These letters hold special significance because of the great exertions taken to write them, the scarcity of similar sources, and the intimate glimpse that they afford the reader of these earliest female converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From the mother of Joseph Smith to the wife of a doctor to the recipient of faith healings and the sister of an apostle of the Church, the dedication and testimony of the earliest Latter-day Saint women is demonstrated through their personal writings.
Two monographs written by sociologist Rodney Stark, A Theory of Religion with William Bainbridge and Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion with Roger Finke, explore the theoretical purposes of religion for humanity and offer theory to understand these women and their dedication.1 Religion exists to proffer answers to humanity’s questions about life and eternity. If humans seek out rewards and avoid costs, as Stark and Bainbridge theorize, then why would the women examined here unite themselves with a religion with demonstrably high costs? Stark and Finke maintain that costs must be high enough to root out the undedicated, yet not so high that the rewards of membership do not outweigh the costs. When a religion requires much and provides either present rewards or promises of supernatural compensators, dedication to said religion will be high. [175]
The women studied here came from the established churches of the early nineteenth century and linked themselves to the stabilizing force of religion. It centered them. It offered them both immediate rewards and eternal compensators. Unlike the majority of nineteenth-century religions, Mormonism did not mimic the “usual female preponderance” of nineteenth-century religions, but it did not reverse it. Individuals and families, males and females were led through the witness of others to these promises.
As theorized by Starke and Finke, interpersonal attachments are often the primary factor in any sort of religious conversion or reaffiliation. This is demonstrated by many of the women; they were often led by family members and close friends. Stark and Finke continue that though the social factor is initially very important, the social factor does not retain converts. Doctrines provide a rationale for continued commitment and dedication. The initial feelings that drew women to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided a basis that would be reinforced by doctrinal knowledge.
Once they experienced immediate rewards of community, they gained a sense of “female selfhood” and empowerment. They felt a duty and a desire to warn their relations of the essential and immediate need to know truth. They felt assured that if the unknowing would ponder upon the truths of Smith’s message they would likewise know for themselves of God and His new message from the heavens and partake of the ultimate compensator—truth. The sure word from God would provide them conviction and strength to bravely confront agonizing transitions, both emotional and physical, throughout their life experience and remain steadfast in their beliefs. An empirical witness of this eternal compensator was not necessary. For these Mormon women the uncertainty of the immediate future did not merit disbelief. A belief that the heavens had [176] opened and God called Joseph Smith to mediate truth to them attracted them, and the continuing assurance they felt through the Spirit impelled them to stay.
The sure word of prophecy was the unique claim of Joseph Smith. These women did not believe they could find such authority and assurance anywhere else. God spoke to them directly through Joseph Smith, and they each had their own personal assurance of that line of communication. Though some would question amidst difficultly, in the end they would find the strength and remember why they believed initially. The word of the Lord was sure. They readily sacrificed as Abraham, giving up that which was dearest to them because of belief in an eternal compensator—knowledge that in the eternities they would stand on the right hand of God. Only in The Church of Jesus Christ would they eventually find all truth. They cared for their families and others temporally as they attempted to establish Zion. They supported their husbands emotionally and economically and endured long periods of family governing alone. They endured submersion in an atmosphere of apostasy and held tight to the personal revelation they had received. The faithful believed that both the immediate rewards and eternal compensators outweighed any perceived cost of dedication.
This conviction in a sure compensator led them from the established churches of the early nineteenth century and across thousands of miles to build up the Kingdom of God. Collections of existing records of women in America are growing, and as research continues to elucidate more shadows and complexities in American religious history, we will gain greater insight into the motivations and desires of those who embraced Mormonism and understand the importance of religion in American history generally. [177]
1. Rodney Stark and Roger Finke, Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000) and Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge, A Theory of Religion (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1987).
