At any rate, modernity appears to have had a similar effect on Mormon as it has had on other religions, in that it has forced the leaders and adherents of Mormonism to compromise many of their beliefs and assertions about nature and to change the direction of their discourse to emphasize ideas that appear more compatible with science, logic, and reasoning and to deemphasize the traditional superstitious and folkloric beliefs of the adherents and leaders of yore. In other words, because the forces of modernity have altered the culture of the adherents in the core, leaders and apologists (especially the latter) often appear to be willing to throw Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other early church leaders under the bus when convenient.