<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="The people depicted in the background of this image are not the subject of the Whisper message within it." class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fbe9396da811bb686e90cb-960/Mormon%2026.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fbe9396da811bb686e90cb-640-1136/Mormon%2026.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Mormon 26.PNG" width="480" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p><p class="caption">The people depicted in the background of this image are not the subject of the Whisper message within it.</p></div><p></p></div>By any measure, it's a lonely cry into the void: On the mobile app Whisper, one user has posted this:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I have a child on a Mormon mission and I stopped believing while she was away. if I knew then what I know now, I would have never sent her. it's going to break her heart.</p>
<p>Part of the Mormon faith requires young people to embark on a two-year-long "mission" to a far-away place, to spread the word of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It may be a year or more before this parent will have to confess to the daughter that they believe the mission was a waste of time.</p>
<p>And traditionally, Mormons have excommunicated anyone who strays from the faith. Families never speak to their relatives again over issues like this.</p>
<p>For one girl and her parent, huge trouble likely lies ahead.</p>
<h2>Dark and shameful, but evocative and moving, too.</h2>
<p>Whisper is the app for anonymous confessions. Users make up a screen name, and then type in whatever dark, often shameful, secret they have for others to read. The app allows you to add a random stock-photo image or upload your own as a background to your message. When done well, a good Whisper can be evocative and moving.</p>
<p>And you can sort Whispers - as the anonymous confessions are called - by geography and by topic, so you can see who is Whispering in your neighborhood, or who is talking about certain specific topics.</p>
<p>A lot of users seem to be teenagers. But regardless of the apparent age of the user, a huge portion of Whisper is about love, sex and dating. (And because you can message and respond to individual users, it should not be surprising that people are trawling Whisper for hookups.)</p>
<h2>A live news feed of what Mormons are worrying about right now.</h2>
<p>But if you search and click on the "Mormon" tag, you get a view into a world that few non-Mormons will ever get: a live, real-time, constantly updated news feed on what Mormons are actually thinking right now, but dare not say aloud.</p>
<p><a href="http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/mormons-and-non-mormons-utah">Mormons and non-Mormons tend not to mix socially</a>. Some non-Mormons regard the LDS church as an insular, slightly strange faith that has twisted American history to create a fictional third testament of the Bible. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/01/mormon-caffeine-policy-cl_n_1848098.html">Mormons don't drink alcohol or coffee</a> - which tend to be non-Mormons' two favorite beverages.</p>
<p>So Whisper is a fascinating, heartbreaking and occasionally hilarious glimpse of something that non-Mormons would never otherwise get to see.</p>
<p>We're not saying Whisper is representative of Mormons generally, of course. Whisper is a self-selecting population of people who want to vent.</p>
<p>The most obvious thing about it is that Mormons turn out to be just like everyone else - fearful, arrogant, horny, and filled with questions they are afraid to ask face to face.</p>
<p>Here's a random walk through "Mormon" Whisper.</p>
<p>(Note that Whisper supplies random photos for most confessions, so the people depicted in the background of the Whisper are usually NOT the authors or the subject of the Whisper.)</p>
<h2>Whisper is often used by Mormons questioning their faith:</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf41fecad04c714905b69-960/mormon-33png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf41fecad04c714905b69-639-479/mormon-33png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 33.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Anyone who has a religious faith sometimes has doubts, of course. But some Mormons have more than just doubts.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf43d69bedda701905b64-960/mormon-7png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf43d69bedda701905b64-639-479/mormon-7png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 7.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Some of them are losing their faith for very specific reasons.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fbe9306da81105696e90cb-960/mormon 2.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fbe9306da81105696e90cb-640-1136/mormon 2.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 2.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>And some have only vague, paranoid theories.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf403eab8ea9352905b70-960/mormon-9-png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf403eab8ea9352905b70-639-479/mormon-9-png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 9 .PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Surely every religious family has a teenager who is thinking this:</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf77769bedd9d13905b66-960/mormon-18png-1.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf77769bedd9d13905b66-639-479/mormon-18png-1.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 18.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>And anyone who has ever been to any type of house of worship has probably had this experience:</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf7c269bedd460a905b64-960/mormon-11png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf7c269bedd460a905b64-639-479/mormon-11png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 11.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Non-Mormons are often barred from seeing the inside of Mormon churches. Mormons on Whisper know this.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fc04566da8118b7d905b65-960/mormon-8-png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fc04566da8118b7d905b65-639-479/mormon-8-png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 8 .PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>There are ex-Mormons on Whisper, too.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf8246bb3f7b103905b6b-960/mormon-28png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf8246bb3f7b103905b6b-639-479/mormon-28png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 28.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Some doubting Mormons are scared of the consequences of leaving the church.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf8f36da811f641905b65-960/mormon-32png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf8f36da811f641905b65-639-479/mormon-32png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 32.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Not all of Mormon Whisper is about doubts. There are plenty of faithful on the app who just have something to get off their chests.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf986ecad04e32a905b64-960/mormon-12png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbf986ecad04e32a905b64-639-479/mormon-12png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 12.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Often, what they need to get off their chests is somewhat unusual.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fbfa3decad041f3a905b64-960/mormon-15png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fbfa3decad041f3a905b64-639-479/mormon-15png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 15.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Mormon life tends to be very traditional, and Mormons are expected to marry early and have children. Young Mormons have a lot of questions about relationships. </h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbfacaeab8eaf96d905b66-960/mormon-4png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbfacaeab8eaf96d905b66-639-479/mormon-4png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 4.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Some of their questions are harder than others.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbe93969bedd9c48472fb8-960/mormon 22.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fbe93969bedd9c48472fb8-640-1136/mormon 22.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 22.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>The mind of the teenage Mormon boy seems to be pretty similar to that of the non-Mormon teenage boy.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc000deab8eac77e905b79-960/mormon-17png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc000deab8eac77e905b79-639-479/mormon-17png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 17.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Whisper also seems to provide an outlet for Mormons who are frustrated.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc00d86bb3f7433a905b67-960/mormon-10png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc00d86bb3f7433a905b67-639-479/mormon-10png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 10.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>There is no sex outside marriage in the Mormon faith.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fc0127ecad04df52905b70-960/mormon-1png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52fc0127ecad04df52905b70-639-479/mormon-1png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 1.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>This seems to be a frustration for the Mormon users of Whisper.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fc01646da811976d905b79-960/mormon-30png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fc01646da811976d905b79-639-479/mormon-30png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 30.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Homosexuality is generally not tolerated in the church.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fc01c069bedd9133905b70-960/mormon-20png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52fc01c069bedd9133905b70-639-479/mormon-20png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 20.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2> Some Mormons have figured out a solution to the no-sex-before marriage rule.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fc027f69bedd8d33905b69-960/mormon 312.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52fc027f69bedd8d33905b69-640-695/mormon 312.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 312.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Yet, there is hope that we can all get along.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fc02e36bb3f7ab47905b64-960/mormon-25png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fc02e36bb3f7ab47905b64-639-479/mormon-25png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 25.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Mormonism is surprisingly appealing to some people.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc03256bb3f78841905b6d-960/mormon-35png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc03256bb3f78841905b6d-639-479/mormon-35png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 35.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>So appealing, that some non-Mormons feel they are better than everyone else.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fe684e69bedd7b61063b84-960/mormon-6png.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52fe684e69bedd7b61063b84-639-479/mormon-6png.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 6.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h2>Mormons know themselves best, of course.</h2>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Whisper" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc038369bedd113b905b64-960/mormon 382.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52fc038369bedd113b905b64-640-591/mormon 382.png" border="0" alt="Mormon 382.PNG" /></a><p class="source"><span>Whisper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>

Mormons Are Using An Anonymous Confessions App To Doubt Their Faith (And Talk About Sex)

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5820d705691e882c4e8b4757-2400/gettyimages-621309814.jpg" alt="Evan McMullin Utah" data-mce-source="George Frey/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="U.S. independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin talks to supporters at the Brick House Cafe on November 5, 2016 in Cedar City, Utah." /><p class="source"><span>George Frey/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin talks to supporters at the Brick House Cafe on November 5, 2016 in Cedar City, Utah.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong>UTAH - </strong>Voters across the reliably red state of Utah have lost faith in the Republican Party.</p><p>And while Donald Trump might have been the final straw, for some, the disillusion with the Grand Old Party first started years ago.</p><p>"[President George W.] Bush and the Senate and the House of Representatives all had control for six years," Barry Richardson, 36, said after a town hall for independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin in Brigham City, Utah on Friday. </p><p>"And they didn't do anything to reform. The Medicaid thing that Bush put in place was one of the largest increases in entitlements. And he did no other reforms. He didn't do anything to help control costs on the [Iraq] war, he went into the war under false pretenses."</p><p>Lynn Adair, a 63-year-old who works in advertising sales, said she sees too much corruption in the Republican Party.</p><p>"I'm not happy with [the Republican Party]. Not at all," she said after a McMullin meet and greet in Nephi, Utah on Saturday. "I'm more about individualism."</p><p>Republicans are "just as corrupt as the Democrats," she said.</p><p>She continued: "I don't trust any of them."</p><p>Business Insider crisscrossed Utah with McMullin's campaign over the weekend and found dozens of conservative voters who are severing ties with the party that has been their political home their whole lives.</p><p>McMullin, a Mormon conservative from Provo, Utah, says he is building a "new conservative movement" that will serve as a refuge for disaffected Republicans fleeing from the party that's crumbling under the weight of Trump's candidacy and all the divisive rhetoric the billionaire businessman has brought with him.</p><p>A significant proportion of the electorate in Utah have balked at Trump, who doesn't quite embody the family values that are so important in the deeply religious and conservative state.</p><p>"I've been Republican my whole life, but Trump doesn't work for me at all," Charles Greatwood, a 60-year-old engineer, said after the McMullin town hall in Brigham City. "Of course Democrats never work for me. And I wasn't going to vote for Trump just because he was the lesser of two evils, I'm done with that. Especially when I heard his tape."</p><p>McMullin's campaign got off to a slow start, but then the Access Hollywood tape leaked. Trump was heard on the 2005 recording making lewd comments about women and bragging about how his celebrity status allowed him to grope them.</p><p>"It was, I was kind of a weak Trump supporter until I heard that Billy Bush hot mic and then I said, 'I'm done with Trump and I'm done with the Republican Party," Greatwood said. "So I saw Evan McMullin, and he was just right, he was just what I was looking for."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56f22e148b987d2465fcfc65-2400/rtsbsqe.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Jim Urquhart" data-mce-caption="A voter wears a &amp;quotDump Trump '16&quot; shirt at a Democratic U.S. presidential caucus in Salt Lake City, Utah March 22, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jim Urquhart</span></p><p class="caption">A voter wears a "Dump Trump '16" shirt at a Democratic U.S. presidential caucus in Salt Lake City, Utah March 22, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Greatwood's wife Nan said she was "in a state of shock" over Trump winning the Republican presidential nomination. She cited his controversial comments about women, the military, and disabled people. On the campaign trail, Trump has often called the military a "disaster" and <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-s-worst-offense-mocking-disabled-reporter-poll-finds-n627736">once mocked a reporter with a disability</a>.</p><p>"I have a disabled son, and we have a son in the military and I'm a survivor of sexual abuse," Nan, a 53-year-old small business owner, said. "And none of those things worked for me, so it was like 'Ok, I see through him.'"</p><p>Republican presidential candidates have won Utah in every election since 1964, when the state voted for Democratic candidate and later President Lyndon B. Johnson.</p><p>But this election might break that streak. Utah has turned into a battleground state as McMullin has made inroads with disillusioned Republicans.</p><p>One poll in mid-October showed McMullin taking the lead over both Trump and Clinton in the Beehive State. And on the eve of Election Day, the "Never Trump" candidate was at 25% in the <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/ut/utah_trump_vs_clinton_vs_johnson_vs_stein_vs_mcmullin-6154.html#polls" target="_blank">RealClearPolitics average</a>.</p><p>But it's not just Trump - Utah voters said they're also disappointed with Republican leadership for not doing more to stand up to Trump.</p><p>"When he's proposing all of these things, no one stood up to say 'no,'" Nan Greatwood said in reference to some of Trump's more controversial comments. "I mean, if it would have been a Democrat doing it, they would have been glad to stand up to him. And they didn't have the guts to tell [Trump]."</p><p>Shirley Case, 72, is a lifelong Republican who said she's discouraged and frustrated by what the party has turned into.</p><p>"I remember when I was younger I used to try and vote for the candidate who I felt like was somebody of character," Case said after an event at a restaurant in Ephraim, Utah.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5820d92a691e881c008b53dc-2400/ap_538253399630.jpg" alt="Mitt Romney Utah" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Rick Bowmer" data-mce-caption="Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney arrives at Salt Lake City International Airport during a visit to Utah for a pair of fundraisers Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012, in Salt Lake City." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Rick Bowmer</span></p><p class="caption">Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney arrives at Salt Lake City International Airport Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012, in Salt Lake City.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Her disappointment in Republican presidential candidates runs back to the 1980s.</p><p>"It amazes me; I have felt like our voting system has been fixed for a long time," she said, adding, "When [Bob] Dole was running, I thought, 'All of these people, and Dole, I don't understand how that happens.' And the same way with McCain, I thought 'All of these people for us to choose from in a primary, and we get McCain?'"</p><p>Some Utah voters were even hesitant about Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee. Romney is a Mormon who earned his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University in Utah.</p><p>"I voted for Mitt last time, and I even had my issues with Mitt," said Lee Demille, a 30-year-old who works at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple in Provo. "And he's LDS. … I don't think he talked the same principle, liberty-based points as Evan McMullin has."</p><p>The election is such a hot-button subject in Utah that Demille said it has driven a wedge between himself and his family.</p><p>"I'm not going to Thanksgiving dinner because of it," he said. "My parents, my whole entire family is Trump supporters. We are not on speaking terms right now."</p><p>McMullin has marketed himself as a true conservative, unlike Trump.</p><p>He supports small government, respects capitalism, is pro-life, emphasizes the need for entitlement reform, and wants to repeal and replace Obamacare. His speeches are often tinged with rhetoric about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and respecting the Constitution.</p><p>"I like him because he's conservative," Case said of McMullin. "There's a moral-ness about him, and I feel like Washington is just mired in corruption and it doesn't seem like anymore like we the people have much say."</p><p>Gayle Crofts, a 58-year-old homemaker, said after a McMullin meet and greet in Richfield, Utah that she's officially leaving the Republican Party after the election.</p><p>"I am unaffiliating myself as soon as I vote," she said. "These are not my values anymore. I go to caucuses, I've even been a delegate, and I feel like it stands for things I believe in, but as far as how they act, I don't think the Republicans and Democrats are that far apart in how they act."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/instant-polls-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-victory-final-debate-2016-10">INSTANT POLLS: Clinton won the final debate, and it wasn't even close</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="wzNTl2NjE6cg3ePDC5hUUMk_GOK0qPyD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'wzNTl2NjE6cg3ePDC5hUUMk_GOK0qPyD',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Why a deep-red state is turning against the GOP

Nine American Mormons died in a brutal ambush in Mexico. Here's the untold story of the hunt for justice by those left behind.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5554fb2aecad0498782ae7b9-1200-600/alicewhitarth01.jpg" border="0" alt="alice_whit_arth_01"><p class="source"><span>BYUtv</span></p><p class="caption">Parker Posey in season three of "Granite Flats."</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">On Friday, <a href="http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/80044239?trkid=13752289">Netflix premiered</a> "Granite Flats," a TV series set in 1960s Colorado during the Cold War where not everyone in town is who they seem. The news here isn't that the streaming service acquired an existing show to make available for its subscribers, it's where it came from.</span></p><p>"Granite Flats" is the first scripted drama series from the thriving cable network <a href="http://www.byutv.org/">BYUtv</a>, operated and funded by Brigham Young University. The channel has been in existence since 2000 and is available on Dish Network, DirecTV, and 900 cable providers. But now being tapped by the most prominent streaming service, the network suddenly has many more eyes looking at it.</p><p>"I would love to say this was in our master plan, but we just got lucky," Derek Marquis, BYUtv's managing director told Business Insider.</p><p>The first season of "Granite Flats" aired on BYUtv in 2013 and quickly found an audience with its family-friendly values mixed with edgy subjects like the town's chief of police on the trail of a KGB spy and the local VA hospital experimenting with mind control as a way to defeat the Soviets. They then upped the ante by bringing on veteran characters actors like Christopher Lloyd ("Back to the Future" films) and Parker Posey ("You've Got Mail") the following seasons.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5554fb6eecad04b2782ae7b9-1200-600/hargraves01-2.jpg" border="0" alt="hargraves_01"><p class="source"><span>BYUtv</span></p><p class="caption">Christopher Lloyd in "Granite Flats."</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"We found 'Granite Flats' spreads across demographics," said Marquis. "We don't refer to it as family-friendly television because for some reason people think that's sappy. It's really co-viewing."</span></p><p>Showrunner Scott Swofford, who is also BYUtv's director of content, described the show's draw as: "We wanted to create something where parents and children could share an experience. They are going to watch and then sit down and talk about it."</p><p>When BYUtv was putting the final touches on the third season, talks with Netflix began to pick up.</p><p>In April, <a href="http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/granite-flats-netflix-season-3-byutv-1201475840/">the deal was announced</a> that Netflix would not just exclusively premiere season three of "Granite Flats" but also carry the first two seasons <span>-</span> making "Granite Flats" the first show that's currently on the air on another network to debut a new season on Netflix.</p><p>Season three of "Granite Flats" will air on BYUtv in October.</p><p>Marquis wouldn't go into specifics on who courted who, <span>but he will say the deal was a no brainer for BYUtv. </span>Reports out of Salt Lake City suggest Netflix <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/2426820-155/scott-d-pierce-byutv-netflix-deal-for">were the ones</a> who came calling.</p><p>"People want to watch shows when they want to watch it, where they want to watch it," said Marquis. "And if you make them wait you'll lose some percentage of them. This seemed like the natural next step for us."</p><p>Brigham Young University - a private university based out of Provo, Utah, owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - has been in the media business since the 1940s when it started its own radio station (which is still on the air). To date, it operates six television stations, a station on Sirius radio, as well as TV stations in Latin America.</p><p>But in 2000, BYUtv was created with the mission of exporting the BYU experience to their alumni. Soon, according to Marquis, the network started to gain attention from people who didn't have BYU ties.</p><p>"We were not out their knocking on cable system doors," he said. "Dish Network launched us first and literally within weeks we were getting calls from cable operators outside of Utah [wanting to carry us]."</p><p>The network has their own "Saturday Night Live"-like sketch comedy show, "<a href="http://www.byutv.org/show/c68c4e4f-6322-4a23-8b8e-a5be75b70635/studio-c">Studio C</a>," and reality TV shows like "<a href="http://www.byutv.org/show/06d93297-b6fa-49f5-8cce-6bd555b563af/american-ride">American Ride,</a>" which follows the travels of a motorcycle-riding history teacher around the US. It also airs BYU Division I sporting events, which includes a deal to air exclusively with ESPN.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5554f7d46bb3f7c463ea3719-640-360/dcome_large.jpg" border="0" alt="DCOME_Large"><p class="source"><span>BYUtv</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><br><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">BYUtv is currently manned by 120 full-time staff, and many contract workers from Hollywood who come on as crew on the shows. It also works with the university to help students gain real-world experience.</span></br></p><p>And in doing so, led to the network's most successful show to date.</p><p>In 2010, senior James Shores was accepted to the university's class "Writer's Block," in which students write and produce a 30-minute short film that then airs on BYU's public access channel. Shores came up with "Heaven Under A Table," which follows a young boy who paints art under his school desk.</p><p>"LDS (Latter-day Saints) people, like any religious group, can be a tad easy to get offended sometimes, but there are fringes everywhere," said Shores. "So I pictured the story in the '60s. You have cool costumes, we're trying to get to the moon, and the way people talked was a little more conservative back then."</p><p>After Shores graduated, Swofford came across "Heaven Under A Table." Along with some other ideas Shores had pitched BYUtv, the networked asked him to create a pitch for a show that combined them all.</p><p>And "Granite Flats" was born.</p><p>Shores has creator credit on the show and wrote episodes for the first season. He's no longer actively on the show and is currently working on getting another project off the ground.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5554f81a6da811d539068e3d-1200-1000/hargraves_02.jpg" border="0" alt="hargraves_02"><p class="source"><span>BYUtv</span></p><p class="caption">Scott Swofford (R) directing Christopher Lloyd on the set of "Granite Flats."</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Granite Flats" is made for about a quarter of what Hollywood does per episode, according to Marquis, because it's done entirely out of Utah - including an abandoned 1960s-preserved town just outside of Salt Lake City that's used for many exteriors. They also have a 100,000 square-foot production studio and distribution facility on campus.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5555f5ef69bedd107fb7c493-1200-800/production1411-12 1683.jpg" border="0" alt="production1411 12 1683"><p class="source"><span>BYUtv</span></p><p class="caption">"Granite Flats" revitalized an abandoned 1960s-era town just outside of Salt Lake City to shoot the show's exteriors.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The number of subscribers BYUtv has and how large the "Granite Flats" viewership is are kept under wraps. And though Marquis said a fourth season of the show hasn't been confirmed yet, he feels if there is one it would likely also premiere on Netflix.</span></span></p><p>"We are not driven by advertisers or ratings," said Marquis, "so we have flexibility to experiment and be pretty aggressive with the stuff we do."</p><p><em>Watch all episodes of "Granite Flats" now on <a href="http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/80044239?trkid=13752289">Netflix</a>.</em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sense8-netflix-trailer-wachowskis-2015-5">The trailer for the Wachowskis' mind-bending new Netflix series 'Sense8' has a lot of 'Matrix' in it</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="gwdmd4dDpcxDNfqKM1CQpYSyHHD6p-1X" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'gwdmd4dDpcxDNfqKM1CQpYSyHHD6p-1X',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

How a Mormon-made Cold War drama got the attention of Netflix 

Inside the life of LuLaRoe's controversial founder, whose small dress business blew up into a leggings empire that's been accused of operating as a pyramid scheme

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551d4ee569bedd901ec2b3a2-1200-924/ap940516031978-1.jpg?maxX=600" border="0" alt="AP940516031978" width="600"><p class="source"><span>AP/Danny Johnston</span></p><p class="caption">Opponents of an Arkansas religious objection measure chant "We Are Arkansas" as they face the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Wednesday, April 1, 2015.</p></img></div><p></p></div>When Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed his state's "religious freedom" bill into <keyword id="6355470" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Law">law</keyword> last week, he unwittingly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/religious-freedom">touched off a national firestorm</a>. And the Republican Party - from largely unknown governors to 2016 presidential contenders - has been deeply divided on the issue. </p><p>The protests and condemnations from gay rights advocates were probably expected. What was stunning, however, was the outrage within the GOP ranks and traditionally conservative groups.</p><p>The Republican mayor of Indianapolis bashed the bill, for example, and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) went as far as to call his neighboring state's law "un-American." </p><p>"I strongly oppose what Governor Pence did. We should not enshrine bigotry under the cover of religion. It's not just bad practice - it's un-American," Kirk <a href="http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2015/04/kirk-says-pence-enshrined-bigotry-under-the-cover-of-religion.html">said Wednesday</a>. </p><p>The ongoing debate is fierce. Supporters of Indiana's law, the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, say it simply provides a "balancing test" to determine when religious practice can be subject to government interference. Critics say it opens the door for businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians, such as a baker who refuses to cater a same-sex wedding. </p><p>And those critics were loud. Celebrities like Miley Cyrus called Pence an "asshole" and other performers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/everyone-is-shredding-indiana-for-its-religious-freedom-law-2015-3">canceled their upcoming events</a> in the state. Normally apolitical sports groups such as NASCAR and the Indiana-based NCAA also indicated their disappointment. The governors in other municipalities including New York and Connecticut issued state-funded travel bans. </p><p>The most influential reaction, however, came from business leaders, many of whom threatened to withdraw future investments in the state, including Salesforce.com and Yelp. Business titans like Apple CEO Tim Cook and Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wal-mart-religious-freedom-law-statement-2015-3">joined in</a>. And, according <a href="%20http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/mike-pence-indiana-2016-116569.html#ixzz3WAC85o7N">to Politico</a>, even some of Pence's closest supporters in the business community suddenly turned their backs on him. </p><p>"Pence ally and donor Bill Oesterle, the Republican CEO of Angie's List and former [Indiana] Gov. Mitch Daniels' one-time campaign manager, canceled plans to add up to 1,000 jobs and expand its headquarters in Indianapolis, on account of the religious freedom bill," the outlet reported.</p><p>"It passed and [was] signed so quickly by the governor, we suspect the motives behind it," Oesterle said. "We believe that the impact of that bill on our ability to hire - continue to build a high-growth technology company-that they are material, and that they are inconsistent with the state's activity to encourage growth."</p><p>Pence ultimately backed down. In a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mike-pence-holds-defiant-press-conference-on-religious-freedom-law-2015-3">somber but defiant press conference</a> on Tuesday, the visibly pained governor said he was "proud" to sign the bill but would nevertheless look for a legislative fix for what he described as its "perception problem." </p><p>"It's been a tough week in the Hoosier state," he admitted. "This is a bill that in ordinary times would not be controversial. But these are not ordinary times."</p><p>A reporter asked Pence if he had anticipated the blowback when he signed the law last week. </p><p>"Was I expecting this kind of backlash? Heavens no," Pence replied.</p><p>The following day, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) also backed off his state's "religious freedom" bill after previously indicating he would support it. He asked the state's legislative leaders to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0CCMQFjAB&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Farkansas-just-baked-down-on-controversial-religious-freedom-law-2015-4&amp;ei=4FodVYXWNsbAgwSRy4CwAw&amp;usg=AFQjCNExtZWMsZR8HPnWWwaYEYYLFjyIIw&amp;sig2=fuyMBz8QlcXb6y59mamffQ&amp;bvm=bv.89744112,d.eXY">recall the law</a> and send him a less controversial measure. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551d59686bb3f7b530c2b3a5-1200-924/ap416564688228-1.jpg" border="0" alt="AP416564688228"><p class="source"><span>AP/Darron Cummings</span></p><p class="caption">Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Indianapolis.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The GOP field of likely 2016 presidential candidates has also been at least partially divided by the issue. Although only former New York Gov. George Pataki (R), a long shot in the 2016 race, has <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/01/many-new-hampshire-republicans-won-care-about-mike-pence-his-new-indiana-law/7yMq3ap9667vnIjdl0hayO/story.html">directly shunned the Indiana law</a>, the various other contenders have had mixed reactions.</p><p>Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), a top-tier presidential contender, attempted to strike <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeb-bush-on-utahs-handling-of-religious-freedom-law-2015-4">a moderate tone on the matter</a>. Bush initially praised Indiana's law but offered more cautious commentary Wednesday night. Speaking at a fundraiser in the LGBT-friendly San Francisco, Bush suggested Indiana's leaders should have included the gay community when crafting their bill as the state of Utah had done.</p><p>"Utah went about this, but what they did is they brought all the constituencies together and this included the leadership of the LDS Church and [LGBT] community and said, 'How can we forge a consensus where we can protect religious freedom and also create an environment where we're not discriminating against people?' And they figured it out and they passed a law," Bush said.  "There wasn't a bunch of yelling and screaming. That to me seems like a better approach to dealing with this."</p><p>Other likely 2016 candidates offered something less than a full endorsement of the Indiana and Arkansas "religious freedom" bills. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chris-christie-defends-mike-pence-2015-4">broadly supported</a> the idea of "religious freedom" legislation but did not offer specific praise for the controversial state laws at hand. And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chris-christie-defends-mike-pence-2015-4">backed Pence's effort's </a>to change his state's bill and said he opposed allowing businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.</p><p>On the opposite side of the issue, most of the other expected Republican candidates have used the Indiana controversy to back the Hoosier state's original law, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, among others. And it may be to their political benefit: Evangelical voters wary of gay rights make up an outsize portion of the GOP primary electorate, especially in early states like Iowa. </p><p>"I certainly congratulate Gov. Mike Pence for having the courage to stand up for his convictions. And you know, it really is a sad commentary on where we are today that this is viewed as controversial," Cruz said. </p><p>And former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CarlyFiorina/posts/10155659402305206"> issued a lengthy statement</a> criticizing other business leaders who blasted the law, which she said is part of a discussion "of critical importance for our country."</p><p>"It is frankly sad to me that <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword> has become a fact-free zone," Fiorina said. "It is sad that so many people on the left were quick to turn this into a divisive and destructive debate so they could further their own brand of identity politics. It is sad that CEOs took to Twitter before checking their facts, adding to the division instead of helping build tolerance."</p><p>Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R) has conspicuously remained silent on the "religious freedom" controversy. </p><p>A Paul spokesman told <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121429/rand-paul-chris-christie-both-silent-indiana-religious-freedom-law">The New Republic on Wednesday</a>, "The Senator is out of pocket with family this week and has not weighed in at this time."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "lds church" and got 6 results

Mormons Are Using An Anonymous Confessions App To Doubt Their Faith (And Talk About Sex)

Jim Edwards

Why a deep-red state is turning against the GOP

Pamela Engel

Nine American Mormons died in a brutal ambush in Mexico. Here's the untold story of the hunt for justice by those left behind.

Ioan Grillo

How a Mormon-made Cold War drama got the attention of Netflix

Jason Guerrasio

Inside the life of LuLaRoe's controversial founder, whose small dress business blew up into a leggings empire that's been accused of operating as a pyramid scheme

Áine Cain

The Republican Party is being torn apart by the 'religious freedom' debate

Colin Campbell