“This Incredible Monster Was Always in the Way”: The Moral Career of a Sexual Sinner in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Authors

Jason E. Sumerau, University of TampaFollow
Ryan T. Cragun, University of TampaFollow
Harry Barbee, Florida State UniversityFollow

Abstract

This article elaborates a symbolic interactionist approach to the scientific study of sexual sin. We draw on archival materials from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), and explore recurring themes within the archival materials that signify and outline stages of a sexual sinners’ moral career. Our findings demonstrate how LDS leaders constructed a sinner’s moral career as characterized by (1) seeking out sinful temptation; (2) causing social and spiritual destruction; and (3) seeking and finding redemption. Further, we draw out implications for understanding the ways religious leaders conceptualize sexual sins for their followers, and the usefulness of conceptualizing various religious traditions, adaptations, and conceptualizations of sin as moral careers.

Keywords

Religion, Sexualities, Content Analysis, Sin, Pornography, Mormonism

Author Bio(s)

J. E. Sumerau is an assistant professor and director of applied sociology at the University of Tampa. Sumerau’s teaching and research focuses on the intersections of sexualities, gender, religion and health in the historical and interpersonal experiences of sexual, gender, and religious minorities. For more information and examples of this work, please visit www.jsumerau.com. Please direct correspondence to jsumerau@ut.edu.

Ryan Cragun is an associate professor of sociology at The University of Tampa. His research focuses on Mormonism and the nonreligious and has been published in various scholarly journals. He is also the author of several books. Please direct correspondence to rcragun@ut.edu.

Harry Barbee is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at Florida State University. Their research explores the resistance, reproduction, and management of inequality within the realms of gender, sexuality, and health/medicine. Please direct correspondence to hbarbee@fsu.edu.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the editors and reviewers of The Qualitative Report for their exceedingly helpful comments.

Publication Date

3-20-2018

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3264

Recommended APA Citation

Sumerau, J. E., Cragun, R. T., & Barbee, H. (2018). “This Incredible Monster Was Always in the Way”: The Moral Career of a Sexual Sinner in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Qualitative Report, 23(3), 662-676. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3264