As a believing member of the LDS Church let me add a couple of thoughts to the thread.
As human beings we all care, or at least should care, what others think of us. We are social beings who try to make sense of the world we live in. So the narrative we build for ourselves matters. Shows that stretch the truth to entertain make members of the church fit a narrative that is often easy to dismiss, ridicule, laugh at, or disdain. The Church and its teachings and culture have been a powerful source for good in my life. So negative portrayals of the restored church of Jesus Christ concern me. They just make it easier for other people to put me (& us as members) in narrative that doesn't fit at all.
Several posters have intimated that American Primeval shaped their opinions of Brigham Young, and the Mormons "extremely violent past". The movie is entertainment, not history. Any objective reading of history shows the Mormons were victims of violence far more often than perpetrators. But the narrative of violence will stick in the minds of those who watch the entertaining movie and don't care to read the history. That makes it easier to dismiss the Church and its members as "others", not worthy, or less than. That does worry me.
Another thought is Church members are not all rabid Republicans. I am not a leftist, woke wacko, or liberal nutcase, but I voted for Harris as the only ethical choice. I flew a Harris Walz flag along with my American flag and posted Harris signs in my yard. The comments from members of my ward were all supportive. We even saw several other members/neighbors follow our lead and post their own Harris yard signs. There are many members of the Church who are bitterly opposed to Trump. Check out LDS Women for Ethical Government. ( Sadly, there are also members who support Trump. When I question them on why, they invariably say they don't like his morals but support his policies. When I question which policies, the common thread is abortion. ) My point is don't use a broad brush to paint us members as just similar shades of rightists. My support for Harris was based on my belief system.
The Church encouraged its members to study the issues and vote for candidates that support good causes. In fact Church leadership stressed the danger of party loyalty, and that good can be found in both parties. So don't think that most people in Utah voted for Trump because the Church told them to. The did so because they bought the narrative he was selling.
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One cannot ignore the historical record of just the last 40 years of statements made by top leaders (Ezra Taft benson) and causes (prop 8). The church puts out statements of neutrality but those statements don’t apply to top leaders, their rhetoric at conference, and political causes led by church leaders. And it’s become so ingrained with church doctrine that it’s hardly noticeable anymore the political charge.
Some examples off the top of my head:
1.
Tad Callister’s 2021 sermon against government assistance. One reads this by a prominent leader of the church and can make some pretty clear assumptions about where the church stands politically. I’ve often wondered what a member from Canada, Scandinavia, or Western Europe must think when they read these types of diatribes. To them, is Hollywood or a social safety net really the threats that they’re made out to be here in America?
2. The constant rhetoric often spewed by first counselor Oaks about “religious freedom.” Much like law and order is code for attacking African American communities, This is code for religious bigotry towards the LGBT community. It never actually pertains to schools being free from religious indoctrination or protecting non-Christian religions from Christian persecution.
3. Elder Holland’s “musket fire” talk at BYU (he has apologized for it but the damage has already been done). Btw, have you kept up with what’s happening at byu right now? Yikes.
4. When prevalent LDS politicians and board members clearly abused their positions of authority to bully adults (Google cliven bundy, his son, or Phil Lyman) and dox children (Google Natalie cline) the church remained silent. Yet, when those from the left have made public scenes, they’ve been very publicly rebuked or excommunicated. There’s a clear double standard.
The double standard is, you can use inflammatory rhetoric, lead scores of fellow members into committing unethical and illegal acts, and as long as you’re from the American political right, you’re good. So yeah, the church sends out annual letters read over the pulpit declaring neutrality. But the church clearly isn’t neutral. It is very much melded to American (Republican) politics.
