Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Some Points on Sex, Religion, and Politics

Some Points on Sex, Religion, and Politics

Last updated on: December 7, 2017 at 10:55 am by Dan Peterson

Some Points on Sex, Religion, and Politics 2017-12-07T10:55:52-07:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Steve Bannon in the Oval Office, January 2017 (Wikimedia Commons public domain)

The execrable Steve Bannon does not appear to be a warm friend of the Latter-day Saints, and I suspect that neither Roy Moore nor his supporters in Alabama would rank among our most enthusiastic fans, either:

“Bannon rails against Romney in Alabama speech: ‘You hid behind your religion’ to avoid Vietnam”

“Steve Bannon Attacks Mitt Romney for Missionary Service: ‘You Hid Behind Your Religion'”

You might also find these items of interest:

“Mormons and blacks had a common enemy: the Ku Klux Klan.”

“Ku Klux Klan – Utah Education Network”

Latter-day Saints who think that Steve Bannon and his movement are congenial to Mormons should perhaps re-think that assumption.

In case I haven’t been clear enough — somebody the other day actually accused me of being a Roy Moore supporter — let me make myself unmistakably clear now: I regard the rise of Steve Bannon and Roy Moore as an unalloyed disaster for the Republican Party (to which I belonged from the age of eighteen until the night in 2016 when Donald Trump accepted its presidential nomination), for the American conservative movement (to which I still very much belong), and for the future of civility in American political discourse, which I don’t consider an unimportant matter.

(On the last topic, see this piece, by David French: “Charity in an Angry Time: Erick Erickson’s new book reflects on the decline of civility in American politics.”)

***

Here’s a relevant reflection — with biblical allusions — from Nancy French, David French’s wife, who once served with him as co-director of “Evangelicals for Mitt”:

“A Lesson from This Cultural Tsunami”

***

This is also worth a look, although it expresses a very unfashionable view:

“Porn Is the Missing Piece in the Louis C.K. Story”

***

Additionally, while we’re talking about sexual misbehavior, here’s an extraordinary essay published in a non-LDS venue but by (presumably) Latter-day Saint authors that goes far, far deeper than this or that congressional seat. I recommend it very highly:

“The New Math of ‘Consensual Nonmonogamy’”

***

And this piece, by one of my very favorite social and political commentators (though I sometimes disagree with him), is very much worth a read:

“Cruelty and Sexual Harassment”

***

No one man, however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society, for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history. A youth boiling with hormones will wonder why he should not give full freedom to his sexual desires; and if he is unchecked by custom, morals, or laws, he may ruin his life before he matures sufficiently to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group.

Will and Ariel Durant, The Lessons of History (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968), pp. 35–36

***

Finally, here’s an important editorial that merits careful attention:

“I Will Gladly Believe in God If You’ll Just Show Me Evidence His Opinions are Identical to Mine”

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 5, 2017

Introducing the Talmuds

Next Post

December 6, 2017 Talmudic Judaism and the Christianity of Constantine

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Hallelujah" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God is Great Praise the Lord Holy is the Lord Glory to God