Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

One of the more fascinating utopian experiments of the nineteenth century was the Oneida Community of New York. The “Perfectionist” religious group, organized along the teachings of John Humphrey Noyes, intrigued observers and scholars with their practice of complex marriage and communal living. Founded in 1848, the Oneida Community's membership peaked at 300 in 1878 before dissolving in 1881, eventually becoming Oneida Limited, a popular flatware manufacturer. The Oneida experiment was the brainchild of John Humphrey Noyes, son of Vermont congressman John Noyes. During the peak of the Second Great Awakening, John Humphrey experienced conversion, coming to the conclusion that God demanded true spiritual perfection rather than good works. Noyes's Perfectionism prompted him to reexamine all aspects of his life and the world around him. Of particular interest to Noyes was the issue of sex. Noyes viewed pregnancy and childbearing to be the greatest burden that women endured, and an unfair one. Nevertheless, procreation was necessary and the sex act enjoyable. Noyes concluded that one's attitude towards sex was more important than the act itself and that sexual impulses were essentially good, when channeled correctly. Noyes publicly argued for the creation of a holy Christian community based on spiritual love, sexual expression, and communal values. Noyes and his followers experimented ... log in or subscribe to read full text