Communitarianism and Consecration in Mormonism
Keywords
communitarianism, community, consecration, conservatism, economics
Abstract
Throughout their tumultuous history, Mormons have sporadically invoked a flexible practice of property donation—or “consecration”—to provide for community needs, to insulate themselves economically from the host society, and to assimilate into that society. This chapter traces Mormon communitarianism across LDS history, from its radical beginnings amidst the ferment of pre–Civil War religious awakenings to its reformulation during the Cold War era, when Mormons largely integrated within the ranks of American political and economic conservatives. Over that span, Mormons were inspired by, fought over, depended upon, ignored, revived, and almost forgot their distinctive communitarian principles. Moreover, the living of the Mormon communitarian vision has been complicated by internal divisions (often involving the communitarian specifics themselves), changing relations with the American nation state, and economic transformations within and outside the church.
Original Publication Citation
“Communitarianism and Consecration in Mormonism,” in Philip L. Barlow and Terryl L. Givens, eds., Oxford Handbook of Mormonism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), 577-90.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Fluham, J. Spencer, "Communitarianism and Consecration in Mormonism" (2015). Faculty Publications. 3569.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/3569
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2015-12
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6379
Publisher
The Oxford Handbook of Mormonism
Language
English
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
History