A recent BYU grad, Keith Burns, has an op-ed in SLTrib today that gives quotes from past church leaders about how various social issues were satanic back in the day, and are accepted parts of society now, like interracial marriage.

I'm guessing the is not going to get invited to do a guest lecture at the BYU Religion Department anytime soon.

https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2022/04/08/keith-burns-who-has-been/

Some quotes:

In the decades following World War II and up to the present day, church leaders have frequently referred to Satan as the author of social justice movements and civil rights struggles. In doing so, they have grounded claims of white supremacy, patriarchy, and heteronormativity in appeals to God’s “unchanging” and “natural” order, while ironically shifting their positions on these issues over time.

...interracial marriage which, according to J. Reuben Clark, was “a wicked virus” and a Satanic perversion of marital purity.

He explained that “caste systems have their root and origin in the gospel itself” and “the resultant restrictions and segregation are right and proper and have the approval of the Lord.” Using Satan as a political and theological weapon, LDS leaders were able to weave white supremacy deep within the fabric of their theological tapestry. [McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1958 edition]

Harold B. Lee in his 1972 article titled, “Maintain Your Place as a Woman” maintained that the “secular lure” for women to pursue paid labor would deprive children of the crucial nurturing they needed. Further, it would confuse what he claimed to be divinely mandated gender differences, a crisis he felt would lead to a slew of immoralities – especially homosexuality.

We hear so much about emancipation, independence, sexual liberation, birth control, abortion … all of which is Satan’s way of destroying woman, the home, and the family — the basic unit of society. - N Eldon Tanner

Boyd K. Packer asserted in 1978: “If an individual becomes trapped somewhere between masculinity and femininity, he can be captive of the adversary and under the threat of losing his potential godhood.” - [ah, the good old days when Mormon men still got their own planet.]

Dallin H. Oaks recently echoed this sentiment when he asserted that “Satan seeks to confuse gender, to distort marriage, and to discourage childbearing.”

=====================

We often hear reference here to "God of the gaps", attributing to God everything that science can't yet explain, and as scientific knowledge progresses, the gaps, and therefor god, shrink.

Seems there is also a "Satan of the gaps". Everything society is not willing to accept gets ascribed to Satan, and as society progresses, the Satanic gaps shrink.


Of course the "conservatives" among us (**cough**Maca**cough**) still attribute much to God where we clearly know better now (Neaderthals, Noah) and attributes much to Satan, where we also clearly know better now (interracial relations)

Interesting. I'll bet he pissed off a bunch of Mormons (and Christians) with that op-ed.

The question for me is why they keep repeating the regressive behavior that puts them on the wrong side of history. Resistance to progress of any kind is the goal of religion, I suppose. Religion seeks the status quo and serves to quell rapid change which presumably stabilizes the culture. However the damage it causes is immeasurable.

because he is the god of this world OPie ~

I must admit that Satan had the best lines in the Endowment ceremony.

No, see, it's like this. All this acceptance of satanic social influences means the world is becoming more wicked. And if you think the church has changed, then you're among the most wicked ever. Yeah, that's it.

I think this makes correlation less of a problem. Even if church is boring, they can scare members into paying their tithing.

If someone could do an analysis of what everyone of the church prophets seemed to believe from they writings and actions and do a comparison in a table that would be awesome.

I wonder how they compare? It would be even more interesting since the patriarch of my wife's family thinks the church is evolving. It would be very interesting to see that evolution and how it tends towards what was considered bad and immoral from the era of the church foundations.

Bonus points for finding what prophets believed in speaking in tongues and treasure hunting.

That was a great article.

Wonderful opinion piece :)

Wonderful opinion piece :)