Blog Post 5

           Often times, religion is something that affects not only someone’s spirituality, but also becomes the basis of all of his or her decisions in life. The members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are especially influenced by their religious beliefs. The LDS apply their religious background to every facet of their lives.

            In the United States, the LDS are primarily Republican. Why? Well, that particular political party best represents and defends the principles of the Gospel, which is the number one focus of the Saints. In the late 70’s and 80’s, the Democratic Party began to conflict with many of the teachings of the church—gay marriage and abortion being the two main conflictions. The church does not endorse one particular political party, however. The church has always sought to “teach correct principles” and let the people “govern themselves”. Because gay marriage in particular is such a moral issue, the church has made many statements regarding it. However, it is up to the members to choose whether or not to endorse a certain political party because of that issue. Another reason that Mormons tend to support the Republican Party is because the LDS church promotes conservatism. Being conservative is a major identity of Republicans.

            So, does the LDS population have a distinct political identity? The answer is yes. Although there are many Mormon Democrats, the Republican Party seems to get more support from the Mormon community because it supports their belief system the best.

            The primordialist approach on classifying what makes something a political identity or not, strongly supports the LDS political identity because it says that it is an identity formed very early in life. (Samuels) Often, Mormons form their opinions early in life because the church was a part of their life from the very beginning, which makes it a strong belief deep within their hearts that they are willing to fight for.

            The constructivist approach, however, states that identities are malleable and anything can be politicized. (Samuels) This is also true, because the LDS often let their moral beliefs influence their political beliefs because they are so important to them. It is important to

Works Cited

Samuels, David. Comparative Politics. 1.1. Minneapolis: Pearson 2013. 52. Print

Man, Super J. "All About Mormons." Mormon Beliefs and Misconceptions. N.p., 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.allaboutmormons.com/ENG_index.php>.