Brandon Davies’ suspension for the remainder of the 2011 season didn’t just seriously jeopardize BYU’s dream basketball season, it’s also a nightmare come true for the entire school and LDS Church. – Jim Weber
In order to fully understand the full impact of Brandon Davies’ suspension for the rest of this season for reported premarital sex, you first need to understand the perception of Brigham Young among those West of the Mississippi River.
Whether it’s ignorance, jealousy or just plain bigotry, many people out West view BYU with the same contempt East Coasters have for Notre Dame because of a perceived “holier than thou” mentality, an extremely conservative fan base that is unfairly accused of being pretentious and continued excellence on-and-off the playing fields that leads to being mislabeled as elitist.
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Those stereotypes are only fueled by the fact that BYU is not only affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is actually run by the LDS Church. The church itself is something very few outsiders understand and naturally leads to skepticism and cynicism about the religion.
All of that leads to a whole lotta hate for BYU’s athletic programs.
Ask 1990 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Ty Detmer, who reportedly once saw a sign at an opposing school that read, “BRIGHAM DUNG UNIVERSITY.”
Or how about former BYU defensive end and team captain Setema Gali, who once said in a Palm Beach Post article: “You can sense it. It just feels like people love to hate us.”
And no one hates BYU more than in-state rival Utah.
Here’s what current San Francisco 49ers quarterback and former Ute Alex Smith once had to say about BYU: “I really hate them. Playing in the game helped me understand. They are the most arrogant people. It’s the whole church and state thing. They’re the ‘good kids’. We’re the ‘bad kids.’ I didn’t feel it in my gut last year like I do now.”
It’s really a shame a university and its students with such good intentions are viewed this way. No matter your views on the Mormon religion, this is a school where they try and uphold morals in a world where teen moms and ranting celebrities are idolized, and a place where 95% of the male population goes on a two-year Mormon mission to places all over the globe that provide countless hours of community service to neighborhoods that desperately need it.
Fortunately, the perception of BYU started to change in 2009 with the help of athletics when the Cougars downed national title runner-up Oklahoma and Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford in the season opener.
It was one of the biggest stories of the college football season, as fans around the nation viewed BYU as David and Oklahoma as Goliath and then pulled for the Cougars to play for the national title that season and bust the BCS (that dream went up in smoke two weeks later when BYU was blown out by Florida State).
For once, the Cougars were viewed as the darlings of college football instead of a Goliath themselves.
And just when BYU didn’t think things could get any better, Jimmer Fredette gave us all a glimpse of his basketball wizardry last March when he scored 37 points in a first round victory over Florida in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. While the Cougars were bounced in the next round, we got an early preview of Jimmer Mania.
It’s no secret that in Provo, athletics is viewed as a vehicle to spread the word of the LDS Church and why not? It’s no secret the way athletics boosts applications for schools that perform well on the playing fields. Take George Mason. After reaching the 2006 Final Four, applications at the school went up a staggering 20-percent the next year.
Not bad for a school many people couldn’t even locate on a map prior to March 2006.
And while the BYU athletic department’s move to become an independent like Notre Dame was years in the making, it was perfect timing that the university struck its own eight-year TV deal with ESPN with the football team coming off four-straight 10-win seasons and the basketball program preparing for a dream season with Fredette returning for his senior year.
The exposure this will give the football and basketball programs – and more importantly, the school and LDS Church – can not be underestimated. Relegated to being viewed on the lowly Mtn. Network for the last several years, the Cougars will now be beamed into 100 million homes in the United States starting next fall.
And the news only got better for the school as Jimmer Mania officially took off when Fredette put up over 40 points three times in a span of four games in January. The last month has been full of YouTube tributes, Facebook fan pages and invaluable press about a school and player that goes about things the right way.
And BYU’s dream season hit a crescendo on Feb. 26 when the Cougars hammered San Diego State on the road, 80-67, and had their sights set squarely on a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and eventually a trip to Houston.
But just then, things came crashing down in the form of Brandon Davies’ suspension last Wednesday for allegedly having premarital sex, which is a violation of the school’s Honor Code.
While the media has almost universally applauded BYU’s decision to put their honor code ahead of athletic performance and that they were well within their rights to suspend a student for violating the honor code each student is well aware of when they head to Provo (a position I also hold), the general public hasn’t been so kind.
The public backlash against BYU and the LDS Church has been cynical at best and vitriolic at worst.
Upon hearing about the suspension, people immediately pulled up the school’s Honor Code and sadly poked fun at its strict rules that include no alcohol, clean grooming, no coffee or tea and no swearing – all of which are about as ingrained at other universities as bad dorm food.
People have now labeled the school and LDS Church as backward and behind the times. Even worse, people have made plenty of uniformed statements, like claiming the church is hypocritical for allowing polygamy but not premarital sex – which is not even accurate as the church condemns the practice.
Heck, even New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire has gotten in on the BYU bashing that’s taken place in the last week, tweeting out, “Don’t ever go to BYU.”
And the sad thing is, the school and church were put in a complete no-win situation when it comes to public perception.
Let’s just say the school had suspended Davies for the rest of the regular season and let him come back for the postseason, or taken several weeks to review the case before making a ruling after the Big Dance. What would the public reaction have been then?
Well, those same people that are currently ripping BYU for being prehistoric and backward would instead be crying foul that even at BYU, athletes have their own set of rules – especially when a trip to the Final Four is on the line. Even worse, there would be accusations that the LDS Church is corrupt and fraudulent.
And so, now less than a week after it appeared BYU was going to use a No. 1 seed and its status as the darlings of college basketball for a grand opening to national television exposure that ESPN will provide for years to come, BYU and the LDS Church now find itself back at square one in terms of public perception with an angry mob of Americans hurling insults at a school and church that deserve better.
After all, it’s the same Honor Code that is now being mocked that makes BYU the special place that produces such quality young adults as Jimmer Fredette and, yes, Brandon Davies.
Sadly, all of that now seems forgotten.
Jim Weber is the president and founder of LostLettermen.com. His column appears each Monday.
He we go again twisting my words, You believe we have always existed like God, not the fact that we can obtain eternal life through Jesus.
What’s the illusion or double talk?
last post from David good facsimile
David would have problem with two different titles of God:
First and Last meaning First God Last God, since Mormons teach many gods.
and No beginning or End since David would feel he could be-called that also since Mormons teach he existed beforehand too, the same as god as eternal intelligence.
@Ron
The reality is that the idea of preexistence has a Biblical history. here are scripture references that hint at this (Galatians 1:15,16; Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 1:4) and many studies have been done, and not by Mormon researchers either. Studies don’t prove doctrine, of course, but show the possibility. It’s not a “unique” Mormon doctrine. You no doubt see it differently, but the verses (and traditions) are still there, with or without Mormonism. And so it is with most of our doctrine. The Bible provides evidences of many of our beliefs and although many dispute this, they don’t really know what certain things mean (great example, 1 Corinthians 15:29).
Apparently David doesn’t realize God is all knowing, The Bible says God can speak of Future events as though they were the past. So he can know you before you existed. 1 Corinthians 15:29 speaks of Baptism for dead because Pagans in Paul’s time practiced it notice that it says they not us or we.
David is very confused
@Jill
Yes, Jill, I am very confused, since apparently you can take any verse and it can mean a plethora of different things to different people. Hence, how many religions use the Bible but have different doctrines? I’ve lost count. Of course, that was Joseph Smith’s problem too.
I love to hear all the strange explanations trying to account for things you don’t understand. What are you talking about pagans in Paul’s time? What indication do you have Paul is speaking to pagans? The first verse sets the tone – Paul is speaking of the gospel to the brethren (members). Perhaps you should re-read the entire text. 1 Corinthians 15:29 is about resurrection. Paul is talking about baptism for the dead to confirm doctrine about the resurrection.
But, in any case, you are completely unable to account for anything else I’ve mentioned and only see what you want in any passage. God can speak of future events as though they are passed? That’s your explanation for those passages? What other sweeping blanket statements do you make to cover whatever else you can’t explain? If you’re using excuses like that then you can swing any doctrine whatever ways you want. This only confirms that anyone can bend anything to mean whatever they want without actually using an open mind.
David’s God must not be Omniscience since his only explanation is only about things that has happen. I am glad my God is omniscience, would you serve one that isn’t ?
I think Jill explained that if Paul or the brethren practiced baptism for the dead he would said “we baptize or us, not they .
I certainly wouldn’t serve a God that is not omniscience. But I also don’t think that’s a blanket answer for verses that can’t otherwise be explained. We can get technical and say verse 23 in 1 Corinthians 15 also refers to someone else as well. And who knows how many other verses that mention “they” can be picked apart. But I think the more obvious point is the statement itself about baptism for the dead. Regardless of arguments about who he may have been talking about, Paul is not putting the practice down but rather acknowledging it. Do you not find that interesting? Even a little bit?
More likely none of what I say really matters anyway. We will all bend things to fit what we want. But please don’t think Mormonism has created entirely new doctrines or concepts when those concepts have root in the Bible itself.
I certainly wouldn’t serve a God that is not omniscience. But I also don’t think that’s a blanket answer for verses that can’t otherwise be explained. We can get technical and say verse 23 in 1 Corinthians 15 also refers to someone else as well. And who knows how many other verses that mention “they” can be picked apart. But I think the more obvious point is the statement itself about baptism for the dead. Regardless of arguments about who he may have been talking about, Paul is not putting the practice down but rather acknowledging it. Do you not find that interesting? Even a little bit?
More likely none of what I say really matters anyway. We will all bend things to fit what we want. But please don’t think Mormonism has created entirely new doctrines or concepts when those concepts have root in the Bible itself.
You can find animal sacrifice there too is that why Mormons think that’s OK too?
Animal sacrifice after the death of Christ is another Old Testament practice that has found a place in Mormon beliefs. It was Joseph Smith himself who taught this doctrine:
… it is generally supposed that sacrifice was entirely done away when the Great Sacrifice … was offered up, and that there will be no necessity for the ordinance of sacrifice in [the] future: but those who assert this are certainly not acquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the priesthood, or with the Prophets….
These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the Priesthood, will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built,… be fully restored and attended to in all their powers, ramifications, and blessings (History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 211).
In the Journal of Wandle Mace the following is recorded: “Joseph told them to go to Kirtland, and cleanse and purify a certain room in the Temple, that they must kill a lamb and offer a sacrifice unto the Lord which should prepare them to ordain Willard Richards a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles” (“Journal of Wandle Mace,” p. 32, microfilmed copy at Brigham Young University Library).
Joseph Fielding Smith said that “the law of sacrifice will have to be restored…. Sacrifice by the shedding of blood was instituted in the days of Adam and of necessity will have to be restored” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, p.94).
It is interesting to note that even though the Mormon church teaches animal sacrifice after the death of Christ, they cannot
find any support for this doctrine in the Book of Mormon. In fact, the Book of Mormon condemns it in the strongest terms. In 3 Nephi 9:19 Jesus was supposed to have said: “And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.”
There are many other Old Testament practices in Mormonism.
We do not offer animal sacrifice, Jill. I know you’d love to believe everything you can find, but you’re terribly misinformed about some things. Too bad you don’t actually care about the truth.
I just take your leaders words as truth David
David would like us believe his leaders have real authority yet quote from them and he says not to believe everything you find?
I have Doctrines of Salvation and it’s an accurate Quote.
Joseph Fielding Smith said that “the law of sacrifice will have to be restored…. Sacrifice by the shedding of blood was instituted in the days of Adam and of necessity will have to be restored” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, p.94).
Ron, this may be hard to understand, but we DON’T believe that everything any leader ever said or wrote is gospel truth. We DON’T believe men are infallible. Our leades do have authority when acting in certain offices and in certain situations. But we don’t hold everything in History of the Church, Discourses of Brigham Young, Doctrines of Salvation, Mormon Doctrine, etc., as scripture. Much of what is found is quoted here or there or somewhere but never as official doctrine from conference and not with witnesses or multiple leaders teaching the same principle. Leaders need to repent just like us. Many leaders have been wrong about certain things and have moved on in light of correct information. But without you’re actually being in the church, you won’t really be able to fully grasp this.
Yes, we do believe in a living, breathing, changing church through revelation. Things can change, as indicated in the Bible. So you’ve found some quotes about sacrifice being restored? When? Who knows. Fundamentally, you’re damned (stopped) in your beliefs and we’re not. It’s that simple. We believe God continues to speak to man, you don’t. We beleive in a living Christ who interacts with men today, you’ don’t. We believe Christ’s church has authoriy, prophets and apostles, requires tithing, and other practices found in the Bible. You believe the organization from the Bible is done away and people are now free to believe and practice however they see fit (how many denominations are there? Which one, if any, do you follow? Do you go to church? Is it different from Jill? Are you associated with any official sect?)
If you don’t want to beleive, than by all means, don’t worry about it. Perhaps the biggest difference between Mormons and non is that we try to live our religion without trying to put others down or pick their beliefs apart. How many, including yourself, devote more time to finding “errors” in our church than actually studying the scriptures or doing service or something else worthwhile? Or would you have me believe you’re actually genuinely concerned for my personal welfare? That’s not what I’ve felt from your posts. What, then, is your purpose?
I believe we do have a Living breathing prophet and is infallible, That I can talk to all the time, his name is Jesus. So LDS don’t pick other religions apart?
Mormons claim that in 1820 God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ visited Joseph Smith and told him that he “must join none” of the churches, “for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof’” (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:18-19).
Mormon ” so called” Apostle Orson Pratt wrote: “The gates of hell have prevailed and will continue to prevail over the Catholic Mother of Harlots, and over all her Protestant Daughters;…the apostate Catholic church, with all her popes and bishops, together with all her harlot daughters shall be hurled down to hell…” (Pamphlets by Orson Pratt, p. 112).
WOW !! I thought David said ” Perhaps the biggest difference between Mormons and non is that we try to live our religion without trying to put others down or pick their beliefs apart. How many, including yourself, devote more time to finding “errors” in our church than actually studying the scriptures or doing service or something else worthwhile?
Why would you find such hateful rhetoric then ?