Sociology 1010

Professor
9//2018
Marcela Sanchez
Article Review of “Environment, Culture, and the Mormon in early Utah: a study in
cultural adaptation” by William W. Speth

1. State the topic & hypothesis of the article. (The title is not sufficient; please state what
the article is about and what the research question was.) (5 points 2 for topic, 3 for
hypothesis)

The topic of the article: The article explores how in Utah specifically, non-Mormon Christian
denominations, despite being minority groups, have a high membership compared to other states
where they are more numerous in membership. However, there is one exception: Mormons tend
to be more active where there are more Mormons, as is the case with Utah.
The hypothesis: Small religious Christian groups in Utah are influenced in their membership and
faithfulness by the predominant Mormon faith. The Mormon faith’s predominant culture is very
noticeable in many aspects of everyday life; for example, on Sundays many neighborhoods do
not hear the sound of a lawn mower because of what constitutes the Mormon beliefs on keeping
the Sabbath day holy. This influences those of other faiths who live in those neighborhoods; in
many other ways the Mormon’s way of sharing their faith and keeping religious life part of
secular life sets the tone for those of other denominations, who feel encouraged and free to be
more upfront about their religious beliefs.

1. Give an overview of the results found. (for quantitative papers, you do not need to get too
involved in the specifics of the numbers reported) What did the researchers
discover? Was the hypothesis supported? (5 points)

The research used was data on the attendance of several Christian denominations; this data was
based on information procured from the national summary that constitutes information from
congressional levels in that are in commitment with Utah. The following are the religious groups
on whom the data was based: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Lutheran Church-
Missouri Synod, The Presbiterian Church, the Presbyterian church, the southern Baptist
convention, and the united Methodist church. Of all the religious groups whose Utah church data
attendance/membership was obtained, only two of said groups did not show higher rates of
membership despite smaller numbers. This supports the hypothesis in part, though it does not
show direct cause nor does it explain exactly how Mormon culture is the factor that has
influenced these rates, though the correlation is certainly strong.
3. What are the implications of this research? (i.e. why should we care about the research? Why
is it important? What can it add to our understanding of society?) (5 pts)
The hypothesis is fist supported by giving direct examples of how membership rates are higher
in Utah as opposed to the other 49 states. A 3 column table is shown, the first column depicting
the groups; the second column shows the percentage of attendance in Utah, and the third titled
“other states” shows the percentage of attendance representing the 49 states. At the bottom of the
table, it gives specific information on church attendance of the most notable examples; the
Evangelical Lutherans have better church attendance than anywhere else in the U.S.
4. what are the implications of this research? Why should we care?
The researchers conclude that the results are the opposite of what would be naturally supposed –
that is, small religious groups of other Christian denominations thrive in Utah despite the
predominant Mormon culture, and as mentioned earlier in the article, the effects of the Mormon
culture and its impacts on secular life plays a role in keeping these groups committed. The main
point they make is that small groups tend to be more steadfast and faithful versus the places
where members are more numerous. This is important because small groups can have an impact
on the majority with things such as politics.

1. 5. Critique the journal article you reviewed. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the
paper? What would you have done differently? (Please note! You can ALWAYS make
suggestions even if this is your first course in sociology!) (5 points)

The paper does a good job of showing the strong correlation of how the Mormon culture’s
impact on many aspects of secular life and Utah culture in general, but it doesn’t account for
other factors. More consideration on other subjects would make it more well rounded and show
the reader that the researchers considered other factors.
 Works Cited
Environment, Culture, and the Mormon in early Utah: a study in cultural adaptation by William
W. Speth
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3512266?read-
now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Aca014ff6b3ea23887520c676f24c6b05&seq=5#metadata_info_ta
b_contents