Religion and Justice in the Church Courts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Nineteenth Century
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints relied on their church court system for seeking “justice” or the cause of Zion throughout the nineteenth century for a variety of practical and theological reasons. First, the Saints believed that Isaiah’s cause of Zion transcended the more limited pur...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
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Published: |
Rabbi Myer and Dorothy Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Creighton University
2020
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In: |
Journal of religion & society. Supplement
Year: 2020, Volume: 21, Pages: 226-245 |
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Summary: | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints relied on their church court system for seeking “justice” or the cause of Zion throughout the nineteenth century for a variety of practical and theological reasons. First, the Saints believed that Isaiah’s cause of Zion transcended the more limited purposes of the corrupt civil state. Second, the Saints had become alienated from the secular legal system by what they perceived were injustices they had received at the hands of the existing state authority. Third, the priesthood eschewed the corrupt and costly influence of they described as “gentile” lawyers. Fourth, church leadership reviled against the divisive influence of litigation before the ungodly. Fifth, civil courts relied upon man-made laws that were ill suited for building the Kingdom of God. A sampling of ecclesiastical court cases demonstrates each of the above reasons why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints preserved the exclusive jurisdiction requirement for their Church Courts for most of the nineteenth century. |
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ISSN: | 1941-8450 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion & society. Supplement
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