Marginalium

How The Mormons Conquered America. I talk a lot about how cults seem like some kind of human default. Not destructive cults, but groups based on shared values rather than oriented around shared experiences or interests. Fast growing groups like the Mormons should be interesting to us then, for what they represent for this little facet of the human experience. According to this article, fundamentally:

Mormonism is built on “a narrative structure rather than a philosophical belief system,” explains Kathleen Flake, professor of Mormon Studies at the University of Virginia. “That allows people to find meaning in it through narratives.” It allows them to see God’s impact on their own lives.

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Mormonism, then, has adapted in part by adopting a structure that allows for local flexibility and requires local involvement, which encourages members to be more involved. This allows the religion to mesh with many different cultures.