More than disputed belief

This is the third in a three-part series, published on succeeding Mondays, about fundamentalism in southern Utah. The entire series, as well as the authors' blog and a host of Web sites on the topic, is available at suujournal.com/fundamentalism.

Beyond variant doctrines and schisms over priesthood succession, fundamentalists in southern Utah face challenges both unique to their practices and common to the human experience.

Raising Children

The Apostolic United Brethren, or Allred Group, struggles with raising children with gospel basics because so much emphasis is given to higher laws, said Marianne Watson, a fundamentalist from Lehi.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides a structure for basic gospel learning, so raising children without it is "like a single father (trying) to raise his children," she said.

A Cedar City Allred Group leader, on condition of anonymity, said they would like to be united with the church, especially for help with raising children in the gospel.

We would "prefer to (have our children) grow up in the church," he said.

Children in his group are encouraged to participate in church programs, he said.

"Sometimes I wonder if when you have plural families you're spread too thin," he added.

Tolerance

Richard Christensen, Cedar City LDS Institute of Religion director, said students at SUU are accepting of a variety of differences.

A senior fundamentalist SUU student, on condition of anonymity, said she agrees that SUU students are respectful of other beliefs, but she is still selective of who she tells about her beliefs.

"I think nowadays people are more prone to be tolerant of other people's beliefs," she said. "Still, there's a general feeling that I don't like to always tell everybody because I don't want them to judge me on that. I know that there's a general prejudice against (fundamentalists) because of people in the past who have done things that are wrong."

Vishal Kumar, a master of business administration student from Fiji, said he thinks religion should be a personal decision.

"It's up to the individual," he said. "Since America is a land of freedom, I think if a guy wants to do it, I think it's OK."

Although students interviewed by the University Journal said they'd be comfortable associating with those who practice plural marriage, they still joke about the peculiarities of the practice.

Yuichi Nobayashi, a senior marketing major from Fukuoka, Japan, said he doesn't know a lot about plural marriage, but "it looks fun."

The fundamentalist student said students are accepting of her religion, but society views fundamentalists as an embarrassment.

"I don't think our culture is as welcome as politically correct people would like to think it is," she said. "People don't like to see us as a family walking down the street."

The Allred Group leader said he has faced problems with discrimination because of his religion when he was being interviewed for a job.

"(A friend) told the guy that was interviewing me what my religion was," he said. "So, I went there and (the man interviewing) said 'I would be embarrassed to hire you.' He said, 'You can take us to court if you want to, but I will not hire you because you're a polygamist."

Christensen said the LDS Institute of Religion doesn't discriminate against any religions - any student can take classes there, but whoever comes to the institute must follow the rules.

"If someone is here to recruit or advocate fundamentalism, they would be asked not to participate," he said.

Pam Branin, service and learning coordinator, said she doesn't mind associating with fundamentalists in her day-to-day business, but she doesn't want them involved in her personal life.

"I lived in a community where there was a polygamist sect that was actively trying to recruit people, and that was a little uncomfortable for me," she said.

Misconceptions

Some misconceptions about plural marriage mar the image of those who practice it, said the Cedar City fundamentalist leader.

A common misconception attached to plural marriage is that women involved are oppressed and disrespected by their husbands, Watson said.

"We believe in matriarchy just as much as we believe in patriarchy," she said. "If (the women) are not feisty, (they) don't make it."

James Parsons, a 39-year-old Cedar City resident, SUU alumnus and fundamentalist, said a familiar misconception fundamentalists are faced with is "that we marry off all the women in their teens." The fundamentalist group he belongs to does not generally permit marriage before a woman is 18.

The fundamentalist student said she has faced many misconceptions about fundamentalists while she has been in school.

"(People) thought I was going to marry an old man, be a tenth wife and suffer my whole life through just because I'm (a fundamentalist)," she said. "I have just as much, if not more, agency than any LDS girl to marry whom I please."

Violet Nall-Korros, a sophomore undeclared major from Los Angeles, Calif., said she has no problem with plural marriage as long as there is no marriage between minors.

Watson said the misconception she'd like to see disappear is that fundamentalist children have no choices.

"Our children, they will tell you that they have choices and we want them to be able to make their own decisions," she said. "We want them to be educated, and many of them are."

Some members of fundamentalist families do not send their children to public school because they are afraid their children will be influenced by drugs, violence and sex, the fundamentalist student said.

"I home-schooled a little bit, but that wasn't necessarily because of my religion as much as it was because (my parents) were worried about us being too influenced by anything that any LDS family would be worried about," she said.

She said her parents were very sheltering with her primary and secondary education, but were very supportive with her decision to pursue a higher education.

Students interviewed by the Journal made several references to the apparel and hairstyles of fundamentalists they have seen in Cedar City stores.

"I know that they wear pioneer clothes sometimes," said Megan Seyler, a freshman biology major from South Jordan.

Kumar said he thinks most polygamists "have long hair, have so many kids and have long skirts."

The fundamentalist student said she doesn't dress the way people expect her to dress.

"Everybody that I've told (about being a fundamentalist), at first they didn't believe me," she said. "Then when they did find out, they thought it was so funny that I dress normally … Going through Wal-Mart and seeing the people from Colorado City my friend would say, 'Hey, why don't you do your hair like them?' We all get grouped together too much."

For more information on fundamentalist groups and their different practices, read the second story in the series at suujournal.com/fundamentalism.

The fundamentalist student said she believes in being modest, but she doesn't believe in being twenty years behind the fashion.

Watson said she encourages people to "get to know their neighbor" in order to dissolve misconceptions about fundamentalists.

"Generally speaking, when people get to know polygamists on a one-to-one basis, the prejudices just drop," she said.

Understanding

Christensen said he doesn't think anything should be done to promote understanding about fundamentalism because they prefer to be secretive.

"(They're) not seeking to be understood, they just want to be left alone," he said. "That creates a lot of the misunderstandings."

Watson said the misunderstandings could be cleared up if fundamentalists weren't so secretive.

"People really don't care what you do, they just don't want it to be a secret," Watson said.

The fundamentalist student said she feels information about her religion shouldn't be spread around because those who want the information will search for it.

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't like telling everybody every point of doctrine I believe in," she said. "If they're not going to do anything with the information, then I don't think it's my place to give it to them."

Watson said she wants the misconceptions about fundamentalism to dissolve so the young people in her fundamentalist group can be of service to the community.

"It's difficult for us to go out of our comfort zone and participate in community situations where help is needed with people knowing who we are as a group," she said.