Thursday we’re asking if the occupation of a federal office in Oregon is a Mormon enterprise, and if so, what kind of Mormonism? The Bundy brothers leading the group are LDS, and they use Mormon theology to talk about motives and dealing with “tyranny.” The Church has condemned the tactics, and while the Bundys’ views aren’t mainstream, historian Patrick Mason says they didn’t come out of thin air. He and others join us to talk about the groups’ politics and faith in relation to Mormon orthodoxy.
Guests
- McKay Coppins is a senior political writer at BuzzFeed where he covers the conservative movement. His article How the Bundys Showcase a Growing Divide in Mormon Culture and Politics appeared Jan 6. His new book is called The Wilderness: Deep Inside the Republican Party's Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House [Amazon|Indiebound].
- Patrick Mason is the Howard W Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University. His new book is called Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt [Amazon]. Thursday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m., he'll be giving a signing at Writ and Vision bookstore in Provo. Friday, January 15 at Noon, he'll be at Deseret Bookstore at City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
- Listen to radio producer Scott Carrier's Absolutely, God Told Us To Do This. It's the latest in his Home of the Brave podcast.
