A Sociological Research on New Religious Movements: The Example of Mormonism

Ahmet Özalp; Rümeysa Sancak

Makale detayları

A Sociological Research on New Religious Movements: The Example of Mormonism

Yazarlar:

Ahmet Özalp | Rümeysa Sancak

Yayıncı:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Sosyolojisi

Dergi:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 40, pp.235-257

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

8/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001326955

pISSN:

2147-2610

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Mormonism is a religious movement founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in the early 19th century. According to its founder, Smith, God appeared to him and gave the task of re-establishing the original new Church. The sacred books of Mormons include the Book of Mormon as well as the Holy Bible. The Mormons, who took into consideration the teachings conveyed to them by Smith in 1830 and united around their leader, were exiled from many regions, especially New York, because of their lifestyles, such as polygamy, which were considered contrary to the social life of that period. According to them, God is an anthropomorphic being, for this reason individuals can reach God by improving themselves within the community and progressing religiously. Besides, with their unique beliefs and lifestyle, Mormons are a remarkable community among new religious groups. Although the number of new religious movements is increasing in Turkey, it is observed that the number of literature studies on the intense missionary activities carried out by the Mormons are insufficient. Although various articles have been written about Mormonism and the Mormon Church, there is not enough research on Mormon identity and family structure. For this reason, domestic literature does not have sufficient resources on the development of the Mormon religious movement, the identity formation process, family structure, and analysis of general lifestyles. In addition to contributing to the literature on Mormonism, this research also aims to guide researchers planing to study Mormons in Turkey. The study will first examine the general historical development of new religious movements and then focus on the development process of the Mormon identity and missionary activities. In addition to the formation process of the Mormon identity in the historical context, the development of the Mormon family structure and the factors affecting the spread of Mormonism constitute the main problem of the research. The study, conducted using the literature review technique, was supported by information compiled based on official statistical data. As a result, it is understood the Mormon lifestyle, and values began to change during the modernization process. In addition, it has been learned that individuals join new religious movements due to reasons such as secularization, modernization, globalization, rationalization, social change, individualization, feeling of loneliness and economic problems. Mormonism, which can be seen as one of the new religious movements, has claimed to respond to the spiritual needs of people since the 19th century. Mormonism emerged under the leadership of Joseph Smith; They are integrated around values such as religiosity, morality, family, health, devotion, work, education, and material gain. Due to the great importance they attach to human health, they do not tolerate the consumption of beverages such as tea and coffee, which they think may harm the body, and have banned their members. It has been concluded Mormons, increased their activities in 1999, have fewer members in our country compared to other countries.

 Mormonism is a religious movement founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in the early 19th century. According to its founder, Smith, God appeared to him and gave the task of re-establishing the original new Church. The sacred books of Mormons include the Book of Mormon as well as the Holy Bible. The Mormons, who took into consideration the teachings conveyed to them by Smith in 1830 and united around their leader, were exiled from many regions, especially New York, because of their lifestyles, such as polygamy, which were considered contrary to the social life of that period. According to them, God is an anthropomorphic being, for this reason individuals can reach God by improving themselves within the community and progressing religiously. Besides, with their unique beliefs and lifestyle, Mormons are a remarkable community among new religious groups. Although the number of new religious movements is increasing in Turkey, it is observed that the number of literature studies on the intense missionary activities carried out by the Mormons are insufficient. Although various articles have been written about Mormonism and the Mormon Church, there is not enough research on Mormon identity and family structure. For this reason, domestic literature does not have sufficient resources on the development of the Mormon religious movement, the identity formation process, family structure, and analysis of general lifestyles. In addition to contributing to the literature on Mormonism, this research also aims to guide researchers planing to study Mormons in Turkey. The study will first examine the general historical development of new religious movements and then focus on the development process of the Mormon identity and missionary activities. In addition to the formation process of the Mormon identity in the historical context, the development of the Mormon family structure and the factors affecting the spread of Mormonism constitute the main problem of the research. The study, conducted using the literature review technique, was supported by information compiled based on official statistical data. As a result, it is understood the Mormon lifestyle, and values began to change during the modernization process. In addition, it has been learned that individuals join new religious movements due to reasons such as secularization, modernization, globalization, rationalization, social change, individualization, feeling of loneliness and economic problems. Mormonism, which can be seen as one of the new religious movements, has claimed to respond to the spiritual needs of people since the 19th century. Mormonism emerged under the leadership of Joseph Smith; They are integrated around values such as religiosity, morality, family, health, devotion, work, education, and material gain. Due to the great importance they attach to human health, they do not tolerate the consumption of beverages such as tea and coffee, which they think may harm the body, and have banned their members. It has been concluded Mormons, increased their activities in 1999, have fewer members in our country compared to other countries.

 Mormonism is a religious movement founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in the early 19th century. According to its founder, Smith, God appeared to him and gave the task of re-establishing the original new Church. The sacred books of Mormons include the Book of Mormon as well as the Holy Bible. The Mormons, who took into consideration the teachings conveyed to them by Smith in 1830 and united around their leader, were exiled from many regions, especially New York, because of their lifestyles, such as polygamy, which were considered contrary to the social life of that period. According to them, God is an anthropomorphic being, for this reason individuals can reach God by improving themselves within the community and progressing religiously. Besides, with their unique beliefs and lifestyle, Mormons are a remarkable community among new religious groups. Although the number of new religious movements is increasing in Turkey, it is observed that the number of literature studies on the intense missionary activities carried out by the Mormons are insufficient. Although various articles have been written about Mormonism and the Mormon Church, there is not enough research on Mormon identity and family structure. For this reason, domestic literature does not have sufficient resources on the development of the Mormon religious movement, the identity formation process, family structure, and analysis of general lifestyles. In addition to contributing to the literature on Mormonism, this research also aims to guide researchers planing to study Mormons in Turkey. The study will first examine the general historical development of new religious movements and then focus on the development process of the Mormon identity and missionary activities. In addition to the formation process of the Mormon identity in the historical context, the development of the Mormon family structure and the factors affecting the spread of Mormonism constitute the main problem of the research. The study, conducted using the literature review technique, was supported by information compiled based on official statistical data. As a result, it is understood the Mormon lifestyle, and values began to change during the modernization process. In addition, it has been learned that individuals join new religious movements due to reasons such as secularization, modernization, globalization, rationalization, social change, individualization, feeling of loneliness and economic problems. Mormonism, which can be seen as one of the new religious movements, has claimed to respond to the spiritual needs of people since the 19th century. Mormonism emerged under the leadership of Joseph Smith; They are integrated around values such as religiosity, morality, family, health, devotion, work, education, and material gain. Due to the great importance they attach to human health, they do not tolerate the consumption of beverages such as tea and coffee, which they think may harm the body, and have banned their members. It has been concluded Mormons, increased their activities in 1999, have fewer members in our country compared to other countries.

 Mormonluk, 19. yüzyılın başlarında Amerika Birleşik Devletlerinde Joseph Smith tarafından kurulmuş dini bir harekettir. Kurucusu Smithe göre, Tanrı kendisine görünmüş ve ona orijinal yeni Kilisenin tekrar kurulması görevini vermiştir. Mormonların kutsal kitapları arasında Kutsal Kitap İncilin yanı sıra Mormon Kitabı bulunur. 1830 yılında Smith tarafından onlara aktarılan öğretileri dikkate alıp liderlerinin etrafında birleşen Mormonlar, çok eşlilik gibi o dönemin toplumsal yaşamına aykırı olarak kabul edilen hayat şekilleri nedeniyle New York başta olmak üzere birçok bölgeden sürülmüşlerdir. Onlara göre, Tanrı antropomorfik bir varlıktır, bu nedenden dolayı bireyler, cemaat içinde kendini geliştirip dini anlamda ilerleyerek Tanrıya ulaşabilirler. Bunun yanında, Mormonlar, dünya genelinde aktif misyonerlik faaliyetleri yürütmekte olup aile birliğine ve toplumsal dayanışmaya büyük önem verirler. Kendine özgü inançları ve yaşam biçimiyle Mormonlar, yeni dini gruplar arasında dikkat çeken bir topluluktur. Türkiyede yeni dini hareketlerin sayısının artmasına rağmen, Mormonlar tarafından yürütülen yoğun misyonerlik faaliyetleriyle ilgili literatür çalışmalarının sayısının yetersiz oluşu gözlemlenmektedir. Mormonluk ve Mormon Kilisesi ile ilgili çeşitli makaleler yazılmışsa da Mormon kimliği ve aile yapısı hakkında yeterli sayıda araştırma bulunmamaktadır. Bu nedenle, yerli literatür Mormon dini hareketinin gelişimi, kimlik oluşturma süreci, aile yapısı, genel yaşam biçimlerinin analizi konusunda yeterli kaynağa sahip değildir. Bu çalışma, Mormonluk hakkında literatüre katkı sağlamasına ek olarak Türkiyede Mormonlar üzerine çalışma yapmayı planlayan araştırmacılara da rehberlik etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada, öncelikle yeni dini hareketlerin genel tarihi gelişimi incelenip ardından Mormon kimliğinin gelişim sürecine ve dünyadaki Mormon misyonerlik faaliyetlerine odaklanılacaktır. Tarihi bağlamda Mormon kimliğinin oluşum sürecinin yanında, Mormon aile yapısının gelişimi ve Mormonluğun yayılmasında etkili faktörlerin neler olduğu araştırmanın ana problemini oluşturmaktadır. Literatür tarama tekniği kullanılarak yapılan çalışma, resmi istatistiki verilere dayandırılarak derlenen bilgilerle desteklenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, modernleşme sürecinde Mormon yaşam tarzının ve değerlerinin değişmeye başladığı anlaşılmaktadır. Ek olarak, sekülerleşme, modernleşme, küreselleşme, rasyonelleşme, sosyal değişim, bireyselleşme, yalnızlık duygusu ve ekonomik sorunlar gibi nedenlerden dolayı bireylerin yeni dini hareketlere katıldıkları bilgisine ulaşılmıştır. Yeni dini hareketlerden biri olan görülebilecek Mormonluk da 19. yüzyıldan bu yana, insanların manevi ihtiyaçlarına cevap verme iddiasındadır. Joseph Smith liderliğinde ortaya çıkan Mormonluk; dindarlık, ahlak, aile, sağlık, adanmışlık, iş, eğitim ve maddi kazanım gibi değerler etrafında bütünleşmişlerdir. İnsan sağlığına gösterdikleri büyük önem nedeniyle çay ve kahve gibi vücuda herhangi bir zararı dokunabileceğini düşündükleri içeceklerin tüketilmesini hoş görmeyip üyelerine yasaklamışlardır. Ülkemizde, diğer dünya ülkeleri ile karşılaştırıldığında 1999 yılında faaliyetlerini arttıran Mormonların daha az üyeye sahip oldukları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Makale detayları

A Sociological Research on New Religious Movements: The Example of Mormonism

Yazarlar:

Ahmet Özalp | Rümeysa Sancak

Yayıncı:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Sosyolojisi

Dergi:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 40, pp.235-257

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

8/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001326955

pISSN:

2147-2610

Sociology of Religion

Mormonism

New Religious Movements

Religion

Identity.Din Sosyolojisi

Yeni Dini Hareketler

Din

Kimlik

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Ahmet Özalp | Rümeysa Sancak

Yayıncı: Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar: Din Sosyolojisi

Dergi: Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 40, pp.235-257

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 8/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001326955

pISSN: 2147-2610

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Ahmet Özalp | Rümeysa Sancak

Yayıncı:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Sosyolojisi

Dergi:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 40, pp.235-257

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

8/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001326955

pISSN:

2147-2610