The Latter-day Church in the 19th Century:

Going Back in Time to Learn About Ourselves

If a modern 21st century Mormon could travel back to 19th century Utah, then what aspects of Church practice would be noticeably different?

We need to remember that cultural evolution is all about learning, adapting, and changing. We also need to remember that Latter-day Saints very much believe in continuing revelation. We are a culture committed to learning and changing.

There has been so much change in our Church that I very much doubt that most modern Mormons would be entirely comfortable in the early LDS Church. Practices were very different in the 1800s. This essay will outline just a few of the practices in the 19th century that are different from today's practices. Please remember that many aspects of the practices described are now considered out of date.

Here goes:

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1. Fast day was on Thursday, not Sunday. It was changed to Sunday because Thursday was hard on the farmers. Too many of them were fainting after a hard day’s labor with no food.

2. In the 1850’s Brigham Young reinstituted the practice of rebaptism. During the reformation period of the 1850s nearly everyone was rebaptized.

3. According to the Law of Adoption a family could be sealed to a particular general authority like Brigham Young or Heber C. Kimball.

4. Many practiced the full Law of Consecration, and that meant deeding over all properties to the Church.

5. In those days, plural marriage or polygamy was practiced. Polygamy was viewed as the highest form of marriage. The pioneers intended to raise a royal priesthood, and they accomplished it.

6. During the last half of the 19th century some men got called on missions at General Conference. Names were announced from the pulpit and the called missionaries were told to report. It was not too unusual to hear words like the following: "There will be some missionaries called during Conference, whose duty it will be to preach the Gospel and defend the interests of Zion in the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world" (Journal of Discourses, Geo. A. Smith, 1874, 17: 198). These men could be single or married.

7. Some of the speeches in those days (especially during the 1850s) had a bit of fire & brimstone. Actually, Mormon rhetoric has never had much hellfire. Here is an example quote: "I do not know but there will be a literal hell of this description; for aught I know, the Lord may have worlds prepared with plenty of fire and brimstone in them; but in my opinion the greatest torment the wicked will have, will be the torment and sting of the mind, being brought into subjection to that being that is continually seeking to overcome and entangle mankind in his snares" (Journal of Discourses, Orson Pratt, 1855, 2: 336-337).

8. People from the audience would speak up and interrupt speakers at Conference and Ward meetings. The most common comment was “Amen,” but it was not unusual to hear full blown sentences. Furthermore, speakers would often react to those interruptive comments.

9. It is a little hard to understand, but in the 19th century the Book of Mormon was not quoted very much by LDS speakers (T. L. Givens, By the Hand of Mormon, Oxford Univ. Press, 2002). The Book of Mormon was used heavily in missionary work, but not much after that. These were people who knew the Bible, and that is the book they preferred to quote. The Book of Mormon was a bit neglected, relatively speaking.

10. When people came to the church-house they were a little dusty and smelly. These were farm people, and the work never really stopped, even on the Sabbath. Cows had to be milked, horses fed and watered, and sometimes the fields needed to be irrigated or the fragile crops would die.

11. Coffee was a staple for many early Latter-day Saints. The Word of Wisdom was not preached as a strict commandment until the 1930s under President Heber J. Grant.

12. In early days, the water of the sacrament was passed around in large cups from which everyone sipped. Sometimes a man would get chastised for taking a big swig to quench his thirst.

13. Tithing was paid in kind. That is, tithing was typically paid using farm produce. Cash was hard to come by.

14. There was a stronger sense that the second coming was just around the corner. That was one reason why they practiced the Law of Gathering. New converts were told to come to Utah – the desert Zion.

15. Even in those days there were a lot of dances and picnics. Some things don’t change. Mormons like to express their faith through joy. They square-danced.

16. Church sponsored university classes were first held in people’s homes. Sometimes there was a nice school building, such as the Oneida Academy in Preston, Idaho. In such buildings one could learn law, history, and shorthand, among other topics.

17. In an attempt to insulate the Mormon people from the evils of the world, Brigham produced a strange looking alphabet, nothing like English lettering. It was called the Deseret alphabet. It was phonetic, with no exceptions. Newspapers, scriptures, child books, and many other things were printed in it. It was taught in Church. The people hated it. It was dropped. Brigham grumbled. When he died, the alphabet died with him.

18. The Church buildings were hot in the summer. They would open the windows, but some people would still faint during the long, long talks.

19. In those days Home Teachers were called “Block Teachers.” During the 1856 Reformation period involving rebaptism, the block teachers were to ask their families such questions as: “Have you committed murder by shedding innocent blood?” “Have you committed adultery?” “Have you turned your animals into another’s grain field?” “Have you branded an animal that was not your own?”

20. Women were not called on full-time proselyting missions until 1898. The first was Harriet Maria Horsepool Nye.

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Items 21 through 30 are based on William Hartley, “Common people: Church activity during the Brigham Young era,” in: R. W. Walker & D. R. Dant (1999). Nearly Everything Imaginable: The Everyday Life of Utah’s Mormon Pioneers, Provo: BYU Press, pp. 249-295.

21. Up until 1867 or so, men and women sat in different locations in the meeting halls in the Tabernacle and in some Ward meeting halls.

22. Twice per week evening prayer meetings were held in members homes. The meetings consisted of prayers, singing, and testimonies.

23. A man might be an ordained Elder but then called to be an “acting Deacon.”

24. Although the Relief Society is the oldest still-operating woman’s organization in the United States, it did not come into active operation in Utah until 1867.

25. The Bishops often blessed and passed the sacrament.

26. Often, both sacramental prayers (bread & water) were given in sequence before anything was passed to the congregation.

27. As the sacrament was being distributed, the speaker often would continue to speak.

28. Men often had to be told to remove their hats during the sacrament; otherwise, they might wear them during the meeting.

29. Tithing consisted of three parts: 1) an initiatory tithe, which donated everything one owned upon joining the Church; 2) a tithe of increase; and 3) a labor tithe. In those days one often donated every 10th workday to Church work, such as building a temple. Thus, one tithed workdays and income.

30. Cursing was common in the general membership, but it was frowned upon.

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Two events more than others suggest how plastic our Church is. That is, two events suggest that our Church is capable of any needed change:

1) The discontinuance of polygamy in 1890 by President Wilford Woodruff.

2) The extension of the priesthood to black males or all worthy males in 1978 by President Spencer W. Kimball.

The first was provoked by pressure from the Federal government. The second was provoked in many ways by the success of the missionary effort throughout the world.

Sometimes we hear Church critics saying, “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Why would God ever change policies? This is NOT a practical argument. The whole history of the Christian church is one of change. There is not a single religion that has not changed over time. In this Church change is punctuated by revelation. A Church of revelation has the capacity to stay up-to-date. A Church of revelation has the capacity to learn from its mistakes.

Therefore, it is an easy prophecy to make that this Church will continue to change and that any Latter-day Saint with an average lifespan would see some magnificent changes in the Church.

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Consider the following:

Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Of course, the missionaries bring to life the statement above. To hear the “voice of Jesus” requires the proper frame of mind and the proper spirit. Those dimensions are hard to do for anyone.

I am pretty sure that our young missionary program is NOT just about baptisms. It is also about changing the hearts of missionaries; giving them maturity before they marry, etc. The character and personality of our Church has been shaped by the missionary system, because it teaches people to hear the voice of Jesus and to open the door to their hearts.

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Our Church has always stood for early service to one’s country and/or to one’s Church. Jabez Faux was a handcart pioneer – to me that counts as a mission. Jabez Faux Jr. served a mission in Florida. Eugene Faux, his son, served as an Army telegraph operator in Europe during World War I. My dad served as an Army photographer in Europe during World War II. I served a mission. My son #1 served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. My son #2 served a mission in Salt Lake City.

To My Posterity: See to it that you and your children do not break the chain. Sure, you may learn, adapt, and change, but NEVER leave the Church.

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Copyright 2008 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] com; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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