Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds

Download or read book Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds written by Stephen C. Taysom and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2010-11-22 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among America's more interesting new religious movements, the Shakers and the Mormons came to be thought of as separate and distinct from mainstream Protestantism. Using archives and historical materials from the 19th century, Stephen C. Taysom shows how these groups actively maintained boundaries and created their own thriving, but insular communities. Taysom discovers a core of innovation deployed by both the Shakers and the Mormons through which they embraced their status as outsiders. Their marginalization was critical to their initial success. As he skillfully negotiates the differences between Shakers and Mormons, Taysom illuminates the characteristics which set these groups apart and helped them to become true religious dissenters.