Letter to the Editor: LDS church ‘social media fast’ designed to prevent female political breakthrough

Stock image, St. George News

OPINION — Even though Dallin Oaks, an apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said that you cannot support LGBTQ+ rights and be a Latter-day Saint, it was worth putting the breaks on the idea that Oaks was saying that you cannot be an LDS Democrat in general.

But Mormon prophet Russell Nelson’s call to women to get off social media for 10 days was something different.

After the 10 days, the majority of voters may have filed their ballots in areas where the church has influence, given how popular vote-by-mail has become. And women are absolutely going to be influential on the Internet in an election that is very much focused on women voters’ frustration growing brighter and on women candidates’ rising campaigns.

So, Christine Blasey Ford’s criticisms of Brett Kavanaugh before Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court promised a resulting female breakthrough this election, and the Mormon church is trying to stop it where it can.

Submitted by RHETT WILKINSON, Delta, Utah.

Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.

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Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.

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14 Comments

  • iceplant October 15, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    “Oaks was saying that you cannot be an LDS Democrat…”

    Wait a minute. There are Democrats in the Mormon church? IS that possible without being ex’d?
    I’m kidding, mostly.
    As a former member it is becoming more and more clear by the day the I made the right choice in leaving. This march into the 21st century while aspiring to mid-20th-century values is sickening. Anti-cannabis, anti-gay marriage, anti-gay rights, getting rid of the Boy Scout program, the whole “don’t call us Mormons” thing, 90% control of the state legislature with ZERO separation of church and state… and on and on and on. I don’t miss it one bit. Pure insanity. I’m raising my daughters to know they are better than how some old man tells them to live their lives.

    • Real Life October 15, 2018 at 9:55 pm

      I’m sure iceplant cares what you think. Nobody else does, but I’m sure iceplant cares.

  • tazzman October 15, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    “Wait a minute. There are Democrats in the Mormon church? IS that possible without being ex’d?
    I’m kidding, mostly.”

    Your favorite senator, Harry Reid, was a high ranking official in the church. Don’t be obtuse.

  • high5 October 15, 2018 at 3:02 pm

    Recent Events and Changes in mormon church activities and so on have even Their Own Members Questioning Their Belief.
    Sad Really –
    quitmormorn.com.
    Save Yourself and Your Sanity- get out now.

  • AnnieMated October 15, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    I’m a Mormon, yes I said “Mormon”. What I choose to call myself is my business. Frankly, I’m not offended if others call me that either. I also not going to correct them. Generally speaking, I enjoy conference. I think the messages are genuinely meant to be kind and the lessons they intend to spread are good. That said, hate can creep it’s way in. There were two messages that disagreed with this last conference; Oaks’s tirade against gay people and Nelson’s “don’t call us Mormons” campaign. I’m a new convert, I struggle with accepting the church and it’s tenets daily. I’m not gay but I know plenty of people who are and not a single one of them is a bad person, working for Satan, or whatever else some guy claiming to be and Apostle of God says.

    • high5 October 15, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      Well if ur New- go back! Get Out!

    • Mike P October 16, 2018 at 11:44 am

      I choose to call myself a Lesbian trapped in a Mans body cuz, I like women.

  • Red2Blue310 October 15, 2018 at 9:32 pm

    Religious ignorance reigns in this country and God doesnt care one hoot about gays. He loves us all, LDS be damned.

  • Redbud October 15, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    I don’t use social media often, but I don’t agree with them trying to control every small aspect of your life. Whatever happened to free agency? Even though I hardly ever use it, I’m not going to stay off social media for 10 days just so I can self-righteously feel like I’m better than everyone else around me for having done so. How about let people make their own decisions?

  • Mean Momma October 16, 2018 at 2:16 am

    I may be wrong, but I don’t believe he said a specific time frame that you have to get off of social media by… if I do it at all, I will do it when I choose to, he didn’t say it had to be starting on such and such date.

  • Carpe Diem October 16, 2018 at 8:39 am

    So the way I understand it is, the smart women will take their ten days off, 5 hours at a time, between midnight and 5 am each day until complete.
    No problem!

  • Anon October 16, 2018 at 10:59 am

    As a woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I support this fast. I took part in the fast when the youth were asked back in June. I did find more peace in my life when cutting out Facebook, Twitter, etc. I am one of the lucky females that does not associate my self worth with my online persona, however I do know quite a few women who do. On the topic of election education, Facebook and Twitter should never be your primary source of education about election topics. It seems that many people have forgotten how to do their own research and just go with what ever is told them (coincidentally, I have always been told in the Church to seek my own answers, investigate Church doctrine, etc. I have and that is why I am a member). I do not take part in these things to feel more self-righteous than anyone else. I will be the first to admit that I am a sinner. I am just here trying to do my best to be a better person and become more like God wants me to be. If I (or anyone else for that matter) feel more peace and/or closer to God by taking time away from social media, shouldn’t that be encouraged? In a world where there is so much negativity, if something like this brings some positivism into a person’s life, why are we attacking that? I would encourage every person who sees this to Google the effects of social media on society and read the research that has been done on this topic.

  • Mike P October 16, 2018 at 11:42 am

    Looks like they need a LDS / Democrat / LGBTQ Influencer here.

  • Redbud October 16, 2018 at 9:56 pm

    “I am one of the lucky females that does not associate my self worth with my online persona, however I do know quite a few women who do.”

    If social media has such a strong grip on someone’s life, that is sad, but that sounds like a personal problem to me. If social media takes us that far away from Deity that we have to take a “fast” from it, then why doesn’t the church just ban it completely if it’s so bad? What happens after the 10 day fast, all of a sudden all the women have a green light to scroll through Facebook all day again? If a person spends so much time on social media that it has that profound of an effect on their life, that is called being stupid! Man or woman!

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