Virus of the Mind, glossary & contents
Glossary
The Glossary contains those terms that will be found throughout the text.
Apostolic United Brethren - or AUB, the second largest, organized fundamentalist group in the Intermountain West. The corporate name is The Corporation of the Presiding Elder of Apostolic United Brethren. AUB claims 10,000 members but a more accurate figure would be 7000.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Also known as the LDS Church, the membership of which, comprises the better part of Mormonism, or those who believe in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The LDS Church represents orthodox Mormonism, not necessarily because its current doctrines are orthodox per se, that is original, but because it is the most accepted form of Mormonism. Over the years, through trail and error, the LDS Church has modified and suspended many doctrines and teachings until it is the family orientated, morally sound and patriotic religion it now portrays. The Church claims over 12 million members.
The corporate name is Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Coercion: Force, duress, compelling a person to do something they would otherwise not do.
Cognitive dissonance: Cognitive Dissonance is a psychological “defense mechanism” that we all use to alleviate conflict, the resulting stress and hopefully give stability, security, meaning and purpose to life. It can be good or bad depending upon one’s cultural foundation and priorities. Cognitive dissonance is a ubiquitous Darwinian response meaning it is common in all cultures and societies. The following quote was taken from the Internet:“According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (i.e., beliefs, opinions). When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance. In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behavior.”Doctrine & Covenants - Considered the law book of Mormonism. It is a compilation of those revelations received by Joseph Smith that have been canonized by the LDS Church, or are considered scripture. The D&C helps define Mormonism. The D&C contains 136 Sections, the last entry, not a Section, is entitled, Official Declaration. See Official Declaration and Section 132.
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - commonly referred to at the FLDS, which is the largest of the several organized or incorporated fundamentalist groups. The corporate name is Corporation of the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The estimated membership is 10,000, however, the FLDS split into two groups about ten years ago over one man rule and the United Effort Plan, a mutated form of the Mormon United Order. The splinter group, calling themselves, Centennial Park, is located adjacent and across Arizona State Highway 389 from the FLDS twin cities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. The exact population of Centennial Park is unknown and may very well be part of the 10,000.
Gnosis: A Greek term meaning “knowledge,” or “mystically enlightened,” or “insight into the Divine.” It is the root of the words Gnostic. During the early Christian era there were a variety of Gnostic sects.
Meme - An idea, artifact or “unit of information” that behaves like a gene in that it conveys instructions, the motive of which is to reproduce itself. Section 132 of the Doctrine & Covenant is treated in this text as a meme that behaves like a virus. Chapter Three is devoted to the meme. Also, see Appendix I.
Mormonism - A general term meaning all the doctrines, traditions and events that occurred from the time Joseph Smith declared himself a prophet to the present. The concept of Mormonism, as used in this text, includes the good, the bad and the indifferent. Mormonism is a history that includes all the schematic groups like FLDS and AUB that evolved out of Mormonism.
Mormon - A term used to identify all those who are adherents and who believe in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are commonly referred to as Mormons. Mitt Romney was considered a Mormon candidate for President of the United States. However, members of fundamentalist groups also consider themselves as being Mormons which creates confusion in the minds of some non Mormons. The orthodox, LDS Church, does not recognize fundamentalists as bonafide Mormons.
Mormon fundamentalism - Comprises several organized and unorganized splinter groups that think they are preserving the original teachings of Joseph Smith that have been suspended by the LDS Church. The two most commonly practiced tenets that fundamentalist believe they are keeping alive are the “law of consecration,” also known as the “united order,” and polygamy.
Official Declaration - Is the last entry in the Doctrine & Covenants. It has been called everything from a revelation to advise. The subtitle is “To Whom it may Concern,” and purports to end polygamy in the LDS Church. The proclamation was issued by Church President, Wilford Woodruff, in 1890. Most fundamentalists do not recognize the Official Declaration claiming it was issued as a trick to fool the United States Government.
Plural Marriage - For the purposes of this text, it is behavior which results from following the instructions in Section 132. Within the Mormon lexicon, plural marriage is also referred to as “celestial marriage,” “the principle,” “the work,” and the “new and everlasting covenant.”
Polygamy / Polygyny - Mormon plural marriage is commonly referred to as polygamy. However, polygyny is what the Mormon fundamentalists actually practice which means one man and two or more wives. Polygamy is a generalized concept that could mean one wife and two or more husbands, or the other way around.
Section 132 - D & C, Section 132 is the alleged plural marriage revelation received by Joseph Smith. It is this revelation which commands fundamentalists to take plural wives. It is the judicial and moral scrutinizing of Section 132 that is the primary focus of this text.
United Order is a form of communalism or communism where members of the order are supposed to have all things in common. Joseph Smith introduced the “law of consecration” as a means to build up the assets of the Church. The United Order is an abbreviated form of Consecration. Brigham Young started up two better known united order communities ( Orderville & Brigham City), both failed. The fundamentalists have attempted several modified versions of the united order, non of which comply to Brigham’s blue print. Among these are the United Effort Plan (UEP) practiced by the FLDS. Another is the Communities of Apostolic United Brethren,CAUB, practiced by Apostolic United Brethren, the second largest polygamist group in the Intermountain West.
Each of these united order-like communities are owned or controlled by the prophet and his priesthood. The “priesthood” owns the property where the tenants are given permission to build on the property. Consequently the people living there are considered “tenants at will.” In other words, if the people lose favor with the prophet they can be evicted without being reimbursed for their improvements. With the arrest and conviction of Warren Jeffs, the leader of the FLDS, the UEP is currently being systematically dismantled by the courts.
Contents
INTRODUCTION A SYNOPSIS OF WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT
AND WHY
CHAPTER ONE POLYGAMY AND RESPECT
CHAPTER TWO A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF SECTION 132
CHAPTER THREE MORMON POLYGAMY IS GENE-MEME DRIVEN
CHAPTER FOUR IS SECTION 132 CHRISTIAN?
CHAPTER FIVE MASS MOVEMENTS AND CONVERSION
CHAPTER SIX NINETEENTH CENTURY MORMON POLYGAMY
CHAPTER SEVEN BRIGHAM YOUNG’S Y-CHROMOSOME
CHAPTER EIGHT A BELIEF IN HERESY
CONCLUSION A SUMMERY OF THE IMPORTANT POINTS
APPENDIX I MEMETICS
APPENDIX II REYNOLD VS. UNITED STATES
APPENDIX III WARREN JEFFS
The Glossary contains those terms that will be found throughout the text.
Apostolic United Brethren - or AUB, the second largest, organized fundamentalist group in the Intermountain West. The corporate name is The Corporation of the Presiding Elder of Apostolic United Brethren. AUB claims 10,000 members but a more accurate figure would be 7000.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Also known as the LDS Church, the membership of which, comprises the better part of Mormonism, or those who believe in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The LDS Church represents orthodox Mormonism, not necessarily because its current doctrines are orthodox per se, that is original, but because it is the most accepted form of Mormonism. Over the years, through trail and error, the LDS Church has modified and suspended many doctrines and teachings until it is the family orientated, morally sound and patriotic religion it now portrays. The Church claims over 12 million members.
The corporate name is Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Coercion: Force, duress, compelling a person to do something they would otherwise not do.
Cognitive dissonance: Cognitive Dissonance is a psychological “defense mechanism” that we all use to alleviate conflict, the resulting stress and hopefully give stability, security, meaning and purpose to life. It can be good or bad depending upon one’s cultural foundation and priorities. Cognitive dissonance is a ubiquitous Darwinian response meaning it is common in all cultures and societies. The following quote was taken from the Internet:“According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (i.e., beliefs, opinions). When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance. In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behavior.”Doctrine & Covenants - Considered the law book of Mormonism. It is a compilation of those revelations received by Joseph Smith that have been canonized by the LDS Church, or are considered scripture. The D&C helps define Mormonism. The D&C contains 136 Sections, the last entry, not a Section, is entitled, Official Declaration. See Official Declaration and Section 132.
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - commonly referred to at the FLDS, which is the largest of the several organized or incorporated fundamentalist groups. The corporate name is Corporation of the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The estimated membership is 10,000, however, the FLDS split into two groups about ten years ago over one man rule and the United Effort Plan, a mutated form of the Mormon United Order. The splinter group, calling themselves, Centennial Park, is located adjacent and across Arizona State Highway 389 from the FLDS twin cities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. The exact population of Centennial Park is unknown and may very well be part of the 10,000.
Gnosis: A Greek term meaning “knowledge,” or “mystically enlightened,” or “insight into the Divine.” It is the root of the words Gnostic. During the early Christian era there were a variety of Gnostic sects.
Meme - An idea, artifact or “unit of information” that behaves like a gene in that it conveys instructions, the motive of which is to reproduce itself. Section 132 of the Doctrine & Covenant is treated in this text as a meme that behaves like a virus. Chapter Three is devoted to the meme. Also, see Appendix I.
Mormonism - A general term meaning all the doctrines, traditions and events that occurred from the time Joseph Smith declared himself a prophet to the present. The concept of Mormonism, as used in this text, includes the good, the bad and the indifferent. Mormonism is a history that includes all the schematic groups like FLDS and AUB that evolved out of Mormonism.
Mormon - A term used to identify all those who are adherents and who believe in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are commonly referred to as Mormons. Mitt Romney was considered a Mormon candidate for President of the United States. However, members of fundamentalist groups also consider themselves as being Mormons which creates confusion in the minds of some non Mormons. The orthodox, LDS Church, does not recognize fundamentalists as bonafide Mormons.
Mormon fundamentalism - Comprises several organized and unorganized splinter groups that think they are preserving the original teachings of Joseph Smith that have been suspended by the LDS Church. The two most commonly practiced tenets that fundamentalist believe they are keeping alive are the “law of consecration,” also known as the “united order,” and polygamy.
Official Declaration - Is the last entry in the Doctrine & Covenants. It has been called everything from a revelation to advise. The subtitle is “To Whom it may Concern,” and purports to end polygamy in the LDS Church. The proclamation was issued by Church President, Wilford Woodruff, in 1890. Most fundamentalists do not recognize the Official Declaration claiming it was issued as a trick to fool the United States Government.
Plural Marriage - For the purposes of this text, it is behavior which results from following the instructions in Section 132. Within the Mormon lexicon, plural marriage is also referred to as “celestial marriage,” “the principle,” “the work,” and the “new and everlasting covenant.”
Polygamy / Polygyny - Mormon plural marriage is commonly referred to as polygamy. However, polygyny is what the Mormon fundamentalists actually practice which means one man and two or more wives. Polygamy is a generalized concept that could mean one wife and two or more husbands, or the other way around.
Section 132 - D & C, Section 132 is the alleged plural marriage revelation received by Joseph Smith. It is this revelation which commands fundamentalists to take plural wives. It is the judicial and moral scrutinizing of Section 132 that is the primary focus of this text.
United Order is a form of communalism or communism where members of the order are supposed to have all things in common. Joseph Smith introduced the “law of consecration” as a means to build up the assets of the Church. The United Order is an abbreviated form of Consecration. Brigham Young started up two better known united order communities ( Orderville & Brigham City), both failed. The fundamentalists have attempted several modified versions of the united order, non of which comply to Brigham’s blue print. Among these are the United Effort Plan (UEP) practiced by the FLDS. Another is the Communities of Apostolic United Brethren,CAUB, practiced by Apostolic United Brethren, the second largest polygamist group in the Intermountain West.
Each of these united order-like communities are owned or controlled by the prophet and his priesthood. The “priesthood” owns the property where the tenants are given permission to build on the property. Consequently the people living there are considered “tenants at will.” In other words, if the people lose favor with the prophet they can be evicted without being reimbursed for their improvements. With the arrest and conviction of Warren Jeffs, the leader of the FLDS, the UEP is currently being systematically dismantled by the courts.
Contents
INTRODUCTION A SYNOPSIS OF WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT
AND WHY
CHAPTER ONE POLYGAMY AND RESPECT
CHAPTER TWO A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF SECTION 132
CHAPTER THREE MORMON POLYGAMY IS GENE-MEME DRIVEN
CHAPTER FOUR IS SECTION 132 CHRISTIAN?
CHAPTER FIVE MASS MOVEMENTS AND CONVERSION
CHAPTER SIX NINETEENTH CENTURY MORMON POLYGAMY
CHAPTER SEVEN BRIGHAM YOUNG’S Y-CHROMOSOME
CHAPTER EIGHT A BELIEF IN HERESY
CONCLUSION A SUMMERY OF THE IMPORTANT POINTS
APPENDIX I MEMETICS
APPENDIX II REYNOLD VS. UNITED STATES
APPENDIX III WARREN JEFFS
Although you listed the LDS church as the largest non polygamy Mormon Church, you left out any mention of the "Community of Christ" the second largest Mormon church, which has a membership of around 250,000.
The Community of Christ like the LDS recognize the Book of Mormon, D&C and the Bible as well. Here's more info on them: http://www.cofchrist.org/news/GeneralInfo.asp
I'm not a member of this church, but wanted to point out it's existence as another Mormon church, from reading their history, it appears they split from LDS church over issue of Joseph Smith's son should be prophet around 1860.
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