believe the primary function of the Group is
to keep alive the principal of plural marriage. However, according
to the expansionist thinker, starting with the 1890 Manifesto the Church has
taken steps and made changes seeking the acceptance of the world which has
caused the fullness of the gospel to become diluted. In their view,
because of the “falling away” of the mainstream LDS Church, the Group has had
to and will continue to have to take on an expansionist and evolving role in
carrying out the responsibilities in building up the Kingdom of God and
preparing for the second coming of Christ. According to the
Expansionists, the Church and The Priesthood are two separate
organizations. Historically, they claim the Priesthood organized the
Church and therefore the Priesthood actually has stewardship and responsibility
over the Church. The Kingdom of God is out of order because the
Priesthood and the Church are not working together as they are meant to. Expansionists
see the Church as “out of order” and actively pray for the “setting in order”
by the One Mighty and Strong after which the Priesthood will once again be placed
in its proper place…at the head of the Church.
Those with the Traditionalists mindset also
believe the original purpose of the Group was and still is to keep alive the
principle of plural marriage. They differ from the Expansionists in
that they believe all other priesthood responsibilities fall under the
jurisdiction of the mainstream LDS Church. They support the Church
and believe the Church is still the only “true” Church and will bear the bulk
of the responsibility in building up The Kingdom of God. Even though
the main stream LDS Church does not recognize them, they see themselves as
falling under the umbrella of the Mormon Church. The Traditionalists view the Group’s
responsibility is to ONLY keep alive the principle of
plural marriage until it is once again accepted by the Church and they are
brought back into the fold. They feel like they are children of
divorced parents (Church is the mother and Priesthood/Group is the father) and
they believe both are out of order and it will take “One Mighty and Strong” to
set things back in order. They fervently pray for the “setting in
order” believing that one day the Church will recognize them again, the temple
doors will be opened to them, and they will be reunited with the mother church. Traditionalists
are uncomfortable with the expanding doctrinal role of the Group and believe
they should try to stay as close to the mainstream Church as possible. Those
with a Traditionalist mindset are more and more sitting silently in the back
seat because they are afraid to be seen as not supportive of the current
direction of leadership which the Expansionist would see as the road to
apostasy.
Those with the Analyzers mindset have become
extremely uncomfortable with the seemingly expansionist direction of the Group
and its leaders. Like the Traditionalists, they believe the main purpose of the
Group was to keep alive the principle of plural marriage. They also
want to stay close to the LDS Church and in many cases are actively trying to
rejoin the Church because of their apprehensions with changes in doctrine, the
expanded use of priesthood keys, scandals, and leadership issues in The
Group. This has led them to analyze and question the authenticity of
not only present day group leaders but historic events such as the
Lorin Woolley story. According to Analyzers, they are seeking
logical and factual answers instead of continuing to simply follow
blindly. They willingly seek out alternative ways of religious
thinking to help enlighten their choices. They not only analyze and
question fundamentalist doctrines and leadership; they feel it is their duty to
question authority in order to provide a check and balance on potential abuses
of authority. Because of their misgivings and often unanswered
questions, in some cases they have even begun to question the need for
organized religious authority, including the Church. Their
inquisitive nature and willingness to speak up is often seen as a direct
challenge by those in leadership positions and especially to those adhering to
the expansionists view within the Group. The Analyzers have
begun slowly to detach themselves from AUB Group doctrine and organization but are still very much involved in the community and generally have no desire
to leave.
The last category is that of the Cultural Community Member. They
have typically been born and raised in the Group and generally believe in the
basic tenants of the Mormon Church and even polygamy. However, they
are basically residents because of family ties. Most of them have
little interest in leaving because they enjoy the benefits of a quiet conservative
lifestyle and social interactions the polygamist community provides. Someone
who falls in the category of a Social polygamist rarely if ever concern
themselves with religious matters but are often still involved in the civic
aspects of the community through scouting, teaching, fire department, or volunteer
work.
These profiles are by no means exact classifications. In
fact, there can and often is an overlap or gray area between the
categories. These profiles are not meant to cast a positive or
negative judgment on a particular profile or pattern of belief. Instead,
the categories are merely an introductory way of defining why and how thought
and doctrine are shifting within the Allred Group. By using these
profiles, researchers may gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of the
Allred Group and how thought patterns will continue to play out in the broader
fundamentalist movement. Group members may also be enlightened by
reflecting on the different profiles which will hopefully open avenues to
ponder where they stand on key issues within fundamentalism.
As of the present time, there are four main headline issues
contributing to the evolving diversity in profiles within Pinesdale.
- The
1978 Official Declaration by the LDS Church which extended the priesthood
to all worthy males regardless of race.
- Leadership
issues on the council.
- The
Virginia Hill Scandal.
- Changing
or expanding doctrine within the Allred Group.
To be continued...the coming posts will explore the above issues within
the framework of the stated profiles as presented at the 2011 conference.
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