Within a well-appointed conference room of the Salt Lake City Main Library, a meeting of minds and souls recently took place. As the clock neared 3 p.m. on Nov. 17, most of the nine in-person participants—all within the 20- to 30-something age range—had at last gathered and the proceedings could begin. "I figured everyone would be following 'Mormon Standard Time,'" laughed contributing organizer Nathan McLaughlin.

With additional people tuning in online, the "pre-launch" meeting of Mormons with Hope for a Better World commenced with a prayer, a hymn and printed handouts of an 1875 manifesto from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on economic inequality and cooperation. As Mormon leftists, the group discussed the teachings of Jesus, the sermon of Mormon prophet King Benjamin and the theories of Karl Marx.

"Mormonism is actually revolutionary to its core," McLaughlin told attendees, paraphrasing the scholar Susan Stryker. "It was always built to be antagonistic to the American colonial project and to carve out a literal Kingdom of God where everyone could be equals and care for each other. It was only through the compromises it made through time to sustain itself that it kind of lost that spirit."

It is this spirit that Mormons with Hope for a Better World hopes to reignite among practicing and non-practicing Latter-day Saints. As a political organization, it aims to organize, advocate, realize material change and rebuild a Mormon leftist space across the world and far beyond the occasional public protest.

"Our religion has been co-opted by reactionary and fascist elements," McLaughlin explained. "I am sick of fascists getting to define my faith."

Reclaiming one's faith and culture is hard, lonely work, and organizations like these hope to diminish isolation, lighten one another's burdens and to provide a seedbed for programs that sustain local needs and move the community closer to their ideals of a "Zion people."

Being a "pre-launch" gathering, the details for their official January 19 debut were discussed, as were the varied interests and capabilities of participants to meet the new group's needs (press, outreach, event-planning, newsletters, etc.). A constitution and official nonprofit status are also in the works—much is being prepared in anticipation of their official start in the new year.

Judging from the reactions of those in attendance, the organization appears to be satisfying a long-neglected need. "I've been dying for something like this for years!" enthused Aaron Johnson. Ray Nielson, another participant, echoed the sentiment: "This is exactly what I'm looking for."

Further details for Mormons with Hope for a Better World can be found at linktr.ee/mormonswithhope.