Research paper on Mormons!

This is my final research paper for my high school US history class. I am a senior. What do you think? Please be honest.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the fastest-growing and most successful religion ever created on American soil. Nevertheless, as a minority religion, it has struggled to assimilate into the political and social culture of the United States of America. In this paper I will examine some of the various ways in which Mormons, and other members of minority religions, have sought greater acceptance and mainstream status while trying to stay true to their religious beliefs and deal with the persecution that constantly hinders their push for assimilation. I will also compare and contrast the way that other minority religions in the United States have dealt with persecution and assimilation, in relation to Mormonism. Before examining these questions I will provide a brief history of Mormonism to set the context.

Joseph Smith was born in Palmyra, New York in 1799, a period of religious awakening for America (Riess & Bigelow, 2005.) At the age of 14, Smith was confused about which direction his faith was headed, so he asked God for guidance. He later stated that God responded, saying that all religions were wrong and that he should not join any church. This revelation is now known as the "first vision" in the Mormon Church (Krakauer, 2004.)

Three years later, at the age of 17, Smith reported receiving another vision, in which God told him that he needed to retrieve a set of golden plates from a nearby hill. On September 27, 1827, Smith said he retrieved the plates and translated their contents from an ancient language, using a special pair of spectacles, then returned the spectacles and plates to an angel (History of Mormonism, 2009.) In March,1830, Smith's translation of the plates he claimed to have found was published: it was titled The Book of Mormon (History of Mormonism, 2009.)

Despite controversy over this new religion, the church began to grow and missionaries were sent as far as Ohio. However, angry Protestants started to persecute Mormons and harass their leaders. In 1831, Smith said God told him to move his church to Kirtland, Ohio, where a number of Mormon missionaries already lived (Ostling, 1999.) However, financial troubles and more persecution led Smith to move the church to Jackson County, Missouri. After a brief period of peace, the Mormons again found themselves at odds with their Protestant neighbors and fighting escalated until Governor Lilburn Boggs ordered the expulsion of Mormons from Missouri. Then on October 27, 1838, dozens of Mormons were killed in the Haun's Mill Massacre, and Smith was arrested (History of Mormonism, 2009.) Upon his release, Smith led his church to Nauvoo, Illinois.

In Nauvoo, the church finally found some peace and the city began to prosper. By 1840 the church had 16,000 members (Riess & Bigelow, 2005.) However, as the congregation grew, more people began to oppose the Mormon church. Around this time Smith received a revelation advocating polygamy. This only fanned the flames of opposition. Hoping to dispel rumors and strengthen his reputation, Smith ran for president in 1844, connecting with other persecuted religions in the U.S (Riess & Bigelow, 2005.) Then, after Smith, as mayor of Nauvoo, banned a local newspaper that suggested hanging him as a punishment for his blasphemy, a riot ensued and Smith ended up in prison. On June 27, 1844, days after he was incarcerated, an angry mob surrounded the prison and shot Smith and his brother Hyrum to death (History of Mormonism, 2009.)

Shortly after Joseph Smith's death, Brigham Young, the speaker for the Quorum of Twelve, the most important people in the Mormon church after the president, (who chooses them) became the new leader of the Mormon church. In February, 1846, Young and his followers left Nauvoo and headed west, eventually settling in the Salt Lake Valley (History of Mormonism, 2009.)

For the next ten years, life in Utah, with Brigham Young as governor, was peaceful. Then, in 1856, a group of federally-appointed workers from a territorial office in Utah accused Mormons of rebelling against the government. In response, James Buchanan, the president at the time, replaced Brigham Young with a new governor, Alfred Cummings, and sent 5000 troops to Utah. Fearing more conflict, the Mormons left Salt Lake City. They eventually returned after Cummings was peacefully installed as governor (History of Mormonism, 2009.)

During the period of the Civil War, the federal government withdrew from Utah. However, once slavery had been abolished, the government began to criticize the practice of polygamy in the Mormon church. With the death of Brigham Young on August 29, 1877, and the passing of the Edmunds Act, which outlawed cohabitation with more than one woman, in 1882, Mormon leaders were in a bind (Riess & Bigelow, 2005.) The federal government took things even further in 1887 when they enacted the Edmunds-Tucker Act in which they seized all property owned by the Mormon church, arrested hundreds of Mormons and prohibited them from participating in elections. Finally, the president of the Mormon church at the time, Wilford Woodruff, reportedly received a revelation from God, telling him to end polygamy in order to save the church (Ostling, 1999.)

With the end of polygamy and statehood declared for Utah in 1896, the Mormon church was back on its feet again and the church emphasized its patriotism and support for the national government (Riess & Bigelow, 2005.) Utah began to thrive as the Mormon church opened a number of schools, gained members and sent missionaries abroad. During World War II the church expressed its opposition to the war on the grounds that it conflicted with God's commandment "Thou shalt not kill." However, the church did permit its members to join the army (History of Mormonism, 2009.)

At the end of World War II the Mormon church was poised to become an internationally recognized religion. In the remaining part of the century, the church grew rapidly not only in the United States, but also in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. This tremendous growth was due largely to the fact that the number of Mormon missionaries, members of the Mormon church who travel to foreign countries to convert people, grew from 4,000 to 50,000 (History of Mormonism, 2009) The church also focused on its younger members, increasing the enrollment at Brigham Young University (the largest Mormon university in the world) and offering "seminary classes" for high school and college students.

One can see that the early years of the church were fraught with persecution, specifically in the period before the church moved to the Salt Lake Valley. The threats and violence that Mormons endured while living in the mid western United States had a lasting impact. In the following section I will elaborate on the history of persecution in the Mormon church in order to understand the social and political patterns of the church's members and leaders.

After leaving Kirtland, Ohio, primarily because of financial troubles, Smith led his congregation to Jackson County, Missouri. However, soon after they arrived and their presence increased, the government and citizens of Missouri feared that the Mormons were becoming too powerful. This led to extreme persecution ranging from tarring and feathering to arson and eventually a government-enforced "extermination" of Mormons in Missouri, in which they were driven to other states (Shipps, 1985.)

Mormons in Nauvoo, Illinois were similarly persecuted, although in this case the church was at fault. After achieving greater success in Illinois, Smith rose to power as the mayor of Nauvoo, the leader of the church and even a presidential candidate. When angry Protestants printed a newspaper that denounced the Mormon church, Smith had their printing press burned down. This infuriated Illinoisans and led them to accuse Smith of inciting riot and blurring the line between religion and government, which led to his arrest and murder (History of Mormonism, 2009.)

The persecution Mormons experienced in Missouri prompted them to form a 5,000 man militia in Nauvoo. But after the death of their leader, they regressed, fearing for the existence of their church (History of Mormonism, 2009.)

Another issue that has caused controversy in the Mormon Church in America for decades is polygamy or plural marriage. Most Americans have seen Fundamentalist Mormons in the media or in other outlets such as the New York Times Bestseller Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer, and the HBO program Big Love.

Joseph Smith reportedly received a revelation from God in 1831 proclaiming that polygamy must be practiced as a way to restore the church to the way it was in biblical times, when many men married more than one woman (Riess and Bigelow, 2005.) At first, members of the church were uneasy about the idea, but within a few years polygamy was practiced by the most important Mormons and it was considered a requirement for those who wished to enter heaven (Riess and Bigelow, 2005.)

However, when the practice of polygamy was announced to the public, Americans became infuriated and some even referred to it as one of the "twin relics of barbarism" (the other being slavery) (Ostling, 1999.) Unlike earlier opponents of Mormonism, the government decided to solve the problems through legislation as opposed to violence. In the 1870's and 1880's the government passed a number of laws that hindered the practice of polygamy, froze the assets of the church and banned Mormons from voting (History of Mormonism, 2009.) Fearing for the future of his church, president Wilford Woodruff ended polygamy after supposedly receiving a revelation from God telling him to do so.

However, polygamy still poses a threat to the reputation of the Mormon church. Despite the fact that the church denounced the practice nearly 120 years ago and only a small percentage of radical splinter groups still practice plural marriage, Americans still associate the Mormon church with polygamy (Krakauer, 2004.) This is most likely due to its shock factor and the incredibly repressive lifestyles that are practiced by polygamists. The leaders of the Mormon church have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from polygamy and it is considered taboo in the Mormon church.

This rift between Mormon fundamentalists, the LDS church and the United States government has led to years of debate about the ethics of polygamy. The Fundamentalist Mormon church continues to practice polygamy for a number of reasons; they believe it is one of the foundations of Christianity, because it is mentioned frequently in the bible, it supposedly strengthened the Mormon church in the 1800's and contributed to its monumental growth and, lastly, they believe that God told them to do it and they should not disobey him (Riess and Bigelow, 2005.) However the Mormon church and U.S. government have numerous reasons to condemn polygamy. It has been the source of rape, forced marriage, pedophilia and poverty, all of which are truly "relics of barbarism."

For these reasons, I understand why the government is hesitant to legalize plural marriage. However, the idea of polygamy is not inherently evil; if men and women have consensual, polygamous relationships, I see no problem. The issue lies in the human rights violations that stem from polygamy in the Fundamentalist Mormon church.

Persecution has been prevalent in Mormonism since its beginning and these events show how the church has responded to it throughout its history. In the early years of the church, when Joseph Smith was the leader, there was a tendency to respond to persecution in a more violent and retaliatory manner. However, after being driven from their homes and threatened multiple times, the church adopted a new method of response in which they tried to avoid all confrontation.

There was no defining moment when the Mormon church decided to be less confrontational, rather it was likely that a number of different factors led to this change. The death of Joseph Smith, which shook the foundations of the church, was definitely an event that caused Mormons to reevaluate the way that their church functioned. The inauguration of the second president of the church was also a turning point in Mormon history; Brigham Young, the new leader, had a very different, more conservative way of governing the church. Lastly, Mormons most likely felt threatened by increased government involvement and attention from the press as the church began to grow internationally. Today the Mormon church is very careful about the way it presents itself, which has led some people to believe that they are not completely honest with the non-Mormon American population.

As a community that has experienced persecution and lived in isolation for a number of years, Mormons have developed a very strong sense of community and family. However, this unique aspect of their religion has also made it hard for Mormons to assimilate into American social and political culture.

In the 19th century the Mormons had very little contact with other people. In the first decade of the church's existence, members and leaders spent most of their time fighting persecution or moving, leaving them few opportunities to assimilate. Then, once Brigham Young led his followers to Utah, the church became even more isolated until the 20th century, when non-Mormon Americans began to settle in the western United States.

It was not until after the "Woodruff Manifesto" in 1890 that the Mormon church began to carve out its own niche in mainstream American culture. After the church denounced polygamy, Mormons were not viewed as completely wretched and barbaric people, but they still had a long way to go before they were a part of mainstream American culture.

It was not until after World War II that the church became the international behemoth that we know it as today (History of Mormonism, 2009.) After the war, the church began to step up its evangelical efforts, sending out thousands of missionaries to every corner of the world. This helped non-Mormons understand that the Mormon church was not as strange as it is sometimes portrayed. Today the majority of the church's members live outside of the United States and Canada and the church is still growing very fast, especially in Asia and Latin America (Krakauer, 2004.)

Even though social assimilation has been very difficult for Mormons, political assimilation has presented an even bigger challenge. Despite the fact that Mormons officially recognize the separation or church and state, many Americans are still hesitant about the presence of Mormon politicians.

Once Utah received statehood in 1896, church leaders were eager to pick someone who would represent them in Washington. The first Mormon politician was B.H. Roberts, who was elected to the House of Representatives in 1898 (Ostling, 1999.) However, after it was discovered that he continued to practice polygamy after the Woodruff Manifesto, seven million Americans signed a petition condemning Congressman Roberts and congress voted to take away his position in the House of Representatives. Such was the beginnings of Mormon political participation in America.

It wasn't until 1903 that the Mormon church had success in politics when Reed Smoot, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was elected to the U.S. Senate (Ostling, 1999.) Despite national controversy over whether polygamy was still being practiced in the Mormon church, Smoot became the first successful Mormon politician and served for 30 years in the Senate (Ostling, 1999.)

Since Smoot's election in 1903, Mormon politicians have become more common, holding office in the House of Representatives and the Senate in states such as Utah, Oregon and Arizona, to name a few. Despite the fact that the Mormon church does not technically have a political stance and encourages its members to choose the party that they feel is best for them, the majority of Mormon politicians are Republican, with a few Democrats mixed in (Riess & Bigelow, 2005.) Even though most Mormon politicians are men, there have been a few instances when female members of the church held office: Paula Hawkins was the first and, so far, only Mormon woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate; Jean Westwood was the first female member of the church to head a political party; and Angela "Bay" Buchanan made history when she became the only Mormon, and the youngest person ever, chosen as treasurer of the United States of America (Ostling, 1999.) One of the most interesting Mormon politicians was Sonia Johnson, a woman who was ex-communicated from the church for her feminist ideas and a presidential candidate for the Citizens Party in 1984.

One of the most well-known Mormon politicians in the United States is Mitt Romney. Romney's career started in business, where he was the vice president of Bain & Company, Inc., then later the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, the group that was responsible for putting on the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. His political career began in 2003 when he became the Governor of Massachusetts. This was a significant achievement for the Mormon church because it was the first time that a Mormon became governor of a state with a very small Mormon population. Then in 2008, Romney became the most successful Mormon presidential candidate in history, winning in 11 states during the primaries, which put him in second place, behind John McCain. However, after Super Tuesday, he suspended his campaign. Currently, he is writing a book and preparing for his candidacy in the 2012 presidential election (Ostling, 1999.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one of the newest successful religions and the only major religion created on American soil. However, throughout American history, other minority religions have faced similar problems with persecution and assimilation. The three most notable minority religions in the U.S. are Roman Catholicism, Judaism and Islam.

The growth of the Catholic church was very different than that of the Mormon church. Catholics began to immigrate to America in large numbers, mostly from Ireland and Italy, in the 1800's. By 1840 the number of Catholics in America had soared to 1.75 million. This remarkable growth worried Protestants who feared that America would no longer be a "Christian nation" (Matthews, 1995.)

During the 1800's, opposition to the Roman Catholic church grew among Protestants and a number of anti-Catholic organizations were formed. Wealthy Americans saw Catholic immigrants as dirty and dangerous, primarily because of their poverty. Poorer American Protestants were afraid that the increasing number of Catholic immigrants would create job competition.

In the 1920's, the United States government passed a number of laws restricting immigration, which resulted in a near halt to Catholic immigrants (Byrne, 2000.) After these laws were passed, the Catholic church pushed their members to "Americanize" themselves. By the second half of the twentieth century, Catholics were rarely persecuted. Then in 1960, John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic president of the United States. Currently, the majority of the Supreme Court is Roman Catholic (Byrne, 2000.) This was a definite turning point of acceptance and assimilation for Catholic Americans. Today, Catholics are no longer persecuted and they have completely assimilated into American culture. Currently, the majority of the Supreme Court is Roman Catholic.

The growth of the Jewish population in America was very similar to that of the Catholic population in the sense that it stemmed from immigration. However, Jews came to America to escape persecution, whereas Catholics were largely looking for new opportunities. Another difference between the two religions was that Jews constituted (and continue to constitute) a very small portion of the American population, much smaller than Catholics; as of 2006, approximately two percent of America is Jewish compared to Catholics who make up nearly 25 % of our country, Muslims, who account for roughly .05 % of the U.S.'s population and, lastly, the Mormons, who only make up .01 % of our population (Kohut and Rogers, 2002.) Because of this, they were not viewed as a threat to Christianity by Protestants and therefore were not taken as seriously as American Catholics. However, the American sentiment toward immigrants was very negative at the time most Jews arrived, so Jews were often seen as dirty and lower class. In addition to holding prejudice against Jews for their immigrant status, American protestants were eager to adopt the anti-Semitic attitudes of their European counterparts, who frowned upon Judaism .

By the turn of the century, Jews were starting to become Americanized. After World War II the nation grieved the Holocaust with American Jews and from that point on, Jews were considered just as much Americans as everybody else. Today Jews are very prominent in American culture, holding office and playing a huge role in the entertainment industry. Many Jews have held office or important posts in American politics, such as Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State and United States National Security Advisor for Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Joe Lieberman (Senator of Connecticut and Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 presidential election) (Sarna & Golden, 2000.)

Like Catholics and Jews, most Muslims came to America through immigration. However, the first Muslims in America were brought over as slaves in the 1800's from West Africa. The Muslim population stayed relatively small until the 20th century when more Muslim immigrants came to the United States (Tweed, 2004.) Today, Muslims, at .05 % still remain a very small percentage of the American population, although their presence is increasing more rapidly (Kohut and Rogers, 2002.) Unfortunately, since September 11, 2001, they have suffered negative connotations. Unlike Jews, Mormons and Catholics, persecution against Muslims has actually gotten worse in the 21st century. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, some Americans began to fear all Muslims and associate Islam with terrorism. Many Muslims have taken pains since 9-11 to emphasize their patriotism and American identity. For instance, some Muslims put up American flags in their homes or businesses to prove their dedication to America.

All of these groups share some similar experiences with Mormons. They all suffered persecution, to varying degrees, and they all struggled to create an identity for themselves in American culture. However, what makes Mormons stand out from these three religions is the fact that they were the only one who had to establish themselves in America, whereas Catholicism, Judaism and Islam had existed for hundreds of years before they reached America.

As one can see, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has come a very long way since its beginnings in Palmyra, New York. However, the church still faces struggles in its future. Mormons continue to be associated with polygamy, which they struggle to distance themselves from, and Mormon Americans are still trying to forge their way in American culture. In contrast, there are many reasons for Mormons to feel optimistic about the future: their members are becoming more prominent in politics, their church is still growing very rapidly and they have managed to create an identity for themselves in American society while still maintaining their religious beliefs.

Your grammar and writing style are very good. By and large your essay reads as a well-crafted narrative of the history of the Mormon church. There are sections that seem out-of-place, though. For instance, when discussing polygamy, you shift out of the historical narrative to give your personal opinion on the practice. Likewise, the comparison of Mormonism to Judaism and Islam seems a bit off-topic. It's unclear how the rather extended discussion of the similarities between the three groups in facing persecution adds to the reader's understanding of Mormonism. Ending the essay with a call to end religious intolerance in general might be acceptable, but as it stands, the digression is so long and detailed that it detracts from the main point of the essay.

Hm, research paper and no references..?

Thanks for the feedback! EF_Sean, I agree with what you say about the islam/judaism/catholicism portion. To respond to EF_Team's comment I do have an annotated bibliography, but I didn't want to make you guys read it, haha. Thanks for pointing that out though.

Your paper is, for the most part, well written and informative. Not knowing what the assignment was, it is hard to tell how well you met the requirements. It is a looooong paper and could benefit from some tightening. The narrative seems to jump around quite a bit chronologically. You might be able to find a better way to organize it.

As a straight research paper, it quickly becomes obvious from your semantics where your heart lies. Be more careful to state the facts without slant.

You talk a lot about the history of Mormonism without really going into beliefs. I would think that a brief statement of beliefs is imperative to understanding the church. The idea of a living prophet with divine communication is an important tenet of the church. The Mormons accept the Old Testament and the New Testament as holy books with the Book of Mormon also being a holy book that supersedes the other two. This is a concept that most people can wrap their heads around-it is kind of like the Book of Mormon is the new, new testament.

The section on Mormon politicians seems a little long and bogged down in details. It might be better to emphasize prominent Mormons in many fields. Steve Young, Stephanie Meyer (Twilight series), the Osmonds, Gladys Knight, Ken Jennings (of Jeopardy! fame and writer for my favorite magazine-Mental-Floss). I know that there are more, but it is the ones in pop culture that come to mind off hand.

Your discussion also bogs down when it comes to discussing the other religions. Maybe combine the section into one that talks about religious persecution in general.

I am going to nitpick here. I am not picking on you, but you have obviously put a lot of time into this paper and care about how others perceive it so I will share my thoughts.

You leave out a point that I feel is pretty important . . . when Brigham Young and his followers first settled in Utah, they were in Mexico. They settled in Mexico to avoid US laws against polygamy. It wasn't until after the Mexican-American War that Utah became a territory.

Three are a couple of word choices that I find odd:


Did they "suggest" hanging Smith or did they demand it? Suggest is such a soft word, especially when you are talking about something as serious as a hanging. The same holds true for "ended up." It sounds almost like it was accidental. You could simply change that part to, "the ensuing riot landed Smith in jail." (If I remember right from "Under the Banner of Heaven," it was the local jail. In modern times, the word "prison" connotes long-term incarceration for a felony while jail is short-term holding and used for misdemeanors.)


I would think that the government criticized polygamy before the the Civil War. Maybe reword this so that the government is focusing on polygamy.


That is incredible growth, but it doesn't tell the reader much without a time frame. How long did it take the church to increase the number of missionaries this much? What year is the 4,000 figure from and what year is the 50,000 figure from?


I don't know why you have this in quotes. When I see quotes of this nature, I think that it wasn't really a seminary school, but just called that. The word seminary just means religious education. It doesn't need to be in quotes.

mid western use Midwestern (one word and with a capital).


When you are using parenthesis for citation, it would be better to rewrite this to avoid their use within the sentence. You could use em-dashes or say something like: "some referred to slavery and polygamy as the "twin relics of barbarism."



These sentences stray into opinion. Oh my heck (a phrase I picked up from a Mormon friend), they don't just stray into opinion, these sentences philander in opinion.


This is awkward. "The church continues its rapid growth."

congress voted . . . capitalize the word Congress.

Such was the beginnings of Mormon political participation in America. . . . I'd omit this.

treasurer of the United States of America . . . capitalize Treasurer.

bible . . . capitalize Bible.


Really not enough information here. She was the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. It also makes it sound like there have been other female members of the church to head national political parties and Ms. Westwood was just the first.


Sorry, but I have to point out the irony here . . . you cite a source written in 1999 that provides information about the 2008 Presidential race? Now that is prophecy! Does Romney win in 2012?


I am not sure what this mean. How do you define successful when it comes to a religion? Most people would probably say salvation. The *only* religion created on American soil? There were many native religions. Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientology were created on American soil as well. I am probably missing a few, but that ought to be enough to dispute your point.


Take this one out. You repeat it later and I believe that you mean that Kennedy's Presidency was the turning point for Catholic assimilation, not the Supreme Court.


This is a pretty broad statement. I would not say that Catholics have completely assimilated. My high school always plans something important on Good Friday without a thought to the calendar. True, the KKK isn't after the Catholics like they were in the early part of the 20th Century, but I still think that the statement is too broad.


First of all, capitalize Protestant. Antisemitic is one word and not capitalized. Were the Protestants really *eager* to be antisemitic? Some were. Some weren't. Have you ever read George Washington's letter to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island? I'd say that our country was founded on religious freedom and tolerance. Yes, there have been times when we, as people, haven't lived up to those ideals, but to claim that American Protestants were eager to adopt antisemitism just isn't true. You might also want to consider why some American religions have NOT been persecuted . . . Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientology may be made fun of in Saturday Night Live skits, but they, as a whole, have been law-abiding and free of governmental persecution.


What in the world are you trying to say here? That Kissinger was Secretary of State for Joe Lieberman? Or that Gerald Ford was Jewish. This section needs clarification.


Their presence is increasing more rapidly than what? The increase in Americans who identify themselves as Muslim is due not only to immigration, but also conversion-conversions are especially high among African-American prison populations.

I apologize if my thoughts are jumbled. It has grown late here and I have spent more time than I should have.

Notoman, your close reading and careful comments leave me very little to add!

I would say that I like the comparison with other religions insofar as they have all faced persecution. This makes the paper more than a rote recitation of the history of the religion, which is a relatively well known story. I'd like to see you keep that part, but omit your personal opinion and strengthen the transition from the history to the comparison. You might also want to make reference to the comparison to come in your introduction so that it will not feel so jarring to the reader when it arrives.

-- sounds biased to me.

If the data support that conclusion, it is not biased to state it. Sometimes people feel like it is never acceptable to refer to race or ethnicity. But, actually, it is perfectly acceptable to reference race accurately. I believe that the Mormon church has specifically targeted prisoners in its conversion efforts. If it has had particular success among African American prisoners, it is perfectly acceptable to state that fact, provided you back up the assertion with a citation.

Simone, Notoman is saying that with reference to Muslim conversions, not Mormonic. The way he simply puts it there, sounds like his own opinion to me.

Yes, I was talking about conversions to Islam. No, I didn't mean my comments as racist in any way. Tacares talks about various religious groups in America and addresses the rise in the Muslim population due to immigration. I was pointing out that the growth of Islam in the United States is *also* due to conversions. When most Americans think of Muslims, immigrants come to mind, but that is only part of the picture. Here are a few quotes from the Internet to support my point. I didn't bother to include MLA citations or print sources because my post isn't a research paper.

In the United States, an estimated one third of all African-American prisoners are Muslim converts, following in the traditions of Malcolm X or Imam Jamil Al-Amin (the former H. Rap Brown).

A movement that began in the 1970s under Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to evangelize inmates has evolved into one of the most effective religious rehabilitation agendas in the U.S. Imams under the Nation of Islam continue to draw converts.

Most of the inmates who convert to Islam are African-American, and are attracted to Islam for its discipline and belief in equality, said Faheem Siddiq, a longtime planner for the city of Everett who has acted as a Muslim chaplain in state prisons for more than five years.

Islam in the United States is not solely the province of immigrants from North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. The largest and fastest-growing ethnic group of American Muslims is African Americans, whose estimated numbers range between 1.3 million and 2 million. Most, by the way, are Sunni Muslims and not followers of Minister Louis Farrakhan's racially exclusive Nation of Islam. What's more, the group within the African American Muslim community that is experiencing the most explosive growth is probably the least assimilated: black inmates. Good statistics are hard to come by, but one estimate places the number of Muslim converts in prison above 250,000.

Thank you !


I'd hate to think that about you.

Well, if that was what Notoman was talking about, the fact is well known and there is no need for a citation. As documented in Malcolm X's best-selling autobiography and a host of books and movies, the Nation of Islam has very successfully and deliberately encouraged conversion to Islam among imprisoned African Americans for decades.

Thanks again everybody, your feedback has been very helpful.

It certainly isn't racist to point out an easily verifiable demographic trend. Besides, someone once said that the worst thing you could say about any statement is that it is false. Anything else, such as accusations of racism or sexism, is irrelevant at best, dishonest at worse.

This isn't a trend limited to the States, btw. The same trends have also begun to concern Canadian and U.K. authorities too.

It should be a good thing if a religion has the versatality to even embrace the circumstances of prison inmates and give them some thing to make meaning with, of their lives. Why the concern, do you happen to know?

Because prison populations tend to consist of people with most or all of the characteristics that make them easily radicalized -- young, male, uneducated, disaffected, violent, often sociopathic or borderline to it. Let's face it, if these were good people, they wouldn't be in prison to begin with. This makes them obvious targets for, shall we say, adherents of less mainstream forms of Islam.

This is not to say that Islam, or for that matter any other religion, can't be a force for good in the prison system, and I'm sure many of the converts are improved by having something greater than themselves to believe in. However, those responsible for overseeing the prison system would be remiss in their duties if they didn't worry about the negative side of the trend.

Thanks. That was a nice explanation. I'm glad I asked.

That's what's nice about forums -- so much can be resolved by dialogue. Islam in prison has often been responsible for profound transformations of irresponsible young men into thoughtful adults. As I mentioned above, The Autobiography of Malcolm X details his transformation from a careless hoodlum, then known as Detroit Red, into an introspective and politically aware man. He continued that process after prison, eventually breaking from the Nation of Islam (also known as the Black Moslems) after his own sojourn to Mecca and around Africa led him to embrace a more multi-racial vision of social justice.

And so it can go either way. Regardless of the religion in question, conversion in prison can lead to genuine self-reflective change but can also lead to extremism. For example, there is an explicitly racist version of Christianity, known as the Christian Identity movement, that is popular among some white inmates.

I would question the assumption that everyone in prison is there because he or she has done wrong. As the Innocence Project has demonstrated via DNA, many people have been unjustly convicted of even the most extreme crimes (where one might think that especial care would be taken to convict the correct person, since failing to do so leaves the real criminal free to commit further mayhem). Given the demonstrated instability of eye-witness testimony, one has to assume that the rate of false convictions for minor crimes is at least as high. In cases of unjust conviction, religion serves not to turn a criminal's life around but, rather, to help the unjustly imprisoned survive and make sense of such a traumatic experience.

I would say that the vast majority of the prison population is guilty of the crimes of which they were accused. Some certainly, are wrongly convicted, but even then "wrongly convicted" rarely translates into "innocent." If the police fixate on a certain person as a prime suspect in a crime, it is often because they have a long history of wrong doing. So, I think it is fair to say that the characteristics I listed apply to most prison inmates, at least those convicted for violent offenses. The rare case of the wholly innocent man railroaded by overzealous police is more exception than rule.

Thank you for your research. I think you did a great job!