Chandler Bell

SOCY 101 C20W

July 1, 2019

Subculture Essay: The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

This subculture (Cultural group within a wider society that holds values and norms

distinct from those of the majority - Giddens, 51) is commonly called the “Mormon” church but

is actuality is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This religious group is a

subculture because they hold differing views on many different issues than normal society. Some

of these values are not smoking or drinking, not having pre-marital sex, and attending church

meetings every Sunday.

The LDS church started with a young man named Joseph Smith. Joseph claimed to have

seen two heavenly beings who he said were “God the Father and Jesus Christ”(Smith, 2007).

Joseph asked which religious sect to join and was told to join none of them. The Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter Day Saints was formally organized on April 6, 1830 in a small home in Fayette,

New York. Over the next few decades, Joseph Smith was killed; Brigham Young was appointed

in his stead as prophet and led the members of the church to what is now Salt Lake City, Utah.

The LDS church has grown to spread across the world and now has 16,313,735 members, 161

temples, 4 universities, 30,536 congregations, 65,137 missionaries, and 5,138 family history

centers in 142 countries (LDS Statistics, n.d.).

Within every subculture, there are norms (rules of conduct that specify appropriate

behavior in a given range of social situations – Giddens, 43) that dictate what is normal for its

members. Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, there are many norms that are
very different from what is perceived as normal. One such norm is that when young men turn

twelve, they are able to receive the priesthood. The priesthood is believed to be the power given

from God to act in His name. They believe this allows them to participate in sacred rituals on

behalf of God, only if they are living righteously. Another norm is that the husband and wife

should participate in marriage as an equal partnership. This partnership has differing roles but its

ultimate goal is to strengthen the family.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hold very strict values (Ideas

held by individuals or groups about what is desirable, proper, good, and bad – Giddens 43)

regarding many different things. One such value is waiting until marriage before engaging in

sexual intercourse. They believe that sexual relations are the way we as humans show the highest

form of love and should only be allowed within the most committed relationship, that being

marriage. They believe that we are told to have families and that children should be reared in a

home that has a loving father and mother who are committed to each other, the relationship, and

raising the children. Another such value is their view on health, or what they call “The Word of

Wisdom”. This law of health says that people should not drink tea, coffee, alcohol, smoke

tobacco, or use any illegal substances. The law of health also talks about what they should

partake of like grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat sparingly.

These members also have specific material goods (the physical objects that a society

creates; these influence the ways that people live – Giddens, 44) that are used almost daily in

their subculture. A big one of these material goods is their book of scripture, The Book of

Mormon. Almost every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints has one of

these books in their home or access to it. The church has their own printing press and makes

these books all the time because they believe this to be scripture sent directly from God. Another
material good they create is their temples. Their temples are constructed with the utmost care and

the best materials available. No expenses are spared when making these holy edifices because

the members of this subculture believe the temple to be the literal house of God here on earth.

These buildings cost millions of dollars and are all paid for in cash. As of right now, there are

161 temples in operation with even more under construction or planned. Many members of this

church go and participate in sacred meetings there often. Things such as proxy baptism are

performed there because it is viewed as necessary to enter the presence of God.

The resocialization (The process of learning new norms, values, and behaviors when one

joins a new group or takes on a new social role, or when one’s life circumstances change

dramatically – Giddens, 75) process is pretty simple but is viewed as very important to

understand. Missionaries, members, and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day

Saints are the guides throughout this socialization process. Missionaries and members generally

find people who are interested in what this subculture believes and then the missionaries, with

the assistance of the members, teach the people who are undergoing this process. Their goal is to

help them understand and believe in the teachings of this church through study and prayer. Many

lessons are taught and they are asked to begin attending church meetings. Once they pass an

interview for baptism, an important rite of passage, then they are baptized and are considered

members of their church. Volunteer leaders in the area help throughout the entire process as well.

Once the person is considered a member of their church, they generally will get an assignment to

help in the church, which they can accept or decline.

There are many different social roles in this subculture but I will only mention the

following: missionaries, bishops, and apostles. Missionaries can be called to help “preach the

gospel” beginning at age 18 for men and 19 for women (lds.org, n.d.). Older couples can also
serve missions to help assist the younger missionaries. Missionaries’ duties are to help those who

are interested to learn about the church and help them join if they desire to do so. Bishops are

another key social role within this group. They preside over areas divided into wards. Generally

they help organize the church in their specific area, provide guidance to those they are over,

attend meetings, and perform various other tasks all on a volunteer basis. An apostle is one a

more senior member of the church and they help the entire church all over the world. Their

duties are either to travel to help those around the world, help local leaders of congregations, or

help wherever they can as a full time volunteer.

The decision on whether the LDS church is a formal organization or bureaucracy (a type

of organization marked by a clear hierarchy of authority and the existence of written rules of

procedure and staffed by full time, salaried officials – Giddens, 141) is a tough one. The church

meets all of the definition of a bureaucracy other than that their officials are not paid but are full

time. Overall, I would say that since it does meet almost all of the qualifications of a

bureaucracy, then it is one.

This organization calls for conformance to group norms because they believe it will

benefit your life immensely by doing so. The way to live the best and happiest life is by

following the norms and adhering to the values in place. Some sanctions (a mode of reward or

punishment that reinforces socially expected forms of behavior – Giddens, 161) are in place for

deviance from the conformance to norms. One sanction is excommunication from the group for

many different heinous acts such as rape or murder. While this is extreme, other sanctions could

include revoking of a temple recommend (an item needed to enter the temple) because of having

premarital sex or participating in less serious illegal acts. Committing lighter acts of deviance,
such as preaching doctrine opposing that of their own, could result in not being allowed to

partake of a weekly sacrament for a short period of time.

Overall, this subculture brings so many different benefits to society. It teaches its people

to love, help, and care for those around them. It instructs them to be honest and participate as

positive contributors to society. They also assist in massive humanitarian efforts whenever the

need arises. This organization has brought easy access to an innumerable amount of family

history records to help people see where they have come from. Most importantly, this subculture

accepts, respects, and works with almost every subculture around it and encourages them to work

on benefitting society in the best ways possible.

 References

Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Applebaum, R. P., & Carr, D. (2017). New York, NY: W.W. Norton

& Company.

LDS Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2019, from

https://www.mormonnewsroom.ca/facts-and-statistics#

Smith, J. (2007). Teachings of presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City, UT:

Intellectual Reserve.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2019, from

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng