DezNat
#DezNat (shortened from Deseret Nation) is a group of devoted members belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) that originated in 2018 by a Twitter user named JP Bellum. It is widely considered to be an alt-right, white nationalist hashtag.[1][2][3]
Deseret Nation | |
 Alleged Mormon flag 1877 unofficially used to represent DezNat | |
| Affiliations | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
|---|---|
Tanner Guzy, who uses the hashtag, described the movement as consisting of LDS members who are "unapologetic about our belief in the restored Gospel".[2] According to Bellum, "#DezNat is not endorsed by the LDS Church or its leadership. Instead it 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"; "#DezNat or Deseret Nation is basically the recognition that faithful members are a unique people and should be united spiritually, morally, economically, and politically behind Christ, the prophet, and the church. If all government were gone tomorrow the church would fill that role".[1][4]
The #DezNat community often criticizes members of the LGBTQ community, ex-Mormons (apostates), pornographic film actors, as well as the Mormon blog By Common Consent for being too progressive.[1] Some members of the DezNat community have also expressed support for violence linked to the concept of "blood atonement" (officially shunned by the LDS Church) against members of these groups.[1]
See also
References
- 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.
- Reeser, Andrew (30 January 2019). "'Deseret Nation': Alt-right Mormon militants or truth defenders?". ABC4 Utah. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- Reese, Isaac (10 September 2019). "Reese: The LDS Church has a White Nationalist Problem". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- "What is #DezNat?". Twitter. 2018-10-26.
Further reading
- Dalrymple II, Jim (27 March 2017). "Meet The (Alt-Right) Mormons: Inside The Church's Vocal White Nationalist Wing". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- Dalrymple II, Jim (26 July 2018). "The Mormon Church And The Exorcism Of The Far Right". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- Stack, Peggy Fletcher (5 December 2020). "There's a new 'manifesto' circulating among Latter-day Saints, and it's 'radical'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 9 January 2021.