The Politics of Schism. The origins of Dissent in Mormonism
The Politics of Schism. The origins of Dissent in Mormonism

Summary/Abstract: Throughout nearly two ages of its history, and especially in the 19th century, Mormonism has experienced numerous cases of dissent and schism. Analysis of their sources reveals that, among a number of doctrinal, ritual, organisational and other issues, the single most important cause of schism was conflicts over authority. These power struggles are explained – within a theoretical framework derived from the theory of social exchange – as balancing operations intended to improve the actors’ position in unequal exchange relations: to be able to obtain the valuable religious goods at a lower price (i.e. less or no submission).

• Details
• Contents