Family Structure - Essay Example

Family structure Family structure Mormonism can be traced to two centuries back. It is believed to be predominant religious tradition of the latter day saint movement supported by restorationist Christianity. The movement was founded by Joseph Smith in the city of New York in 1820s. One could easily argue that culture does not define Mormons this is because human identity is complicated and culture forms a large part of their development. Since a large proportion of brain development during the early growth, it is logical that many people born into Mormonism would retain that culture as part of their identity.

It is, therefore, arguable that Mormonism cannot define ones culture identity, but it will always feature somewhere in the thoughts of members of the society (Mindel et al., 1988). Human beings have the ability to redefine themselves according to a chosen set of paradigm rather than those of the cultures they are born into. Marmon religion has been shaped by different structural factors such as the top-down hierarchical set up where a president or prophet is dictating revelation to the whole church, there is also the bottom-up aspect as well.

The ordinary Mormons possess the same inspiration that is believed to give directions to the prophets, and they are encouraged to seek for their personal revelation. Mormons recognizes Joseph Smith as their first vision; he had the vision that heavens are open, and God will answer their prayers whenever they seek Him. The group is structured in that they first seek the divine intervention from God, to find if something is true. The Mormons group is influenced by the belief that their leaders are chosen and ordained by the Supreme Being, which is God.

Such structure makes them have faith in their leaders without a doubt. The structure also plays a significant role in avoiding conflicts between members over the leadership. The whole concept of how Mormons structure affects their religion is majorly based on their beliefs and their translation to their Holy book Mormons (Mindel et al., 1988). Although some of the Mormons believe and structures are strange to the contemporary world, they continue to hold such doctrines because they feel God has spoken to them.

Despite the feeling that structural factors shape Mormon religion, the case does not hold waters since many individuals and scholars have not fully agreed with the doctrines of Mormons. The question of Mormons and their structure possess to be a complex one since this is a religion that is subscribed by individuals from one country. Many people do not believe in the religions doctrines and teachings making it difficult to do more research on the religion. The complexity of this religion comes about when their beliefs totally different with other faiths like Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity (Mindel et al., 1988). The question about the religion also poses to be complex since it has continued to vanish with the growth of different religion such as Christianity.

In conclusion, religious institutions are highly dependable upon sub-communities of individuals who effectively socialize and indoctrinate group members into the norms of the religious group. One should also understand that instead of being limited by the expectation of the restrictive religious culture of Mormonism, people should be free to define themselves, live according to the dream and inspiration they desire. Reference Mindel, C. H., Habenstein, R. W., & Wright, R. (1988). Ethnic families in America. Elsevier.