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Jacob Sanford is Anti-Mormon

On September 28, 2025, a man named Thomas Jacob Sanford drove a truck into a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, opened fire, and then set the building on fire.

The FBI described it as “a targeted act of violence believed to be motivated by the assailant’s anti-religious beliefs against the Mormon religious community.” (NBC News)

That phrasing—“anti-religious beliefs”—is technically accurate but misses the mark. It’s careful. It’s broad. And it hides the real truth: this was an anti-Mormon attack.

1. The violence targeted a specific faith

Sanford didn’t attack a church because he hated religion in general. He attacked Mormons. Witnesses and online posts show he fixated on the LDS Church, calling its members “the antichrist.” That’s not generic hostility toward religion—it’s directed hatred toward one particular group.

2. “Anti-religious” erases the victims’ identity

When the media calls it “anti-religious,” it softens the truth. The victims weren’t random Christians or people of faith—they were members of a specific community that has long faced stigma and misunderstanding. Calling it anti-Mormon acknowledges who was targeted.

3. Words shape how we remember

Accuracy matters. If someone attacks a synagogue, we don’t call it “anti-religious.” We call it antisemitic. If someone burns a Black church, we don’t call it “anti-spiritual.” We call it racist. Specificity honors the people harmed and makes it possible to track and address real patterns of hate.

Speaking as an ex-Mormon:

I’ll be honest: I normally hate the term anti-Mormon. It’s been used to dismiss former members and silence criticism. I’ve heard it thrown around to label journalists, historians, and anyone who questions church leadership.

But this disgusting act is different.

Critics of the LDS Church (including myself) can condemn its doctrines or policies while still acknowledging that this specific attack was undeniably driven by hate.

Recognizing that this was anti-Mormon violence doesn’t mean defending the church or excusing its history. It means being honest about what happened. It was an attack on a specific people, for a specific reason.

It’s okay to say it: this was an anti-Mormon hate crime.
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