#DezNat users say they're defending the church; those they target say it's not Christ-like

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — #DezNat, short for Deseret Nationalism, is trending on Twitter. Many people who use the hashtag claim they are defending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its teachings, and scripture. Others are trolling progressive Mormons, LGBTQ church members, allies, and feminists, a leading Mormon history scholar says. Some of their posts contain violent imagery and memes. A spokesperson from the church told 2News the group is "not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

One ProgMo's Message Sparks Internet Ire

“My intent is to make room for more people to feel at home as members of the Church,” says Dr. Julie Hanks, owner of Wasatch Family Therapy and a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I push on the cultural norms.”

She wants women's voices to be equally valued in the Church and advocates for LGBTQ inclusion, even wearing a rainbow pin to church.

But this progressive approach has drawn criticism on social media, including people on Twitter using #DezNat.

“I became aware of DezNat, I believe last year as my social media following grew because they started posting negative things about me, or taking things out of context or claiming that I was trying to lead people away from the LDS church."

In an interview with 2News, Dr. Hanks admits the DezNat posts are free speech, but points out, "I don't think it's kind, I don't think it's helpful. I don't think it's nice. I don't think it's Christ-like, but they get to think what they think and, and say what they want to say."

'Self-Styled Guardians of Orthodoxy'

Professor Patrick Mason is Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University.

Mason says the online DezNat movement includes people who see themselves "as kind of self-styled guardians of orthodoxy" against what they see as the church's dangerous opponents.

“They really believe that they're defending the leaders of the church and, and that [the church] needs to be defended from what they see as a progressive onslaught," he explains.

Who does DezNat think are the church's opponents? Mason lists people they see as too liberal, people who are not sufficiently supportive of church leaders, members of the LGBTQ community and their allies, and feminists.

2News Investigates spoke to multiple people who use DezNat hashtag. They argued some of the tweets are being taken of context, or are meant to be comic.

A History of Extremist Factions

"There's been a kind of militant strain within Mormonism from the very beginning," Mason explains. "Of course, this is not unique to Mormonism or to Latter-Day, since this is true in every religious tradition."

“They will go after people very strongly, they'll use violent imagery. They'll talk about unsheathed bowie knives and other kinds of things.”

"There have also been posts that have had anti-Semitic or racist content, which I think they're borrowing from white Christian nationalism and from other sources as well," he adds.

When #DezNat Enters Politics

In July, former North Ogden mayor candidate Gregory Smith told 2News Investigates he's used #DezNat to defend church teachings. A month later, he tweeted out, "Time to get our muskets," in response to an LGBTQ-related post. He later deleted his account.

Last summer, the Guardian reported that Matthias Cicotte, then Alaska's assistant attorney general, was tweeting racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic messages under the moniker, J Reuben Clark. It's unclear if Cicotte resigned or was fired from his job. He declined an interview for this story.

Anti-Defamation League: DezNat is Not a Hate Group

The ADL confirmed to 2News that they are tracking #DezNat, but does not consider it a hate group.

One ADL researcher called it a loose network.

“It seems to me that one of the reasons why a lot of these people posting under DezNat do so anonymously is because at least somewhere in them, in their heart of hearts, they know that they're actually not onboard with the church's current position," Mason says.

Church spokesperson Doug Andersen, in a statement to 2News, said:

This group is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church leaders have reminded its members--of all political views--to follow the example and the teachings of Jesus Christ in treating others with respect, dignity, and love. Anything that encourages or incites violence is contrary to the recent instruction given church leaders.