Introduction
Oneida Community is an 1848 community that had diverse ideologies on the return of Jesus. John Humphrey Noyes is the founder of the community and believed that he possessed divine authority over the Oneida Community, which was directly given to him by God. This belief got support from the public, hence allowing him to rule the people of the community (Foster, 2009 p 35). It was controversial to abide by the rule that entitled Noyes the duty of giving birth to a child to serve as a birth control strategy.
The other major controversial issue was the mutual criticism policy where a member was required to listen quietly to the other member narrates their faults. It resulted in disagreement on the effectiveness of the policy. It would be difficult to come to a mutual agreement when dealing with an accusation because of different opinion of the people (Roach, 2001 p 788).
There was controversy in the leadership of the community when Noyes decided to appoint his son to take over. Oneidans disagreed with his proposal referring Noyes’ son agnostic and does not have any leadership skills. Oneidans coexisted in their community bearing in mind Noyes’s idea of communal living; sharing a common goal as a whole community (Foster, 2009 p 47). The introduction of a policy called “Bible Communism”, which was the idea that all things were held in common by each member of the community. This communal living and Bible Communism had been yet another way to mimic heaven on earth, as the goal was to achieve a perfect Christian heaven on earth.
The Bible Communism was a way of sharing with your fellow brothers and sisters. The communal living is a great way for a community to function successfully. When in a community, one must function as a part of something greater, the community in its entirety, in order to reach the greater goal of the community that holds much more impact on every member’s than an individual feat (Roach, 2001 p 813).
Works Cited
Foster, Lawrence. "Sex And Conflict In New Religious Movements: A Comparison Of The Oneida Community Under John Humphrey Noyes And The Early Mormons Under Joseph Smith And His Would-Be Successors." Nova Religio 13.3 (2010): 34-58. Print.
Roach, Monique Patenaude. "The Loss Of Religious Allegiance Among The Youth Of The Oneida Community." The Historian 63.4 (2001): 787-806. Print.
