The Difference Between Pinesdale and Bluffdale

The tension between AUB members in Pinesdale and Utah has been bubbling for years and the uncovering of sexual and financial misdeeds have merely given momentum to the movement that was already underway.   It is well known that AUB members in Utah have looked down their noses at the people in Pinesdale for years because of their disobedience and lack of respect for AUB leadership. During Lamoine Jenson’s tenure as the head of the group he made no secret of the fact that dealing with Pinesdale was a headache he would rather not have on his plate.  School, city, and county issues may have been plenty burdensome for LaMoine but dealing with the mentality of the people in Pinesdale wore on him to the point of wanting to wash his hands of the hornets’ nest in Montana.

There are number of factors that contribute to understanding the Pinesdale mentality and why they have been seen as a headache to the AUB leadership.  The first is geographical.  A community that is five hundred miles away from the center of power will naturally exert a higher level of self-sufficiency and deference to governance.   There is a level of resentment held by people in Pinesdale towards those in Utah since they do not like being told what to do by someone who doesn't have their boots on the ground.  There is also the issue of the “Montana way” of doing things.  This actually has more to do with politics but it has a tendency to spill over into and affect the religious arena.  Montanan’s in general are extremely independent and do not like to be told what to do, especially by big government.  Montanan’s are, “I’ll do it myself, stay out of my way, and don’t tell me how to do it” kind of folks.  That is exactly why they chose to live in Montana instead of a more populated area.  This mentality has manifested itself in the way people in Pinesdale live their religion and over the years it has been at odds with the “get in line and be obedient” mentality that is preached from the pulpits in Bluffdale.

Furthermore, there is a deeper social dynamic at play when it comes to understanding the Piney mentality and how they have grown to view leadership differently than their counterparts in Utah.  In Utah, the AUB group members have been spread miles apart long the Wasatch front.  Their main source of interaction with each other has come on Sunday’s while attending church.  This has made for a unique environment where the people look forward to going to church, are excited to be at church, and even want to stay longer once church is over because that is their main source of social interaction with other group members and leaders.  In fact, church is usually the only time they see their leaders.  On Sunday, their leaders are dressed up and sitting on the stand looking and acting like leaders should which has led to a heightened level of reverence and respect for the men holding those perceived high callings.  The result after fifty years is the AUB leaders in Utah are looked up to not only figuratively and literally because of their religious position and their seat on the stand.  Consequently, what came across the pulpit on Sunday carried more weight.  Therefore, the people in Bluffdale have developed a tendency to view and treat their leaders as untouchable when it comes to gospel matters. 

Pinesdale on the other hand has been a completely different set of circumstances.  Because of the small community the members interact with each other daily as they pass each other on the road, at the post office, and in the local grocery stores.  They don’t only interact with each other while dressed in their Sunday best.  Going to church on Sunday in Pinesdale is important but it isn’t always the highlight of the week.  Nearly everyone has played a role in building houses, schools, parks, and roads through work projects.  At these work projects the people got to regularly work alongside their leaders like Marv and Morris Jessop.  Leaders got their hands dirty with members of the community at work projects and they mingled with them even further during summer softball games, movie nights, and community dinners.  It would be hard to find a person in Pinesdale over the age of thirty who hasn’t gotten sweaty while working or playing alongside Marv Jessop.  Furthermore, on Sundays, Marv and Morris rarely sat on the stand.  They instead took their place in the congregation with their families.  Because of this, Pinesdale’s leaders have never established permanent residency on the Sunday religious pedestal.  Just like everyone else in the community, Pinesdale’s leaders have calloused hands and dirty pants from years of pounding nails and digging ditches.  This unique social dynamic has allowed for a free and open exchange of ideas between leaders and community members because their leaders are viewed no different than anyone else.

The 2016 split isn’t just about Lynn Thompson’s wandering hands or differing doctrinal viewpoints.  Instead the recent split that has given birth to the new Pinesdale group has been bubbling for generations as Pinesdale folks have learned to look at life completely different than their well-dressed and well-mannered cousins in Utah.  The drive from Bluffdale to Pinesdale is a five hundred mile trip but it might as was well be a trip to the moon when it comes to the distance and difference in mentality.