U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is reportedly causing "severe repercussions" to his own religion due to his rabid embrace of Donald Trump and his tactics.
Lee, a MAGA lawmaker who backs Trump every chance he gets, was in hot water when he posted insensitive statements about a shooting in which a Democratic lawmaker was killed. His religion, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, has been harmed by those comments and others, according to a Politico report.
Lee's "online persona has further damaged his already frayed relationship with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," whose members are often referred to as Mormons, according to Politico.
"It wasn’t just Washington that was buzzing over Lee’s response to the tragedy. It also set off a debate in Salt Lake City. At the global headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a discussion over how to respond — if at all — began in earnest, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss private conversations," the report states. "Several of the church’s senior leaders saw the posts and were concerned. Lee is a prominent Latter-day Saint, arguably the best-known elected Church member in the nation. His insensitive words were reflecting poorly on the faith at large. One church official estimated the backlash from Lee’s posts would have severe repercussions for the church’s public image, the first person said."
The report notes that, "for Lee’s church, that bellicose online alter ego poses a problem."
"Even as some Christian denominations have delved into Christian nationalism or partisan politics during the Trump era, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as the Mormon Church) has consistently called on members to do the opposite: to be 'peacemakers' in the civic square," according to the report.
After its analysis, "The church, however, made the decision to stay quiet."
"Top-down, public rebukes of individual members are very rare in the faith, much less when action could be seen as a partisan exercise and further exacerbate tensions. The church, as an institution, has a strict political neutrality policy; its members, while encouraged to be Christ-like, are to act as they wish," according to the report. "But the incident brought to a boil something that had been simmering in Salt Lake City for some time. 'Mike Lee is far-right,' said one emeritus general authority, a former high-ranking church official, granted anonymity to speak openly. 'The church is not far-right.'"