My honest initial reaction to the shooting was "I'm surprised it took this long". I've seen so much open anti-Mormon hate in my life that I've been expecting this for years.
Less than 12 hours before the shooting, I was at a BYU-Colorado football game, and only a few minutes into the game, the Colorado crowd began chanting "F*** the Mormons!". I don't attend many BYU football games, but the reaction of the friends I was with was notable: they weren't at all shocked that it was happening; they only expressed surprise that it was happening so soon into the game. After the game, while walking back to our car, we passed numerous Colorado fans saying all kinds of derogatory things about Mormons...again, it's all par for the course. Gratefully the University of Colorado leadership released a statement of apology a day after the game. Apologies are nice, but there's a broader problem in the culture that allows things like that to happen routinely. There's a broader problem in the culture when a mean-spirited musical mocking the faith not only gets produced but is showered with awards, has a 15+-year run and earns over $800M. There's a broader problem when shows like "Big Love" and "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" get made not as an honest look at the faith but as TV ultimately meant to mock and portray the faith at its worst and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. None of this happens to almost any other religion in America, and frankly I see few people outside of the church--certainly to major voices in the culture--standing up for the Mormons when it does. I am frankly tired of doing my best to follow the teachings of Christ and be a good neighbor and have all of that effort be rewarded with some manner of public scorn.
There is no doubt in my mind that incidents like what happened at the game and what happened at the church in Michigan will definitely happen again.
It really does mean a lot to me, Kyle, that you're willing to speak up in this manner. I wish that there were more like you out there.
I do not understand the hatred towards Mormons. As a religion, I think it is one of the best. I admire how they take care of each other. It is tempting to me to be a part of a group like that. Chuck’s best friend in the navy was Mormon. They truly cared for each other. This friend invited him to visit Mobile to meet his family and hopefully fall in love with his sister so they could be brothers. But sadly for Jim, Chuck had already met me and God had different plans for him. Life takes strange twists and here we are many years later, in Mobile. Jim and his family had already moved to Houston.
My brother sent me this piece. Thank you Kyle for writing something so honest and aware.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, I have watched the events of the past few weeks wondering how our Father in Heaven feels. It must make him weep to see his children - especially those of us who profess to follow His Son - treat each other as we do (not all, but there are plenty of examples). He loves us and knows we have disagreements because we just understand the world and his gospel differently. Eventually, I believe we will all come to understand it as He does. Until then, may we do as Jesus showed - love God, love our neighbor as ourselves, show patience and pray for our “enemies” and seek the Spirit of love. Jesus taught us, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
I pray we will stop worrying about differences, and start producing good fruit and let the Lord judge.
Thank you, Scott, for your kind and honest comments. There is no doubt in my mind this tragedy grieved the Spirit of God. Praying now that, as He did in Genesis 50:20, to turn what the enemy means for evil into good. The Lord Jesus always wins in the end.
Thank you so much for your essay and Christlike kindness. I am LDS and believe Jesus Christ is my Savior. And just like I believe I am a Christian it’s ok if others don’t think I am. I believe we should have freedom of religion, speech and views. I wish people could be respectful in person and online. I am friends with evangelicals who don’t think LDS are Christian. But we are always kind loving and support each other. Violence against any group because you don’t believe their personal believes is never justified.
Thanks for tackling this. You make a nuanced case, noting the hate for LDS the shooter and arsonist had, but also his struggles with mental illness. This at least should give us pause for consideration of evangelical "countercult" rhetoric. I've called for evangelicals to abandon the concept of "cult" which is pejorative and counterproductive to deeper understanding as well as any hopes for persuasion for one's religious rivals. I've also gone on record nothing how the theological concept of demons can be used as a form of dehumanization in certain contexts (e.g., the Prophet Muhammed was a demon-possessed pedophile"). While evangelical countercult rhetoric may not necessarily lead to a cause and effect relationship with violence, it does create a needlessly hostile environment that is difficult for me to reconcile with the call to love our neighbors and even enemies. Thanks again.
It's the "needlessly hostile environment" I'm afraid we'll be ultimately held accountable for, because in the end, we can't maneuverer around it with Whataboutism.
As a Latter-Day Saint, I appreciate your thoughts and leadership. I am happy to experience the love of other followers of Jesus Christ who are living their convictions and being a “Light Unto the World.”
I mourn for those who lost family members, those who were injured, and those whose lives were cut short—including the man who attacked the church and his family. We can deplore what happened and recognize that only Christ knows the hearts and motivations of all the people involved. It’s very important, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we pay attention to our own motives and our treatment of others.
I love your advice to mourn with those who mourn and to love each other as Christ would have us love.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints- I just wanted to say thank you for this. I wish more evangelicals realized that we are all on the same team.
Just today I saw a GoFundMe created by members of our church that has raised nearly $200,000 for the family of the shooter- complete with hundreds of messages of love, compassion, and forgiveness. “By their fruits ye shall know them,” comes to mind as well as “mourn with those who mourn.”
Thank you, Rachael Ann, for your kind words. Already to $200,000! The last I saw it was $150,000. Amazing generosity, and a very admirable example set to follow.
Thanks for this Kyle. As a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it means a lot. Found this blog post from Jeff from Hello Saints. Really impressed by any who are building bridges between faiths and are attempting to humanize others. I know there are plenty of people like you out there, thanks for speaking up.
This reminds me of a scripture in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 11:29, where Christ says, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.”
Sometimes as a member it can feel like Samaritans vs Jews where we feel like the Samaritans and other Christian faiths as Jews. We are viewed as not Christian just like Samaritans weren’t viewed as Jews (despite ethnically being practically identical). We believe in additional scripture and Samaritans believed in less scripture, which was another reason for separation. And what did Christ do? He reached out to Samaritans when all other Jews did the opposite.
This is all to pay a compliment and say that you being a peacemaker is exactly what Christ would do and is very Christian and I commend you for it.
Thank you, Andreas, for your kind words, and for your time. I agree with so much of what you’re saying, especially the point about contention. That first reminds me of a passage in our common scriptures: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (2 Tim 2:24). How much better off would we be if everyone took this council seriously and put it into action? And the Samaritan analogy is an apt one. I find that the most important part of that story is the encounter with Christ at the well. Any “well encounter” that leads us to worship “in Spirit and in truth” ought to be our goal!
I appreciate this article. It’s really hard for me to understand how people can be so hateful towards….anybody for that matter. But especially when people profess to follow Christ, it hurts even more because we all know that Christ never taught to hate. He only taught to love. I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and we honestly don’t hate any other religion. We’re actually known to be that religion who actually likes other religions the best 😅. I think there is a division in our country. And you know what it is, it’s not religion against religion or a political party against the political party. It truly is good versus evil. Those people who are kind to others like you sir are what is described as living a Christ like life. True Christianity comes in the way that you live your life, not in the badge that you carry. The LDS community is grieving right now, we are hurting deeply. However, we have hope in Christ. We appreciate it so much… voices like you that show compassion and true discipleship of our Savior. I pray that you may be blessed in carrying his light to others in this tragedy, and I appreciate your compassion. Bless you always.♥️
Thank you, Cat, for your kind words! Yes, it's quite a thing to see how LDS are for more likely to view their neighbors positively than vice versa, and not anectodally--it's been captured in sociological data! When I speak with fellow evangelicals, the #1 thing they bring up is how kind LDS are. Keep that up, please, the world needs more!
Anyway, I'm grateful for people like you, too, Cat! May I leave you with an encouraging Bible verse? "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil 4:6).
Thank you! The Christ-like efforts of you and others to stand in truth and build bridges of love, respect, and understanding are definitely felt. These types of bridges are what will hold our society together!
Kyle really I am lost for words after reading this article ; all I can say is thank you from all my family who are mourning the loss of members of our community. Words matter , and
Chris, my earnest prayer for you (by name, just now) and your family in this terrible season is for God, who comforts the downcast, who comforts us in all our affliction, to manifest his kindness, mercy, grace, and love to you all in an undeniable way.
Possibly, though Charlie Kirk likely had many high-profile pastoral mentors, and given Driscoll’s propensity to exaggerate his celebrity relationships, I have reservations about this statement.
Possibly? They were good friends for years and Charlie agreed with every theological statement from Driscoll to the point he adopted his "alpha male" brand of Evangelical Christianity. Some members are so naive they thought Charlie believed we were in "the club" simply because they agreed with Charlie's politics. Has Charlie ever said once on record that he believed Mormons are Christian?
Ok, I’m not going to argue this point with you because I don’t know enough about Charlie Kirk’s personal mentor relationships nor his views on the relationship between Mormonism and Christianity to continue. Have a good one.
My honest initial reaction to the shooting was "I'm surprised it took this long". I've seen so much open anti-Mormon hate in my life that I've been expecting this for years.
Less than 12 hours before the shooting, I was at a BYU-Colorado football game, and only a few minutes into the game, the Colorado crowd began chanting "F*** the Mormons!". I don't attend many BYU football games, but the reaction of the friends I was with was notable: they weren't at all shocked that it was happening; they only expressed surprise that it was happening so soon into the game. After the game, while walking back to our car, we passed numerous Colorado fans saying all kinds of derogatory things about Mormons...again, it's all par for the course. Gratefully the University of Colorado leadership released a statement of apology a day after the game. Apologies are nice, but there's a broader problem in the culture that allows things like that to happen routinely. There's a broader problem in the culture when a mean-spirited musical mocking the faith not only gets produced but is showered with awards, has a 15+-year run and earns over $800M. There's a broader problem when shows like "Big Love" and "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" get made not as an honest look at the faith but as TV ultimately meant to mock and portray the faith at its worst and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. None of this happens to almost any other religion in America, and frankly I see few people outside of the church--certainly to major voices in the culture--standing up for the Mormons when it does. I am frankly tired of doing my best to follow the teachings of Christ and be a good neighbor and have all of that effort be rewarded with some manner of public scorn.
There is no doubt in my mind that incidents like what happened at the game and what happened at the church in Michigan will definitely happen again.
It really does mean a lot to me, Kyle, that you're willing to speak up in this manner. I wish that there were more like you out there.
I hate that this was your initial response, and the I remember the Colorado chanting. They had no clue what they were resurrecting...
I appreciate your words, Michael.
I do not understand the hatred towards Mormons. As a religion, I think it is one of the best. I admire how they take care of each other. It is tempting to me to be a part of a group like that. Chuck’s best friend in the navy was Mormon. They truly cared for each other. This friend invited him to visit Mobile to meet his family and hopefully fall in love with his sister so they could be brothers. But sadly for Jim, Chuck had already met me and God had different plans for him. Life takes strange twists and here we are many years later, in Mobile. Jim and his family had already moved to Houston.
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
My brother sent me this piece. Thank you Kyle for writing something so honest and aware.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, I have watched the events of the past few weeks wondering how our Father in Heaven feels. It must make him weep to see his children - especially those of us who profess to follow His Son - treat each other as we do (not all, but there are plenty of examples). He loves us and knows we have disagreements because we just understand the world and his gospel differently. Eventually, I believe we will all come to understand it as He does. Until then, may we do as Jesus showed - love God, love our neighbor as ourselves, show patience and pray for our “enemies” and seek the Spirit of love. Jesus taught us, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
I pray we will stop worrying about differences, and start producing good fruit and let the Lord judge.
Thank you, Scott, for your kind and honest comments. There is no doubt in my mind this tragedy grieved the Spirit of God. Praying now that, as He did in Genesis 50:20, to turn what the enemy means for evil into good. The Lord Jesus always wins in the end.
Thank you so much for your essay and Christlike kindness. I am LDS and believe Jesus Christ is my Savior. And just like I believe I am a Christian it’s ok if others don’t think I am. I believe we should have freedom of religion, speech and views. I wish people could be respectful in person and online. I am friends with evangelicals who don’t think LDS are Christian. But we are always kind loving and support each other. Violence against any group because you don’t believe their personal believes is never justified.
Thanks for tackling this. You make a nuanced case, noting the hate for LDS the shooter and arsonist had, but also his struggles with mental illness. This at least should give us pause for consideration of evangelical "countercult" rhetoric. I've called for evangelicals to abandon the concept of "cult" which is pejorative and counterproductive to deeper understanding as well as any hopes for persuasion for one's religious rivals. I've also gone on record nothing how the theological concept of demons can be used as a form of dehumanization in certain contexts (e.g., the Prophet Muhammed was a demon-possessed pedophile"). While evangelical countercult rhetoric may not necessarily lead to a cause and effect relationship with violence, it does create a needlessly hostile environment that is difficult for me to reconcile with the call to love our neighbors and even enemies. Thanks again.
It's the "needlessly hostile environment" I'm afraid we'll be ultimately held accountable for, because in the end, we can't maneuverer around it with Whataboutism.
Thank you for this beautiful piece. I don’t have much else to add but thank you.
As a Latter-Day Saint, I appreciate your thoughts and leadership. I am happy to experience the love of other followers of Jesus Christ who are living their convictions and being a “Light Unto the World.”
I mourn for those who lost family members, those who were injured, and those whose lives were cut short—including the man who attacked the church and his family. We can deplore what happened and recognize that only Christ knows the hearts and motivations of all the people involved. It’s very important, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we pay attention to our own motives and our treatment of others.
I love your advice to mourn with those who mourn and to love each other as Christ would have us love.
Thank you
Linda
Linda, thank you for your kinds words. Amens all around from me.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints- I just wanted to say thank you for this. I wish more evangelicals realized that we are all on the same team.
Just today I saw a GoFundMe created by members of our church that has raised nearly $200,000 for the family of the shooter- complete with hundreds of messages of love, compassion, and forgiveness. “By their fruits ye shall know them,” comes to mind as well as “mourn with those who mourn.”
Thank you, Rachael Ann, for your kind words. Already to $200,000! The last I saw it was $150,000. Amazing generosity, and a very admirable example set to follow.
Thanks for this Kyle. As a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it means a lot. Found this blog post from Jeff from Hello Saints. Really impressed by any who are building bridges between faiths and are attempting to humanize others. I know there are plenty of people like you out there, thanks for speaking up.
This reminds me of a scripture in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 11:29, where Christ says, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.”
Sometimes as a member it can feel like Samaritans vs Jews where we feel like the Samaritans and other Christian faiths as Jews. We are viewed as not Christian just like Samaritans weren’t viewed as Jews (despite ethnically being practically identical). We believe in additional scripture and Samaritans believed in less scripture, which was another reason for separation. And what did Christ do? He reached out to Samaritans when all other Jews did the opposite.
This is all to pay a compliment and say that you being a peacemaker is exactly what Christ would do and is very Christian and I commend you for it.
Thank you, Andreas, for your kind words, and for your time. I agree with so much of what you’re saying, especially the point about contention. That first reminds me of a passage in our common scriptures: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (2 Tim 2:24). How much better off would we be if everyone took this council seriously and put it into action? And the Samaritan analogy is an apt one. I find that the most important part of that story is the encounter with Christ at the well. Any “well encounter” that leads us to worship “in Spirit and in truth” ought to be our goal!
I appreciate this article. It’s really hard for me to understand how people can be so hateful towards….anybody for that matter. But especially when people profess to follow Christ, it hurts even more because we all know that Christ never taught to hate. He only taught to love. I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and we honestly don’t hate any other religion. We’re actually known to be that religion who actually likes other religions the best 😅. I think there is a division in our country. And you know what it is, it’s not religion against religion or a political party against the political party. It truly is good versus evil. Those people who are kind to others like you sir are what is described as living a Christ like life. True Christianity comes in the way that you live your life, not in the badge that you carry. The LDS community is grieving right now, we are hurting deeply. However, we have hope in Christ. We appreciate it so much… voices like you that show compassion and true discipleship of our Savior. I pray that you may be blessed in carrying his light to others in this tragedy, and I appreciate your compassion. Bless you always.♥️
Thank you, Cat, for your kind words! Yes, it's quite a thing to see how LDS are for more likely to view their neighbors positively than vice versa, and not anectodally--it's been captured in sociological data! When I speak with fellow evangelicals, the #1 thing they bring up is how kind LDS are. Keep that up, please, the world needs more!
Anyway, I'm grateful for people like you, too, Cat! May I leave you with an encouraging Bible verse? "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil 4:6).
Blessings!
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/03/15/americans-feel-more-positive-than-negative-about-jews-mainline-protestants-catholics/
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I am humbled by your thoughts. Thank you for sharing the essay.
But, thank you most of all for the invitation to weep with those that
weep; mourn with those that mourn.
I accept.
Thank you, Dudley, for your kinds words. If, as Ecclesiastes and Romans say, there is a time to weep with those who weep, it is presently.
Thanks Kyle. As always, and especially in this difficult moment, I appreciate your reasoned thoughts and Christian approach.
Thank you for your kind words, and I’ve always appreciated our dialogue. Hoping for more to come.
Thank you! The Christ-like efforts of you and others to stand in truth and build bridges of love, respect, and understanding are definitely felt. These types of bridges are what will hold our society together!
Thank you, Ted!
Kyle really I am lost for words after reading this article ; all I can say is thank you from all my family who are mourning the loss of members of our community. Words matter , and
yours made a difference today to us xxx
Chris, my earnest prayer for you (by name, just now) and your family in this terrible season is for God, who comforts the downcast, who comforts us in all our affliction, to manifest his kindness, mercy, grace, and love to you all in an undeniable way.
Thank you. Thank you so much for this.
Driscoll was Charlie Kirk's spiritual mentor.
Possibly, though Charlie Kirk likely had many high-profile pastoral mentors, and given Driscoll’s propensity to exaggerate his celebrity relationships, I have reservations about this statement.
Possibly? They were good friends for years and Charlie agreed with every theological statement from Driscoll to the point he adopted his "alpha male" brand of Evangelical Christianity. Some members are so naive they thought Charlie believed we were in "the club" simply because they agreed with Charlie's politics. Has Charlie ever said once on record that he believed Mormons are Christian?
Ok, I’m not going to argue this point with you because I don’t know enough about Charlie Kirk’s personal mentor relationships nor his views on the relationship between Mormonism and Christianity to continue. Have a good one.