The Mormon Worker
Encyclopedia
The Mormon Worker is a blog
and irregularly published periodical in Provo
and Salt Lake City, Utah
, focusing on Mormonism
and "radical politics."
graduate, returned missionary
, and Salt Lake City stockbroker. After college he went with the Christian Peacemaker Teams
to Iraq
, where his roommate, Tom Fox
, was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists and Van Wagenen had also been kidnapped for nine days. After returning to Utah, Van Wagenen was motivated to start his paper after meeting other Mormons concerned with social justice issues they felt were ignored by their community.
The paper hopes to connect the ideas of the radical left
with core ideas from the Mormon faith, such as cooperation
, charity, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and social equality. The paper explores the compatibility of Mormonism
with Christian anarchism
and Christian pacifism
. The paper does not seek to criticize the church or its leaders, but to examine radical elements in the Mormon tradition and comment on current politics and economics. The first issue printed 2,000 copies and distributed freely at local bookstores. Because of its unconventional focus, the paper received press coverage, such as the feature religion article in The Salt Lake Tribune
and at the On Faith website run by The Washington Post
and Newsweek
. As of summer 2009, the paper had published six issues.
The paper's positions have been criticized by some conservative church members, but Van Wagenen asserted the response had been "largely positive." He claimed more Mormons, including young people and some conservatives, had become conflicted about capitalism and disillusioned with the Iraq War. Further, he believed the staunch conservative LDS image really came from the Mormon Corridor
of the western United States, and most worldwide members "were not Bush-supporting Republicans." Others have sympathized with the paper's message but suspected its anarchistic language would be easily misunderstood and avoided by potential Mormon readers.
The Mormon Worker was a member of the Latter-Day Saints Coalition Against Torture, which opposed interrogation techniques
used under the Bush Administration during the War on Terror
.
by Dorothy Day
and Peter Maurin
in 1933. The ideas of Christian anarchists such as Leo Tolstoy
are also influential on the overall philosophy of the paper.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
and irregularly published periodical in Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
and Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, focusing on Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
and "radical politics."
Origins and focus
Several active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) started the paper in 2007, originally as a bi-monthly publication. Its founder was William Van Wagenen, a 29-year-old Harvard Divinity SchoolHarvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
graduate, returned missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
, and Salt Lake City stockbroker. After college he went with the Christian Peacemaker Teams
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an international organization set up to support teams of peace workers in conflict areas around the world. These teams believe that they can lower the levels of violence through nonviolent direct action, human rights documentation, and nonviolence training. CPT sums...
to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, where his roommate, Tom Fox
Tom Fox (activist)
Thomas William "Tom" Fox was an American Quaker peace activist, affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He was kidnapped on November 26, 2005 in Baghdad along with three other CPT activists, leading to the 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis...
, was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists and Van Wagenen had also been kidnapped for nine days. After returning to Utah, Van Wagenen was motivated to start his paper after meeting other Mormons concerned with social justice issues they felt were ignored by their community.
The paper hopes to connect the ideas of the radical left
Far left
Far left, also known as the revolutionary left, radical left and extreme left are terms which refer to the highest degree of leftist positions among left-wing politics...
with core ideas from the Mormon faith, such as cooperation
Cooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
, charity, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and social equality. The paper explores the compatibility of Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
with Christian anarchism
Christian anarchism
Christian anarchism is a movement in political theology that combines anarchism and Christianity. It is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus...
and Christian pacifism
Christian pacifism
Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism, and that his followers must do likewise.There have been various notable...
. The paper does not seek to criticize the church or its leaders, but to examine radical elements in the Mormon tradition and comment on current politics and economics. The first issue printed 2,000 copies and distributed freely at local bookstores. Because of its unconventional focus, the paper received press coverage, such as the feature religion article in The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
and at the On Faith website run by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. As of summer 2009, the paper had published six issues.
The paper's positions have been criticized by some conservative church members, but Van Wagenen asserted the response had been "largely positive." He claimed more Mormons, including young people and some conservatives, had become conflicted about capitalism and disillusioned with the Iraq War. Further, he believed the staunch conservative LDS image really came from the Mormon Corridor
Mormon Corridor
The Mormon Corridor is a term for the areas of Western North America that were settled between 1850 and approximately 1890 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , who are commonly known as Mormons....
of the western United States, and most worldwide members "were not Bush-supporting Republicans." Others have sympathized with the paper's message but suspected its anarchistic language would be easily misunderstood and avoided by potential Mormon readers.
The Mormon Worker was a member of the Latter-Day Saints Coalition Against Torture, which opposed interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques or alternative set of procedures are terms adopted by the George W. Bush administration in the United States to describe certain severe interrogation methods, often described as torture...
used under the Bush Administration during the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
Influences
The paper and its title are inspired by and modeled after The Catholic Worker, a Catholic newspaper founded in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term...
and Peter Maurin
Peter Maurin
Peter Maurin was a Roman Catholic social activist who founded the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933 with Dorothy Day.Maurin expressed his ideas through short pieces of verse that became known as - Biography :...
in 1933. The ideas of Christian anarchists such as Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
are also influential on the overall philosophy of the paper.
See also
- Mormonism and the national debate over socialism and communism
- Christian communism: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
External links
- Official website
- Interviews with William Van Wagenen from the Mormon Stories Podcast
- Latter Day nod to anarchy - 24/10/2007 article by Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake TribuneThe Salt Lake TribuneThe Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
- The Mormon Worker and the LDS Anarchy Blog