When LDS Faith Turns Homophobic: Reacting to Elder Holland’s BYU Anti-gay “Musket” Speech
In this episode, I explore ideas of Christianity, Mormonism, and the broader question of what it means to live the “good life” through the lens of philosophy and critical thinking.
Today I’m reacting to Jeffrey R. Holland’s widely discussed 2021 BYU address—often referred to as the “musket fire” speech—where he used military imagery while discussing institutional loyalty, academic freedom, and the Church’s stance on same-sex relationships.
Rather than focusing on outrage, I’m interested in deeper questions:
What happens when religious authority adopts the language of warfare?
How should we understand the tension between institutional loyalty and moral critique?
What does this reveal about power, obedience, and dissent in modern faith traditions?
And how do LGBTQ members and critics experience rhetoric like this from religious leadership?
This isn’t just about one speech—it’s about how belief systems respond when challenged by modern social change, and what that means for people trying to live authentically within or outside those systems.
📺 Original speech for context:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjUYmOwemZQ&list=WL&index=4&t=356s
Whether you're LDS, ex-LDS, Christian, atheist, or just curious, this is a space for reflection—not slogans.
Please consider making a donation by joining our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MormonNewsRoundup
Email: kolob@mormonnewsroundup.org
Website: https://mormonnewsroundup.org/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonnewsroundup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormon_news_roundup/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dives.lazarus/
X: https://twitter.com/NewsMormon
New episodes every night at 9:30 PM Eastern.
Please like and subscribe and hit the notifications bell. Remember remember, no unhallowed hand can stop this podcast from progressing!
The Mormon News Roundup is NOT affilated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.