anyways to specifically refute the idea that “the mormon church is only toxic/bad in Utah and Idaho”:
I attended church in eastern Canada for several years in a *very* liberal area. There were a lot more liberal Mormons there too and it was great! At first. Because at first my Branch President and his wife were really awesome liberal chill people who openly disagreed with Salt Lake. Like the BP once told my friend that church headquarters act like fascists and once he offered me tea. We could openly support lgbt rights at church and complain about sexism. It was incredible.
BUT then they were released and the supposedly nice liberal stake president called an actual right-wing conspiracy theorist to be the next BP. Like this guy full-on believes that Black people were cursed until 1979 and couldn’t have the Priesthood because of that and he once tried to claim in my sunday school class that some of his Jewish friends believe “the holocaust happened because the Jews killed Jesus” (I shut that shit down SO FAST you better believe me). Like this guy straight-up believed the world was being controlled by the illuminati and devil worshippers.
And you know what? I complained about him to several “liberal” members, and hardly anyone cared. I got told to stop spreading “rumors about him”. I got told that he was just an old man with different opinions. I got told that he was just a little crazy but he was a “good man” so who cares that he’s out there lying to the young single adults and spreading racist and antisemitic shit, right?
And therein lies my problem with the church. Because no matter how “liberal” you think the members around you are, most of them will band together to protect their own. Most of them still believe harmful and hateful things about gay people, or trans folks, or women, or people of color. And most of them won’t speak up against leaders who spread lies or hatred. Not all. But most.
So, no, the church isn’t only “bad” in the Mormon belt or conservative areas. The way that the church operates by calling random men to power regardless of their training or beliefs opens up the possibility for harm and abuse everywhere. And there’s little to no oversight. And most members don’t care, because it was “God” who called them, right?
