took and mixed in with three measures of flour until
all of it was leavened." Matthew 13:33
From the February/March 2008 Issue
Mormon Worker Provides Alternative Views
for Members of the Church of Latter Day Saints
Patrick D’Silva
Patrick D’Silva works as an Arabic teacher and translator. He is based in Boulder.
AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER: Will VanWagenen is one of my closest friends from seminary. In addition to wanting to introduce Leaven readers to the Mormon Worker, this essay is motivated by the puzzled look that appears whenever I describe “Will, my friend the Mormon Anarchist.”
Will VanWagenen is not your typical member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. He is a practicing Mormon, served a two year proselytizing mission in Germany, graduated from Brigham Young University, and currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. So what makes him different? He recently founded a newspaper entitled, The Mormon Worker (MW), which, according to its website, is “an independent newspaper devoted to promoting Mormonism, Anarchism, and Pacifism” (www.TheMormonWorker.org).
The newspaper's first issue came out in September 2007, and has already been the subject of articles appearing in the Salt Lake Tribune and on The Washington Post's website. VanWagenen addresses the apparent contradiction between Mormonism and Anarchism by explaining that “the consistent application of the principles expounded in Mormon scripture should lead a person to become an anarchist. In other words, every Mormon should look forward to the abolition of government and the building of a socialist society based on free association and mutual cooperation” (“An Introduction to Mormon Anarchism,” The Mormon Worker, Vol I).
VanWagenen and the other founders, siblings Tyler and Corey Bushman, were led to start the MW by a variety of experiences. Tyler Bushman spent his two-year mission in Mexico, and had lived with a Zapatista community in the Mexican province of Chiapas. VanWagenen first began to study Anarchism during his mission in Germany, when he was given a book on anarchism by a friend. While reading it, he noticed similarities between Anarchism and Christianity, as well as Mormon, theology. These included a concern for the poor, equal distribution of wealth, the renouncing of war for the purpose of material gain, and recognition of the importance of individual agency and freedom. VanWagenen placed these similarities in contrast with the views on such matters held by most Mormons.
In an interview conducted via e-mail, he states that it was strange to him “that many Mormons in Utah...tended not to pay much attention to the anti-war and communitarian economic ideas that seemed so prominent in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible. This gap between Mormon culture in Utah and some elements of our scripture seemed even more acute, given the strong support among Utah Mormons for the Iraq war... I felt that many Mormons supported [such] objectionable things... because they simply had never been exposed to alternative views on those matters, and had not had the discrepancies between the moral precepts of our religion on the one hand, and the immoral behavior of the U.S. government on the other, clearly pointed out.”
“I had become familiar with the Catholic Worker movement through a friend I met while studying Arabic in the Palestinian occupied territories, and thought it would be a good idea to copy the Catholic Worker by articulating these alternative economic and political views, although from a perspective grounded in Mormon theology.” VanWagenen's political views were also highly influenced by his time volunteering in Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams (www.cpt.org) during the summer of 2005, in late 2005 and early 2006.
In addition to articles introducing the MW and the concept of Mormon Anarchism, the newspaper's first issue includes (among others) a book review of works by Milton Meltzer and Noam Chomsky, a close reading of a Friedrich Engels' treatise, an essay by an Israeli man who refused to join his country's military, and an analysis of whether or not Mitt Romney's policies are in line with those of the Church of Latter Day Saints.
One article in particular bears mentioning, that by Tom Fox entitled, “The Force of War and the Force of Peace? The Same Force Moving in the Opposite Direction?” VanWagenen and Tom Fox worked together as part of the same CPT delegation in Baghdad. Tom was kidnapped in Baghdad in December 2005 and murdered four months later by unknown gunmen.
The MW has received a varied but generally positive reception from the Mormon community, at least gauging by the e-mail responses sent to its editors. One reason for this could be that while the paper's general message could be seen as critical of the views held by many Mormons, the editors go to great length to explicitly state that they are not advocating for a change to the doctrine or policies of the Church of Latter Day Saints. As the inaugural issue's “Note to Readers” states: “The Mormon Worker is not dedicated to criticizing the institution and leadership of the Mormon Church, but rather to informing its members of the virtually forgotten radical elements of their religious tradition, as well as to providing Mormons with radical religious commentary on current political and economic events.”
Even to an outsider lacking basic familiarity with Mormon scriptures, there does seem to be a link between the religion itself and the communitarian ethic driving the organization of Mormon communities. Individuals and families known to be struggling both economically and emotionally are visited by other members of the community - these visits take place with an eye for emotional as well as material support. In addition to being based on scripture, this tradition is surely also a product of the Mormon Church's experience as a persecuted minority in its early years. While the troubles suffered by Joseph Smith and his initial followers are known to most Americans, much less discussed is the fact that in 1857 President James Buchanan dispatched 2,500 troops to remove Brigham Young from his position as governor of Utah and to occupy Salt Lake City. This collective history of persecution by both federal and local authorities would lend credence to the idea of Mormons embracing the thought of human beings living without the encumbrance of an overarching – and potentially dominating – government.
An obvious comparison can be made between the MW and Leaven. Both fashion themselves as 'alternative' publications for their respective religious communities. A case could be made that both form part of a 'loyal opposition' with those same communities. Perhaps the key difference lies in the impulse that led to each publication's respective founding. While Leaven appears to have been founded with a keen interest in advocating for a change in certain policies of the Roman Catholic Church – especially in terms of the Church's position on the possible leadership roles of women – the Mormon Worker is looking to engage a currently untapped aspect of the Mormon psyche. Much as liberation theology provided new language through which Catholics expressed their views on poverty and social justice, venues such as the MW could create a forum for Mormons to advocate for a ‘preferential option for the poor’ expressed in theological terms that fit their own tradition.
The fact that two alternative religious publications have been started in two of the most religiously conservative states in our nation is a fact worth mentioning. Based on my experience attending the recent celebration of Leaven's 15th year in existence, it seems appropriate to celebrate the birth of a theological and political cousin next door. There is a hunger for alternatives to dominant thinking in our nation – be it on religious, political, or economic grounds. With mutual support, perhaps we can all keep rising.