The Mormon church platformed a wife guy. The division online was stark
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Controversy broke out last week when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posted a testimonial from an Arizona man who is focusing on his wife's career in pediatric neurology.
Why it matters: The church's posts elicited hearts and praise hands — and, elsewhere, seething accusations of "woke" PR.
- The distinct tone of the reactions on each platform illustrated how ideological pockets have formed on different social media sites, even within Mormonism.
Catch up quick: Church leaders have historically discouraged mothers from working outside the home or delaying children, and members have described a stigma against women who pursue careers.
Yes, but: Recent church literature has moderated that language, with an essay last year advising that "decisions about education, employment, and other personal issues … should be a matter of prayer and revelation."
Driving the news: Members were split last week when the Arizona husband wrote that supporting his wife "doesn't shrink my purpose — it expands it."
- Some complained that the church was yielding to "the unsound doctrine of feminism" and promoting "dysfunctional" or less-than-ideal family structures.
- Others applauded the church for providing a model of healthy masculinity.
The intrigue: The takes varied wildly by platform, per our analysis.
- On X, negative reactions outnumbered positive ones roughly 5 to 1.
- On Facebook, the ratio was almost exactly reversed.
- On Instagram — like Facebook, owned by Meta — positive comments outnumbered the negative about 10 to 1.
Between the lines: The church's X account restricted replies to the post, while comments remained open on Facebook and Instagram.
- "We have taken occasion to turn off commenting on other platforms like Facebook and Instagram but usually when the conversation becomes markedly disrespectful and unkind — like we did [on the post] on X," church spokesperson Doug Andersen told Axios.
The bottom line: In an era marked by online echo chambers, it may be hard to tell what "the masses" actually think.