LDS Church and Value Orientation

Sarah Radcliff

Salt Lake Community College

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Overview 

In this report, I studied the Value Orientation of Kluckholm and Strodbeck. I focused my research on the Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints. I applied the Value Theory to help me gain an understanding of a previous religious experience I had within the church. Understanding this value theory led me to believe that the church carries strong values within a group mentality. The church strongly encourages women to practice traditional family values and ethics (Mormon Beliefs, 2017).

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Religion 

Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints, also referred to as Mormon or LDS, is a denomination of the Christian church. This religion is strongly group oriented, with a sturdy focus on family and relationships. The church grows in numbers based on its core values for unity and family. Individualism is often overlooked, as it is more likely for the church to notice and reward those who have solid ties to the congregation and those who are more family oriented. Latter Day Saints also respect a collateral orientation in regards to recognizing and honoring ancestors and members of the church who are deceased. Thus, creating a strong emphasis on understanding and knowing one’s own family genealogy. Latter Day Saints also accentuate growth, with education and spiritual development being at the forefront of many church activities. From an early age, church youth are encouraged to attend Sunday school, young men and women’s groups, seminary, and to go on missionary trips aimed at spreading the gospel and gaining a higher understanding of one’s own spirituality and enlightenment. The church focuses on giving to less fortunate through donation and community service, while also supporting their own families and congregation through tithes and offerings (Mormon Beliefs, 2017).

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Religious Function

During high school, I was close friends with a girl from an LDS background. We often would talk about differences in our own religions and family histories. I decided to attend one of her young women’s group, similar to my own youth group.  During this religious meeting, the young women were all gathered in the church kitchen. This week, the young women’s leader had decided to teach all of the girls how to cook a family dinner. The meeting was similar to a home economics class one might take in high school. The meeting began with an opening prayer. The leader of the young women’s group then explained what we would be doing and the relevance it had to our futures. As we were all waiting for our meals to finish baking, each of the girls pulled out a hanger that was adorned in white silk. These hangers had been an ongoing project for each of the girls for the last few months. I inquired as to what the hangers were for, and the leader explained that each of the hangers were to hold the wedding gowns of each of the young girls after their marriage in the temple to their husbands.

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Value Theory

The value theory I associated the most with this meeting at the LDS church was Kluckholm and Strodbeck’s Value Orientation. The church focuses on cultural values. This meeting put a strong emphasis on relationship, family, and community values. The church puts a strong influence on young women to grow up, marry, have children, and to take care of their families as well as encourage families to attend regular church services and activities (McGraw Hill, 2013).

 

 

Analysis

The LDS church has strong family values. From a young age, older women in the church begin teaching and preparing young women for marriage and families. It is encouraged in the church to marry young and have children (Mormon Beliefs, 2017). This was quite a difference from the church experience I was used to at the time. Though the church I attended was also value oriented, there was more of an emphasis on spirituality, rather than family values, marriage, and procreation.

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Reflection

During my research, I learned how strongly the LDS church values family and has a group mentality. When I was younger, the young women’s group just seemed different to me, and at that time in my life, kind of fun to experience something new. Now that I am older and have been able to research and understand the LDS religion a little better, I realize that my own values do not align with this church group at all. I value a more individualistic mentality, whereas the church values a group mentality. I value having a family and belonging to a group very little. In the LDS church I would probably not fit in as a participating member, as I do not wish to marry or have children. I did think it was interesting that the church believes that all of the knowledge you learn in this life will go with you to the afterlife, and I thought the strong emphasis on knowing your own genealogy was very interesting as well (Mormon Beliefs, 2017).

The application of theory helped me to understand my experience far more than I did during that time that I was experiencing it. At the time, I thought we were just doing fun things that girls enjoyed doing. Now, after understanding Value Orientation, I realize that the young women’s group leaders were encouraging family values and ethics (McGraw Hill, 2013).

I can incorporate what I have learned in my future classes, career, and life by understanding the difference in my personal values and beliefs and the beliefs of the predominant culture surrounding me. In group projects, I can be more understanding towards LDS team members because they tend to set aside time for family and group meetings, whereas I can sometimes take on a heavier work load, as I don’t have those values that may take away from the time I would be willing to spend on certain tasks for school and work.

References

 

McGraw Hill. (2013). Kluckholn & Strodbeck's Value Orientation. In M. &. Nakayama, Intercultural Communication In Context (pp. 99-107). New York: McGraw Hill.

Mormon Beliefs. (2017). Retrieved from Mormon Beliefs: https://mormonbeliefs.org/mormon_beliefs/mormon-beliefs-culture/

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Reflection-

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This assignment helped me understand and apply Kluckholn & Strodbeck's Valule Orientation to a previous religious experience I had at a Young Women's meeting at an LDS church. This assignment helped me to understand that the meeting was not just a "fun activity" planned out by the group leaders, but a cultural teaching tool, used to instill family values in the young women of the church.

In the future, I think this assignment will help me understand and be able to better communicate with women in the LDS church who I work with or are assigned to group projects with. I think this assignment will help me to better understand how LDS women who held their values of marrying and having children. This will help me communicate with these women about how they manage their time and where they devote their time in order to organize who can undertake larger roles in projects.

This project connects with what I have learned in other multicultural general education courses by helping me to understand and learn about other cultures in order to have effective communication for problem solving. 

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