Blog 5: Political Identity

Blog 5: Political Identity

            There is indeed a somewhat distinct political identity among the Latter-day Saints in the United States. The major LDS political identity is more conservative or moderate than liberal. The LDS culture does not seem to breed many too many liberally minded individuals in the United States. Although they most certainly do exist, they are the minority by a fairly large margin. In a 2009 news article, Dan Gilgoff mentioned some statistics on Mormon political preferences. He stated: “Six-in-ten Mormons identify as conservative, about three-in-ten (27%) say they consider themselves moderate and only one-in-ten identify as liberal. This is in stark contrast to the general population, in which roughly a third identify as conservative (37%), a third as moderate (36%) and 20% as liberal” (Gilgoff). The conclusion to be made from this information is not only are a majority of Mormons conservative or moderate but also these statistics are rather unique to LDS culture and differ from the country’s overall political divisions and identity.

            I think the cause of this unique LDS political identity is the core ideology behind the religion. Members in the church are constantly taught to do all they can to help themselves before they ask for church assistance (welfare program). Beyond this, members of the church are taught to learn who they are and learn how to work hard and rely on themselves and the Lord. These values instilled in Latter-day saints create the foundation for the more conservative idea that all people ought to lookout and care for themselves unless they really need help. This idea creates disconnect between many church members and the U. S. welfare program.  Family values are also emphasized in the church and as such there is usually a strong bond within families and between members of families. As a result I believe political ideas are shared with younger generations and they are passed on.

            This obvious presence of an LDS political identity here in the U. S. sort of debunks the primordialism argument. This argument is supported by Marx and claims that identities that can become political are formed early in life or perhaps are vaguely genetic (Samuels). I don’t think many scholars would try to argue that little children create an LDS identity. Even the Mormons themselves only baptize children into the church at the age of 8 or what they call they age of accountability. That being said I think this idea of an LDS political identity helps the constructivism argument. Once an individual does decide to become a member of the LDS faith and takes up that identity for themselves their political ideas are likely to change a little bit. This religious identity is so core and central to the Mormon lifestyle that even many of their political ideas are influenced heavily by their faith proving that even religion can become politicized.

            The LDS definitely have a distinct conservative/moderate political identity here in the U.S. This identity is the product of religious ideas and commonalities among the Mormons. While there are exceptions to this identity, the majority of Latter-day Saints follow the conservative/moderate political parties and vote accordingly. This is not a result of something primordial but rather something constructed through the beliefs of the LDS people.

Sources

Gilgoff, Dan. "A Political Portrait of Mormons: More Republican/Conservative than Evangelicals." U. S. News and World Report. N.p., 27 July 2009. Web. <http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/god-and-country/2009/07/27/a-political-portrait-of-mormons-more-republicanconservative-than-evangelical>.

Samuels, David J. "Political Identity." Comparative Politics. New York: Pearson Education, 2013. N. pag. Print.