#racist Mormon doctrines

[raspberryusagi]

*looks in the notes of that last reblog*

…

I don’t know what I was expecting.

#the adventures of usagi the rambling blogger #gifs #like okay I get it a lot of our stuff both official and folk doctrine sounds absolutely batsticks out of context #and even in context #and I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s religious trauma and yeah some congregations can get pretty cult-ish from what I’ve heard #I won’t even deny we have had some really racist doctrine in the past that our leadership is not doing enough to make up for #and they supposedly never apologize as a matter of policy #so h #and yeah the Book of Mormon does have some stupidly racist stuff that is not lost on me #I will admit it is not a perfect institution in any sense of the word #that. being. said… #hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #I’m just gonna go back to bed #like I should have two hours ago when I first woke up to pee #these have been rambling tags with Usagi

[victoriadallonfan]

I don't agree with a lot of Sanderson's politics - and they aren't, in fact, based in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints doctrine, but rather Utah culture - but it also makes me pretty uncomfortable to hear you badmouthing the church I'm part of?

I badmouth religious organizations in general, Catholic Church included (in which I was raised) because they tend to be overwhelmingly corrupt and abusive towards their own church members (and especially towards people outside of them)

Mormonism in particular is especially bad for how being part of the church requires “tithings” from paychecks plus their treatment of women, minorities, and even men in ways that are almost so explicitly manipulative and cultish that it feels like it comes out of parody.

(For example, I simply declared, “I am no longer catholic” and that was it. Done. You cannot generally do the same in LDS without incredible backlash and slander by its members)

And it’s very obvious when it shows up in fictional books by a lot of Mormon writers, because it’s so conservative that it’s a step or two behind the times.

It’s not as bad as Westeros Westboro Baptist Church or Scientology, but that’s not a high bar to clear.

If your time in the church was different, I’m happy for you, because it means you likely avoided the worst parts of their abuse.

Still, if you have the time, I’d suggest watching these videos (in no particular order):

Why I Left Mormonism - Video covering the creation of the channel “Cults to Consciousness” and her abusive home life under the church

The BITE Model - Simple PowerPoint explaining the reoccurring factors of cults

Ex-Mormon Cast Reacts to Mormon Debates -Cast of ex-Mormon members react to a Mormon debate and highlight various lies and falsehoods presented, as well talk about teachings/history Mormon Church does not want revealed publicly

How the Mormon Church ‘Help Line’ Hid Child Abuse - Exactly what it says. Survivors speak out and the church has done nothing for them or worse.

If you don’t want to watch these videos, if you can’t stomach the testimonies, ask yourself and others these questions:

- How often are you allowed to preach about Heavenly Mother?

- How often do you see women in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine and not just playing piano or making food for the men?

- How often do you see minorities in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine or being treated as a token?

- How often does your church talk about the incredibly high suicide rates for children and how it’s associated with its practices?

- How come when a racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic etc Prophet speaks its “the word of God” and doctrine, but then another Prophet can simply claim it was mere “policy”. Was ‘God’ lying to the prophets? Were the prophets lying about God? How can you trust what is their words and what is God?

- How come the church hid $30 Billion dollars from the public and even its own lower members?

- How come the founder lied about what was on the Egyptian papyrus, claiming it was a translation from God, but people who can actually read Egyptian pointed out he was lying?

- How come you get treated differently for asking these supposedly easy to answer questions?

I do not go after Brandon or you because you happen to be religious. I think belief in a higher power is one’s own choice and prerogative.

I instead care far more about the religious system that is using well-intended people like pawns for goals that pretty much boil down to money and power.

#rant #religion #cw: religious trauma #religious trauma #mormonism #Mormon #church of latter day saints #lds church #cults to consciousness #ex mormon #ex Mormon podcast #brandon sanderson #utah

[wahoopli]

drop the sanderson thoughts lmao. did you read the wired article everyone’s talking about?

yes i did read the wired article. it was weird? fine? i agree with the take that the writer thought it would be more interesting, and then had to come up with a story on a deadline.

tbh i feel like the more interesting story is that mormonism is a settler colonialist monument to white cisheteropatriarchy, and that really shows in sanderson's writing. stormlight especially really demonstrates this. it's structured to be all about oppression (darkeyes, the singers) but sanderson's narrative continually prioritizes the oppressors. that's so mormon! the book of mormon is so racist and present-day mormonism is so invested in whiteness and imperialism, esp with sending missionaries to convert people of color in the global south.

and like... we talk all the time about how sanderson is great at writing queer characters when he's not trying to. how his romances really fall flat. to me it's all connected to mormonism. he's talked before about how he doesn't really have emotional ups and downs, and the article kind of touches on this too. mormonism is such a passion-less religion. if you've ever been in a mormon church building, they're the most boring buildings alive. there's a complete lack of culture, art, life. mormonism is designed to produce nuclear family clones who have the same opinions and have a very "nice" society.

i'm rambling, and i have lots more thoughts, but i just think the way sanderson writes romance really positions it as a Thing You Put In A Narrative and not, like, a messy human experience. and that's so mormon. you serve a mission for the church as a late teen and then come back and are expected to marry. marriage is one of the essential Steps toward exaltation.

obviously the other really interesting thing is that the magic of the cosmere tbh is extremely mormon in a way I find very interesting and sometimes like! one of the key doctrines of mormonism is that if you live your life perfectly, you'll become a god and create your own worlds the same way god did with us. it's a complicated and fascinating idea, and i don't think it's terribly difficult to make the connection to whiteness and the settler fantasy of it all. but in the cosmere, humans become gods. gods are bound by rules (also important in mormon theology). ruin and preservation created scadrial and built it and humans from scratch.

idk i just feel like if you've read sanderson's work (which the wired writer says he did) and have a solid understanding of mormonism, there's a much richer and more interesting story to tell than what that article gave. it barely scratched the surface imo.

disclaimer, i say all this as a white queer exmormon who has lived in utah her whole life. i love lots of things about mormonism, and i can't separate my personal and family history from the church. it's defined my life up until the last couple of years, and that's the place i'm speaking from.

#emily types #sanderson critical #you asked for it anon #here are some messy thoughts that probably make no sense #but tbh that article just really demonstrates to me a misunderstanding of mormonism sanderson and the cosmere fandom #which is too bad because there are very interesting things to say and lots of really valuable criticism if you know what you're talking #about #and tbh some of this is from my brain #but lots of it is stuff i've seen other people say on this app

[nerdygaymormon]

Alma 3:6-9

I've heard this verse used as proof that mormonism is racist. Do you have an argument against it?

These verses in the Book of Mormon say people were cursed by God with a dark skin for being wicked. For most of its history, members of the LDS Church understood this passage as God cursed these people & their descendants with darker skin.

In 2020, Church spokeswoman Irene Caso said of the mark of dark skin, "The nature and appearance of this mark are not fully understood. … Later, as both the Nephites and Lamanites each went through periods of wickedness and righteousness, the mark became irrelevant as an indicator of the Lamanites’ standing before God.”

The 2020 Come, Follow Me study guide was updated to say “the curse of the Lamanites [one of the groups] was that they were ‘cut off from [the Lord’s] presence … because of their iniquity.’ … When Lamanites later embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ, ‘the curse of God did no more follow them.’”

In Sunday School classes, I've heard it taught that this group of Lamanites met and joined with other inhabitants who occupied the land. These inhabitants had darker-colored skin. By intermarrying, their offspring naturally had more melanin as a result of genetics, not a curse. Other times I've heard it said that this is symbolic, light=goodness and dark=wickedness. Their skin didn't actually change color but their countenance darkened.

I think it's terrible it was ever taught that darker skin is a curse from God. I think it's problematic this language still exists in the book and wish it would be changed.

The title page of the Book of Mormon says “And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God…” It's an interesting way to introduce the book. If it's determined there are errors, can they be corrected?

Unfortunately, this view that dark skin means cursed fit with the narrative common in America at that time, that Africans were cursed with black skin because they're descendants from the Biblical figure Cain, and they were also cursed to be servants as descendants of the Biblical character Ham. This is clearly a case of twisting the Bible to justify their racism and the enslaving of Africans.

By the end of the Book of Mormon, the labels Nephite & Lamanite lose their association with color of skin as the two groups have intermixed. Instead, it's behavior which determines who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

In addition to what it teaches about faith in Christ, the overarching lesson of the Book of Mormon is that wealth inequality & pride are the real dangers that doom civilizations and those who resort to violence and fail to care for the needy will dwindle in unbelief. The book ends by showing us the Nephites dwindling to nothing.

Cal Burke, a friend of mine, summarizes the Book of Mormon as "a story about a large group of violently racist misogynists who thought they were better than everyone else, & wound up getting annihilated *explicitly because* they would not stop being violently racist misogynists. That's it, that's the plot."

The Doctrine & Covenants confirms that the Nephites are not the heroes but rather are a cautionary tale. D&C 38:39 contains this warning to the church: "beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old." This warning to the early Latter-day Saints meant if they didn't change they would face complete destruction

Even if we go with the earlier interpretation that the Nephites saw the Lamanites having darker skin as a curse from God and that having lighter skin is superior and shows the Nephites are better, we are warned to not be like the Nephites.

In December 2021, the General Handbook of the church was updated to say church members “strive to be persons of goodwill toward all, rejecting prejudice of any kind. This includes prejudice based on race, ethnicity, nationality, tribe, gender, age, disability, socioeconomic status, religious belief or nonbelief, and sexual orientation.”

Unfortunately, the church has a history of being prejudiced. It is trying to do better. I appreciate the steps it has taken and look forward to more steps to remove prejudice from the church.

#tumblrstake

[ramshacklefey]

I am here to request more Mormon facts🎤

Your wish is my command! I'll even sort them into categories for you.

Amusing:

The fact that there weren't horses in the Americas until European settlers has caused serious problems for their claims that their book is historically accurate.

This has led some to speculate that when the book says "horses" it means "tapirs."

All Mormon men think they're Paladins: at age 12, every amab person is inducted into their priesthood which is supposed to literally bestow on them the power to do miracles in the name of God as long as they are acting in accordance with God's will and living righteously.

They make a big deal of their "sacred secrets" in the temples, mostly so the members don't find out that they're just masonic rituals with the serial numbers shaved off.

Actually their whole structure is basically just a more bizarre version of the masons.

Their mythology makes free will impossible (something I figured out when I was 12, much to the consternation of my youth group leaders)

They believe that the righteous (men) will eventually become Gods and get to start their own universes.

Their supposedly eternal and absolute rules about what constitutes modest dress have nevertheless semi-consistently been updated to keep up with contemporary fashion.

Less funny:

Salt Lake City, Utah, is an unbelievable hotbed of multilevel marketing schemes. Women trapped at home keep getting into them. I guess if you're caught up in one, it's easy to buy into another...

They're well known for community support within their group, but the Church itself is an international multi-billion dollar organization and never gives significant aid to members.

Everyone in the church is required to pay 10% of their (pre-tax) earnings directly to the church.

Every young man in the church is required to serve a 2 year, volunteer mission. They have to fund these themselves.

Church leadership is supposedly called by divine revelation, yet somehow they're almost all from the same enclave of families whose roots trace back to the founders of the church.

My youth group leader once tried to tell me that rock music was spiritually bad and instead I should be listening to musicals and opera. Because the lyrical content was more spiritually pure.

They're in the "we are fighting a literal war against the Forces of Evil" category of evangelicals, but it was to my immense disappointment that this did not mean there were any sexy demons around.

If they took their own morals seriously, they'd all be communists.

Not Remotely Funny:

The church has a truly massive endowment, and their fingers are in a lot of corporate and political pies.

When California was voting on gay marriage back on 2008, the church organized a concerted effort of members buying property in the state so they could vote against it.

Seriously, I cannot stress enough to you how much money and influence the church has. They just don't wave it around as much as some groups.

Joe Smith and his successor, Brigham Young, were pedophiles who used their church doctrine to force teenage girls to marry them.

They're one of the groups that believe peace in the Middle East is a harbinger of the apocalypse.

Yes, they really are that racist.

They encourage members to adopt Native children in order to "save them" from the curse of their ancestors.

They have one of the largest genealogical databases in the world, and they mostly use it to perform proxy baptisms on dead people, including massive numbers of holocaust victims.

Their culture normalizes and even valorizes child abuse by men. All of the most respected men in my congregation growing up regularly beat their kids. This was considered normal and even funny.

Abuse and bullying are rampant for young men on missions.

They're also ableist in the weirdest way. They believe that everyone's soul is a "perfected" version of their body, see. Any neurodivergent or mentally disabled people are "normal" souls trapped in defective bodies.

BYU (the church-owned university) has a rampant problem with suicides among queer students.

Utah has one of the highest rates of depression in the country, especially among women.

#mormons #mormonism #and this is still only scratching the surface

[aviesnapkindoodles]

genuinely asking i mean no harm but in my experience with mormons they’re very very anti lgbt and i was just curious about your own views and how you see the rest of the community

hi! I'm not sure if you know me or follow my blog, but I am very very queer :)

Also I could go on a whole rant about the guidelines for cults following most organizations (including weight watchers, any organized religion, basically any group that has some kind of leadership guidelines and beliefs) is just a tool to measure what measure of influence a group has upon your life but it's 2am

Personally, I am a not big fan of the church as an overarching institution. I disagree and dislike a lot of the personal beliefs of leadership and organization, but I love the best and most important parts of my religion and the Mormon culture, which doesn't necessarily mean homophobia and exclusion.

For me, I love the idea of heaven being personalized and there is no true hell. That repentance is changing for yourself for the better. That family is forever. That I am imbued with the power of the Divine. That I have a Heavenly Mother. Culturally, I love potlucks and ministering companions and kids giving testimonies on Sundays and young women's camp songs and traditions from my culture.

I recognize and acknowledge that the church hurts many people, (I am one of those people, as a queer fem-aligned person) and I respect people's private dislike for religion/my religion. But making rude call-out posts and doing things creating a (racist) musical mocking a relatively large group of Christians is just... thoughtless and cruel.

I think there's a big disconnect between the idea of homophobia and the church. The DOCTRINE of the church is based on Christ (second great commandment is to love your neighbors as thyself), which is not homophobic/predjudiced. The PEOPLE can choose to disregard it, same as any other belief. The INSTITUTION unfortunately has in place many structures that are not really said in doctrine, but rather formed due to personal history and possible prejudice.

Thank you for asking, and I'm so sorry if you've had that experience, and I hope this made sense! David (@nerdygaymormon) is a fantastic man and is the go-to person for much of the queer Mormon discussion.

Love, Avie

#personal #tumblrstake #queerstake #Mormon #religion

[furryprovocateur]

something about "you HAVE to be nice to mormons who believe a racist and misogynist doctrine or else you're going to push them further into their beliefs" has me knee-jerk react with "naw, fuck the both of you actually"

[nightingaelic]

what're your thoughts on joshua graham? the ol' crispy mormon?

Eheh... almost got a bingo, there.

Due to semi-recent (and ancient) consternation within the Tumblr Fallout fanscape about Crispy Josh, this is kind of a dangerous question, anon. I'll be honest, my own feelings on Mormon Jerky Man are mixed. On the one hand, I think that the Burned Marshmallow alone, in a bubble, is a thought-provoking and sometimes poignant examination about what extremes a person can go to and attempt to come back from. I really like his embodiment of Fallout New Vegas' main theme: To let go of the past, and to try to move on, and whether that's something that's even possible for everyone. I wish that meeting him had had more of an effect on the base game, particularly on interactions with Caesar's Legion and those who talk about the fiery figure at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I wish that the player had gotten more chances to challenge him on how he views his time in the Legion, and all the horrors he inflicted at Caesar's side.

On the other hand, the Gun Mummy is the main character in a story that should not be his. Due to Obsidian's developmental time constraints (and I suspect lack of POC input), Graham Cracker is in a position to decide the future of not one, not two, but THREE tribes in Honest Hearts, alongside Mormon missionary golden boy Daniel. Given that Caesar's Bacon Bit is trying to atone for his past sins by making the same mistakes over again and actively trampling on the cultures of the Sorrows and the Dead Horses along the way, I'm inclined to think that his attempts at redemption are actually more akin to a revenge quest. The fact that the three indigenous-coded tribes don't really get a say in their own futures also makes me feel all types of no-thank-you, particularly if you know the history and doctrine of the Mormon church when it comes to indigenous peoples.

The Deep-Fried Prodigal Son also inspires some truly rotten takes from the fanscape, ranging from claims that any enjoyment of the character is a sign that someone is the anti-Christ, to using the character as an excuse to create wildly racist fan content. I try to stay out of it, but overall, I can't bring myself to actively hate the S'Mormon Wonder. He's a flawed character, but the flaws that bother me the most aren't from the way he was individually written - they're due to Honest Hearts being a weak, careless DLC as a whole.

Link to template

#fallout #fallout new vegas #fnv #joshua graham #honest hearts #character opinion bingo

[silvermoon424]

God that mormon post you reblogged (and your tags) reminded me of an old YouTube video (some old animation from the 70s or 80s) my dad showed me years ago. I remember the video said something about Mormons being from another world or something and that if you sinned or went against the religion, then your skin would be turned black and they could never return home.

Holy fuck, lol

Also yeah, Mormon doctrine (at least in the early years) is really big on skin darkening being used as "punishment." As I said in my tags, Mormon belief holds that Native Americans used to be white until they were "cursed" with dark skin for betraying the Nephites, and a big reason why black people weren't allowed in the Church until 1978 was because it was believed that God "cursed" them with black skin for being sinful.

I can think of way worse punishments from God than having dark skin but then again I'm not a racist settler from the 1800s lol

[not-the-apple-pie-please]

Headcanons for Utah

Whoop!!! I'm back again. Headcanons for the Best Snow on Earth, Utah (their words not mine)

(below the cut because it's longer and I feel bad for people's dash.)

Utah was born in the summer of 1850, a month or so before he became an actual territory. He was called Deseret at the time and was nonreligious, lived on a small cattle ranch.

I have a personal headcanon that the LDS church has had a separate personification since the 1830s when they started preaching full time.

LDS himself is the white pressed shirt man with the elder tag and the hate for using "The Lords name in vain". Utah picked it up from him. (LDS lived in New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri before going to Utah.)

Utah was brought up by the LDS church, and as such joined the church when he was still a new being.

He attempted to go on missions to outposts within the state but was shot down because he wasn't "good enough". Basing this completely on the team spirit idea that a personification can't be away from their people for too long, and that they didn't know quite the reach of said territory. (Cred to @icestarphoenix)

During the Utah war and following conflicts with polygamy, Utah himself was not part of the decision. The LDS church had an iron grip on the guy and was calling shots for him.

Utah met The Army in fall of 1857 when he joined the Nauvoo Legion to meet them

Between the 1850s and 1890s was when I HC Utah as taking most of his mission trips.

Utah met his first wife in 1869 after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, a woman named Emma Bradshaw.

Not making a headcanon for her, but Utah was always monogamous. He only had about 3 kids with this union, 1 of which died shortly after being born.

Utah drinks his respect women juice sometimes (has had women's suffrage since the 1870s) (but outlaws abortion so he's been slacking)

Utah became a state in 1896 and his first meeting with the other states was held that same year. I'm inclined to think he was probably excluded from meetings before then because a lot of Mormon policy was seen as Un-American and I have a feeling Gov didn't like the religion controlled territory all too much.

Utah and the National Park Service became good friends in the 30s during the depression, with the creation of the Mighty Five parks.

Utah is a big outdoors person, and likes snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing, and skiing.

During WW2 he managed to join the army and stormed Normandy. Frequently had to go back to his state because of Team spirit stuff.

In the 70s Utah got in trouble with Gov about his racist policies concerning the church, and that is when I headcanon Utah to start to fall away from the church.

Utah never really liked computers all that much when they were being created, but loves the GPS. He doesn't really need it thanks to the grid system, but he holds a certain fondness for the automated voice.

Utah met his second wife, Ilithiya, in November of 2006 and were married in May of 2007. The states were all invited and only like 20-ish came.

All of my headcanons on Ilithiya come from @firsttraintovictoriaville 's work Worth Praying For because she is beautiful and I love that work

Utah's six kids were born as follows: Jaxon(March 21st, 2008) Kayleigh(March 21st, 2008 +3 minutes) Kingsley (September 9th, 2011) Kayden (December 2nd, 2013) Jayden (August 16th, 2015) Brayden (July 30th, 2016)

Utah and the LDS church have weird strained relationship. The LDS (not typing out church every time) has a lot of say in what does and doesn't happen in the state. I see their relationship as a teacher and a student, LDS being the teacher and Utah being the student.

Utah has a lot of issues with church doctrine, mainly on the books of Abraham and JST.

When Utah approached LDS with these issues in the early 70s. LDS was quick to come up with excuses and reasons as to why those concerns were silly and Utah was just being a bad Mormon.

From then on Utah was more of a laid back Mormon, obvi didn't quit the church because he still has the suit and tie, but he doesn't follow every guideline to a T now.

Personally, I don't see Utah as the super ultra "Do you know Jesus loves you?" Guy, but more of a guy who was raised with really strict parents and struggles to venture outside their standards very often because that was how he was raised.

He has a no alcohol policy because Florida, as well as a no coffee policy because Georgia. No tobacco because Mississippi, and no weed because Colorado.

Utah is a big tea person. Not early gray, but herbal teas? All of about them. As a collection of different fruit teas and caffeine free beverages.

He cannot watch movies with any sort of romance or sexy stuff. Turns away from the screen during kissing scenes because it "feels like a violation of privacy".

The kind of person to say "Hate is a strong word 😃" and proceed to complain about a single person for 2 ½ hours.

Utah strikes me as a big dog person. I think he'd have a good dog for kids, like a golden retriever or an Australian shepherd. Just a dog that would be okay to go on adventures but also sit by the kids when they pass out from playing.

Has a Google phone because he hates Apple.

Yeah! Those are all the headcanons I have stored in my noggin. Would love to hear if any one else has any thoughts, or if I wrote something that is just Straight Up Wrong.

Also apologies to anyone offended by the Mormon stuff, I'm an exmo myself and it's kinda venting on my part with that. Totally willing to edit!

#welcome to the statehouse #welcome to the table #wttt #wttsh #ben brainard #wttt utah #wttsh utah #headcanons #my headcanons

[demoisverysexy]

As much as Im not a fan of Bruce R. mcKonkie for writing Mormon Doctrine, as well as being a racist homophobe, he really went off when he wrote "I Believe in Christ," huh.

Also some of his ideas were pretty good.

#mormonism #religion #queerstake

[foxgirltail]

Sometimes I remember actual genuine mormon beliefs and feel like I'm going to explode. Sure people joke about mormon bigfoot but that's not really supported by doctrine or anything. Mormon submarines though, that's real. Magic underwear, white Jesus, columbus being directed by god to go west, the founding fathers directed by god to split from britain - that kinda bullshit is all like. Actual genuine beliefs held by the majority of mormons and supported by their leaders and texts

It's just. So bad. And if you try and bring anything up to them - "hey isn't this like, really racist?" - You'll get back stuff like "our religion is the one true religion from God directly so it can't be racist" or "doubts about our religion only come from the devil so you have to ignore them to see the truth" and I want to tear my hair out

#mormonism mention

[alliluyevas]

it’s so interesting to me how almost nothing that is ideologically or theologically distinct about mormonism is actually in the book of mormon. like obviously the reason behind that is because joseph smith was just making all that shit up and he evolved over time but it’s very interesting none the less. like the stuff that IS in the book of mormon is crazy and the origin story vis a vis supposed golden plates + dictation via magic rock is even crazier but it’s literally just new testament fanfiction mashed up with racist pseudohistory about native americans. then 10-15 years later shit starts getting REALLY weird and you get polygamy and eternal progression and adam-god doctrine and spirit babies and all that

#im obsessed w eternal progression and the adam god doctrine it's really fascinating to me and it's honestly a very sci fi type concept #again joseph smith did scientology before l ron hubbard did scientology

[zonerobotnik]

Your reaction towards POC in Disney movies really shows that your parents and priests did a good job in stuffing their racist, white supremacist Mormon doctrines into your head.

Ah, yes. My reaction to a Disney classic being butchered and Rachel Zegler making claims about playing "the first Latina Disney Princess" in her remake of the classic Snow White that will in no way impact the fact that Snow White will always be white and this "representation" is a Band-Aid solution for a much bigger problem to try to make people shut up about wanting more diversity is because of my "parents and priests". No. My reaction is solely because I recognize this for what it is, Disney being lazy, greedy fucks and Rachel Zegler being a fucking idiot and my parents and Bishops have nothing to do with that. They could make a movie about Elena of Avalor or some other Latina hero or Princess, but they decide they're going to instead completely redesign Snow White, from her appearance to her personality, to "make her Latina" when we all know it's bullshit and Snow White will not be changing her design on the Disney merch and parks. But, hey, Disney can pat themselves on the back for the "diversity win" and tell people to shut up and watch the new Snow White movie if they want a Latina Princess! This new trend of race-swapping the classic tales into "new" versions that will not achieve anything but maybe a few new dolls to play with that resemble the live-action versions is, frankly, disturbing. This is not a diversity win. We need more movies like Black Panther, like Coco, like Encanto, like Moana, like Mulan, and we need to stop trying to remake the classics. As they say, "if it's not broke, don't fix it." I didn't include The Princess and the Frog in it, despite Tiana being a Disney Princess, because I recognize that them being frogs through most of it is concerning. Both Soul and The Princess and the Frog suffer from changing their black main characters into something else for most of it. I want to see more diversity, but I don't want it to be in the form of remaking movies that already exist that won't actually affect things in the long run. I don't see why this is a problem or makes me "racist", and my religion and parents have nothing to do with my feelings on this. I'm not mad at Rachel Zegler because she's Latina, I'm mad because she's feeding us bullshit and making a false claim and butchering the story. Snow White will never be known as a Latina Princess. The live-action movie will not change the established character's design. And her stupid movie is missing seven critical characters and she's talking about giving a 16th century girl modern values. It's. Bullshit. Maybe I'd have watched her movie if she just made it all completely original and didn't use the name "Snow White" for it, but I am not enjoying what I've been hearing about this so far and I'm not interested in this Band-Aid solution of a movie. West Side Story is a pretty cool retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but it didn't claim to BE the original Romeo and Juliet. She needs to change the name, because this is not "Snow White" anymore. And, do we REALLY need ANOTHER live-action version of "Snow White" that changes the story until it's unrecognizable? We've already got "Snow White and the Huntsman" and "Mirror, Mirror". Let's just leave poor Snow alone if we're not gonna tell her story again properly! At least Belle and Jasmine got their stories fleshed out, not rewritten!

#ask zone stuff

[nerdygaymormon]

Don't you think staying in church and trying to change things is just a waste of your time?

As far as what I do inside the church, I see it as trying to increase understanding. Hopefully as understanding increases it will lead to change.

As part of that, I have written to and met with apostles and Seventies. However, I don't kid myself that I have the power to convince them to enact change at the institutional level to be more inclusive of queer lives.

I also do this blog so there's a record of my experience, thoughts & feelings about being a queer member of the LDS Church. Maybe the things I share will help others understand, both now and those in the future.

I am here to help queer Mormons. I help them see they're not alone. I help give voice to their thoughts, feelings, fears, & hopes. I help them recognize they have value despite whatever messages they hear at church. I help them move forward in their faith journey, whether that's in or out of the LDS church.

If you measure what I do solely by did I get the church to change it's doctrines & policies, then I'm absolutely a failure. If you consider a greater number of criteria, then I hope someone could say I make a difference

I think about members of African ancestry who joined this church and remained during the decades prior to the change in 1978 to include them in priesthood & temple blessings. I can shake my fist at the racist attitudes and restrictions in the church and those who implemented and enforced those things while still honoring the choices of Black members who decided to stay or to leave. Their influence led many members to become uncomfortable with the racist teachings and ask for change.

I'm not saying this is my work alone and nor is it my work for my entire life. Many queer people have spoken up and many yet will. Most sojourn in this church for a period of time before moving on to more welcoming spaces where they can be their full authentic selves.

The efforts of this collective of queer people and allies is shaking the church. No longer can we be simply condemned and then ignored. At many devotionals and leadership meetings where they open it up for questions from attendees, people ask about queer people and when will the church change? The homophobic and transphobic restrictions are still in place, but support for these is dimming among the church membership and they're more and more willing to voice their opinions against the way things are now.

#i'm tired of condescending questions #queerstake

[icannotgetoverbirds]

A thought that turned into a rant

More exmo stuff you know the deal

Something that really struck me after reading the CES letter was that the 'doctrine' preventing black men from holding the priesthood was a letter, not unlike today's exclusionary document, The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

With how many members that have the Proclamation framed in their homes (my family included), it makes me wonder if the racist letter from the organization at the time was ever revered in a similar way, framed in someone's home, etc. Mormon lessons go on and on about the pride cycle in the scriptures while the cult does the exact same thing - pushing hatred as doctrine and then pretending like it's suddenly no longer divine intervention when they get too much external pressure to change the rules, too much of hypocritical cowards to stick to their own words about how 'doctrine never changes'*. Never changes my ass.

The worst part? The cult never gets properly humbled into doing better by humanity for even a little while! They're always at least several years behind the curve in politics! I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they think autistic people need to be cured or some shit and/or will be neurotypical in the afterlife, because that's just how they are! (I'm pretty sure that's canon anyways since we will be made 'pErFeCt' which usually means to most people that we're no longer disabled and/or neurodivergent. Fun.)

Sidenote while I'm pissed off, I have never seen a temple with wheelchair ramps or that's accessible to physically disabled people. Maybe there is one, maybe there are many, maybe they all have ramps now and it's just been that long since I've been in one. Regardless, the temple I visited when I was still somewhat a PIMO had none, which was. Not that long ago. Like, barely pre-pandemic. Maybe I'm just looking for things to be mad about at this point, which, like. Can you blame me? This cult has tainted almost my entire life. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out that that's usually the case.

Leaders of the Mormons telling people to humble themselves should start by looking in the goddamn mirror and back through the history of the cult. Maybe they'd learn a thing or two. Probably not though.

#*obviously i am glad for their cowardice when it comes to these things because that's how we move forwards #*but goddamn i wish they were at least more open about their history of fucking up #like 'hey prophets are human and make mistakes so like. follow them but also understand that they're human' #and teaching in class about the history #but then of course more people would leave because it's so fucked up #exmo #byrd is an exmo #ex mormon #exmo stuff #ex cult #exmormon #im feeling very exmo in this chilis tonight #byrd chirps #byrd SCREAMS #mormon #exmo thoughts #religious trauma #ex religious #ces letter #tried to post this to reddit but i think i got too mad #it got auto-removed probably for the swearing #mormon cw #former mormon #lds #cult tw #tw cult #religion tw #christianity tw #tw cult mention #cult mention tw