Sermons in Stones: Mormon Chosenness and the Politics of Land in the American West

<p>This study explores the intersection of religion, land use, and political resistance in Latter-day Saint culture, arguing that Mormon land ethics are shaped by a ritualized process I term the “Cycle of Chosenness.” Through historical and ethnographic analysis, I trace how collective memory of the pioneer era informs symbolic labor that reaffirms Mormon exceptionalism. Three case studies illustrate the cycle in action: Brigham Young’s integration of labor and theology, Walter Cottam’s unsuccessful push for ecological restoration, and the Sagebrush Rebellion’s successful reframing of anti-federal activism as sacred labor. I show how the Sagebrush Rebellion marked a turning point by legitimizing individualized pathways to sacred time, no longer dependent on Church-mediated ritual. This decentralization allowed figures such as the Bundy family to enact Mormon chosenness through modern standoffs over grazing rights, using pioneer-inflected narratives to sanctify their resistance. By analyzing these episodes, I demonstrate that Mormon land ethics are neither static nor purely doctrinal; they are living, contested performances that adapt to political realities while preserving the theological imperative to build Zion in the here and now.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Religion, MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Arts and Humanities

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• McLean, Emily

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kevin Wolfe

• Conservation
• Ecology
• Land Ethics
• Mormonism
• Ritualization
• Uta
• Religion

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1083

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-2096