Andrew Rapp
Religious Utopias
Oneida
The Oneida religious group was lead by John Humphrey Noyes and was started in 1841 (Britannica). The Oneida reform movement focused on perfectionism which is ironic considereing all the weird sinful things this religious group did. Ideals held by the Oneida were complex marriage which meant every women was married to every man in the society (Britannica). Another practice was mutual criticism which allowed severe criticism which in the eyes of the oneida helped to create a more perfect society (Britannica). A rather odd practice of the Oneida was that the male could not ejaculate during sex or once he withdrew (Britannica). The Oneida focused on creating the perfect offspring in Eugenics (Britannica). Oneidas believed Jesus already came back in the Second Coming and it was possible to create a perfect society (Britannica). They formed their society on communistic ideals of equality between all members of society even male and female equality (Britannica). The ideals of Copper the Oneida group would follow would be Equality and Personal Responsibility as each individual has the responsibilty to work towards perfection among the group. The successes of the group was creating an equal society which later influenced women's and gay rights movements. Also the group started the company Oneida LTD. The failure of the group was its collapse. Noyes got into trouble with the las due to his practices and he ran off to hide from the police (Britannica). When he left his agnostic son was left in charge and the group quickly dissolved due to his bad leadership. I would consider the overall movement successful as there are still modern day groups that practice these ideals such as Twin Oaks here in Virginia (TwinOaks.org).
Shakers
The Shaker movement was started by Ann Lee who left England with four followers and came to America in 1774 (New World Encyclopedia). Two years later the first Shaker community was formed. The Shakers strive to be perfect in their society which is based of confession, communal living, and celibacy which means no marriages (Hancock Shaker Village). The Shakers got their names from the shaking and dancing they did intended to shake off their sins (New World Encyclopedia). The Shakers meant to live off the teachings of the Gospels and defended their daily life referencing the gospel. The Shakers beleived in Equality and Personal Responsibility. The Shakers were very protective of their ideals and segregated males from females in the house and did not want any intereaction between the two (Hancock Shaker Village). The successes were seen in keeping the rules as the shakers followed the rules and segregation well. One problem of the shakers was that due to celibacy there were few offspring meaning only converts came into the movement instead of children so overtime there was slower increase. The Shaker society is much more succesful then Oneida and can still be observed in the modern day (Hancock Shaker Village).
Mormons
The founder of Mormonism was Joseph Smith in 1830. He formed the ideals of the Mormons which are to live in the way Jesus lived. We can have faith in Jesus but we also need to do good deeds as Jesus did to get into heaven (Mormon.org). God sent Jesus to model the life of a perfect person and the Mormons take Jesus' life to the extreme trying to be perfect and do good for others so they are able to defend their faith by citing Jesus' works (Mormon.org). Mormons believe in Opportunity and Personal Responsibility and each person has to lead their own faith and works. Successes of the faith are a strong following of people devoted in good works and a flourishing of the movement in America (Mormon.org). Though not a failure the Mormons faced extreme persecution and their founder Smith was murdered (Mormon.org). The Book of Mormons tells Mormons of how when they follow God they prosper and how when they disobey God they suffer (Intellectual Group). Mormons are the most succesful of the three religious groups and as of 2014 there are over 15 million Mormons worldwide (Ask).
Citations
John Humphrey Noyes-https://waltsmusings.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/jhn-at-end-of-community.jpg
Oneida Mansion-http://www.churchhistory.org/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/oneida-mansion-house1.jpg
Oneida LTD- http://www.robmcintosh.ca/images/Oneida-1880.jpg
Mother Ann Lee-https://themodernjedi.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/mother-ann-lee.jpg
Shakers Dancing- http://www.worthpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/shakers.jpg
Joseph Smith-http://levigilant.com/documents/joseph_smith_mormons/images/joseph-smith-photo-1.jpg
Book of Mormon-http://4c9aaie8nf22wxdk63a2acfl6q.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2014/08/BookOfMormon.jpg
-Media Wiki. "Shakers." - New World Encyclopedia. Media Wiki, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
-"Twin Oaks Intentional Community - Twin Oaks Intentional Community Home." Twin Oaks Intentional Community - Twin Oaks Intentional Community Home. Twin Oaks Community, 28 July 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
-Hancock Shaker Village. "Shaker Religion - Hancock Shaker Village." Shaker Religion. Hancock Shaker Village, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
-Encyclpedia Britannica. "Oneida Community | Utopian Religious Community." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
-Intellectual Reserve. "Jesus Christ. Savior & Redeemer-Christian Beliefs | Mormon.org." Jesus Christ. Savior & Redeemer-Christian Beliefs | Mormon.org. Intellectual Reserve, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
-Intellectual Reseve. "What Happens When We Follow God? What Happens When We Don't? The BOOK OF MORMON Provides the Answers." The Book of Mormon. Intellectual Reserve, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
-United States. National Park Service. "Utopias -- Shaker Historic Trail -- National Register of Historic Places." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
-The Annals of America. Vol. 7. Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1976. Print.
-Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. Vol. 1. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.
