{"id":47499,"date":"2024-07-01T07:00:57","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=47499"},"modified":"2025-05-28T20:33:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T02:33:25","slug":"cutting-edge-latter-day-saint-research-june-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2024\/07\/cutting-edge-latter-day-saint-research-june-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, June 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greenhalgh, Spencer P., and Amy L. Chapman. “\u201cCome for the Memes, Stay for Defending the Faith\u201d: Far-Right and Anti-Feminist Red Pill Influences in the# DezNat Twitter Hashtag.” Mormon Social Science Association<\/i>: 2:1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scholarship on the intersection of Mormonism and the internet has often fo-
\ncused on progressive online voices. However, in recent years, the DezNat movement has
\nchallenged the assumption that online Mormonism necessarily trends more liberal than
\nthe Latter-day Saint mainstream. In this study, we examine the influence of red pill commu-
\nnities\u2014which include far-right and anti-feminist movements on the internet\u2014on DezNat.
\nWe collected 1,378 screenshots of tweets containing the #DezNat hashtag (which often
\nincluded additional data and context) and engaged in open coding of these tweets, guided
\nby our understanding of red pill concepts and tropes. We found considerable evidence of
\nfar-right and anti-feminist influences on DezNat-tagged tweets, suggesting that it is disin-
\ngenuous for DezNat defenders to describe the movement as merely about Latter-day Saint
\northodoxy. However, interpreting our findings through an affinity space framework, we
\nargue that it is impractical\u2014and perhaps impossible\u2014to definitively establish the moti-
\nvations of all those who participate in the movement. Rather, we suggest that the clear red
\npill references by DezNat participants provide an opportunity to consider overlaps between
\nMormonism, the far right, and aggressive anti-feminism\u2014as well as the tensions between
\nintentional ambiguity and boundary maintenance in Latter-day Saint institutions.<\/p>\n

Cragun, Ryan T., Rick Phillips, and Michael Nielsen. “Not Before Jesus Comes, If Ever: Mormon Views on When Women Will Receive the Priesthood.” Mormon Social Science Association. <\/i>2:37.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While there has been agitation in recent years among some members of the Church of
\nJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for women to be ordained to the priesthood,
\nresearch has established that the leaders of the religion and most members continue to
\noppose the idea. Drawing on data from an online purposive sample (n=49,568), we exam-
\nine how likely members of the LDS Church are to think that women will be ordained to the
\npriesthood and contrast that likelihood with a similar estimation of when Jesus will return
\nand the leadership of the LDS Church will call on some members to move to Jackson Coun-
\nty, Missouri in preparation for the Second Coming. Our results suggest that the Mormons in
\nour sample believe that it is more likely that they will move to Missouri to greet Jesus than
\nthat women will receive the priesthood.<\/p>\n

LeBaron-Black, Ashley B., Heather H. Kelley, Megan Van Alfen, Julie Button, Sarah M. Coyne, and Chenae Christensen-Duerden. “Predictors of Differing Experiences with Scriptural Women and Heavenly Mother among Latter-day Saints.” Mormon Social Science Association. <\/i>2: 59.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints avows some empowering doc-
\ntrines related to gender (including belief in a Heavenly Mother), its members may not be
\nimmune to the harmful effects of sexism nor uniform in their gender ideologies. With a
\nmixed methods approach, we explored how Latter-day Saints orient to the belief in female
\ndeity, how individual experiences and beliefs about gender are associated with members\u2019
\nreligious experiences and behaviors, and whether these links depend on one\u2019s gender. Us-
\ning survey responses from a convenience sample of 1,674 adult Latter-day Saints living in
\nthe United States, we tested a structural equation model and two moderation models. We
\nsupplemented these analyses with qualitative data analysis of four focus groups (n=15)
\nof Latter-day Saints living near Utah County, Utah. On average, Latter-day Saint women
\nwho had been the victims of repeated sexism noticed a lack of discussion about scriptural
\nwomen and Heavenly Mother at church and sought out these topics more frequently in
\ntheir personal study. Regardless of gender, the more traditional a participant\u2019s gender ide-
\nology, the more frequently they perceived that scriptural women and Heavenly Mother are
\ndiscussed at church and the less frequently they reported to have studied them on their
\nown time. Drawing on themes that emerged, we discuss gender inequalities in the Church,
\nintentional efforts to discuss and study scriptural women and Heavenly Mother, and the
\nimpact of those stories and doctrines on members\u2019 personal and spiritual wellbeing. A cel-
\nebration of women\u2014including feminine deity\u2014may be a balm for the souls of Latter-day
\nSaints wounded by sexism.<\/p>\n

Welch, Reed L. “Strangers and Foreigners or Fellow Citizens with the Saints? How Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Have Portrayed Immigration Over Time.” Mormon Social Science Association<\/i>: 2: 91.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is considered a conservative reli-
\ngion and for decades its U.S. members have been among the most reliable supporters of
\nthe Republican Party, the Church\u2019s position and rhetoric in recent years and the opinions
\nof many of its members toward immigration clearly diverge from the Republican agenda
\nand the opinions of other conservative religious Americans. This study seeks to better un-
\nderstand Latter-day Saints\u2019 view of immigration by evaluating how leaders of the Church
\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have talked about immigration over time. To do this
\nit examines all addresses given in the Church\u2019s General Conferences from 1851 to 2019.
\nIt finds that Church leaders have consistently portrayed immigration and immigrants in
\npositive terms and that the support today is in line with the tone and approach that Church
\nleaders have exhibited in the past. Among other things, Church leaders have identified
\nthemselves as descendants of immigrants, coupled immigration with the history of the
\nChurch, emphasized the need to help immigrants, and used immigrants as examples of be-
\nhavior that people should emulate. The article concludes by discussing how Church leaders
\nhave addressed immigration in recent years when members\u2019 opinions about immigration
\nare anything but uniform.<\/p>\n

Dyer, W. Justin. “Investigating Why Latter-day Saint Adolescents Are at Lower Risk for Suicidality: Comparing Across Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities.” Mormon Social Science Association<\/i>: 2: 109.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Previous research has identified Latter-day Saint adolescents at particularly low levels of
\nsuicidality compared to adolescents of other affiliations or no affiliation. However, specific
\npathways of effects remain uncertain. The current study used data from 46,823 Utah ado-
\nlescents collected by the Utah Department of Health to examine mediators of the relation-
\nship between religious affiliation and suicide ideation, suicide attempts, and depression.
\nThe study also examined how these mediators differed across sexual orientations and gen-
\nder identities. Compared to those of no religion, heterosexual Latter-day Saint and Catholic
\nadolescents were less likely to use drugs or alcohol, which proved to be the most promi-
\nnent protective factor across sexual orientations and gender identities, decreasing suicide
\nattempts by more than 20%. Less family conflict was also a protective factor for Latter-day
\nSaints and Catholics. For LGBQ adolescents, being Latter-day Saint was protective against
\nsuicide ideation, suicide attempts, and depression through less use of drugs or alcohol and
\nless family conflict. Being Latter-day Saint or Catholic was also protective for LGBQ adoles-
\ncents given their lower likelihood of being bullied (again compared to those of no religion).<\/p>\n

Perez, William. “Unholy Waters: The Role of Alcohol in Identity and Boundary Creation Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” In Holy Waters<\/i>, pp. 198-224. Routledge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This chapter examines the role of alcohol as a boundary for inclusion and exclusion within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What was first issued as a \u201cWord of Wisdom\u201d in 1833 gradually increased in rigidity until abstinence from alcohol became a requirement for priesthood ordination and temple worship. As Mormonism joined the ranks of Evangelical reformers in support of Prohibition, it calcified its own ideal of a teetotalist Christian morality. This standard has persisted over time even as general resistance toward alcohol has declined. Viewing one\u2019s individual relationship with alcohol as a test of fellowship within Mormonism has contributed to the construction of an identity for Latter-day Saints that often places them at odds with mainstream society. Interactions in which church members are lampooned for not being lax on liquor serve to reinforce their solidarity as a \u201cpeculiar people.\u201d Ultimately, although the rejection of alcohol is only one of many factors at play in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\u2019 efforts to assert its Christianity and distance itself from religious others, its relationship with alcohol creates a key boundary in its efforts to steer \u201cthe Old Ship Zion\u201d safely across unholy waters.<\/p>\n

Tod, Danielle. “We\/r\/Tongan, not American: Variation and the social meaning of rhoticity in Tongan English.” Journal of Sociolinguistics<\/i> (2024).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

The current paper argues that speakers of Tongan English, an emergent variety spoken in the Kingdom of Tonga, may use rhoticity to construct a cosmopolitan and globally oriented local social identity. A variationist analysis of non- prevocalic \/r\/ in a corpus of 56 speakers reveals a change in progress towards rhoticity led by young females, whereas an affiliation with Liahona High School, a Mormon sec- ondary school, predicts advanced adoption of the feature. I argue that rhoticity carries a positive ideological load for younger speakers as an index of globalness, modernity and Western cultural values, whereas for Liahona-affiliated speakers, an additional indexicality of rhoticity is Mormonism. Linguistic constraints on variation mirror patterns found in previous studies on L1\/L2 varieties and are thus more universal, whereas social constraints on variation are best examined through a local lens.<\/p>\n

Sciarini, Justin, and Justin Lee. “Value Transitions During Religious Disaffiliation from the Latter-day Saints Faith.” The Journal of Religion & Society<\/i> 26 (2024): 64-78.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Transitioning from a high-demand religion such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS; Mormon) is a complex process that includes many losses and personal evolutions. Among those losses is a transition from values taught by the LDS Church to personally identified values. Coupled with this, the period of emerging adulthood is generally a time of self-exploration and change. This qualitative study explores the relationship between reasons for leaving the LDS Church and subsequent value transitions among 24 emerging adults (18-29) who had transitioned or were transitioning from the Church. The findings from this study indicate a change in value priority for individuals who have left the LDS Church. Through qualitative analysis, responses show that individuals’ reasons for leaving the Church can relate to the values’ priority movements. The findings emphasize the need for mental health professionals to assist individuals in affirming and understanding their values and personal identities after disaffiliation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greenhalgh, Spencer P., and Amy L. Chapman. “\u201cCome for the Memes, Stay for Defending the Faith\u201d: Far-Right and Anti-Feminist Red Pill Influences in the# DezNat Twitter Hashtag.” Mormon Social Science Association: 2:1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10403,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2968],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latter-day-saint-literature-review"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47499"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50261,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47499\/revisions\/50261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}