“Behold, the Enemy is Combined”
A first-hand account of the Proclamation reading event at BYU
Last week I received my very first death threat. I work in politics and plan on being involved in the fight for freedom for the rest of my life so I anticipated one day it would happen. What I did not anticipate was where it happened and why. I received my very first death threat at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for the crime of reading The Family: A Proclamation to the World aloud during a passing period.
It was shocking. I’ve been involved in campus activism for four years now, and I have engaged in campus activism at BYU multiple times on issues ranging from the Second Amendment to Constitution Day to Free Speech. Never have I received the kind of response I received that day. Within 20 seconds of beginning to read the Family Proclamation, students were attempting to get in my face, accusing me of being hateful, bigoted, contentious, trying to make campus unsafe, and accusing me of being “un-Christlike.” I did my best to ignore them and read on but by the time we finished, my friend and I were surrounded by angry students eager to attack us for what we had done.
When the crowd finally dispersed, my companion was pretty shaken. We hadn’t anticipated this kind of vitriol and aggression. We had purposefully chosen a place away from where the students participating in Rainbow Day were gathered. We had come to speak the truth. However, that simple act of speaking the truth stirred up darkness and anger to a level I hadn’t seen from BYU students before.
While this was occurring, an employee of BYU Broadcasting and current student, Caroline Coppersmith issued a death threat on Twitter, stating that she would stab me in all my vital organs if her tweet didn’t receive likes. Later in the comments, she promised to relay profane messages to me as I [bled out.] This shook us up even more. Fears of violence, stalking, doxing, and other acts of retaliation felt very real as individuals poured out support for her call to violence. My friend struggled to focus during the day, shaking and worrying about if he had been followed by our antagonizers.
Gratefully our actions inspired others, and that evening more supporters of The Family came and read it on campus. They were met by 30 Rainbow clad counter-protesters who heckled and tried to drown them out.
I hope this serves as a wake-up call to members everywhere. Tolerance it has been shown is not a two-way street. The repressive tolerance of Marcuse and the cultural Marxists has come to BYU.
You might ask “Why do these people bother coming to BYU if they feel this way?” Because these aren’t just people with different opinions looking for a space to be themselves. They are not victims looking for kindness. They are post-modern iconoclasts conducting their long march through the Church institutions.
We must realize this isn’t a movement we are dealing with, it’s jihad. An iconoclastic Rainbow Jihad that is bent on stamping out true doctrine and destroying those institutions and individuals that dare stand in their way. And as with other jihads they are not above violence and the threat of violence. They won’t stop because they cannot stop. This is their religion now. They have rejected the source of their divine worth and are attempting to fill that hole in their souls with the approval of those around them. But it will never fill the hole and so their rage will not abate.
You cannot nice this away. You cannot hug this away. You cannot tolerate it away. Putting your head down and living the gospel will not stop this. These post-modern Savanarolas will toss you on their bonfire of virtues. You will be offered on the altar of their rebellion. You will bend the knee or face the consequences. Conversion or inquisition.
The shofar has been sounded. War is upon us whether the faithful will risk it or not. The spiritual survival of BYU, our children, and ultimately our rights to worship God and stand for His truth is at risk. Will you answer the call? Will you stand for the Family? The forces of truth are marshaling at BYU, join us and help save BYU.
Supplemental Reading:
- “Behold the Enemy Is Combined (D&C 38:12)” -Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 1993
- “Why Marriage, Why Family” -Elder D. Todd Christofferson, April 2015
- “The Plan and the Proclamation” -Elder Dallin H. Oaks, October 2017
You can follow Chief Judge Lachoneus on Twitter at @JudgeLachoneus. He also contributes to latterdayfreemen.com.
The whole point of a flag is to serve as banner- a masthead under which to declare allegiance. It is no coincidence they march under their flag, plant it in prominent institutions, feature it in their pictures. Gay nationalists are more powerful colonizers than most conservatives could even dream of being.
well spoken and well thought out. nice application of scripture
Please send this to BYU’s honor code office. That girl giving a death threat should be kicked out.
One of the biggest lies these people push is the false idea that all people, no matter their belief and practices, are, “children of God”.
Try this yourself. Do a Scripture search for the phrases, “[child], [children], [sons] of God”. Nowhere in the four standard works exists those phrases to describe all human beings. That phrase is only ever used to describe people that believe, repent of their sins, and obey Jesus Christ and His commandments.
Dont take my word for it. Look it up for yourself.
You are not a “child of God” simply for existing, and most certainly not when you’re actively disobeying Gods laws of chastity or LGBT ideology. In fact, the Scriptures actually go so far to describe you as “children of the devil” if you follow such false teachings.
Calling everyone a “child of God” is a Luciferian trick, rooted in the same things that Communism was rooted in: the doctrine Lucifer taught in the war in heaven, that we should all be saved and treated equally no matter our choices.
Nephi warns of this false doctrine in 2 Nephi 28:8-9. That “we all shall be saved in the kingdom of God” no matter our actions.
These people are deceivers. They should be called out and rejected.
This is false doctrine. That you can’t find “child, children or sons of God” doesn’t mean that we aren’t God’s children. We sing about it, are taught about it in lessons, conference, etc. The phrase “children of the devil’ is just that – a descriptive phrase. We are children of God just for existing, as any child born to you (or adopted by you) is your child whether they are behaving righteously or not. Do your children not become yours when they disobey you or make choices that go against your beliefs. What a sad commentary on your belief system this is.
The “doctrine” is the Scriptures, it is the yardstick by which we measure doctrine. What you’re saying is just like reading the words from the US Constitution and calling it “Unconstitutional”. Ridiculous. None of what you say exists in the doctrine. Not everything you are taught in conference and in primary is true doctrine.
John the Baptist taught that God can literally make stones become children of Abraham (Luke 3:8). You are only a “child of God” if you obey God’s commandments. The Scriptures describe everyone else as “children of man” or as “children of the Devil”. That’s the doctrine, and the New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine & Covenants all teach this doctrine very, very clearly. Accept it or reject it.
Homosexuals are not children of God. Period.
LoveIsConditional, You are 100% correct!! What do people think when Christ says to those who don’t follow Him, “I know you not.” Mat. 25:12 or when He says, “ye are not mine” D&C 38:27. Judy Cox is wrong. You are not children of God UNLESS you follow Him completely and do His will. I agree that some of the things taught are not true doctrine. We need to listen to what the LORD says not man.
We were all born as children of God. Whether we leave this earth as His or Satan’s children depends on which we follow. It’s OK to tell primary children they are a child of God. For the most part they have not strayed so far from Him yet. The phrase “you are a child of God” is more telling us where we came from, but where we end up is not determined by our birth as much as the path we follow as we mature. I’m appalled that BYU students are rejecting the Family Proclamation and embracing the LGBT doctrine. I’m not talking about nor advocating treating the LGBT disrespectfully. I’m talking about not relaxing morals to be more inclusive. That’s not necessary and not what God wants us to do.
I agree with you that the violent threat was extremly out of line, unChristlike and should be addressed by all parties involved includeing twitter, maybe even legally. However, fighting violent vitriol with more exsaggerated vitriol seems to be counterproductive. Turn the other cheek, this is not a “jihad” its a few ignorant activists acting poorly dont do the same. WWJD
It’s ignorant to assume that this is just a few ignorant activists..this movement will only grow larger and with increasing intensity.
Sorry Dave— these types always behave like this. In my neighborhood are a couple long time queers. Nice guys. no flag waving, no in-your-face behavior. live and let live. The other end are some in your face, flag waving activists. If we allow the evil the marketplace of ideas and the public square, that is all we get. Thank God some stand in the gap and take the hits. I agree, Carolyn Coppersmith needs employment termination and legal repercussions.
Absolutely wrong…this is not just a few ignorant activists acting poorly. This is a very well organized effort…they know exactly what they are doing and have a very specific agenda. Unfortunately, it looks like it is working.
Death threats are completely out of line – and definitely inflammatory behavior, kind of like yours was. What type of reaction did you expect when standing in the midst of those who are struggling with their identity (or not) and identify as gay when you start to read (yell) out loud the proclamation on the family? How exactly is that teaching with kidness and love? I think your attempt at “teaching” was more “in your face” and you got the response that you really should have expected. Please find other ways to share the message of the family and love, and recognize that you can’t change hearts by screaming at people.
I missed the part where anyone was screaming the Proclamation. It was a reading, and done in another part of campus from where the rainbow day activities were taking place. Can’t you see what is going on? They don’t want acceptance, they want you to bend the knee to their idol.
Exactly
Depends on whose account of what took place you read. The picture shows them right where the rally was taking place if I’m not mistaken..
Please read again. The author states that he and his companion chose a place away from the action and were almost immediately accosted.
The picture taken was of a group that gathered several hours later. Coverage was provided by BYU’s newspaper of the later gathering. The video in their article doesn’t show the readers shouting or invading anyone’s space.
read Dustin Turner’s comments. If we allow the evil the marketplace of ideas and the public square, that is all we get. Thank God some stand in the gap and take the hits.
“And It speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil.” 2 Nephi 33:5
Understand that politics are every bit as powerful and motivating as religion and history has shown us that lunatics will kill millions for their beliefs. Do not discount the threat because it may seem improbable or irrational, you will merely become a statistic. These attacks will never be in the form of a fair fight or honorable engagement. Read the first few chapters of Gavin De Becker’s Gift of Fear and be vigilant. Semper Fi.
Everyone is a spirit child of our Heavenly parents and chose to follow God’s plan. Came to earth receiving a mortal body. Our spirits are clothed within our body to learn here to return to God. We can become a child of God by obeying God’s commandments and partaking in and honoring our covenants. Plain and simple even a six year old can understand this.
No they’re not children of God. That’s your personal (and false) opinion. The Scriptures teach that ONLY those who follow and obey God’s commandments are children of God. Follow the Scriptures, not politically correct Facebook posts.
Sounds like you are going about this the wrong way. Yes, Christ went to the sinners to preach, but that is why we have the missionaries to go out. Our job as members of his church is to reach out to those immediately around us, like friends and family. If you want to preach, live the gospel and others will be drawn to your light if they are ready to hear it.
And as far as being opposed by others outside of the church, that will always happen. But Jesus has asked us to love everyone, and the Prophets have told us that we are all Children of God. They don’t just say that to the members, but to any who are listening and to all who have lived or will live on this earth are spirit children of our Father in Heaven. We only become Children of Christ when we take his name upon us through baptism, and are renewed through him.
And I will continue to live the commandments and will let them rant and rave all they want because that can never take away my faith. And if they so choose to come against us with force… Well, here is Alma’s answer.
Alma 14
10 And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.
11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.
Dear students, I am appalled. Ever hear of the story of the camel in the tent? how about Edmund Burke’s famous couplet “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
I cannot believe this satanic behavior is allowed on a campus paid for by the church. The savior wants us to love others but NOT their sins. you don’t have to tolerate, celebrate or embrace ones behavior to love them. The savior loves all of us but will he not destroy the wicked? Be courageous, stand up for the gospel and the scriptures and their teachings. Stand up for the truth or we are lost.
“War is upon us whether the faithful will risk it or not.”
You think we don’t see what you did there, but I do 😛
Hoo boy. I’d love to see what Jesus thinks of you. Next time you wanna take yourself so seriously, please let me know. I need a good laugh every now and again. 😂
Calm down, man. That girl wasn’t gonna hurt you. Don’t act like you’re so “shaken” and “scared”. The second greatest commandment is to love others as they are, not to quote scriptures at people who disagree with you.
Good luck with life. I hope the next time someone says something mean to you, it freaks you out just as bad.
Looks like you didn’t read the article. The picture of the girl is from the later gathering the Daily Universe covered. The author’s description is from his earlier event in the day not pictured. The tweets from the BYU employee are from the earlier event.
Oops Meg, that is NOT what the second commandments says. It isn’t even exactly what the first commandments says. Go read it again and focus on each word. Nowhere will you see the words “love others as they are.” I believe it says “as yourself”.
I still don’t understand why any BYU student would be so irrationally upset with the Family Proclamation reading. It’s sound doctrine, issued by a prophet and his counselors as most likely given from God. What more needs to be said? Any who are offended by it needs to do some serious self evaluating.
Threat of violence is totally not an okay response to others sharing their beliefs. For the record though, those pins are tiny. Even if she poked you in each of your vital organs, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t die.
God’s love is conditional, he loves only when we obey his commandments. Christ wants us to love one another as he loves us (conditionally) President Nelson testified of this principle. Read for yourself:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2003/02/divine-love?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR2rV-IlsJxwmz5BFjXcCTQgJWjYFiPl3vXw5Pc4RaUbrGm2FJ4RIIy5lhY
“The repressive tolerance of Marcuse and the cultural Marxists has come to BYU.”
Precisely.
I just want to ask: does the author of this paper TRULY and HONESTLY believe that the protestor who tweeted that was gonna stab him with a pin? Honestly? It seems to me as more of a hyper-exaggerated joke you would see on tumblr like “eat the rich”
Nobody is actually going to eat the rich, it’s just a joke.
Should the protestor have said that? It’s in their right of course, but perhaps they should have withheld their statements and not posted them publically. However that does not change my statement above. They said this, only on a tweet and not to the author’s face. That somehow translates to the GAYS ARE THE JIHAD. How? The article gave no real sufficient explanation of how this leap in logic is justified.
The fact that the author reacted to this tweet in this way, and treated it like it was the end of the world as we know it really shows the bias behind this paper.
Bias is not compatible with critical thinking.
I’m sure you would be very level-headed if the author had threatened an LGBT with violence, even jokingly.
Switch out “reading The Family: A Proclamation” for “handing out rainbow flags” and “floppy %$#% boy” with a homophobic slur, I’m sure you’d feel much different.
Every evil action started as a thought.
Didn’t you just get in the news for making threats towards a professor at BYU because they said they had no problem with gay students on campus? That’s a whole lotta hypocrisy right there. Maybe if you weren’t some kind of alt-right LDS proud boy who’s constantly harassing and making threats towards others this wouldn’t happen.
Luckily I get to treat you like you have a double-digit IQ because real alt-righters hate Latter-day Saints. Play again when you can provide evidence of actual threats.