Author: Brenton Griffin
Griffin, Brenton, 2024 ‘They Pretend to Have Remarkable Revelations’: The Reception and Representation of Mormonism in Australia and New Zealand, 1840 to Present, Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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This dissertation examines two distinct but interrelated streams in the study of religion. First, it explores the development of Mormonism within Australia and New Zealand, from its introduction into the Antipodean British colonies in 1840, to the present. The chapters trace various flashpoints in Australian and New Zealand Mormon history, particularly how the actions or events in the Latter-day Saint metropole affected the outposts of the religion in these nations. It examines how Latter-day Saints in Australia and New Zealand, who faced geographic and numerical isolation, have developed a unique identity as a localised religious minority. Second, this dissertation will look at how the Church and its members have been represented and received by broader Australian and New Zealand society. Race, sexuality, gender, migration, and transnational interconnectedness are at the core of this dissertation.
Though Mormonism has been a feature of both Australian and New Zealand society since the 1840s, the Church struggled to gain a more solid footing for almost a century. Despite this, its representation by the non-Mormon community has shown hostility and promoted the Church’s marginalisation from Australian and New Zealand. This is seen in a hostile or bemused press, government reactions, responses from more mainstream religions, and broader society. This dissertation closely examines modern-day Mormonism’s representation within these nations, and how a contemporary, multi-cultural Latter-day Saint community has adapted to an increasingly connected, global religion.
Since the turn into the twenty-first century, it is argued that a more localised, syncretised Mormonism, anchored by the construction of sacred temples, has meant the Church has come under increased scrutiny. This has been both due to perceptions of an overreach of the institutional Church power in political, economic, and societal spheres, as well as the existence of individual Latter-day Saints in the political sphere of both Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, though Mormonism has remained marginal in terms of the number of adherents, there has been an overrepresentation of the Church in the popular culture of these nations. This dissertation asserts that though Mormonism has remained marginal, due to both small numbers, a distant hierarchy, and perceived peculiarities, it has become more entrenched within both Australia and New Zealand. As discussed throughout this thesis, the representation and reception of Mormonism has morphed significantly since its introduction in the colonial era as the religion has become more entangled and localised, though the status of Mormonism remains marginal. This dissertation traces not only this phenomenon, but also how Australian and New Zealand Latter-day Saints have asserted their own unique identity.
Keywords: Mormonism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Religious History, Australian History, Secularisation, New Zealand History
Subject: History thesis
Thesis type: Doctor of Philosophy
Completed: 2024
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Catherine Kevin