The Mormons in Wilhelmie Germany, 1870-1914: Making a Place for an Unwanted American Religion in a Changing German Society
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Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1994 The Mormons in Wilhelmie Germany, 1870-1914: Making a Place for an Unwanted American Religion in a Changing German Society Michael Mitchell Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the History Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, Mormon Studies Commons, and the Political Science Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Mitchell, Michael, "The Mormons in Wilhelmie Germany, 1870-1914: Making a Place for an Unwanted American Religion in a Changing German Society" (1994). Theses and Dissertations. 4946. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4946 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. the mormons in wilhelmine germany 187019141870 1914 making a place for an unwanted american religion in a changing german society A thesis presented to the department of history brigham young university in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree master of arts by michael mitchell april 1994 this thesis by michael mitchell is accepted in its present form by the department of history of brigham young university as satisfying the thesis requirement for the degree of master of arts ruf dougasdouglas F tobler committee chair rodney D bohac committee member wa i iw sti ah1h date kendallkeiW brown department chairman 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS chapter 1 introduction 1 2 the german and mormon settings 12 3 the dangers of mormonism emigration polygamy and social experimentation 0 0 39 4 187118901871 1890 growth and interaction 0 D 0 0 0 0 D 71 5 189019021890 1902 postmanifestopost manifesto tensions 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 95 6 190219031902 1903 evaluating the mormon threat and confirming the banishment policy 116 7 190419141904 1914 prussian intolerance and mormon persistence 0 0 0 & 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144 8 conclusion 174 bibliography 190 appendices A 1853 prussian expulsion decree 203 B the evarts circular instructing american diplomats to take action against mormon missionary efforts in foreign lands 204 C Gumbingumbinnergumbinnennen regierungs prapresidentssilentssidentssiprasidentsdents report 207 D 1902 prussian expulsion decree 210 E newspaper clipping reporting mission president hugh cannons opinion of the impact of the prussian expulsion order 211 F consul bopps analysis and recommendations regarding the mormons in germany 2132 13 in introduction the field of german religious history still contains large areas requiring groundwork in order to build a complete picture recently richard J evans a respected scholar of german religious history noted that important issues in the fields of nonorthodoxnon orthodox religions have only now begun to be addressed 1 this study which will focus on the relationship between the prussian government and mormon missionary efforts in prussia between 1870 and 1914 intends to add a few threads to the larger tapestry of german religious history with the hope that a more accurate portrait can emerge the second half of the nineteenth century witnessed the conflict of two vigorousvigoroust growing communities the new imperial germany under prussian dominance and the church of jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints or Morcormonsmormonsmons mormonism had officially come to germany in 1850 but opposition there was ubiquitous and conversions few although the germansagermans a recently unified state of forty millions flexing their new international muscleheldmuscle heldheidfar more importance than the latterlatterdayday saints in world opinion and influence the conflict tRichardrichard J evans rethinking german history nineteenth century germany and the origins of the third reich london alienailenand unwin 1987 125 128 1 2 did not resolve quickly or easily the challenge presented to the germans especially to government officials by mormon proselyting occurred in an arena of changing social and cul- tural norms an area of unanticipated vulnerability for the germans and one which more often than not elicited em- otional rather than rational responses the treatment of latterlatterdayday saint missionaries therefore by german officials both local and nationalprovidesnational provides an interesting case study not only of a different kind of churchstatechurch state relationship between a powerful government and a small unwanted american sect but of the complicated evolution of new social and religious norms in the face of established political religious and social traditions in the wake of unification in 1871 germany experienced tensions between attempts by the established political elites crown church and landed and industrial aristocracy to maintain the current forms of culture and government and the efforts of rising forcestheforces the educated middle classes and the expanding working classestoclasses to gain a voice in national and local government earlier forms of cultural stability such as the role of religion as a social cement and the power of individual german states faced the necessity of adapting to the new demands of the modernizing industrializing emergent nation new ideas and methods especially in the sphere of culture were perceived by those who defended the old order as threats to the public weal and german unity and were treated 3 accordingly regardless of any actual danger if the per- ceived threat came from outside the german cultural area its presence was considered even less tolerable the insecurity brought on by this internal turmoil was further enhanced by the ongoing challenges of participation in the increasingly competitive economic and political international arena in germany religion had long performed an important social and public role influencingluancinginfluencinglueniuencing the education and behavior of germans on a local level particularly in the case of the protestant churches which had supported the secular govern- ments since the reformation days of luther and melancthon the fabric of the country had recently been torn by the battle of the kulturkampf wherein the powerful prussian state had unsuccessfully challenged the patriotism of german catholics the role of the vatican and the power of the catholic church externally the effort of the newlyestablishednewly established nation with its emphasis on military power popular nationalist sentiments and search for its place in the sun disturbed old balances and allies including the united states of america internally the rising strength of the social democratic party the increasing power of agnostic liberal politicians the impact of theological intellectuals and the transformation of the society from agrarian to industrial epi- tomized the new challenges to the old ecclesiastical culture it comes as no surprise therefore that the presence of new religious movements particularly those from outside the 4 accepted german tradition were deemed irritants and possibly menaces by a state already concerned with an uncertain political future and the desired unity of society the activities and doctrines of church of jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints the Morcormonsmormonsmons an americanbornamerican born faith viewed by germans as yet another angloamericananglo american sectpresentedsect presented just such an irritation established as a new dispensation of divine authority the church was intent on building a new society and world rejecting traditional christian churches as incomplete and apostate the mormon church from its beginning in 1830 had long espoused a goal to preach its doctrines to the entire world including the german people a nationality noted for its cultural and intellectual excellence and held in high esteem by early church leaders founded in a culture known internationally for its religious tolerance and divers religious sects the church and its emissaries believed in the enlightened traditions of religious tolerance separation of church and state and the legal protection promised by the german constitutions including the 1850 prussian constitu- tion instead of civility or acceptance mormon missionaries in germany frequently found themselves the target of dislike distrust persecution and dismissal particularly by the local police and civil officials the various forms of this political and legal treatment and the missionaries subsequent responses to themavoidancethenthem avoidance of confrontation with local civil authorities reliance on american diplomatic influence and 5 eventually laboring without visa until banishedasbanished as well as the outcome of the struggle forms the basis of this study in turn this inquiry will show that neither the german prima- rily prussian effort to enforce religious conformity and the mormon demand for religious freedom according to their inter- pretationpretation succeeded in altering the opinion or activities of their opponent but as the mormons focussed less on confron- tation and more on actual missionary work their membership in germany continued to growalthoughgrovgrow although the numbers were not largeuntillarge until the 1914 outbreak of world war I1 consideration of this subject requires an understanding of the prussian governmental position in regulating religious affairs as well as the areas in which the latterlatterdayday saints came into conflict with the prussian