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On conspiracy theories and other timely matters

On conspiracy theories and other timely matters

Last updated on: October 27, 2025 at 8:00 pm by Dan Peterson

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On conspiracy theories and other timely matters 2025-10-27T20:00:21-06:00 Dan Peterson

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The despised groups were slightly different back then and, today, hostility toward only one of them remains fashionable: On the floor sits the Native American “child,” on Columbia’s right side sits the Chinese “child,” and on her left sits the bearded “Mormon Question” child. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Forewarned, they say, is forearmed. So — although this forthcoming Bravo miniseries will, no doubt, be meticulously accurate and balanced, and although it will almost certainly offer its viewers a scrupulously fair portrayal of Latter-day Saints and their church — prudence would suggest that we should be prepared not only for its imminent release but for the specific themes that it will emphasize and the approach that it will pursue: “Surviving Mormonism: Heather Gay Breaks the Silence: Heather Gay’s Surviving Mormonism uncovers the LDS Church’s hidden trauma through queer and survivor voices. She’s not just telling her story—she’s opening the door. Inside Heather Gay’s Docuseries on Faith, Family, and Queer Survival.”l Here is a summary from the article:

Key Issues Raised in the Series

Conversion therapy and internalized shame

Sexual abuse within church communities

Obedience culture and systemic silencing

Women’s roles and limitations in Mormon doctrine

Leaving a high-control faith without losing family

What it means to be queer in a religion that won’t say the word

Now that Dallin H. Oaks has assumed the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I anticipate that considerable attention will be focused on his supposed hatred of homosexuals, and that critical accounts of aversion therapy for homosexuality at Brigham Young University during his 1971-1980 tenure as the University’s president will feature heavily in media coverage. This Bravo series should help such coverage reach a relatively large popular audience that won’t likely be sympathetic toward the Church. Accordingly, yet again, I share three items that may help to accurately understand and explain the issue:

“Aversion Therapy at BYU” (a relatively short but quite useful article from FAIR)
“Aversion Therapy for Homosexuality in Scientific Historical Context” (a much longer and rather comprehensive treatment, also from FAIR)
“Gay Conversion Therapy and BYU” (a very useful compilation of materials, with a timeline, from Mormonr)

The assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage Jail in Illinois, as depicted by C. C. A. Christensen (d. 1912). Wikimedia Commons public domain image

In our current social climate, conspiracy theories abound. More than they usually do, or so it seems to me. And not only in politics but with regard to public health and notable crimes (e.g., the murder of Charlie Kirk) and even, sadly, among some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in connection with the Church’s history and its current leadership. (Did the Quorum of the Twelve illegitimately seize leadership of the Church via an “apostolic coup” in 1844? Did John Taylor and Willard Richards assassinate Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith at Carthage Jail on orders from Brigham Young? Did Brigham Young and one or two co-conspirators forge Doctrine and Covenants 132 and falsely attribute the pretended “revelation” to Joseph Smith?) Steve Densley, Jr. — who happens to be the executive vice president of the Interpreter Foundation — published an article on the general topic of imagined conspiracies yesterday in Meridian Magazine: “Conspiracy Theories: Why They Captivate Us and How They Divide Us.”

Canterbury Cathedral in England (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)
Margaret Barker was granted a doctorate by specific decree of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

I’ve never had any special theological affection for the Anglican Church, but I do like Christianity. Moreover, I’m an Anglophile — see here for a practical illustration of my love for England — and the Church of England (aka the Anglican or Episcopal Church) is a major element in what makes up “Englishness.” Accordingly, stories such as this one from Christianity Today leave me saddened: “The Anglican Communion Is Coming Apart: Conservative Gafcon leaders break from Canterbury and claim the future of global Anglicanism.” Elsewhere today, I read that, while about 1.5 million people attended weekly Church of England services in the 1960s, only half a million people do so today — which means, given the growth in the English population, that the percentage of the citizenry who attend Anglican services each week has fallen by approximately seventy-five percent. That’s nothing short of catastrophic.

But here’s another, different, perspective on religiosity in today’s Great Britain: “(Why) are young people flocking to religion? Is there really a resurgence in Christianity? Nick Spencer interrogates recent claims before asking why young people are turning to religion.”

And, while it isn’t focused on the United Kingdom, this article, which was written by social scientists Stephen Cranney and Jacob Hess for the Deseret News, covers some closely adjacent territory: “When compared with national faith trends, Latter-day Saint youth keep surprising us: The Church of Jesus Christ’s plans to create 55 new missions reflects a deepening, counter-cultural faith engagement for young members”

The Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is well along its way to completion. It is shown here as it appeared on 25 May 2025, in a photograph taken by Josephine Vauro. I hope that she won’t mind my borrowing it here.

I close with a trio of bloodcurdling reports that I’ve drawn from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™:

“How an act of kindness nearly 2 centuries ago led to a service project during BYU’s trip to Iowa State: BYU’s Cougs Care initiative has resulted in 30 pregame service projects at road tailgates since 2019, most recently gathering literal tons of children’s winter supplies in Ames” It’s tragic that a tiny bunch of do-gooder theists have managed to hijack the venerable tradition of inebriated tailgate parties and twist it toward what they cynically call “service.”

Not content to despoil and ruin the American West, the Latter-day Saints now invade third-world countries in order to do damage there, as well: “A prophet’s words spark a preschool movement in Papua New Guinea: From small lessons beneath palm-leaf roofs to a nationwide network of more than 100 preschools, all inspired by the words of President Monson”

Finally, I located this Deseret News article directly beside the Hitchens File, where descriptions of the theocratic hellscape that is Utah often appear: “Opinion: Why social capital and community life are essential to Utah: The networks and social connections that advance the interests of both individuals and communities make us stronger — together”

No politicians were harmed during the writing of this blog entry.

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