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What is Mormon Culture?
By: hawkgrrrl
Just what is Mormon culture? Recently, as I read Joanna Brooks’ memoir, I noted that there were several elements of culture that I shared with her (dance festivals – on a much less grand scale, open-minded BYU professors). But there were many that differed from my own experiences (apocalyptic food storage, pioneer heritage, and Marie Osmond worship). I have also observed a tendency for people to describe culture as if their own personal experience holds true for the entire population at large.
In the book The First 90 Days, author Michael Watkins talks about the different cultures within companies that new leaders (or those changing assignment) must successfully navigate: geographic, professional, and organizational. A change in any of these 3 areas can create a very different cultural experience. In essence, organizations don’t have a single culture, but rather multiple layers of subculture that interact, and depending on how strong or controlled the culture is, you might find different subcultures dominating. It’s possible, for instance, that a person who is a consultant will change organizations but stay in the same profession, but she will find that the profession (being a consultant) is the strongest aspect that defines the culture in the workplace (more than say working in Boston or working for Bain). But a person who is a professional clergyman may find that changing organizations (being a Jewish Rabbi vs. being a Catholic Priest) creates a bigger cultural change than profession.
So, how does this relate to the LDS church? Which subculture dominates? I’ll rank them in order from lowest to highest:
- Organizational. This is the difference between being Mormon and belonging to another faith. I believe this is the biggest differentiator. Despite my own experience that there are key differences between congregations, there are more similarities than differences. The rules apply more or less to all congregations. The church has a very top-down approach to creating culture thanks to centralized leadership (which the SBC doesn’t have) and correlation (which most churches don’t have). So while there is local richness and diversity, going to church still feels roughly the same whether you attend in Shanghai, Brigham City, or Buenos Aires; you will recognize the service and know more or less what to do. Catholicism as another authoritative church has a similar quality.
- Geographic. Many have remarked on the difference between Utah Mormons and the rest, and I have certainly experienced geographical cultural differences. The biggest difference I have noticed is that between where the church is in the majority vs. places I’ve lived where it is in the apologetic and misunderstood minority. Given the church’s strong organizational culture, some of the church’s culture outside of Utah is influenced by Utah Mormons who have either colonized (relocated to those areas), or by diaspora Mormons sending their kids to church owned Universities who bring traces of Utah culture back, or through exposure to Utah culture through the missionary program. As the church becomes more global, and especially as members stay put in their existing geographies, new geographic cultures will emerge and become stronger.
- Professional. The core question here is whether the church culture is the same for leaders as lay members (and lay leaders) and if it’s the same across quorums and auxilliaries. Because members frequently change callings, and also because manuals are correlated for consistency, I would rank this as the least dominant subculture.
Within and across those 3 subcultures, there are cultural markers: symbols (or artifacts), assumptions (usually unquestioned), and norms (including behaviors and values). Since Mormon culture is so uniform and centralized, there aren’t many symbols and assumptions that are unique from ward to ward.
- Symbols: We have the same art work everywhere (that picture of Jesus on the right hand of this post that was painted by the Seventh-day Adventist), the same lack of crosses, the same Young Women’s medallion (or going back in time, the same circlet), the same Youth Conference, the same lace doily accent table in Relief Society.
- Assumptions: The folklore seems to make the rounds to various geographies, and the same assumptions about polygamy, revelation, the role of women, how we parent, following the prophet, etc. Thanks to general conference and correlated manuals, the assumptions we make about things are pretty standard. The Word of Wisdom doesn’t vary much from place to place (and no matter where you are, there are some who want to make it more strict).
- Norms: The norms, however, do change. There may not be pioneer heritage, there may be more mixed faith marriages, and people may dress differently. Political values certainly differ greatly in other countries. People aren’t always smiley, vacuous and enthusiastic (I am, but I have met a dour Mormon or two in my travels). Foods differ. I made it into my twenties, having been born in the covenant and raised in the church, without ever having heard of Funeral Potatoes (which sounded like Soylent Green to me), yet most Utah Mormons I met had never had a Tandy Cake or a Nutter Fluffer! Instead of making their own funnel cakes, they made scones. Weirdos. I remember the headache our mission president’s wife caused the Spanish language translator when she was sharing a story in a talk about a backyard barbecue on the grassy lawn of their American home. None of the locals had backyards, barbecues or grass!
I’ve highlighted above the biggest differentiator I’ve seen in cultures within the church: whether one lives in an area where Mormons are known and understood or in an area where Mormons are very much in the minority, often on the defensive, or misunderstood. When we talk about “Utah Mormons,” I believe that’s what we are describing. And the best articles I’ve read that explain (or defend) church culture are written by those who’ve crossed cultural boundaries (including from many who’ve left the church but are still “friendlies”) and can interpret for outsiders what it is like to be a Mormon. I would say this all might change now that the church will be under scrutiny in the media, but it won’t really because most of the pressure will still be on those in the Mormon diaspora who are already (often) misunderstood.
In reviewing this, I was surprised at how little variation there is in Mormon culture. The variation there is causes enough strife! But we are fairly uniform from congregation to congregation. We are (as has been said elsewhere) the McDonalds of churches.
What cultural differences have you experienced or observed? Do you find the uniformity comforting or stifling? Discuss.
Great points. I think it helps to appreciate that the constant changes in local leaders creates a blending of leadership cultures.
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There’s a broad swath of the West where Mormons fall somewhere in the continuum between dominant majority and unnoticeable minority. It sounds like that is all being grouped together with the Utah experience so that, for instance, Joanna Brooks’ Orange County, California childhood was part of the Utah Mormon experience.
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John M – actually, I’m just observing two groups:
Group A is “where Mormons are known and understood.”
Group B is “where Mormons are . . . often on the defensive, or misunderstood.”
I should have been more clear in stating that what people call “Utah Mormons” are a subset of Group A.
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Thanks for this analysis and essay!
I find the uniformity comforting, seeing that we’re all the same church and gathered to worship the same God.
Even so, there is much diversity within the uniformity. For example, every ward passes the sacrament every Sunday. But I have been in wards where the priests use one hand to hand the trays to the deacons, and to a ward where they used both hands simultaneously (two trays at a time). I have been in wards where the priests take the sacrament along with others on the stand, and in wards where they take it at the end. Sometimes, deacons line up in the back of the chapel, sometimes in the aisle, and sometimes at the front. Some wards fill the cups to the top and some barely cover the bottom. Sometimes the deacons serve themselves in the back, sometimes the priests serve them at the front. Any person in any of these wards might think that THAT WAY is the right way, and might be offended when he or she visits another ward with a different technique. This will be part of that person’s learning process.
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I would recon to say the biggest difference in culture is American Mormons and Other Mormons simply because AM get the monthly Ensign and OM have the Liahona–less random cultural implications described as doctrine.
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My experince around the world has been that the more exposure to the “center” (or to the Mormon as dominant population), the more likely to be Mormon cultural markers. For instance, in Venezuela or Taiwan, young people who attended BYU and returned brought some of that culture with them. Stake presidents who met more regularly with senior church leaders or who were employees of church education or the church (like for physical facilities) had more Mormon cultural markers and shared those among the membership.
I don’t know, however, if it’s just the dominant culture or also the amount of new converts. A ward or branch with many new converts will hve to work harder to maintain cultural markers than one that is relatively static over time, even if the ward is in a predominantly LDS area. In that case, it depends how culturally Mormon the “core” group in the ward is.
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The biggest difference I have seen having lived away in other states and other countries to living along the Wasatch front is the level of enthusiasm for the Church and for living ALL of the gospel ( more enthusiasm and concern for doing it right in the away places). For example: You don’t get the leggings and short skirts as much in the away places. You do get a concern about dress and standards and correcting if necessary in the away places. You get an enthusiasm to get together to watch and discuss conference in the away places vs. time to get a weekend off, “I’ll read it in the Ensign, later” along the Wasatch.
You do get more demonstration of commitment away by distances traveled for seminary, early morning seminary, distances to visit, numbers of folks to visit.
You get less goatee, bearded, polo shirted, skipping out of meetings in the away places.
They go to worship and learn in Church in the away places. We go to place basket ball along the Wasatch
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So, Peter, forgive me if I have misread this, but are you equating styles of dress / hair with levels of personal righteousness? Because on the one hand, I agree that such things are purely cultural artifacts, but on the other hand, because they are such, I don’t see them being remotely relevant to one’s standing before our Parents. It just came across to me in your choice of binary contrasts that you were attaching purity concerns to things that have nothing to do with purity.
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I have lived in Utah County for 15 years (an older ward, in the middle of a town). Before that, I lived in various places in the Midwest and West, and have attended church in probably 15 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. I notice that our Utah County ward is like a cliche– judgmental, myopic, homogenous (all white), appallingly close-minded to anything new, suspicious of strangers and anyone who is different. There is a lot of talk about how awful it is to wear flip-flop to church, how evil tattoos are, and how President Obama might be the anti-Christ, but little of friendliness, love for the sinner, and the pure love of Jesus Christ.
The other wards and branches that I have attended and/or lived in for periods of years (all in areas where the church is a tiny minority) have been more diverse, more welcoming, more interesting, more enthusiastic and somehow more full of love and friendship and what I felt was pure spirituality. I always feel welcome when I walk into a ward or branch in England or New York City or Africa. I feel like I am with my brothers and sisters in the Gospel. I feel renewed and energized to hear testimonies of newer converts and honest (and sometimes heartbreaking) stories of repentance and change. The Gospel feels like a living force that unites and inspires in these wards and branches, among people who can’t wait to get together one day a week to worship and fellowship.
I miss that when I am back in Utah County.
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Prometheus (or what ever)
Not purity but evidence of believing the counsel and attempting to do what they are asked to do. Also in “getting” it, such as our leaders show a particular standard of dress and and comportment and the “away” folk seem to try and follow. They “get it”. I understand new members coming as they are but after awhile they “get it” and start to change (change how they dress how they act), while I see so many that know better and can do better, do otherwise (go to the temple in flip, flops, wear what ever shirt they happen to have on grow out the beard, endowed sisters wearing short skirts and sleeveless dresses etc.) Just as our “wearing of the garment appropriately is an out ward demonstration of our inner covenants and commitment” so is having a standard to strive for. And then striving.
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“flip flops” – here in Hawaii we call them “rubba slippas”. When I first moved to Hawaii I thought it was so neat to see people wear slippas to church. Heck, it was not uncommon to see young men wear slippas and lava lavas while passing the sacrament. When I came back to live a second time I was sad to see that everyone was towing the line. What does it say about church culture when slippas or flip flops if will are considered inappropriate but high heel shoes, bleach blonde hair, and push up bras are ok?
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Thanks for making so crystal clear where you stand, Peter.
“Not purity but evidence of believing the counsel and attempting to do what they are asked to do.”
Well, here is the thing – the gospel says nothing, literally nothing about one’s style of dress, hair, food, language, or any other non-relevant distinction. 3 Ne 27. So I would question what exactly is the counsel you are referring to? Where is it found? Who is saying it? When was it taught over the pulpit that beards, colored shirts, and whatever else you deem as inappropriate actually are?
“Also in “getting” it, such as our leaders show a particular standard of dress and and comportment and the “away” folk seem to try and follow.”
So at what point would you assume that because President _______ wears something it is incumbent upon members to wear the same. David O. McKay wore white suits and hats – were we sinning when when we didn’t follow suit?
“while I see so many that know better and can do better, do otherwise”
Again, you are making assumptions about what other people should wear or do or say that are simply not justified.
At the end of the day, Peter, it is one’s heart that is important. Period. Let it not be said of us that we love money, and our substance, and our fine apparel, and the adorning of our churches, more than we love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.
Setting up these boundaries, as you have done, is an exclusionary measure that rejects other people over superficial things. This is counter to the gospel and the ideals of Zion – people being of one *heart*, one *mind*, and having no poor among them.
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I would characterize what Peter’s observing among diaspora Mormons differently: the zeal of converts to try to ‘fit in’ to their new faith. As to who ‘gets it’ I’ll refer to my sister who was very much a tow the line type her whole life (still is) who observed on moving to Utah that the complacency of her fellow Saints was really hard to handle. She wasn’t talking about shirt color. In any case, despite the zeal of the newbies to recreate Utah in places like Tennessee, I also have found an openness to visitors and the uninitiated where there is more familiarity with them because they are more common.
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Thanks for giving me a more charitable reading of Peter’s comments, hawkgrrrl. It’s like on Star Trek, where Worf is more Klingon than any of the other klingons. (‘cuz who doesn’t like a Star Trek analogy! :D)
And apologies, Peter, if you felt like I was attacking you. I simply see so much damage on a daily basis that is caused by judging by appearances that I take it very seriously, and much of that context simply can’t make it across into a blog post.
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I agree that the way people dress should not be used to judge them, especially new members or those trying to come back. But what does make the Church different from our “born again” Christian friends who espouse , “accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior” and that’s it. We do believe that the gospel changes people and that in addition to being baptized, is the on going striving to improve in all areas, as we can, that is part of “getting it”. In my own life as I try to do better in my prayers, being nicer to folks, as a home teacher, father, husband, in my callings in Church, I really try to improve. Yeah I’m a bit compulsive about that but I see in myself as I am sluggish in one area, I tend to be so in other areas. I also see good people that seem to be doing the same, are concerned about being Christlike and improving in different areas. I also see some folks who repeatedly are the ones that I don’t see in Church as often, (but are about town), seem to be “struggling” a great deal (as per their spoken testimony), get upset a lot in classes etc. I try and reach out as I can (I know I can do better). But as has been mentioned about some who have moved back to the Wasatch front where they don’t see the members here as caring about what they’ve got and the opportunities they have here. sorry if the original post seemed “over the top”. But i guess that begs the question, “How can we all be more committed, enthusiastic, active, helpful?
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“What cultural differences have you experienced or observed? Do you find the uniformity comforting or stifling? Discuss.”
Perhaps we can go back to the original question that started this post: “Just what is Mormon culture?” This would require an understanding of at least two things: What is a Mormon? and What is culture? Both questions are fraught with meaning, but perhaps we could address the latter. Just what is culture? How do you define culture?
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Hermann Goring is reputed to have said, “When I heard the word “culture” (german: Kultur), I reach for (the safety catch on…) my Browning..” Interesting that the Herr Reichsmarschall favoured the automatic pistol designed by the LDS gunsmith John Browning (made by Fabrique Nationale Arms of Belgium).
I’d say that there is a definitive LDS culture worldwide, but it’s not uniform. It varies from nation to nation, and there is observable differences in North America between areas heavily influenced by Mormons versus those where the LDS population is sparse, let alone amongst ethnics. We do our best to be “universal”, but we can’t help but put our own spin or “flava” on the Gospel. Which isn’t a bad thing. Case in point: When Gladys Knight joined the Church, she jokingly told then-President Hinckley that the Church could use more “soul”. Not that I’m big on black American culture (and definitely no expert!), but she’s right, it could! I’d be interested to hear the experiences of folks that interact with branches that are “urban”, like in NYC Metro or Detroit.
What should be the defining mark of LDS “culture”, IMO, is a deep abiding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is obviously independent of race, colour, ethnicity, education, hobbies, politics (we hope), and nationality. That’s why I can intellectually joust with Hawkgrrl or Jeff Spector, for example, but have no reservations about their respective testimonies.
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I have a friend living in Utah who is attending church regularly now, and is trying to decide if it’s what she wants for her family. She and her children are struggling, a little, to fit in, or FEEL like they fit in. I’m wondering if anyone knows of a book that gives a good overview of the general culture of “Utah Mormons.”. I know it’s been discussed how the culture varies from ward to ward, but is there some publication that shares some insight into specific aspects of the general culture,to help my friend know what to do to feel like she fits in? Something that could maybe explain to her why there is even a discussion about wearing flip flops,etc.?
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