• BaldProphet
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    111 months ago

    It’s pretty common for marginalized groups to attempt to reclaim derogatory epithets that target them. For example, American revolutionaries took over the term “Yankee”, which was derogatory, and LGBT folks have reclaimed the term “queer”. Unfortunately, such attempts are not always successful, and it’s obvious that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ attempt to reclaim “Mormon” is an example.

    Regardless, the history of the derogatory epithet “Mormon” is well-known. It is founded in attempts to dehumanize and marginalize Latter-day Saints, and its use can be traced back to acts of genocide in the 1830s.

    I understand that leaving the Church is an emotional experience and leaves most people very bitter, but do try to moderate your hatred.

    • @neptune@dmv.social
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      411 months ago

      *Shows up to thread about church abuse, defends his church on arcane and semantic grounds.

      • BaldProphet
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        111 months ago

        Not really trying to defend anything, other than educating people about the proper name of the Church.

    • @_dev_null@lemmy.zxcvn.xyz
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      311 months ago

      I reject your claim that Mormon was ever or is an epithet, and I reject that this is an explanation church leadership has ever attempted to use before RMN (and I’ve never heard his presidency trying to pass it off as such). Please present authoritative evidence of your claims (and not just rhetoric from apologists like FAIR, which do not have actual church endorsement).

      I understand that leaving the Church is an emotional experience and leaves most people very bitter, but do try to moderate your hatred.

      Who ever said I left the church?

      • BaldProphet
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        111 months ago

        It happened at least as far back as 1982. It certainly was used derogatorily during the genocide in Missouri in 1938.

        Who ever said I left the church?

        Your tone and combativeness feels very r/exmormon. In other words, you come across as a bitter disaffected former member.

        • @_dev_null@lemmy.zxcvn.xyz
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          311 months ago

          What you’ve mistaken for anger is conviction. Conviction that the church should be held to the same standard of honesty that it holds the membership to.

          Not too long ago people were being excommunicated for challenging leadership to be honest and open about its history, or even asking questions about it. I think those challenges were partly responsible for the church finally fessing up to some of its problematic past (e.g., see the gospel topic essays, a huge step for them to publicly publish this).

          So perhaps that’s where you’ve judged me incorrectly too: most members aren’t used to leadership being openly challenged. In the past that’s been labeled as apostasy, even if our history has recorded that common consent should allow for a certain level of dissent; this has been mostly forgotten.