Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #mormonamerica
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Last night LDS apostle Dale Renlund cautioned Latter-day Saints not to become fixated on "speculation" concerning Heavenly Mother.
How did we get to the point where this concept became so divisive? A quick #MormonAmerica thread. /1 sltrib.com/religion/2022/…
How did we get to the point where this concept became so divisive? A quick #MormonAmerica thread. /1 sltrib.com/religion/2022/…
Mormonism has a surprisingly long and dynamic tradition of theologizing Heavenly Mother, dating all the way back to Nauvoo. A recent @BYUStudies article--aided by the legendary @rachelsteenblik!--uncovered this potent history. /2 byustudies.byu.edu/article/a-moth…
So, what led to the demise of this potent Mormon doctrine? Post-WWII US saw a rise in "traditional" gender discourse, a masculine trajectory captured in @kkdumez's Jesus & John Wayne. Mormons embraced this rhetoric & crystalized it through correlation./3 wwnorton.com/books/97816314…
Okay, it's been a while, so here's a #MormonAmerica thread on the LDS Church being forced to reckon with racial ideas, doctrine, and folklore that persisted long after 1978. The story includes recent converts, scholars, leaked media, BYU, and, of course, Mitt Romney. /1 
When LDS President Spencer Kimball announced a revelation in 1978 that ended a restriction for all members with African descent from priesthood ordination and temple ordinances, many leaders hope they could just turn the page without more discussion. /2
The most famous formulation of this was Apostle Bruce R. McConkie's speech later that year that urged people to "forget everything I have said" on the topic. "It is a new day and a new arrangement." Nothing before 1978, he claimed, mattered anymore. /3 speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-r-…
This topic has come up quite a bit in the last while, so I thought I'd do a new #MormonAmerica thread.
Let's talk about the last century of Mormonism & American politics; or, the road to modern-day conservatism. /1
Let's talk about the last century of Mormonism & American politics; or, the road to modern-day conservatism. /1
Modern day observers often, and justifiably, think Mormonism & conservatism are synonymous. However, that has not always been the case. Indeed, when looking over the entire past century, the LDS connection to GOP is a recent creation.
It's a fascinating tale. /2
It's a fascinating tale. /2
When Mormon leaders gave up (public) polygamy in 1890, they also dissolved their own political party, the "People's Party." This now forced them to choose between the two parties, both of which had baggage & benefits. /3
As Canadians and Americans come to grips with the grisly details of children's burials near boarding schools, it is also important to note the role that voluntary & religious organizations played, too.
A #MormonAmerica thread on the LDS Indian Student Placement Program. /1
A #MormonAmerica thread on the LDS Indian Student Placement Program. /1
In 1947, a young Navajo girl named Helen John traveled with her family to Richfield, Utah, hired as field laborers. Growing up, Helen hid whenever cars drove through her reservation out of fear they would abduct her and take her to boarding schools. /2
But in Richfield, she encountered a white family named the Averys who introduced her to Mormonism. At first she was reluctant, and the language barrier made it difficult, but eventually she was intrigued and desired to stay and learn more. /3
In honor of passing 10k followers, how about a #MormonAmerica thread? (For those new: these are historical threads drawn from my current book project.)
Tonight, let's talk about the rise & fall of Amy Brown & Richard Lyman, the most significant LDS couple in the 20th century. /1
Tonight, let's talk about the rise & fall of Amy Brown & Richard Lyman, the most significant LDS couple in the 20th century. /1
Amy Brown and Richard Lyman were born to prominent Mormon families in 1872 and 1870, respectively. They met at Brigham Young Academy in 1888 and were quickly drawn to each other. /2
Richard was tall, broad-shouldered, and exceptionally smart, not to mention handsome. Both his father and grandfather were apostles, and he was expected to succeed in both secular and ecclesiastical roles. /3
Public health crisis-related #MormonAmerica story time? Public health crisis-related #MormonAmerica story time.
Let's talk about a time when Utahns rejected medical intervention as an infringement on personal rights, resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. /1
Let's talk about a time when Utahns rejected medical intervention as an infringement on personal rights, resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. /1
Around 1900, smallpox, a scourge that had troubled civilizations for centuries, was becoming more containable. Crude vaccines had been around for generations, but in the 1890s scientific advances made them more reliable and available, resulting in state mandates. /2
Like many states, Utah debated whether they should require vaccination. Some LDS leaders supported the measure, while others opposed. As a result of this division, and because they wanted to appear separate from the state, however, the church decided to mostly remain silent. /3
There’s been a lot said about whether BH Roberts lost faith in the Book of Mormon. I think much of the debate is misplaced: what he was argued was not belief/unbelief, but the *nature* of belief. And the debate said a lot about modern Mormonism.
A brief #MormonAmerica thread./1
A brief #MormonAmerica thread./1
BH Roberts (1857-1933) did more than nearly anyone else to synthesize and codify Mormon thought during the faith’s transition period. As Sterling McMurrin once put it, he was neither a great historian or theologian, but he was the best historian & theologian Mormonism had. /2
Many of his documentary histories, monographs, and treaties became standard readings for the saints, and some of them remain so today. It’s a reach that very few can match.
But to his chagrin, two of his late works did not receive as much attention as he’d like. /3
But to his chagrin, two of his late works did not receive as much attention as he’d like. /3
The pictures of all the protests across the nation have lifted me, but this one one with the "Mormons Against Racism" sign gave me a tear. It's from Atlanta--courtesy @alleycatrn--and it struck me because of something I encountered in my #MormonAmerica research. A quick thread./1
As I mentioned in another thread, 1968 was a crossroads for both Mormonism and America when it came to race, as protests erupted across the nation. LDS Church leaders featured those both sympathetic and angered by the civil rights movement. /2
In July of that year, the First Presidency received a letter from William Nichols, who presided over the LDS stake in Atlanta. Nichols was requesting permission to take part in a multi-religious protest in favor of civil rights in the city. /3
It's been heartbreaking to see so much pain and anguish this weekend, and tragic that a principle as simple as #blacklivesmatter is still so contested.
As a historian, I immediately thought of precedents, so I thought I'd share some lessons from my #MormonAmerica research. /1
As a historian, I immediately thought of precedents, so I thought I'd share some lessons from my #MormonAmerica research. /1
Many have shown connections to the 1968 racial riots that similarly enflamed the nation, also in an election year. (Though @TomSugrue has also pointed out key differences.) It just so happens that I'm currently working on Mormonism in 1960s, with eye to racial views. /2
Perhaps what has been so startling is how many different Mormon perspectives there were in 1968, including on the divisive topic of race. There was no clear trajectory or determined position, but a culture in transition. I'll highlight some examples, & relevance for today. /3
