Mormon

With the Sonoran States at their front door it’s no wonder the Mormons have a closed border.  Mormon covers all the land from the west edge of the Rockies to the Schell River Mountains in eastern Nevada, and from Craters of the Moon in Idaho south to the Grand Canyon. The territory is Utah, mostly.  The capital is, of course, at Salt Lake City.  The Mormons have the most sophisticated society in the Western Hemisphere, including water-treatment and sewage facilities, paved roads, public education, welfare and health services, and a system of identification (like social security numbers).  They are a devoutly religious people, advocating peace and non-violence, and are governed by a Bishop elected by their Clergy.  All young men and women must give two years of their lives in service to the Church before they are allowed to marry.  On rare occasions this takes young men outside the Mormon lands on missionary work.  Very few of those who go return home again.  Church attendance is mandatory for all citizens, unless illness or age prevents it.  This civilization comes with a price.  Justice is swift and there are no appeals.  They firmly believe in an eye for an eye.  In fact, if a fight results in the loss of an eye the man who caused the injury will probably have an eye put out.  Murder results in the death penalty; rape results in castration and permanent service to the church.  Theft results in a period of bondage, usually to the Church but sometimes to the family from whom the goods were stolen.  Although someone who shows an aptitude for healing may join the Clergy and become a Physician, all other displays of Power are considered evil, and the “witch” is stoned to death.   The Ten Commandments are strictly enforced.  The borders of Mormon are closed to strangers, and are patrolled quite effectively.  You must have an entrance Visa in order to get in, or you will be escorted back to the border, or jailed.  The frequent clashes with Sonoran raiders to the south and tribal raiders to the east and north mean that the Mormon guard is not only well-trained, but experienced.  They are disciplined and devoted.  The only thing keeping Mormon within Mormon territory is a lack of desire to expand their “paradise.”

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This work by Jean Headley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.