Has Brandon Sanderson gone WOKE and BETRAYED his religion?

Summary

Highlights

• Brandon Sanderson is criticized for 'going woke' due to LGBT inclusion in his work. 🌈
• He maintains progressive stances while rejecting cancel culture, defending open discussions. 🤝
• Sanderson doesn't follow an agenda but writes to understand different perspectives. 📚
• His portrayal of LGBT themes is more about empathy and inclusion than activism. 🌟
• Sanderson is committed to his faith, seeking to reconcile it with love and understanding. ✨

Key Takeaways

• Brandon Sanderson faces criticism for increased LGBT representation in his latest book, sparking debates about his religious and progressive views. 🌈
• Sanderson, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, supports open discussions and rejects cancel culture. 🙌
• He is considered more progressive but not a full activist, emphasizing understanding and tolerance through his works. 🤝
• Sanderson aims to reflect diverse perspectives in his books, not to promote a specific agenda, but to understand and include different lifestyles. 📚
• Despite disagreements, Sanderson remains committed to his faith, advocating love and dialogue rather than condemnation. ✨

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Accusations In the initial chapter titled "Introduction and Accusations," the discussion centers around the release of the fifth book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series, which is noted for its increased representation of LGBT characters. This change has sparked controversy among some fans, leading to accusations that Sanderson has fully embraced a 'woke' ideology. Furthermore, there are claims from critics suggesting that Sanderson has abandoned his faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The narrator, who shares the same faith and has personal insights from discussions with Sanderson, addresses these accusations.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Thoughts on the Term 'Woke' and Sanderson's Position This chapter discusses the concept of whether or not Brandon Sanderson has adopted a 'woke' stance, a term commonly used in sociopolitical discourse. The speaker, who has followed Sanderson's career for over 15 years, aims to provide a nuanced view of the topic and clarify misunderstandings. They appreciate Sanderson as a thoughtful individual, whose opinions are worth considering, indicating that the issue of 'wokeness' in relation to him is more nuanced and complex than it might initially appear.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Sanderson's Approach to Open Discussion The chapter "Sanderson's Approach to Open Discussion" seems to delve into the complexities of societal ideologies, being influenced by intersectional ideology. The discussion points out that rather than being binary like gender, ideological perspectives exist on a spectrum. It critiques the label 'woke' as an oversimplification of an individual's beliefs, pointing out the danger of such classifications in open discussions.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Understanding 'Woke' and Misconceptions This chapter addresses the concept of being 'woke' and the various misconceptions surrounding it. It discusses how some people might perceive others, like Brandon, as activists pushing for all elements of the 'woke agenda.' However, it clarifies that Brandon Sanderson is not fully aligned with such activism, despite being more progressive and left-leaning than the general church membership. This reflects on broader societal views and misunderstandings about what it means to be 'woke.'
• 04:00 - 06:30: Sanderson's Representation and Intention The chapter 'Sanderson's Representation and Intention' discusses differing viewpoints, touching upon the concept of 'woke' culture. It highlights Brandon Sanderson's perspective, portraying him as the type of 'woke' individual that advocates for tolerance rather than cancel culture. The text also describes an incident involving the speaker, who was a consultant on 'Stormlight Archives 4', where there was an attempt to cancel them due to complaints on Reddit. Despite the controversy, Sanderson defended the speaker, refusing to participate in the cancel culture. The chapter emphasizes Sanderson's balanced approach to activism.
• 06:30 - 11:30: Sanderson's Ideological Leanings and Writing Approach The chapter discusses Sanderson's ideological leanings, emphasizing his commitment to open discussions, listening to dissenting views, and maintaining tolerance and acceptance. He contrasts with some contemporary 'woke' ideologies that shun dissenting opinions. Despite potential ideological differences, Sanderson is noted for having friends and associates who hold right-leaning and conservative views.
• 11:30 - 15:00: Speculations and Interpretations in Doctrine The chapter "Speculations and Interpretations in Doctrine" delves into the misconceptions surrounding the concept of wokeism. The discussion highlights how certain practices, such as maintaining open dialogue across political lines and opposing cancel culture, are mistakenly viewed as core components of wokeism. This misunderstanding extends to the flawed interpretation of the 'woke right,' where people mislabel those who engage in these open and non-canceling dialogues as belonging to this group. The chapter challenges these misinterpretations and calls for a more nuanced understanding of what fundamentally constitutes wokeism.
• 15:00 - 20:00: Approach to Sin and Christlike Responses The chapter explores the concept of 'woke' practices, particularly focusing on how certain behaviors typically associated with the left have been adopted by other groups. It examines actions like cancel culture, intolerance, and ending association with those who hold differing views, comparing them to the behaviors of traditional social justice warriors (SJWs). The discussion seeks to define 'woke' beyond political disagreements and look into the nature of these responses in a broader societal context.
• 20:00 - 25:00: Brandon Sanderson’s Personal Beliefs and Acceptance This chapter discusses Brandon Sanderson's personal beliefs and his approach to acceptance, focusing on the underlying philosophy of intersectionality, representation, and diversity. It highlights how these concepts are prioritized above all else and explores practices such as affirmative action, reparations, and confrontations against perceived oppressors, showcasing their alignment with his beliefs and philosophies.
• 25:00 - 30:00: Diverse Interpretations within the LDS Faith This chapter discusses the perception and implications of the 'woke' ideology, particularly how it is viewed by those who feel alienated or targeted by it, such as straight white men. The contradictions of being labeled 'woke' while holding conservative or opposing beliefs to the woke philosophy are explored, suggesting that it is fundamentally impossible to align with 'woke' principles if one inherently rejects them. The complex dynamics and differing interpretations within the LDS (Latter-day Saints) faith regarding these social ideologies might also be underlined, highlighting the diversity of thought within the community.
• 30:00 - 35:30: Conclusion: Brandon Sanderson's Faith and Future Writing This chapter delves into a discussion on traditional conservatism and its differentiation from 'woke' culture, addressing how these concepts are often conflated with practices like cancel culture. The chapter then shifts focus to Brandon Sanderson, highlighting that he does not engage in the practices associated with 'woke' movements. While he has not explicitly shared his fundamental philosophy, it is noted that he holds progressive views in some aspects. The discussion serves to clarify Sanderson's stance and beliefs in the context of the broader cultural and philosophical landscape.

Has Brandon Sanderson gone WOKE and BETRAYED his religion? Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Brandon Sanderson Stormlight Archives 5 is out and it has far more LGBT plus representation than his previous Works which has led to accusations of him having gone completely woke and even people going so far to say he has abandoned or betrayed his faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints now as myself a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints and someone who has spoken to Brandon about this stuff and
• 00:30 - 01:00 also followed his career for what I think more than 15 years listening to his positions very closely because I always felt is a gentleman worthwhile listening to I think I can share a bit of nuance on this discussion and clear up a couple of things so the first thing to discuss has Brandon gone woke this is more complex than people might think because uh even though I feel woke is a useful term in are identifying things that are
• 01:00 - 01:30 regressive uh founded on intersectional ideology and overall I think very destructive the amount that people are woke or not unlike gender which is a binary one of the other people's ideological leanings exist more on a spectrum and so to classify someone as woke us usually would give someone
• 01:30 - 02:00 the impression that they are a full-blown activist pushing for all the woke agenda and if that is their sense of woke no Brandon isn't a woke activist he is far more Progressive and left leaning than the general tenor of church membership myself included he has said that by the way in public statements but if Brandon Sanderson is woke and if the state of the world is that people are going to be some measure of work because
• 02:00 - 02:30 that's just the differences in people's viewpoints he would be the type of woke we would hope every type of woke person or woke leaning person to be okay Brandon does not support cancer culture in any measure in fact I was a consultant on Stormlight Archives 4 and people complained about it on Reddit trying to get me cancelled from ever working or associating brand in the future and brand had defended me and didn't canel me he is nowhere near an unhinged Act activist in that sense and
• 02:30 - 03:00 he has always pushed for the uh standard of being open and having open discussion and listening to people who he disagrees with and having a position of Tolerance and acceptance which used to be the mantras for the woke crowd where it's all about tolerance and acceptance except if you disagree with then you you know are a bigot and should be shunned completely where that's not Brandon at all he has many friends and Associates happily with people who are very right-leaning and conservative and just
• 03:00 - 03:30 on those two things alone that is willing to keep dialogue and associations open with people on the right and that he doesn't go on the whole cancel mob those two things are usually being associated so much with the woke movement that people sometimes even Define wokeism by those practices which is actually a complete misunderstanding of what I think the fundamental things of wokeism is and that's that misunderstanding has led to this uh I think silly notion of the concept of the woke right where people identify the woke right as people on the
• 03:30 - 04:00 right who adopt certain practices that are similar to those people on the woke left and those practices being cancel culture and uh intolerance uh uh stopping association with people disagree with you acting like the classic sjw in the old old terms because what is woke like when you really try and understand it isn't defined by the way people necessarily act to people who politically disagree with them in some
• 04:00 - 04:30 instances something it is right but it's more defined it is absolutely more defined by the underlining philosophy you know the concepts of intersectionality and uh representation diversity uh before anything else as the primary thing and then the natural practices that evolve out of those you know beliefs and philosophies like affirmative action reparations and actual you know bigoted racist practices against people who they perceived as being their oppress
• 04:30 - 05:00 all right which leads to real racism and bigotry against the most worst person in the world according to the W ideology which is straight white men and with that understanding the woke right is a thing that is a contradictive statement upon itself it's impossible for people who fundamentally disign and reject these philosophies because those philosoph are the philosophies that Define as being woke to then be woke it's impossible for them to be woke if they reject those philosophies
• 05:00 - 05:30 because that is what is woke and so you cannot have the woke right if the definition of the right as it probably is is traditional conservatism which is the rejection of the far more left leaning philosophies of intersectionality so conflating those with practices of cancel culture and other things like that misses the mark now bringing this to Brandon he does not adopt the practices of the woke mob and he has not shared much about his fundamental philosophy although he is more Progressive than and a lot of
• 05:30 - 06:00 traditional conservatives and perhaps even a decent chunk myself included of members of the Church of Jesus Christ latterday Saints but is being woke including or even promoting parts of the woke ideological uh movement including the LGBT representation well it depends because the practices of Dei and representation both in hiring and prominence in media only for the sake of representation itself in Le of of something like Merit and what is simply
• 06:00 - 06:30 the best and most appropriate choice for the story all those practices are founded on intersectionality at their core but remember this is a spectrum okay a lot of people probably agree in small parts with certain woke either policies or ideological positions as many people that we would Define as holy woke probably have many small like things uh about conservativism and conservative beliefs and practices that they align with and agree with although it does seem a bit less in the woke
• 06:30 - 07:00 movement because they're ready to excommunicate anyone for the slightest you know Divergence from their dogmatic belief structure like JK rolling rejecting uh the trans movement and she agrees with everything else she's very work at everything else but that makes her worse than Hitler so with that Foundation laid out the question arises once again is Brandon Anderson woke well certainly not in the sense of supporting cancer culture and the woke mob and dising people on like but he is more woke more Progressive than many right leaning people like myself included and
• 07:00 - 07:30 then in extension to that question has he gone woke well he's become more Progressive as the years go on you can see his ideological kind of leaning shift over time so yes Brandon is a little woke he's also a little bit conservative he's not a full-blown activist as I've already mentioned and I think one of the big distinctions that uh people who are being critical of Brandon need to understand about him is that the manifestations of certain woke ideological elements in his w writing works and statements is not coming out
• 07:30 - 08:00 of him adhering to a genda I honestly don't know how much he agrees with the concepts of intersectionality has never spoken on it to my knowledge you might not agree with it at all in fact when he has explained why he has put these type of things in his book it is not for the adherence to an ideological agenda or to subvert traditional standards and traditional family relationships in fact Brandon seems to go out of his way in all of his books to promote and depict marriage marage in a very positive light
• 08:00 - 08:30 relationship progression and marriage between Vin and Eland in Mporn and particularly the relationship between Steris and wax in the wax and Wayne Trilogy is one of my favorite in all of literature it really depicts the complimentary relationship between men and women how much they rely on each other and can support and help one another in their traditional roles it's just genuinely phenomenal Brandon has constantly depicted and supported
• 08:30 - 09:00 positive marriage and positive Traditional Values and is going to continue doing that this is a fundamental morality and belief that he has and remember just having gay characters in a story doesn't necessarily make it woke it depends how it's portrayed are they real characters what is it promoting or trying to normalize because it would be incorrect to assume that every time a gay character appears in a story or something like that it's automatically a attempt at woke subversion sometimes
• 09:00 - 09:30 things Expressions might manifest that on the surface look quite similar but the reason for it being can be vastly different which the intention does matter but that's not to Discount the execution okay even if you know uh the intention was to achieve something very different but the way it was played out ended up pushing in a different direction well the intention doesn't redeem it but I think it is worth considering because for those people who are members of our church yes intention does matter as well as works it's both
• 09:30 - 10:00 for I the Lord will judge all men according to their Works according to the desire of their hearts both plays an important role and that's from doctrine of covenants 137:9 so is Brandon's intention to promote LGBT Lifestyles as being Superior or more celebratory to traditional Lifestyles and traditional marriage and or is that how it comes off in the book those things are important things to consider and regarding intention from everything I've heard
• 10:00 - 10:30 from Brandon it's not to promote certain Lifestyles but for him an exercise to try and understand people better and then an extension to enable people to be seen in his books now I personally don't think every single person needs to be seen in every single bit of media I don't think that's an obligation I don't think that's something Brandon should necessarily take upon himself it does seem though he has and that honestly might be an interesting discussion I could have with Brandon about the purpose of trying to represent or have
• 10:30 - 11:00 everyone be seen in in his stories like why is that necessarily a good thing where I think the opposite might be the case it might actually be a bad thing if you're pushing for everyone to be seen in your stories does everyone and every lifestyle deserve to be shown I think every single person will have a certain line where it reaches a point where they would say no you know the life and perspective of a murderer or and I'm not trying to make it a I'm just giving an
• 11:00 - 11:30 example that there is a line where people say no I don't want to see that lifestyle depicted and then of course there will be some people who really want it I mean and look I got to say I always kind of find it fun and interesting when a Mormon is depicted positively in media and accurately because there is that side where you want people to understand you I would love people to understand members of my church more because there's so much misunderstanding so when they're depicted positively in the way that is correct I really like that and so I
• 11:30 - 12:00 actually think Brandon has been approaching the LGBT representation actually from that perspective and is he's talked about this a lot he has shared times where he's been reading a book and a character appears in the book that should be representing his perspective like the perspective of a Christian and they've been written as characteres just there to be mocked and belittled as a joke because the author themselves don't like those people and it's truly a horrible representation of who that person is supposed to represent
• 12:00 - 12:30 he's talked about this and Branden has said that his philosophy is to never do that when he has a character that appears in his books he goes out of his way to try and have that book be depicted like the people in the real world who associate or identify with that same characteristic Identity or whatever as they would want to be depicted and that's an admirable thing it's not necessarily an endorsement of what they believe and from his perspective not promotion though that
• 12:30 - 13:00 one is a hard line to walk because what is promotion okay can sometimes be more determined by how people receive the story and sometimes intention can go astray the thing I need to understand about brand Brandon is that he is actually one of the most accepting tolerant and kindest people you'll ever meet and he applies that equally to most people that he interacts with regardless of the ideological leanings and the way
• 13:00 - 13:30 that he responds to people attacking him with with his such uh tolerance and understanding that it almost is borders on super because there was this like hitpiece um article written about him was the most disingenuous crap you've ever read right and I don't think I could avoid being outraged at the bull crap that this person who met him and talked with him and interacted with in person in person right Brandon was really kind to
• 13:30 - 14:00 and friendly with then wrote all this slop about him and he responded with such understanding and lack of outrage which is kind of amazing now that is actually a bit of a reflection of his own kind of uh mental you know perspective because Brandon has been outspoken that he has a bit of a neural Divergent attitude where he doesn't get hugely upset or hugely overly emotional he is a a bit more restrained in his
• 14:00 - 14:30 emotional kind of expression and this does play into his position and also why uh The Stormlight Archives 5 wind and Truth has more representation in it and you can clearly see why if you've listened to some of the things that has talked about in terms of his own what he calls neurodivergent you know mental state as my friends hit puberty they became more emotional the the opposite happened to
• 14:30 - 15:00 me instead of experiencing the wild mood swings of adolescence my emotions calcified I started waking up each day feeling roughly the same as the day before without variation often it genuinely seems like I exist outside of Human Experience it's not sociopathy I'm quite empathetic in fact empathy is one of the ways that I can feel stronger emotions I'm not autistic I don't have a single Hallmark of that notable brand of neurode Divergence
• 15:00 - 15:30 it's also not what they call Alexia which is a condition where someone doesn't feel emotions or can't describe them I care about people I feel I'm not empty or apathetic my emotions are simply muted and hover in a narrow band when I read or write from the eyes of other people I legitimately feel what they do there's a magic to any kind of story yes but for me it's transformative I live those lives for a brief time I remember exactly what passion and Agony and hatred and ecstasy feel like my
• 15:30 - 16:00 emotions mold to the story and I Cry Sometimes I legitimately cry I haven't done that outside of a story in three decades so let me tell you why I write it isn't about World building that's a mistake everyone makes about me I don't write for plot twists or dragons or clever turns of phrase though I enjoy all of these I write because stories bring people inside and I sincerely genuinely believe that is what the world needs only fantasy offers me the full
• 16:00 - 16:30 range of emotion The Wonder of exploration the Magnificent highs of Epic scope and the miserable lows of cataclysmic Terror in writing it I can learn monomaniacal I hunt experiences of people who are different from myself then explore them in Pros until I feel in some small part what they do this is why I write to understand to make people feel seen I type away hoping some lonely reader out there left on a curb will pick up one of of my books and in so
• 16:30 - 17:00 doing learn that even if there is no place for them elsewhere I will make a place for them between these pages so we're going to talk a little bit more about that because I think that'll help uh a lot of people being very critical of Brandon understand him a bit better because it does seem like this mental condition that he has does help him from getting angry and reacting very negatively and he can he has responded incredibly well to people being really nasty and false with him he is genuinely one of the nicest most tolerant people
• 17:00 - 17:30 you'll ever meet and I mean that in the true sense of Tolerance open and accepting okay and as I mentioned if people were to be woke this is the exact type of more Progressive leaning woke ideologically minded person uh you would want now as to the uh greater amount of representation in wind and truth I not read the book yet I have been very interested in hearing people's feedback of those parts in it and from what I
• 17:30 - 18:00 have been a to hear for myself it certainly seems to be a bit more promotional in the sense of depicting it with more prominence in the way of normalizing it than I would choose to do in my own writing and certainly more so than a lot of conservative people who just are fed up with the woke stuff in media is are willing to tolerate and a lot of people have rejected the book because it has this stuff in it to such a prominent level it might not be as much as people are saying like I said I
• 18:00 - 18:30 haven't read the book yet and I really think people on the conservative right should not have this um barrier where it's like you can't have gay people at all in any type of story because yeah gay people are in the world world and if you're depicting something realistically there's very high chances that a gay person might be in that story as well and there's examples of it being handled from my conservative perspective and also very religious P perspective by the way perfectly fine House of the Dragon season 1 has a very prominent gay
• 18:30 - 19:00 character in it that's actually essential to the story and that element in the story enhances the overall Arc of the Season very considerably it's an essential part of the story which I felt handled it perfect okay it was it was fine having said that I do hold different standards for what I think is appropriate to be included in adult entertainment versus Children's Entertainment because I think uh it's the Parents Choice and right to choose when to introduce these
• 19:00 - 19:30 more mature concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity all those things to children it's a Parents Choice and therefore that stuff needs to be kept out of children's media completely but when dealing with it mature media and adults get to choose where their kind of line of uh you know tolerance is for what they uh you know and by the way when I say tolerance right there is a simple reality that I think people on the Ultra woke side need
• 19:30 - 20:00 a kind of accept and it's that straight people especially straight guys get turned off by homosexual kissing and acts of homosexuality in front of their face because they're not attracted to it all right I don't see anyone on the left condemning homosexual men from probably being turned off by lesbian relationships and other things like that because they're not attracted to it but they seem to hold this different standard for straight people no you need to watch it and not only accept it they literally say now you need to celebrate
• 20:00 - 20:30 acceptance is enough you have to be on board and celebrate and promote and if you don't you're intolerant and then as far as with nonbinary and transgender he needs to not just accept it but embrace it and that's just Bonkers to me because I thought hang on I thought it was about tolerance and acceptance treating them that these are just people and treating them as people and their sexual identity and stuff like that like doesn't need to bother you because that should be something that's private and gay people shouldn't be discriminated against and I thought that was you know the thing that
• 20:30 - 21:00 we were pushing for okay oh there we have acceptance and tolerance but now I you have to promote it and celebrate it not only like as something equivalent to traditional heterosexual relationships which they're not equivalent okay uh every homosexual relationship by definition is actually sterile they can't have children in that relationship and so biologically there is clearly one relationship that is biologically Superior in uncontestably right but then they push even F that you have to celebrate as something even more celebratory and praise worthy as traditional relationships like like no
• 21:00 - 21:30 no and if they want to celebrate that what right do they have to condemn traditional people like me who want to celebrate traditional heterosexual relationships marriage between a man and a woman the unit that creates life creates families right as holding that on the pedestal as the thing that we should be celebrate above all else and it should be that's my standard but we get attacked for that even though people who disagree with us IDE ol ideologically promote and celebrate
• 21:30 - 22:00 something you know that they believe to be much much higher right rules for the and not for me as it seems to be and it's actually that standard that there's a lot of conservative traditionally minded people that want to see the primary relationship of the human species marri you know relationship between men and women as the primary and even the only thing promoted and celebrated and sometimes even depicted in the media that they like to consume and you can't take that away from them that's their right to choose what they
• 22:00 - 22:30 want to enjoy in their Media or not and there are a large number of people who when they see any type of LGBT representation they're just turned off by it they're not into it they're not gay shock horror okay and there has been a decent chunk of people who have been turned off by wind and truth because it has a much more further amount of representation in it from the reports I've seen it certainly doesn't go off a cliff where it's all everything gay everything like that and promoting it as the greatest thing ever and from what I
• 22:30 - 23:00 understand about Brandon that's not the intention either his intention looking at him is about representing people in the world this is why I write to understand to make people feel seen I type away hoping some lonely reader out there left on a curb will pick up one of my books and in so doing learn that even if there is no place for them elsewhere I will make a place for them between these Pages now you might say that's a that's odd because it's a fantasy world and and I kind I re
• 23:00 - 23:30 actually not kind of I really sympathize with people of this position where they feel a fantasy world shouldn't reflect the modern world that we sometimes we go to Fantasy to escape and we want now I was going to say a medieval world but the stom Arch is not a medieval World okay and it's more jaring when you have a medieval World medieval fantasy with modernisms in it where it's really out of place in jarring but The Stormlight Archives is not a medieval world it's a whole different fantasy world where the World Builder author Brandon
• 23:30 - 24:00 himself will decide what things actually fit in that setting and even certain modern stuff and it's not like he's gone off a cliff with throwing modernisms everywhere there has been complaints that there's more modernisms that people necessarily like in wind and truth but it's a crazy huge book it seems like it's less than 0.1% or whatever of modernism versus all the other very celebrated and praised World building of not only the setting the book specifically there is many things that
• 24:00 - 24:30 people have been praising about Winden truth now there are other things outside of any potential woke criticis like has it gone to work stuff like that people have been criticizing it for um about other issues in terms of uh the editing quality of the book The pacing structure and and other things I haven't read it so I don't know but I have been listening to people's feedback about the book and so those things have R arisen people saying there are other issues with wind and Truth outside of you know
• 24:30 - 25:00 concerns about it going woke but there are also vast amounts of praise for that book as well things that people are absolutely loving now if the amount of woke ideological LGB type of representation in the book is too much for someone that's their choice and simply choose not to read it now I don't think then that people should assume that Brandon has then gone so woke that they'll never read anything he writes again I think personally that's actually
• 25:00 - 25:30 going way too far Brandon has held these views okay his more Progressive leaning views for years he's been pretty open about that right and has written books in the meantime right that many people that are more conservatively and stuff like that still love that I love all right and so clearly he his intention is not to put this more Progressive kind of stuff in every single book that he does Brandon has an interesting approach to writing where he loves to explore people
• 25:30 - 26:00 different Lifestyles different Lifestyles that he on account of his own neuro divergency has trouble understanding and connecting with and he's expressed the way that he connects with people and Lifestyles that he doesn't understand is by writing them and he explores them in his writing and it leads him to being able to understand people more it's one of the primary ways he expresses himself as an artist and so one of the things that Brandon likes to do is to explore things a bit further
• 26:00 - 26:30 that he hasn't explored before do not think that he is unaware of what makes a good book and what people like to read and want to read and want to enjoy every single book that he writes isn't a repetition of something that he has chosen to explore in a given book every book he writes isn't the emperor's Soul which is an exploration on the concepts of what is art and it's an interesting kind of perspective wrapped up in a fun interesting fantasy story with which is his style okay but he explores it and
• 26:30 - 27:00 then usually moves on to the next thing he likes to explore he doesn't double down and keep pushing and going over and over and over again and so it's from that understanding that this is the way that Bren usually approaches his writing that there seems to be the time where Brandon wanted to explore a lifestyle in his writing to help understand it more he is very close friends that identifying with being LGB and so on and he's already mentioned that he comes to a great understanding of individuals by writing people of different Lifestyles
• 27:00 - 27:30 and viewpoints and I think this is a direct manifestation of that my own prediction is that I don't think his future books are going to be as woke as wind and Truth is and again I don't even know how in like I suspect that it's uh a relationship that is comprises a portion of a very large story and that there are small scenes and I've read some of the scenes right where he has a character that I you know
• 27:30 - 28:00 they don't say their Trends in the book but they say they show that they're identifying as a different gender right and it's a tiny scene in an overall really large book and for me I'm not sure that would ruin it though look I get it depends how I out of place it is how pandering it feels I don't know the context to feel how naturally It just fits in the story because if it's as much as oh this character is either trans or this character is gay they're in the world that's who they are okay then it's not a massive that's not a
• 28:00 - 28:30 problem okay if that's the state of his world where people are gay and yes people are gay in the world you know it for me it does depend how much it pushes to promote it even normalize it over something that I think is vastly more uh important for the human species which is the traditional family unit and if it doesn't do that I don't think the worry or concern that Brandon has gone work is going to be putting all this uh woke
• 28:30 - 29:00 ideological propaganda in his books like is true I don't think that is correct at all he has written many books already okay while still having the same more Progressive leanings that he does that doesn't have the extreme woke agender in it and I don't think Winden truth is a sign that every single book that he writes in the future is going to have a prominent gay relationship or gray romance in it okay understanding his perspective as an artist this seems to be one of the times where he wanted to explore it to understand people better
• 29:00 - 29:30 just like he did with the emperor's soul and he does many different times if you look through is right and you'll see characters with different mindsets different mental conditions mental disabilities viewpoints and Lifestyles that uh he likes to explore as a writer and then that's usually in the book because his main focus is to write a world fantasy that people enjoy his primary focus is to entertain and then he has this this joint kind of artistic
• 29:30 - 30:00 expression where he likes to write different people and different Lifestyles to understand them better so in summary to this section specifically if Winden truth is too woke uh for what you like to consume that's fair don't then cancel Brandon or boycott him how about you wait and see what he writes in the future to determine if you feel like he is pushing an ideological agenda because I do not think he is put this stuff in to appease either his
• 30:00 - 30:30 Publishers or the woke mob or anything like that I think it's in there because he is such a friendly open tolerant guy where he accepts people who they are of many different you know Lifestyles and Views and and things and he wants to understand them better Brandon has that kind of stuff you money right uh he is on that uncan kind of L he doesn't need tall books to be successful he got his Crow he could be perfectly successful completely independent so it's
• 30:30 - 31:00 definitely not trying to appease his Publishers or anything like that and I don't think it's to appease the ultra Progressive crowd demanding that he be uh you know put in all this stuff in his writing because one he hasn't shown that track record that is doing that two he's not denounced his faith or the leaders of the church okay he's actually profess and I'm going to talk a bit more about this because there's been even accusations that he is betraying his faith and as a member of the same church I want to share uh some important things
• 31:00 - 31:30 on that topic but he has professed complete sustaining of our Prophet president russellb Nelson and a belief in the doctrine there have been members that feel like there is a a contradiction in what he is professing versus the doctrine of the church I'm going to speak more about that in a bit but if he was trying to appease the crowd he would have denounced the church and gone wholesale like the woke mob hate it when people only kind of do it
• 31:30 - 32:00 by half measures all right they're going to demand more and more and I think brand you'll be surprised that Brandon is probably going to hold the line on certain standards because that's what he done in the past if he's more Progressive now it is not because he is trying to appease the woke mob it's actually because of him genuinely uh changing as a person based on close friends that he has and his actual underlining beliefs many of which is clearly more Progressive than me all right and we're members of the same
• 32:00 - 32:30 Faith but members of the same faith can actually interpret things differently and guess what our own faith has provision for it in our belief structure where there is very clear fundamental doctrines outlined and then there is a section where God allows us to make the choice ourselves as to how I guess I was going to say devout but it's not necessarily about devotion it's where we feel uh the offering we need to give to God uh is okay um how much we
• 32:30 - 33:00 feel God is expecting of us such as there is a portion in the dietary kind of Commandments we have they called The Word of Wisdom in the church where we don't drink alcohol tea coffee we don't smoke and then there is a section of it which is you need to make up your own choice Cola drinks is right in that like the church has never made any official statement on colar drinks but people have often assumed members of the church Mormons chur Jesus Christ Day Saints don't drink
• 33:00 - 33:30 Coke because there are a lot of members that choose not to drink it I choose not to drink Cola drinks because that is my view on an interpretation of what the word of wisdom means but I tell you what there's probably things that I eat in excess right that other members choose not to in their View and how they adhere to the word of wisdom and no member is in a position to condemn each other where we set that line outside of the flat very clear their parts where it's like no alcohol tea coffee and uh no
• 33:30 - 34:00 illegal drugs of course and no smoking right that's the F that's the flat Baseline but after that it's personal choice and if a member of the church chooses to drink Cola right that is not sinful or anything to be condemned even though it's my personal standard is different and it is evil for me to impose my personal standard where I am at in my spiritual journey on other members of the church and this is just one example where there's actually
• 34:00 - 34:30 multiple examples in our faith where this understanding where there is a personal level of empowerment on its members to choose what their offering is to God okay and some by the way I think sometimes going too far and being too dogmatic can be actually sinful as well we're too overly strict and condemning things that are not sinful as sinful right uh being overly judgmental in that sense um that's also a bad thing that is
• 34:30 - 35:00 sinful as well and I think this Nuance needs to be understood when we are looking at this from Brandon's uh religious perspective because I have come across members of my own faith that are attacking Brandon for his own line that he is drawing in terms of the acceptance of LGBT both rights and individuals and how that aligns with church doctrine specifically a absolute Corner
• 35:00 - 35:30 fundamental part of our Doctrine which is known as the family proclamation to the world which outlines some very clear things but I want to share some uh Nuance to that okay because Brandon has not abandoned the family proclamation people think that he is by certain positions he has so I want to say there are some doctrinal kind of interpretation and standards that Brandon has that I wholeheartedly disagree
• 35:30 - 36:00 with but I do not go so far to assume that it's not founded on either scripture or a perspective that I could see where is coming from I've discussed certain things with him already and I also know he's a very smart guy right he isn't doing this because of uh peing the woke mob it actually is coming from a scripturally founded perspective on what he thinks will bring people closest to God and at the same time not
• 36:00 - 36:30 contradicting fundamental doctrines from his interpretation and view of it now if you have a different view perhaps like me all right to then condemn Brandon as preaching false Doctrine or going against the church I think is wrong especially in the sense that he has still sustained the prophit and I I listen to what he has said quoting Brandon now this is what he has said I do not represent the church and I trust the leaders to lead it wisely I am patient with them and accept that if
• 36:30 - 37:00 what I want never happens then that is God's will okay so Brandon has voiced things that he feels should change in terms of church practices but then said if it does not happen he believes that to be God's Will and that he is wrong he has gone on to say I believe russem Nelson is the prophet of God and it's his job to speak for the church and for God not mine okay Brandon would only be acting in apostasy if he was saying that
• 37:00 - 37:30 his views are where he thinks the church should be in terms of culturally not necessarily doctrinally because his views come from a doctrinal perspective I can almost guarantee that all right and if you're wondering where I can give an example and look I'm just kind of guessing that this is probably where BR is coming from uh I don't know the exact scriptures but there is clearly different perspectives you can have on both scripture and the way that
• 37:30 - 38:00 God treats and interacts with his children on Earth but going back to that apostasy thing it would only be apostasy all right if he was saying that the church leaders were wrong for not believing or viewing the things that he says he has said very clearly that if this isn't way the way the church goes the prophet what he says that that is wrong where he says that if they do not adopt those views based on the choices of the prophet of God that is God's will is the prophet who speaks for God and the church not him he is sharing a
• 38:00 - 38:30 perspective that he has uh gained from multiple scriptural points and where it comes from what I feel I think where Brandon is accepting more so of many uh more conservative leading people of LGBT representation other things like that is him trying to find the line where acceptance and and Christlike love and understanding is where that line is versus condemning sin and that is a hard
• 38:30 - 39:00 line to draw people have gotten it wrong in the past and there are examples in the scripture let's look at a very important one and the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him meaning Jesus Christ a woman taken in adultery and when they had set her in the midst they said unto him the Savior Master this woman was taken in adultery in the very act so no confusion as to the crime she committed now Moses in the law commanded us that
• 39:00 - 39:30 such should be stoned but what sayest thou this they said tempting him that they might have to accuse him but Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground as though he heard them not and when they continued asking him he lifted up himself and said unto them he that is without sin among you let him first cast the stone at her and again he stooped down and rode on the ground and they which heard it being convicted by their own conscience went out one by one
• 39:30 - 40:00 beginning at the eldest even unto the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst and when Jesus lifted up himself and saw none but the woman he said unto himom where are those thine accusers hath no man condemned thee she said no man Lord and Jesus said unto her neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more the reason this is so important is that this
• 40:00 - 40:30 woman had been in unquestionably been found committing sin and the savior's response was to not condemn her he didn't excuse the sin he said go and sin no more but he did not condemn her this is the standard that I think we should try and understand better when it is very clear the Bible and scriptures and especially if you're a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints with the family
• 40:30 - 41:00 proclamation of the world crystal clear as to the standard god holds in regards to both gender and what is sinful and what is not in regards to sexual acts not sexual attraction okay the doctrine is very clear that having a Temptation an inclination towards sin you could say an attraction to sin is the natural state of their current
• 41:00 - 41:30 imperfect world for the natural man is n and me to God and has been since the fall of Adam the fall of Adam being the time when Man became imperfect and have this imperfect mortal flesh where we are so inclined and susceptible to sin someone being gay being attracted to someone of the same sex someone dealing with gender dysphoria or any number of other Temptations this is no difference to many other tempations it's no different to me being enticed or
• 41:30 - 42:00 attracted to women who I'm not married to that is not sinful and it is not wrong in the sense that this is the natural state of mortality it is clear about Lifestyles and sexual acts the standard is no sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman family proclamation is very clear on that the scriptures are very clear on that now there are people who will adopt lifestyle that are sinful and then the question is is it our job or
• 42:00 - 42:30 position to condemn them would Christ have condemned them if they were brought before him and what was the penalty for homosexual acts in Christ time as well it's a stoning as well it was death all right the scriptures say that those who do that and those who partake in it and take joy in it are worthy of death that's in the in the Bible okay would Christ have condemned them to death if they brought for him I think we have the standard that he would not his desire was to help people
• 42:30 - 43:00 overcome sin and come closer to God and condemning people doesn't help them do that but by encouragement and as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints we are given the uh tools that should be used to uh help people overcome sin by persuasion by longsuffering by gentleness and meekness and by Love unfeigned by kindness and pure knowledge
• 43:00 - 43:30 which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy and without guile and notice how it says without hypocrisy okay he who is without sin Let Him cast the first stone now of course there is a section here reproving the times of sharpness when moved upon by the Holy Ghost and then showing forth afterwards an increase of Love towards him whom thou Hast reproved lest he esteem thee to be his enemy I think the primary goal and
• 43:30 - 44:00 perhaps we who are very anti-woke and even militant in our opposition of the things we see as evil I think I can do better in this and perhaps this is something that I could learn a bit more from Brandon exam Brandon's example because the goal in our our Quest our our standards in trying to stand up for what is right uh and not accepting you know what is
• 44:00 - 44:30 sinful as virtue one of the ways that we need to try and go about it is in such a way that they not see us as their enemy and to show them an increase of love if we are guided to reprove I think I can do better in that and what I see in Brandon trying to uh reach out to the
• 44:30 - 45:00 LGBT community is him trying to do this there are lengths that he has gone to with his desire to show love to all people and an understanding and it's with the intent to try and help them come close to God okay and I truly respect that that is his intent as to why he this this is the reasons why he's got you know representation in his books
• 45:00 - 45:30 the LGBT things not to a piece of work mod mob it's him trying to understand people and to also reach out and build connections okay he has said public things where he wants to build these Bridges with the LGBT community to help encourage them to come un God there are length cities gone to that I do disagree with that I think do go too far but I understand that this is where he is coming from one of the things I disagree is that he he says this is quoting him
• 45:30 - 46:00 they would love for example to see the church recognize gay marriage among its members both temporally and eternally and i would support ordain trans men in the priesthood now I think that goes against Doctrine as we currently understand it and what has been revealed I think there would have to be some Almighty big Revelation that would explain the certain context about greater and lesser laws cuz I think this is where some things people are kind of missing from an LDS perspective and I
• 46:00 - 46:30 sympathize that there's probably a good number of other Christians that will not understand this this is a uh latterday Saint kind of understanding of scripture and Doctrine and it's their understanding that there are higher and lesser laws I actually also think a lot of people criticizing Brandon um from our own church is also not learned this part about what is pretty solid kind of scriptural interpretation practice in our church about high and lesser laws we believe the law of Moses was a lesser law
• 46:30 - 47:00 instituted by God because the Israelites that were freed out of Egypt were not able to live the higher law uh the Old Testament actually says very clearly that the intent was to make of Israel a nation of priests should I actually look this up just so people know I'm not pulling it out of my rear end Exodus 19:6 and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a whole and an holy nation these are
• 47:00 - 47:30 the words which that out speak unto the children of Israel thing is though if you're familiar with uh the Bible that was not what Israel became in fact the priesthood was restricted to uh the tribe of Levi and later prophets that were called this did not happen um our interpretation of the uh larger kind of uh guidance Commandments that God gave Moses uh as he came down from the mount and found the Israelites dancing
• 47:30 - 48:00 around the calf and those ones that he destroyed like threw down and broke the head off had the fullness of the Gospel as Jesus Christ restored and we also believe that it was this fullness of the Gospel that got established with Adam through Noah and there's Paths of restoration of this gospel and apostasy through the main prophets in each dispensation and that was the intent with the dispensation that Moses was called to do but the Israelites were not worthy to live up to
• 48:00 - 48:30 that higher lore and so they will given a lesser law the law of Moses which was kind of keeping them under the thumb because they were so ready to uh turn aside from the standards God was uh wanting them to live by and it's an example of when God initiates a lesser law because people are not ready for a higher law and we do have that belief that there are lesser laws and higher laws and so when Brandon talks about that there might be a different thing
• 48:30 - 49:00 God commands I get the feeling is probably thinking of lesser and higher laws now I personally don't think that there is a different kind of Commandment that could possibly restructure the Eternal nature of marriage between a man and a woman this is where and look I can't represent what Brandon where he comes from doctrinally to justify uh that marriage between uh homosexual marriage could be ratified or justified
• 49:00 - 49:30 by God cuz he does say quoting Brandon now that he would love to see the church recognize gay marriage both temporarily and eternally which means he thinks that there's some mechanism that would justify um gay marriage in an eternal sense and I I do not see that I disagree with it completely but I get the sense that Brandon probably still has a doctrinal interpretation that leads him to that and here's the thing if he still sustains the church and obeys the
• 49:30 - 50:00 Commandments right I am not a position to point my finger and say shame on him you're interpreting things differently our own Apostles have interpreted scriptures differently and have disagreed very strongly a perfect example is evolution and how Evolution if it played a part at all in creation or not each Apostle followed the doctrine very clearly these are the fundamental truths that God had established and by the way remember we don't just have the Bible as members of
• 50:00 - 50:30 the Church of Jesus Christ latterday Saints we have the Book of Mormon doctrine of covenants and pearl of great price we have a larger body of scripture all right that we look to when trying to understand things that have not been revealed and then all right that lays the foundational principles of the creation both Apostles did that and not contradicting any of those things they each had different uh interpretations those Tage might be J Smith I need to relook that up as to the exact
• 50:30 - 51:00 Apostles and I know Joseph Smith was one of the prophets but and this is not Joseph Smith this is Joseph F Smith different different prophet of the church right but I don't think it might have been him but anyway it was when he was an apostle that both Apostles disagreed one believ that Evolution was a mechanism the means in which God brought about the creation that it fit in perfectly fine with the account of the creation as members of our church understand it and uh one of the other Apostles disagreed okay yes it was James E talage
• 51:00 - 51:30 and at the time Apostle and future Church President Joseph Fielding Smith reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints article organic evolution latterday Saints and their leaders found themselves on both sides of the issue James E talage and John a wio two professional scientists who became Apostles regarded scientific discovery of Truth as evidence of God's use of natural laws to govern the universe meanwhile Apostle and future Church President Joseph Fielding Smith believed that the biblical account of the creation did not allow for the long
• 51:30 - 52:00 spans required for species to multiply through Evolution addressing these differing opinions Church president hea J Grant and his counselors in the first presidency urg leaders not to take sides on the issue requesting in 1931 that they leave geology biology archaeology and anthropology no one of which has to do with the salvation of The Souls of mankind to scientific research while we magnify our calling in the realm of the church they weren't contradicting fundamental Doctrine but they were drawing different conclusions from it
• 52:00 - 52:30 and so I think it is uh too full hearty to point the finger at Brandon and claim he is spouting false Doctrine even though I disagree with him and technically I think that is false Doctrine but I'm not going to say that I'm right or his wrong and especially not that he is denying the faith because he is supporting the faith he sustains the church leaders and he says very clearly that look if the church doesn't adopt these things that's God's will he says that all right but
• 52:30 - 53:00 it's not the words of an apostate or someone who is abandon the faith and I'm saying that as someone who fundamentally disagrees with some of his conclusions his doctrinal kind of uh um interpretations and I am saying that because I haven't heard him explain how he gets there I don't know what scripture is just I'm just kind of intuiting and just showing an example that look there is I can see means Why by someone might interpret and reach that conclusion based on Mormon Doctrine that's not to say that is the way
• 53:00 - 53:30 Brandon is approaching it with those scriptures that I'm mentioning priesthood is another interesting thing because there is a a different interpretation even within our church among certain members that uh they propose as potentially opening up a possibility that women might be a to receive the priesthood because there are certain conditions in which women in our church do join in some pried ordinances I've also come across and this is speculation this is not Doctrine but if you're not aware members of our church
• 53:30 - 54:00 love to speculate on um other parts of the doctrine and the scriptures that haven't been revealed by God and I think it's fun to do I'm not condemning people that they do it the thing that I encourage every member to do though is understand what the fundamental Foundation is of our Doctrine and make a very clear distinction when you're talking with other members stuff like at what is Doctrine and what is opinion okay prophets and apostles have had
• 54:00 - 54:30 opinions some that we can look back on seeing being rather silly like you should look at some of the opinions Bram young had some of them are wild right they're great but some of them are pretty far out there okay he still a prophet of God prophets are allowed to have opinions and they're allowed to speculate as well even though we as members give far more weight to the opinions of prophets as not to say every opinion they I hold is revelation direct from God prophets are pretty darn clear when they're speaking as the mouthpiece of God right and so you can take that as
• 54:30 - 55:00 account and when not when they don't say that they're not you can take it understand that all right this is them both doing doing a number of things one sharing opinion but also sharing a view a perspective that they feel is most beneficial for the members to hear at that time to help them follow the Commandments of God okay but when they do speak as the mouthpiece of God they're very clear about it and going back to us all right when we have in speculations I think that needs to be like this is the doctrine this is
• 55:00 - 55:30 opinion okay and a lot of members like to do it and one of the theories and I don't give it much weight right and this is again this is not this has never been taught in um The Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints it was just a random thought that one of the members shared with me one time about doing the thing we like to speculate and one of the concepts that they floated and I'm not saying I agree with it it but it's just one of the examples of things I've heard of me Members speculating about is that could
• 55:30 - 56:00 the priesthood only been restricted to men because it was Eve that ate the fruit before Adam did I don't think that's correct but it's an example of speculation that I have come across members having all right and it's an example of one of those things you know falls in the same category of why is the prood only restricted to men some members might think may I don't know if Brandon does but they might consider that the priesthood being restricted to men might be a lesser law other members think it's a fundamental nature of
• 56:00 - 56:30 Eternity both gender and priesthood Authority and you cannot give the priesthood to anyone other than men because when women are blessed through the priesthood and even um join in pries and ordinances they're using it vicariously through the men who hold the priesthood and they believe that is also the case of God in heaven that the priesthood cannot be given to anyone other than men and it contradicts the fundamental nature of reality to believe so like I've seen both interpretations in the church okay opinions these are
• 56:30 - 57:00 and these are not taught in the church these are just members having fun speculating after the fact like the church is very clear about what you teach in Sunday school and at the pulpit fundamental established Doctrine not opinion okay uh yes and not to said hasn't happened by the way but Corrections also then shared afterwards and things and the church does a very good job uh overall in making that distinction that we teach that the doctrine is as has been revealed and
• 57:00 - 57:30 leave speculation when teaching in the church but has never condemned or denied members having conversations among themselves or even publicly about sharing their own views interpretations by the way I have done that as well I have a video talking about the level of prudishness and perspective in terms of a modesty and other things including pornography on this channel sharing my own personal interpretation of scriptural Doctrine okay that some members of my church might actually disagree with they might
• 57:30 - 58:00 sit a different standard but I of the strong opinion that I'm correct because I feel it's very founded on clear scriptural evidence and I share that in that video and Brandon might have some very clear scriptural you know points that he is thinking of to justify these views I don't know what they are at the moment of course I disagree with and I'll say I'd even agree with him even if it was to explain where his coming from as the doctrinal foundation of these opinions that I think are incorrect but
• 58:00 - 58:30 to point the finger and say he is denying the faith is I feel very very wrong from everything that I have seen of Brandon and also you know as I've talked to and everything like that he is a very very faithful member of our church and so I would encourage every member who sees him being more Progressive than perhaps we would be try and understand where it's coming from and if you disagree you are more than free to hold your St standard as I do that stands in opposition to what Brandon is saying but let's not condemn
• 58:30 - 59:00 the other for it okay uh people have done far worse things that have not been condemned by Christ okay and especially in the sense that Brandon is approaching it from the perspective that he feels this is the thing that will help the most people especially people who identify as LGBT and so on come closer to God that's why he's doing it in my opinion even though I disagree with certain lengths that he goes to so
• 59:00 - 59:30 in summary I don't think Brandon has gone work I don't think this stuff is going to be in every single book he writes if it's not for you perfectly fine it is fair it's your right to choose so don't Rite him off or shun him or anything like that don't cancel him there are people who make media entertainment media who have a truly vile view of what conservatives and religious Christians believe
• 59:30 - 60:00 okay and we end up watching a lot of the media they produce if it's just you know doesn't have any of the subversive stuff in it okay if we're willing to do that to so with so many people how about we give Brandon the the same charity and he is one who definitely deserves it because in contrast to people who are more Progressive than us who hate us and everything we stand for and attack us everything like that Brandon is the opposite he is one of the nicest most
• 60:00 - 60:30 genuine Christlike people that uh I have interacted with and seen and I'm judging this based on his actions and how he treats people okay uh he is a genuinely great person and I think he is a great representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints not necessarily doctrinally in every instance but in terms of being Christlike and showing a greater increase in love to all people I think it's a good example for that and look I could be wrong I think I'm right I
• 60:30 - 61:00 wouldn't make the video if otherwise we'll get to see you in his future books and I look forward to reading them because he's a great author and uh I enjoy great stories so perhaps that's where you are you'll have to wait and see same with me and we'll do that as we always stay on watch [Music] la
• 61:00 - 61:30 [Music]