Blog 5: LDS Political Identity

     When voters make their way on over to the voting stations across the country, virtually every voter knows in their mind who they will be voting for. Most voters have an idea of whom they will vote for because of their own individual political identity. In order to first understand the concept of what a political identity is we must first define identity. As defined during our class's lecture, an identity is, "The ways that individuals categorize themselves, with a resulting feeling of close emotional association" (Hawkins). An identity could be anything that helps an individual be identified. Identities can be as simple as the love for soccer; if an individual as a strong passion for soccer they can be understood as having a soccer identity. A political identity, as defined in our class's lecture is, "Any identity that significantly shapes out political decisions" (Hawkins). If a voter has the same soccer identity has previously mentioned and is so passionate about their love for soccer that they only vote candidates into presidency if they play soccer, this is political identity. Common political identities include race, gender, and religion. The question is whether or not there is a political identity that exists with in the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.     
     As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I have noticed that a large majority percentage of the members tend to be more conservative and Republican. I have found this to be true even in the very liberal, Democratic state of Rhode Island where I am from. "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, are the most conservative major religious group in the country, with 59% identifying as conservative, 31% as moderate, and 8% as liberal" (Newport). This shows that their is a correlation between membership in the church and conservatism which in turn is a strong pointer that Mormons have a political identity of conservatism.    
    "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages its members to participate in the political process wherever they live. The Church wants its members to be well informed, to vote and otherwise contribute to principles of good citizenship. In all of the nations in which the Church is established, it is neutral in matters of party politics" (What). Since the church does not openly take a stance on a particular political identity such as the democratic and republican parties in America, it is crucial to look at primordialist and constructivist arguments about political identity to see which is the cause of the particularly evident identity that most members have as conservative voters. Constructivism is the idea that “Suggests that identity is thought of as an evolving political process rather than as a fixed set of identity categories,” while primordialism suggests that political identities, “Emerge through deep psychological processes in early childhood, given one’s family and community context” (Samuels). The church only teaches the principles of the gospel and leaves it up to the members to pray over what they are taught and develop their own stance on issues regarding politics. Because of this I feel that the political identity is more constructivism than primordialist because members are able to reflect on their own beliefs and choose for themselves which party they feel is right to vote for.

                                                                        Works Cited

Hawkins, Kirk. "Political Identity." Comparative Government and Politics 150. Joseph Fielding Smith Building, Provo, Utah. 10 Oct. 2012. Lecture.

Newport, Frank. "Mormons Most Conservative Major Religious Group in U.S." Mormons Most Conservative Major Religious Group in U.S. Gallup Politics, 11 Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/125021/mormons-conservative-major-religious-group.aspx>.

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. New York: Pearson Education, 2013. Print.

"What Role Do Politics Play in the Lives of Mormons?" What Role Do Politics Play in the Lives of Mormons? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://mormontopics.org/eng/politics>.