Review of 'The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle" by Kathleen Flake in an excellent book that bridges a gap between the late 19th and early 20th century in American religious history. It takes the story of Reed Smoot, the first high-ranking Mormon senator appointed from Utah, to explore the lingering tensions between the Mormon Church in Utah, the Federal Government, and Protestant Christianity. Smoot, a prominent businessman in Utah who happened to be on the highest governing council of the Mormon Church, was appointed in 1903 to the United States Senate. His appointment was challenged and the Senate held nearly four years of hearings to discern whether he should be retained. These hearings became a last battle ground between opponents of Mormonism, the Federal Government, and the Mormon Church and it resulted in a new understanding about the relationship between religion, state, and society …
"The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle" by Kathleen Flake in an excellent book that bridges a gap between the late 19th and early 20th century in American religious history. It takes the story of Reed Smoot, the first high-ranking Mormon senator appointed from Utah, to explore the lingering tensions between the Mormon Church in Utah, the Federal Government, and Protestant Christianity. Smoot, a prominent businessman in Utah who happened to be on the highest governing council of the Mormon Church, was appointed in 1903 to the United States Senate. His appointment was challenged and the Senate held nearly four years of hearings to discern whether he should be retained. These hearings became a last battle ground between opponents of Mormonism, the Federal Government, and the Mormon Church and it resulted in a new understanding about the relationship between religion, state, and society that exists to the present. Flake shows how each side had to give up something but gained something in the struggle. Essentially, America agreed that religious tests could not be used to degenerate or exclude any religion from the public sphere. But the more fascinating part of the book is the evolution of the Mormon Church that came about from this hearing. While polygamy was officially abandoned in 1890, the hearings revealed that polygamous marriages still existed and were still taking place with the tacit agreement of the Church. The hearings forced the true end of the practice, which led to a crisis of legitimacy and authority throughout the Church. The end of polygamy ended what had become the defining distinctive feature of the community and forced the church to become more "protestant." Flake shows how the church leadership gradually began to emphasis new elements of the Church's story to create new distinctive differences This can be seen most clearly with a new focus on Joseph Smith's First Vision, which up until that point had not been as important to Mormon thought. The Mormon Church proceeded to erect historical sites commemorating certain aspects of Mormon history and quietly de-emphasizing others. It is a brilliant examination of how religions reshape their narratives to changing times.