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Show The Survey's Findings 47 through baptism and enduring faith, but also through social action. Nineteenth-century Mormon society defined itself in opposition to the individualism and materialism of antebellum America. Order, cooperation, and spirituality became fundamental values within the incipient Mormon culture. As persecution drove the church westward into the Rocky Mountains in the years after 1847, these values-manifest in strict obedience to authority, efforts to develop communitarian institutions, and the designation of the family as the primary source of spiritual and moral education-continued to play an important role in Mormon group life. Grouse Creek is a "ward" within a larger Latter-day Saint "stake," a regional unit composed of several wards. The ward is presided over by a bishop chosen from the community; in a town the size of Grouse Creek the Mormon bishop often plays the role of mayor as well. Virtually all the people in Grouse Creek are Mormons, and church membership provides them with a fundamental and enduring bond. The "Mormonness" of the community is the sum total of each individual's efforts to remain faithful to church principles. Active members obey commandments that include abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine; offering an annual tithe; regularly attending Sunday worship; performing certain ritual ordinances in the Mormon temples; and participating in various youth and senior-citizen group meetings, sports activities, and social events. The realm of the sacred is pervasive in Grouse Creek life. Verna Kimber Richardson remembered that, as she was growing up in the 1940s, "all events were related to religion-everything centered around ward activity." The situation has not changed appreciably today. Both official and unofficial expressions of Mormon ideals and values emphasize faith, community, and family. Weekly Sunday School lessons from Latter-day Saint leaders in Salt Lake City discuss the importance of avoiding the temptations of the secular world, of obeying divinely inspired authority, and of preserving the family. Traditional stories, customs, and activities in informal circulation reinforce the same basic themes. The important role folk culture plays in cultivating and codifying Mormon values in Grouse Creek is evident from the survey's interviews, and is particularly visible in faith-promoting lore, music, poetry, and community celebrations. Faith-promoting stories are informal narratives, often very personal, that provide witness to the truth of church doctrines. Although the Grouse Creek survey did not record specific examples of these narratives, residents referred to the existence of two main types. The first concerns itself with providential happenings-the direct and often miraculous involvement of God in the affairs of men. The stories are often about healings or report unexpected help and timely advice from strangers. Their message is clear: the righteous can expect divine aid in time of need. The second body of narratives centers upon the testing of the faithful. Mormons believe they will be continually confronted with temptation and adversity which they can overcome by following prescribed commandments. Although this short-lived survey did not encounter examples, |