Religion and sexuality
Book Description
In the decades leading up to the Civil War, thousands of Americans embarked on radical spiritual experiments that challenged conventional notions of marriage, sexuality, and family life. Lawrence Foster examines three of the most significant religious communities that dared to reimagine intimate relationships: the celibate Shakers, the Oneida Community with its practice of complex marriage, and the Mormon embrace of polygamy.
Drawing from extensive primary source research, including unprecedented access to Mormon archival materials, Foster reveals how visionary religious leaders transformed personal spiritual revelations into thriving alternative societies. Each community sustained its unconventional practices for over twenty-five years, creating new frameworks for understanding the intersection of faith and human sexuality.
Rather than dismissing these experiments as historical curiosities, Foster explores the deeper spiritual creativity that enabled these groups to flourish during a period of social upheaval. He pays particular attention to how women navigated and shaped these alternative systems, offering insights into the complex relationship between religious authority and gender roles.
This scholarly yet accessible analysis demonstrates how profound spiritual experiences can inspire communities to reconstruct fundamental aspects of human relationships. Foster's comparative approach illuminates patterns of religious innovation that emerge during times of cultural crisis, providing valuable perspectives for anyone interested in how spiritual movements challenge and reshape social norms.
The book offers a nuanced understanding of how religious vision translates into lived community experience.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~10 hours)
📄 Length: 363 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Mormons
- ✓ Build spiritual community
- ✓ Explore Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- ✓ Explore Mormon Church
- ✓ Explore Sex, religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Oneida community
- ✓ Explore Mormon church, history
- ✓ Explore Christian communities
