Mormon Church leader urges women to take social media hiatus

For over a year since the #MeToo movement began, women have turned to social media with stories of sexual harassment and calls for reform that have powerfully reshaped our society. In recent weeks, women have flooded Facebook and Twitter and Instagram with pleas to #BelieveWomen, as Brett Kavanaugh gained a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court amid turmoil over accusations of sexual assault. And with just weeks to go before the Nov. 6 midterms, women are sure to make their presence known online in an election largely centred on female candidates’ surging campaigns and female voters’ intensifying anger.

At this time, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued an unusual demand: Women, get off social media.

Russell Nelson, the 94-year-old who became president of the church in January, proclaimed Oct. 13 that all Mormon women should try a 10-day “fast” from social media.

His call for a fast has nothing to do with politics, many Mormons say. Still, the timing is a cause of consternation to some.

“I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind,” Nelson said as he addressed the women-only session at the church’s General Conference on Saturday. “Pray to know which influences to remove during your fast. The effect of your 10-day fast may surprise you. What do you notice after taking a break from perspectives of the world that have been wounding your spirit? Is there a change in where you now want to spend your time and energy? Have any of your priorities shifted just a little?”

Many women who find that their priorities do call for them to be on social media right now are grappling with how to heed Nelson’s call while still pursuing their goals.

“I panicked,” Salt Lake County Council candidate Michelle Quist told the Salt Lake Tribune. “What am I going to do? Social media is such a big part of campaigns, especially local campaigns for candidates who don’t have a lot of money. So obviously I want to follow my church leader’s directions or request, but I don’t want to hurt my campaign.”

Quist decided to fast from personal social media but keep up her campaign postings, an approach that at least one other female candidate told the newspaper she shares. Another female candidate told the newspaper that she would limit her social media use to 30 minutes a day.

Others said they would postpone their 10-day fasts until after the elections are over next month — but they worried that their female voters will be offline for 10 days, robbing the candidates of valuable opportunities to motivate them.

Thirteen members of the U.S. Congress identify themselves as Mormon, according to the Pew Research Center, but only one of them is female and, thus, subject to Nelson’s request.

Sharlee Mullins Glenn, a founder of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, a group that is engaged in political activism leading up to the midterm elections, said she thinks Nelson did not intend to disrupt the campaign season.

“I see absolutely no insidious ulterior motives in President Nelson’s invitation to women of the Church to participate in a 10-day ‘fast’ from social media. I agree that the timing is unfortunate and could look suspicious to those predisposed to cynicism, but the truth is that these General Conference talks are prepared weeks and sometimes months in advance,” Glenn said in an email to The Post.