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DezNat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with State of Deseret.
The correct title of this article is #DezNat. The omission of the # is due to technical restrictions.
Left: A Utah beehive crossed with an Italian fasces.
Right: Original flag of the failed State of Deseret

Deseret Nationalism, popularized online as #DezNat,[1][2] is a far-right Mormon nationalist movement in the United States. It was originated in 2018, following the Unite the Right rally by Logan Smith, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), who is known as "JP Bellum" on Twitter.[3] While the term originated as a Twitter hashtag, collecting upwards of 114,000 original posts, its significance goes beyond social media.[4] DezNat represents a loosely affiliated group of LDS Church members who share common ideals and values,[5][6] despite the Church's negative stance on the concept.[7][4] The impact of DezNat can be observed through the actions and behaviors of its followers in their communities.[8][9]

Contributors to media outlets The Daily Beast and The Daily Utah Chronicle have described DezNat as an extremist alt-right, white nationalist movement,[10][11][12] Similarly, journalists at The Guardian consider the group right-wing with elements of the far-right and eugenics.[13][14][2][15] In contrast, the Salt Lake Tribune described it as "a little bit more ambiguous than that."[4] DezNat participants have typically insisted that their sole purpose is to gather orthodox Latter-day Saints and defend the Church against critics. Correspondingly, they see the term “alt-right” as inaccurate and even defamatory.[16]

Logan Smith, known as "JP Bellum," suggested that although DezNat operates independently of official LDS Church endorsement, it fosters a community dedicated to supporting LDS doctrines and its members. However, some within the DezNat community have advocated for the restoration of the historical State of Deseret as an independent state outside of U.S. jurisdiction.[17][18] As well as the secession of a theocratic Mormon state, some DezNat commentators have suggested this should be a white ethnostate using both neo-Nazi and far-right accelerationist imagery.[17][19][13] Users of the hashtag say they are not alt-right but are simply unapologetic about their beliefs.[11][20][12] Smith says the hashtag recognizes faithful LDS Church members as "a unique people and should be united spiritually, morally, economically, and politically behind Christ, the prophet, and the church" adding that DezNat "is the idea that devout members ought to work together to support the church, its doctrines, and each other, on social media and in their communities to further build the Kingdom of God".[10][21][22][23][24][25][26]

The community has been criticized for promoting bigotry and harassment against members of the LGBT community, non-Mormons and ex-Mormons, feminists, abortion advocates, and pornographic film actors.[27][28] Some have criticized the Mormon blog By Common Consent for being too politically progressive.[10][29][30] Members also use bowie knife imagery as a homage to Brigham Young. Controversially, some within DezNat advocate for violent actions under the pretext of blood atonement for certain sins,[10] a practice the LDS Church leadership has disavowed.[31] According to the feminist writer Mary Ann Clements, DezNat proponents regard themselves as being in line with the actions of former church presidents, therefore not supporting polygamy today but referencing it regarding the past (e.g., by portraying Young as a polygamous "chad" or powerful alpha male).[32][33][34][35] Tanner Guzy characterizes DezNat members as boldly embracing their faith in the restored gospel without reservation.[36]

Ayla Stewart and Unite the Right at Charlottesville (2017)

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In August 2017, many alt-right groups, including white nationalists and white supremacists alongside individuals accused of supporting a “Deznat ideology”, gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, “to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.” For the Unite the Right rally, however, due to the violence at the rally, Ayla Stewart was unable to participate, When the church started on August 13, 2017, condemning the racial violence at Charlottesville, Ayla Stewart retweeted it, commenting, “The #LDS church teachings are clear, you cannot be anti-white and a follower of Christ. We are ALL God’s children!” This prompted the Church to amend its statement on August 15, clarifying that “Church members who promote or pursue a ‘white culture’ or white supremacy agenda are not in harmony with the teachings of the Church.” [7] This underscored the Church's stance against extreme political views and the perceived misalignment with its teachings.[37][38][39] Subsequent Timothy Ballard’s books, "Hypothesis" and "American Covenant," reflected a Mormon perspective on White Christian Nationalism, distinct from Deseret Nationalism.[40]

Alaskan government investigation of Matthias Cicotte

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In July 2021, investigative journalists at The Guardian identified Matthias Cicotte, an Alaska Assistant Attorney General, as a poster of racist and anti-Semitic Deseret Nationalist content using the Twitter account @JReubenCIark.[13][a] Following the release of the report, civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, called for the termination of Cicotte from his position and the reopening of his cases. This prompted an investigation from the Alaska Department of Law and Cicotte was removed from his caseload.[41] A Department spokesperson confirmed Cicotte was no longer working for them, stating: "However, although we cannot talk about personnel matters, we do not want the values and policies of the Department of Law to be overshadowed by the conduct of one individual."[42] Shortly thereafter, the deans of J. Reuben Clark Law School, of which both Cicotte and Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor are graduates, released a statement condemning the "venomous and hateful Twitter messages against a variety of vulnerable groups" from the @JReubenCIark account.[43][44]

Notes

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  1. ^ J. Reuben Clark was a Mormon lawyer who worked in the Calvin Coolidge administration and is namesake of the law school at Brigham Young University.

References

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  1. ^ "#DezNat users say they're defending the church; those they target say it's not Christ-like". KJZZ. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Jason (2021-08-09). "New movement of religious extremists push ultra-conservative vision in US". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  3. ^ Paras, Julian (29 September 2021). "ICCU employee no longer works at local branch after being connected to controversial twitter thread". KPVI. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  4. ^ a b c "LDS online movement DezNat shows signs of far-right influences". 2024-07-13. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  5. ^ "Mormonism LIVE: 106: DezNat Exposed - Radio Free Mormon". Poddtoppen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  6. ^ Reese, Isaac (2019-09-10). "Reese: The LDS Church has a White Nationalist Problem - The Daily Utah Chronicle". Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  7. ^ a b "What Makes the Church Turn on a Popular Latter-day Saint like Tim Ballard?". Wheat & Tares. 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  8. ^ "Why dismissing all #DezNat users as overzealous, over-the-line Latter-day Saints may be wrong". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  9. ^ "Some #DezNat troops, fearful of being publicly outed, are retreating from digital LDS war". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  10. ^ a b c d Hitt, Tarpley (24 January 2019). "The Cult of #DezNat: Alt-Right Mormons Targeting Porn and the LGBTQ Community". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b Reeser, Andrew (30 January 2019). "'Deseret Nation': Alt-right Mormon militants or truth defenders?". ABC4 Utah. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  12. ^ a b Reese, Isaac (10 September 2019). "Reese: The LDS Church has a White Nationalist Problem". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Revealed: assistant attorney general in Alaska posted racist and antisemitic tweets". The Guardian. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  14. ^ Slawson, Nicola (2023-09-04). "First Thing: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists revealed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  15. ^ Wilson, Jason (September 4, 2023). "Revealed: US pro-birth conference's links to far-right eugenicists". The Guardian.
  16. ^ "FarRight and Anti-Feminist Red Pill Influences in the #DezNat Twitter Hashtag" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-07-14.
  17. ^ a b Wilson, Jason (2021-08-09). "New movement of religious extremists push ultra-conservative vision in US". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  18. ^ "How big Christian nationalism has come courting in north Idaho". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  19. ^ C, Stephen (2024-07-01). "Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, June 2024". Times & Seasons. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  20. ^ Clements, Mary (3 February 2021). "'Mormon Land': A deeper look at #DezNat tweeters — who they are, what they want, and why people should, or should not, fear them". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  21. ^ "What is #DezNat?". Twitter. 2018-10-26. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24.
  22. ^ KUTV, MacKenzie Ryan & Wendy Halloran (2021-12-09). "#DezNat users say they're defending the church; those they target say it's not Christ-like". KJZZ. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  23. ^ Hitt, Tarpley (2019-01-24). "The Cult of #DezNat: Alt-Right Mormons Targeting Porn and the LGBTQ Community". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  24. ^ Kincart, Sydney (2021-08-03). "Kincart: The Perils of Spreading Mormon Extremism - The Daily Utah Chronicle". Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  25. ^ Benson, Samuel; July 22, Deseret News | Posted-; A.m, 2021 at 9:53. "#DezNat Twitter debates have unleashed vitriol. Now a BYU grad and prosecutor is under investigation". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2024-07-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ "2-Greenhalgh-Chapman – Journal of the Mormon Social Science Association". Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  27. ^ Ferguson, Kari (2021-04-27). "In defense of what? < Of Faith & Great Anxiety". Of Faith & Great Anxiety. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  28. ^ "Apologies to Charlie Bird, Ryan Clifford, and the Mormon/Ex-Mormon LGBTQ Communities | Mormon Stories". 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  29. ^ "DezNat and the Latter-day Saint Vigilante Tradition". Wheat & Tares. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  30. ^ B, Geoff (2020-03-11). "What do readers think of #DezNat?". The Millennial Star. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  31. ^ McConkie, Bruce R. (1978-10-18). "Letter to Thomas B. McAfee". SHIELDS Research.
  32. ^ Mormon Land: A deeper look at #DezNat tweeters | Episode 167, SoundCloud.
  33. ^ "quoted in Salt Lake Tribune article on DezNat movement". Spencer Greenhalgh. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  34. ^ ""Come for the memes, stay for defending the faith": Far-right and anti-feminist red pill influences in the #DezNat Twitter hashtag". University of Kentucky. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  35. ^ Martinez, David (2024-04-09). Bones Worth Breaking: A Memoir. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-61096-8.
  36. ^ Guzy, Tanner (2020-03-09). "What is #DezNat?". Medium. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  37. ^ "DeseretBook.com - An Unlikely Mormon: The Conversion Story of Glenn Beck". 2009-07-13. Archived from the original on 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  38. ^ "Glenn Beck, one of Tim Ballard's biggest supporters, now believes he was 'duped' by him". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  39. ^ Brunson, Sam (2023-08-10). "How to Address Right-Wing Extremism Among LDS Members". By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  40. ^ "The Tim Ballard Saga: A Thanksgiving Update". Wheat & Tares. 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  41. ^ Kitchenman, Andrew (July 21, 2021). "The Guardian reports Alaska assistant attorney general behind racist, anti-semitic and homophobic posts". KAKM. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  42. ^ "Assistant Alaska attorney general investigated for racist social media posts leaves job". Anchorage Daily News. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  43. ^ "Attorney under scrutiny for alleged #DezNat Twitter account is no longer employed by Alaska's Department of Law". Deseret News. July 28, 2021.
  44. ^ Peterson, Dan; Non, Sic et (2023-07-03). "Like Father, Like Son". Sic et Non. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
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