“The man (Romney) who has devoted his life to the teachings of a con artist encouraged the nation to examine its leaders to see whether they are worthy of our devotion and respect,” the Bee's piece reads. Joseph Smith was flawed ergo, we should dismiss Romney’s ideas about moral character. But, for the sake of argument, the “logic” of the Bee's piece goes something like this - Romney is a “follower” of Joseph Smith. Orrin Hatch, reacted on Twitter: “I generally love (The Babylon Bee) but this was less ‘ha ha Mormons’ and more ‘we have some pretty deep-seeded hate for the Mormons we’ve wanted to get off our chests for a while.’”įor starters, Latter-day Saints would contend that, while they revere Brother Joseph, they most accurately “follow” Jesus Christ. Matt Whitlock, the former deputy chief of staff for the now-retired Sen. Mitt Romney in the wake of his Washington Post editorial criticizing President Donald Trump, the article was nonetheless widely read as a shot at Latter-day Saints generally. “Follower Of Joseph Smith Urges Nation To Reject Morally Flawed Leaders,” reads the headline. Twitter-dwelling members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sighed through their thumbs upon encountering the Bee’s piece on social media. Sadly, last week, this less desirable iteration of The Babylon Bee was on display. Indeed, at its best, the publication needles the less-than-heavenly elements of contemporary religious culture in a mostly good-natured manner (“An Ohio man once shopped at a shopping mall for over twenty years before realizing it was actually a church”).Īt its worst, however, the publication evinces the very sectarian stereotypes that one hopes such publications exist to extinguish. I have to admit, more often than not the Bee displays a penchant for sharp wit and an uncommon theological savvy (one recent headline reads: “Calvinist Dog Corrects Owner: ‘No One Is A Good Boy'”). The Babylon Bee meanwhile is an online publication that follows The Onion’s basic model, but with a distinct evangelical-Christian flair. Perhaps you’ve heard of The Onion, the satirical news site known for its tongue-in-cheek headlines (see, for example, “Johnson & Johnson Introduces 'Nothing But Tears' Shampoo To Toughen Up Newborns” or “Annual ninja parade once again passes through town unnoticed”). Editor's note: This commentary by Hal Boyd is part of an ongoing Deseret News opinion series exploring ideas and issues at the intersection of faith and thought.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |