The Mormon Culture

Mormons are a group of people who practice Mormonism and represent the principle branch of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Heaton, 1992). The Mormon society is very communal and family traditions makeup a large part of the society’s norms. Geographically, the Mormon movement began with Joseph Smith in upstate New York in the 1820s but quickly moved to the Utah Territory in the mid-19th century and thus the center of Mormon culture resides in present day Utah (Heaton, 1992). Mormon culture and society place a high value on family interaction and family relationships. The culture is very communal in practice and incorporates this communal nature into family behaviors. There are two main ways in which family behavior guidelines are drawn, from spiritual leaders and from scripture documents. The main documents used by the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) consist of three books: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and a collection of Joseph Smith’s personal beliefs and writings called the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price (Heaton, 1992). These documents guide the beliefs of the Mormon people and families. The Mormon family actions are influence by a strong sense of unity gained from the scriptures; many Mormon families hold scheduled

Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and New Years are all celebrated by most Mormon families in some capacity. Unique dates held important by Mormon families are June 27, the day Joseph Smith and his brother were martyred, and July 24, the day that Brigham Young and followers first found their way to Salt Lake Valley (Heaton, 1992). Mormon families will celebrate holidays in much the same way as families of different beliefs in values, but often with different emphasis on certain topics. Mormons will use holidays as opportunities to increase the togetherness of their families and to promote the values of their family in a public or private