Pathetic Irony and the LDS Church.

Much as happened in the last two months, and so quickly so that I may have seemed to drop off the planet. In that short time, the presidential race got extremely ugly, and then an amazing thing took place, we elected a new president and he's an African American. I foresee changes to come in this world that are difficult to put into words.

The United States and it's long history of racism continues, but in a different respect, because the majority has spoken and the majority is ready for a new future. Sadly there is a part of me that fears for the safety of the President Elect, as his election has brought the fringes of racism into the daylight, like so many cockroaches when the kitchen light is flipped on unexpectedly. If I were one to pray to a deist god, I would do so for him. Instead, I'll meditate on his behalf, because I think that changes he will implement will be beneficial to all sentient beings. And that's a bold statement.

In other news, Californians have elected to remove rights that had been granted to the sexual minority community by their state judicial branch. It appears that the chief sponsor of this newest wave of hatred is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I happen to know a thing or two about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because this is the religion I was raised in. I served a full time mission for this organization and basically it, and it's perspective on the world, encapsulated my own vision of the world, and world religions, until I was 22 or so.

To say that the LDS view of the world and of world religions, of it's people and by extension, the freedoms of the worlds people is narrow would be an understatement taken to an extreme. The phrase 'Having Blinders On' especially applies to this culture.

Rather, than go off on a tangent about my own storied experiences of having grown up in this group, only to escape it as an early adult and completely change my point of view to that of social and political liberal, lesbian ,and later Buddhist, what I will tell you is that anyone who does even a tiny bit of research into the subject can discover that multifarious manners by which the church has sought to alter the documentation of its own history.

The LDS church as a whole has long sought 'mainstream acceptance' in the world - ironic, since their own scriptures describe them as a 'peculiar people'. I don't have a footnote for where I learned this, but I remember being taught as a child that in the early days of the church, eg - 1840+ (they were already in Utah at the time), membership in political party was randomly assigned to members so that they would 'receive equal attention from Washington'.

Furthermore, I personally have long known that the church, both individually and collectively is very concerned with image and are taught to 'avoid the appearance of evil' (I won't go into my theories about how this teaching fosters hiding of evils/bad behavior, and that it seems to condone the commission of heinous acts out of the view of the public, rather than an honest, and forthright approach to the world. I'll save that for a later post).

Third, anyone who has paid attention to the mainstream media in the last 20 years or so, especially those of us raised in the LDS community, can clearly see that 'The Church' has engaged in a broad spectrum marketing campaign to dispel what they call 'myths' and sanitize the religion for the purpose of making it broadly appealing to the masses.

Indeed, it seems to have worked. The LDS church's Prophet, Seer and Revelator Brigham Young once described the African Race as follows:

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable, sad, low in their habits, wild, ad seemingly without the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be and the Lord put a mark on him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then other curse is pronounced upon the same race - that they would be the "servant of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree." Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, pages 290 291

For someone harboring such openly racist beliefs, the LDS church has made amazing inroads in converting the people of the African continent.

The church also has something of a tangential connection with sexual minority community. A book written by former BYU Professor D. Michael Quinn, in his treatise, 'Same-Sex Dynamics Among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example' outlines and extensively footnotes this tangential relationship. Mr. Quinn has other titles he's published as well - all of which cast a shadow on the sqeaky clean image 'The Church' would like to project. Among them, "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View", "Mormon Hierarchy #01: Origins of Power", "Mormon Hierarchy #02: Extensions of Power", and "Essays on Mormonism Series #04: The New Mormon History: Revisionist Essays on the Past". Fascinating reading, all - and for his scholarship, the LDS Church excommunicated and ostracized him.

The history of the racism and bigotry continues to this day - even though, supposedly they 'shook off' their racism in 1978 when they allowed black men to hold their priesthood (when god told them to, of course).

Just in the last two weeks a story appeared from Rexburg, Idaho (Location of BYU Idaho, and approximately 97% LDS populated) of a school bus full of 2nd and 3rd graders who were shouting 'Assassinate Obama' - to which parents reported this to the school board. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Racism is taught. Someone taught these kids this - and even though they may not know what they were saying, its planting seeds that may flower later into a very destructive plant - and this scares me, but I digress.

Here's the ironic part - ready?

In sanitizing their history, and making themselves appear squeaky clean to the world and 'avoid the appearance of evil', they have done LESS to align themselves with the 'mainstream right' (eg, extreme poltical religious right of this country) than by simply funneling money into a measure that removes marriage rights from the GLBT citizens of California, and by teaching racsim in their culture.

These are characteristicts that are stereotypically associated with fundamentalist right wingers, 'Sarah Palin Republicans' if you will - and while it is safe to assume that not all people who are of the 'Evangelical Persuasion' feel this way, that is the prevailing stereotype ...and now it appears that the Mormons long sought after 'acceptance' is well underway.

Ironic, don't you think?

Why, you may ask? Well...I will get into that next time, with the topic of 'A Mormon President and The White Horse Prophecy'.

Stay tuned.