Blog 5

Andrew Kanis

PL SC 150-002

October 12, 2012

Blog 5

            The official policy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding the political stance of the church is that “Principles compatible with the gospel are found in the platforms of all major political parties. While the Church does not endorse political candidates, platforms, or parties, members are urged to be full participants in political, governmental, and community affairs.²” While it is clear that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has and tries to maintain a politically neutral identity, the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tend to lean towards the Republican Party. This idea is supported by a recent Pew poll which said that 75 % of Mormons lean towards or are Republicans while only 17% lean towards or are Democrats.³

            The real question is why do so many Mormons tend to lean towards the Republican Party. There are two main arguments that try to explain this issue. The first is the primordialist argument, this argument says that people are born or develop their political identity early on in life. The second argument is the constructivism argument. This argument says that people gradually develop their political identity over time.¹ Both of these arguments are useful when discussing the political identity of Mormons.

            Mormons are encouraged to have strong families and to teach their children the Gospel. This includes some important gospel views on key issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Since the views that Mormon parents tend to teach their children are Pro-life and to be in favor of traditional marriage it is likely that these children will end up supporting the political party that has similar views to what they have been taught. It just so happens that the Republican Party tends to be Pro-life and in favor of traditional marriage, this view is in strong favor of the primordialist argument of political identity.

            It is also clear that the Constructivist argument is applicable to the Mormon political identity. Due to the fact that the landscape of American politics continues to change, people tend to rely on what they believe in to shape their views on politics. Since Mormon doctrine tends to be more conservative Mormons tend to have conservative views on political issues. The Constructivist argument is further supported by the fact that the Republican candidate for the presidential office is an active Mormon. Many Mormons are very excited about the possibility of having a Mormon in the White House. If Mitt Romney was elected to be the next president of the United States it would be the first time a Mormon held that office. In addition, it would be beneficial for the LDS faith as a whole, because it would get the LDS Church more publicity and perhaps give Mormons a chance to change some of the misconceptions that many non-Mormons lend to have toward Mormons. This would more than likely lead to converts to the LDS faith which would help fulfill a key doctrine in the LDS church which is to spread the Gospel to all people. In addition, I think that many Mormons would feel more comfortable with a Mormon President because they know that he will rely and prayer and the Spirit to help him make the key decisions that someone in that political office needs to make.

            People in the United States have very distinctive political identities; these political identities are definitely influenced by the religious views of the individual. In the case of Mormons these views tend to favor the Republican Party. These views can be developed early on in life as the primordalist believe; however they can also change and be developed later on in life based on current circumstances like the constructivists argue.

Works Cited

1-Samuels, David J. "Studying Comparative Politics." Comparative Politics. New York: Pearson Education, 2013. 4. Print.

2-"Political Neutrality." www.mormonnewsroom.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality>.

3- "Mormons in America." Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pewforum.org/>.