Mormonism - A Developmental Ideal Worth Striving For?

 

People anxious with growing discomfort about their Mormon belief frequently fear that if they depart Mormonism that they will find themselves, and possibly their families, in a hostile and morally bankrupt world.

 

Such belief is not uncommon, and it has been argued that Mormonism has a vested interest in prescribing its members in a climate of fear of an immoral or ammoral (outside) world, which is contrasted with an idealized Mormon spirituality that supposedly peaks in commitment to being apprentices to become Gods and Goddesses via the Mormon Temple ordinances.

 

Such people are frequently unaware that several models of human development exist, which do not position the idealized Mormon experience as very evolved at all. That Mormon morality and spirituality might in fact be quite poorly evolved is a shock to some, but freeing to others, who intuitively feel they have outgrown the Mormon mindset.

 

Two prominent models that illustrate this are:

 

Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development

 

Stage 1

Individuals focus on the direct consequences that their actions will have for themselves. For example, an action is perceived as morally wrong if the person who commits it gets punished.

 

Stage 2

Espouses the what's in it for me position, right behavior being defined by what is in one's own best interest.

 

Stage 3

The self enters society by filling social roles. Individuals are receptive of approval or disapproval from other people as it reflects society's accordance with the perceived role. They try to be a good boy or good girl to live up to these expectations, having learned that there is inherent value in doing so.

Stage 4

It is important to obey laws, dictums and social conventions because of their importance in maintaining a functioning society. Moral reasoning in stage four is thus beyond the need for individual approval exhibited in stage three; society must learn to transcend individual needs. A central ideal or ideals often prescribe what is right and wrong, such as in the case of fundamentalism.

 

Stage 5

Individuals are viewed as holding different opinions and values, and it is paramount that they be respected and honored impartially. Issues that are not regarded as relative like life and choice should never be withheld or inhibited. In fact, no single choice is correct or absolute - 'who are you to judge if they are or not'? Along a similar vein, laws are regarded as social contracts rather than rigid dictums. Those that do not promote general social welfare should be changed when necessary to meet the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This is attained through majority decision, and inevitably compromise. In this way democratic government is ostensibly based on stage five reasoning.

 

Stage 6

Moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles. Laws are valid only insofar as they are grounded in justice, and that a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation to disobey unjust laws. Rights are unnecessary as social contracts are not essential for deontic moral action.

 

James W. Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development

 

Stage 1 - intuitive-projective

Young children, during the first stage of faith (intuitive-projective), follow the beliefs of their parents. They tend to imagine or fantasize angels or other religious figures in stories as characters in fairy tales.

 

Stage 2 - mythical-literal

In the second stage of faith, children tend to respond to religious stories and rituals literally, rather than symbolically As individuals move through adolescence to young adulthood, their beliefs continue to be based on authority focused outside themselves.

 

Stage 3 - synthetic-conventional

In this third stage of faith, individuals tend to have conformist acceptance of a belief with little self-reflection on examination of these beliefs. Most people remain at this level.

 

Stage 4 - individuative-reflective

Those individuals who move to the fourth stage of faith begin a radical shift from dependence on others' spiritual beliefs to development of their own. Fowler (1981) says, "For a genuine move to stage 4 to occur there must be an interruption of reliance on external sources of authority ... There must be ... a relocation of authority within the self" (p. 179). Individuals are no longer defined by the groups to which they belong. Instead, they choose beliefs, values, and relationships important to their self-fulfillment.

 

Stage 5 - conjunctive

In the fifth stage of faith, persons still rely on their own views but move from self preoccupation or from dependence on fixed truths to acceptance of others' points of view they tend to be more tolerant and begin to consider serving others.

 

Stage 6- universalizing

Individuals who move to the sixth and last stage of faith are rare. As older adults, they begin to search for universal values, such as unconditional love and justice. Self-preservation becomes irrelevant. Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi are examples of people in this form of spiritual development (Fowler, 1981).

 

A more in-depth explanation of each stage can be viewed at:

http://leaningtowardsjustice.wordpress.com/2006/05/29/fowlers-stages-of-faith-development/

 

So that the public can access information on each of these models, this article cites Wikipedia references for both. These are well footnoted, providing ample opportunity for readers to effect their own study of these issues, and reach their own conclusion on the level of maturity promoted by Mormonism.