Salt Lake Tribune Tripe #4

By Dennis B. Horne

            This time we find a different reporter (besides Peggy Stack) headlining a Salt Lake Tribune story promoting illicit sexual experience for Mormons and Utahns. People who are alleged “professionals” are now holding conventions in which they promote adultery, fornication, homosexual relations, and other types of sexual deviancy as not only normal, but good and healthy. In this particular case, being a “professional” has little meaning, and no legitimacy.

            I suppose a case could be made in which we said that strictly speaking, the Tribune itself is not promoting the sex convention, but is only reporting about it. Yet after review, it is obvious this reporter has a bias in favor of the convention and against the teachings of the LDS Church on sexual morality. While several proponents of free sex are quoted, only vague references to the overly strict and repressive (their opinion) Mormon Church and Utah State Legislature are given. This is poor reporting; any freshman in Journalism 101 could tell you a reporter needs to get both sides of a story while striving for fairness and balance.

In this case, some subtle sophistry is incorporated, since it is mentioned that some of the  alleged professionals evidently have a “background” in the Church. Translated, what this means is that they are former or inactive members who no longer believe in scriptural and prophetic teachings about sexual immorality. They are apostates and excommunicants and critics pushing philosophies contrary to the plain teachings of the Church they say they grew up in. Well, we get that resistance from all the prominent apostates that the Tribune gives a voice to; that is nothing new. Part of being a Latter-day Saint is to endure opposition from the spokespeople of a telestial world—but we can still point it out with a neon sign.

The promotion of free and illicit sex is disguised by the term “sex-positive message.” Some readers might not catch that distinction. “Some are doing more than just talking. There are new fetish groups, swingers groups where couple-swapping is the norm, and polyamory groups,” states the article. Then we learn that, because of the (their opinion) bad influence of the Church, “There’s been so much historic suppression in Utah.” Here “suppression” is the code word their sophistry uses to describe the Church teaching its members to keep the commandments, including the law of chastity.

Again, according to a quotation from an anti-Mormon sex therapist, people need to know “that there’s nothing wrong with them [wanting casual sex]. People have had enough of large institutions like the church and the Legislature telling them what is and is not OK.” Sinners are always offended by God and His commandments. This rebellion against morality is as old as the oldest profession. That damn Mormon Church is telling people to strive to keep themselves pure and clean before their Maker so they can have the Holy Spirit, serve their fellowmen in righteousness, endure to the end, and go to heaven. Shame on them!

We are told about a convention participant “who was raised in the Mormon faith” but is evidently not a member now (which is purposely not mentioned), who has decided there is no such thing as a porn addiction and that everyone should revel in all kinds of sexual pleasure for the fun of it. In other words, it’s the same old story that today there is no right and wrong, no good or evil, and sexual constraints found in religion keep people from enjoying the pleasure of sex of all corrupt varieties.

This person wants to release Mormons from the commandments, from the bounds the Lord has set in the scriptures for the appropriate behavior for His disciples:

“Growing up Mormon, your sexuality is defined for you, and the rules are set the moment you’re born,” says Hodson. “You’re straight — otherwise, they’ll tell you it’s just an attraction and you can overcome that. There’s very little room for natural sexual development. But that’s when people are happiest and healthiest, when they can own their sexuality.”

This woman has cast aside any belief in scriptures that teach about overcoming the natural man (or woman) and becoming spiritually adopted into the family of Christ, and now promotes promiscuity and decadence. She is using the natural sex drive to manipulate people into sin and assist them out of the Church:

“We’re seeing straight men who are wanting to have sex with other men, not because they’re gay, but because they want to have that experience,” she says. “That moves sexuality out of the binary. Once people aren’t scared or ashamed of their sexuality, then they can engage in non-risky ways.”

            She also touts sending groups of her University of Utah students on field trips to strip clubs, homosexual parades, sex shops, and other like venues, all to help them learn how to sin. More sophistry: “Parents will tell kids don’t have sex, which feeds into the fear.” No, this is a lie straight from Satan. What really happens is that “good Mormon parents teach their kids not to have premarital sex, which keeps them clean and entitled to the companionship of the Holy Ghost, which feeds into their happiness, and creates a potential eternal marriage.” I hope readers can see the difference. So much unhappiness and misery is caused when spiritual/moral laws are broken. In the long run, ignoring the conscience brings no true happiness and joy in life.

            Further along in the piece, “accurate” sex information becomes code for promoting permissive sexual behavior of any kind a young person wants—evil sophistry at its worst. One interviewee casually stated that “Sex-Positive Week is in many ways a pushback to Utah’s abstinence-based sex education culture”—again, fighting against the Church’s teachings—really the Lord’s teachings—on sexual morality and the law of chastity.

            And it goes on and on—blatant anti-Mormon/Christianity filled with the spirit of anti-Christ. And we get it all curtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune, again demonstrating its penchant for negatively biased stories meant to criticize or weaken the Church and its members, promoting opposition. That is why I call so much of what they publish, tripe.