When the Bishop Goes Rogue
Hugh B. Brown once said, “Beware of those who feel obliged to prove their own patriotism by calling into question the loyalty of others."
Read moreThanks for the Attacks!
In the past week or so we mormon liberals have come under attack. First, a Stake President in Utah wielded right-wing talking points over the pulpit, accusing liberals of hating freedom and helping society careen toward certain destruction. Then, last Sunday, a prominent mormon conservative blogger accused the "liberal agenda" of advancing Satan's cause through "moral rape."
As I've said before, I couldn't be happier about these attacks. They are perfect examples of what we mormon liberals endure on a regular basis. Despite the plethora of Apostles and Prophets who have made incredibly clear the notion that there are good Mormons all over the political spectrum, we mormon lefties get attacked all the time.
And these open, public attacks are doing nothing but bringing those everyday attackes out into the open. This isn't the first time we've been told we're advancing the plan of the Devil, nor will it be the last, until we address the political problem in the Church: the majority (conservatives) believe that the minority (liberals) are not good Mormons.
Don't be surprised, then, if a mormon liberal feels ostracized even in her own faith, even among her own people.
President DeVisser, My Brother
I want to take a bit of a meta-approach in this brief response to President DeVisser’s recent politically-tinged remarks at a Sandy, Utah stake conference. To be clear, I do agree with what others have said here about many of his comments being inappropriate for discussion from the pulpit, and am also glad that we have a specific text to make this discussion more concrete and focused than was perhaps possible before this talk went viral. But personally, in my conflict-avoidance way (which has its costs and benefits, to be sure), I want to talk about the methods we Mormon liberals employ to disagree with this talk and other discourse like it.
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Philosophies of Men
Written by William
President Matthew DeVisser, Stake President of the Hidden Valley Stake in Sandy, Utah, has recently come under fire for a political charged sermon delivered on February 3rd at a stake conference.
Read moreWhy Pulpits and Politics Don't Mix
A few minutes ago, the Salt Lake Tribune published an article written by Peggy Fletcher Stack about a Utah Stake President who delivered a passionate, semi-political talk over the pulpit. You can read the article and text of the talk here.
Read moreWhy I'm happy about President DeVisser's ultra-conservative talk
I just finished reading Stake President Matthew DeVisser's Talk [PDF] in a recent Stake Conference in Utah. I'm glad he said what he did. First of all, he's a good man just trying to do his best as he fulfills an incredibly difficult calling. I admire anyone who's willing to take on an entire Stake's-worth of responsibility in addition to work and family. Kudos to him for that. And I'd imagine he's feeling rather sheepish now that this speech has caused such a stir.
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