Say good-bye to the era of Mormon PR victories.
Julie Birch/Julie Birch
Two prominent Mormon activists, Kate Kelly and John Dehlin, announced Wednesday that they're facing excommunication from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kelly is the founder and public face of Ordain Women, a group pushing for female inclusion in the faith's all-male lay priesthood. Dehlin writes about doubt within Mormonism, and among other things has advocated for greater acceptance of LGBT members.
Excommunication is a blow to their respective causes, but more broadly may signal a decisive end to the period known as the "Mormon Moment." Here's why:
The precise beginning of the so-called Mormon Moment is hard to pin down, but it's clear what it was: a string of public relations coups, rosy profiles, and rising interest in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormons, it seemed, had somehow become lodged in America's zeitgeist.
That fascination hit a high point in 2012 as Mitt Romney rose to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency, but it had been percolating for years. By early 2011, for example, the church was already rising on the global stage and a spokesman was penning op-eds in the Washington Post. Later that year, the The Book of Mormon debuted on Broadway. The church responded to the musical cautiously at first, and then later with a cheeky ad in the play's handbill inviting attendees to "now read the book." That year also saw the savvy "I'm a Mormon" campaign in full swing, which showed the world a group of faithful who were surprisingly diverse, far-flung, and cool.
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/1lksBeT
No comments:
Post a Comment