ABSTRACT
A significant and controversial issue for many communal groups has been the role of marriage and family. Some Christian groups, such as the Shakers and the Harmonists (the latter led by George Rapp), stressed the importance of celibacy and either forbade or discouraged marriage. In early Moravian communities, such as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, marriages were permitted but controlled by the church-partners were chosen by casting lots. At the Oneida “perfectionist” community in New York, founded by John Humphrey Noyes in 1848, members practiced “complex marriage,” in which each adult male was married to each woman, and vice versa. Special bonds of affection, however, were discouraged.
