Author Archive
Articles by Benjamin E. Park
Review
New Documentary “Keep Sweet” Follows Mormon Fundamentalists
What happened to the community that imprisoned FLDS leader Warren Jeffs left behind?
By Benjamin E. Park
Essay
American Democracy Nearly Failed in its Early Decades. It’s Important to Remember Why.
For many in early America, including Mormons, “the voice” of the people was often more terrifying than it was reassuring.
By Benjamin E. Park
Essay
What Senator Mike Lee Tells Us About the Future of the GOP
The Utah politician carries on the legacy of a radical Mormon past.
By Benjamin E. Park
Excerpt
The Revolutionary Roots of America’s Religious Nationalism
Benjamin E. Park’s new book, “American Nationalisms,” explores religion and politics in the Age of Revolutions.
By Benjamin E. Park
Review
The Mormon Council of Fifty: What Joseph Smith’s Secret Records Reveal
In 1844, the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith surrendered himself to state authorities after destroying an anti-Mormon printing press in Nauvoo, Illinois. When he was sent …
By Benjamin E. Park
Essay
Ammon Bundy and the Paradoxes of Mormon Political Theologies
On Saturday, January 2, Ammon Bundy led a group of protesters in occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Building outside of Burns, Oregon. An outgrowth of …
By Benjamin E. Park
Essay
Kim Davis and the Anxieties of Christian America
Once released from her short stay in her county detention center, throngs of supporters greeted Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis with an energetic celebration. Davis …
By Benjamin E. Park
Essay
North Carolina’s “Official Religion”: The Convoluted History of American States and Established Religions
Last week, in a move that seems more reminiscent of 1783 than 2013, North Carolina legislators proposed a bill declaring their right to establish an …
By Benjamin E. Park
Report
Why Do Mormons Love the Fourth of July So Much?
Tonight, one of the nation’s biggest Fourth of July celebrations will take place in Provo, Utah, in front of 50,000 people at Brigham Young University’s …
By Benjamin E. Park