LDS Political Identity

                The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has strict doctrine and beliefs. These values have caused many to question whether the Church has an official political identity that all members must adhere to.  There is no official political identity, although there is much unofficial identity associated with being LDS. The teachings of the Church are taught from a young age and as an individual grows and forms their own political ideologies they tend toward the same political views.  The Mormon political identity in the United States is constructive in.

                A distinct majority of Latter-day Saints identify with the Republican party. This can be attributed to the Church’s doctrines against both gay marriage and abortion.  Although these are only two of many political discussions, these issues tend to be the basis upon which many Mormons build their political views.  In official Church doctrine it states that, “We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied” (Doctrine and Covenants 134:9). It seems that this statement would ensure the “separation of Church and State,” but there are many who believe that anyone who votes against a Republican presidential candidate (especially a “brother in the Gospel”) or holds any sort of Democratic political views is of the devil (Brooks).

There are many people who identify as a conservative/Republican because of their “Mormon beliefs”. However there are also many people that identify with the liberal/Democratic for the same reason (Peterson). These are both valid arguments, but the Republican Mormon mindset is much more widely accepted and often hinders the political growth and diversity of the Church as a whole. The two big arguments of gay marriage and abortion, for LDS conservatives, are a huge base of reasoning in this matter. Other key issues in politics are often overlooked.  A recent survey shows that only half of all Americans know the major political issues and where each of the major parties stand on each issue (What the Public Knows about the Political Parties, 1). People take the information that is important to them and base their political identity on those issues. If a sample were taken of LDS voters, it may show different statistics, but probably wouldn’t vary too much. 

It is apparent to see that there has been a wide shift in political opinion among members of the Church over the years. Early in the history of the Church, many members were Liberal in their thinking. Many Church leaders, including B.H. Roberts and Stephen L. Richards, in the late 1800s-early 1900s supported Democratic ideologies openly (Alexander 52). Even Joseph Smith supported a nationalized bank as well as the abolishment of slavery, which was one of the most liberal ideologies of the time. These examples, and many others, show that there has not always been the same political identity associated with the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because of shifts in partisan platforms, the Church’s political leaning has changed over the years. This is also another evidence of a constructive, malleable political identity as a whole (Samuels 153). There have been many ideological shifts in each party since the beginning of the Church in 1830, but only very rarely have Saints been told specifically how to vote. In these issues members of the Church were asked to vote for or against issues, not necessarily candidates. An example of this can be seen in the 2004 elections in California where the Church invited members to vote for Proposition 8 to keep same-sex marriage from being legal (Monson Jun 2008).  The Church continues to “affirm [its] neutrality regarding political parties, platforms, and candidates" and tells us that "principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties" (Monson Sept 2008). Even with these efforts in place to stop a Church-wide political view from developing, members of the Church continue to create such an unofficial identity in the United States.

Work Cited:

Alexander, Thomas. Mormonism in Transition: a History of Mormons 1890-1930. University of Illinois Press. Oct. 1, 1996.

Brooks, Joanna. “My Mormon-for-Obama bumper sticker is drawing serious fire.” Ask Mormon Girl. Oct. 1, 2012. http://askmormongirl.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/my-mormon-for-obama-bumper-sticker-is-drawing-serious-fire-help/

Doctrine and Covenants. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Monson, Thomas S., Eyring, Henry B., Uchtdorf, Dieter F.  Preserving Traditional Marriage and Strengthening Families. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jun. 20, 2008.

Monson, Thomas S., Eyring, Henry B., Uchtdorf, Dieter F.  “Political Participation, Voting, and the Political Neutrality of the Church.” Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sept. 11, 2008.

Peterson, Boyd. “Why I’m a Mormon Democrat.” Utah County Democrats. Sept. 1, 2009. http://www.utahcountydems.com/content/view/300/126/

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. Pearson, University of Minnesota. 2013.

“What the Public Knows about the Political Parties.” Pew Research Center. April 11, 2012. http://www.people-press.org/2012/04/11/what-the-public-knows-about-the-political-parties/1/