Thread by @BenjaminEPark

Hey y'all: I've been made aware that I goofed on a statistic in my WaPo essay--I gave the figure for Utah's total vaccination rate when I said "eligible." That is my mistake and I apologize. And I know that given Utah's demographics, that means something. washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/0…

However, I still stand by my broader points, and don't think much changes by switching those two words. (Though I'll certainly be haunted by the mistake!) And while smart people can differ on historical causations, I think Mormonism's anti-intellectual trajectory is clear.

I'll say this: it's odd for anyone to argue against the point that there's a large segment of Mormonism's population who are vaccine hesitant, given 1) the church's need to make repeated statements, and 2) the broad reactions to said statements.

So the question is: how did we get to the point where many LDS are hesitant to trust secular authorities, even to the point that they struggle with leadership counsel? That's a crucial question for understanding modern Mormonism.

And to put a bow on it: how did LDS culture evolve from being pro-government, pro-New Deal, and pro-FDR in the 1930s/40s, and pro-LBJ's Great Society in the 60s, to where we are today?

I offered one attempt to answer just a part of that. I'm always open to hearing others. /fin