I think what’s upset me the most about the “Save BYU” movement isn’t so much indicative of something wrong at BYU alone, but instead points to massive problems in how we’ve been failed by the Church to live outside a binary state of thinking

Reading through the blog post and IG page reveals that these students are hurting because their worldview cannot hold with the ideas brought up in their academic courses.

Specifically those courses in fields that challenge binary, black and white thinking.

And instead of having a robust theology that can accommodate the grays and the spectrums and hold conflicting truths together at once, not just “It’s the Brethren and Absolute Truth or nothing!”

Even in the comments on my Facebook post against this movement, it boiled back to “You can’t go against the Brethren! Because every time you go against God, you lose!”

This exact framework and what of thinking is why BIPOC, LGBTQ people, women, and disabled people haven’t had a real voice in church history for the past 200 years. Or very selective voices in articles and talks cherry picked to pieces.

If your testimony crumbles because your minority English professor points out that while spreading the Gospel is a worthy endeavor, the Church missionary program also can in historical context be seen as a form of colonization, that’s the Church’s fault, not that BYU professor.

Or your philosophy class takes you on a “Good Place” level wrestle on agency, philosophy, and morality as it’s designed to do, you’re supposed to come out the other end more open minded to the flaws of mankind, not feeling like your teacher was turning you against your faith.