Matthew Miller

Blog 5: Political Identity

            People often have the perception that members of the LDS faith are all conservative with similar political ideals. While a majority of Mormons in the United States do identify as conservative, there exists a wide spectrum of beliefs among members of the LDS Church. I believe that many LDS people construct a political identity by filtering their political opinions through their religious beliefs. However, I argue that the LDS community is too diverse to call this identity “distinct” (The Pew Research Center).

            I argue that there is no distinct LDS political identity because the LDS Church is not a political entity. While the LDS Church occasionally takes stances on issues they deem of vital importance (such as same-sex marriage), the LDS Church is adamant about being politically neutral. And even in the rare scenario that the LDS Church does take a stance, there are many Mormons that still do not agree. Being Mormon does not mean someone subscribes to a particular political belief. Some Mormons may completely intertwine their faith with their political beliefs, some may see the two as separate, and of course there exists everything in between. So, to me, the concept of an LDS political identity is really an umbrella term for countless different identities.

            In addition, in one study conducted, only six out of ten American members of the LDS Church identified as conservative (The Pew Research Center). While this is relatively high compared to other religions in the United States, I could not comfortably make the leap and claim that this creates a distinct LDS political identity. Not to mention, within the conservative label there is a wide range of beliefs. If you break down people’s individual political opinions, I believe that you’d find many people have a difference of opinion over many issues — even if they both identify as conservative.

            I believe that my conclusion lends itself to a constructivist argument. However, I also believe that there are primordial undertones. On one hand, the fact that we have to look at the United States in order to try to find a distinct LDS political identity (because there is clearly not an LDS political identity on an international scale) supports a constructivist argument. If identities vary so much from country to country, then they must be constructed and not inherent to the LDS belief system.  On the other hand, I believe that most people who have an LDS political identity inherited most of their beliefs from their parents. And I believe that the overall conservatism of the LDS community is reinforced on members. But still, political views evolve and change. I can speak personally when I say that my own political views have changed as I’ve matured and gained more understanding of LDS doctrine. You cannot study the Book of Mormon and create any sort of guideline that defines how a “good Mormon” should think politically. We are allowed our freedom of opinion and can interpret things for ourselves. For that reason, there is no LDS political identity that simply exists or is inherent in LDS scripture, but it is an artificial creation (which is further supported by the fact that an LDS political identity means many different things to different people).

            In summation, I believe that many members of the LDS Church define their political views by their religious beliefs. However, there is much more to entire political opinions than the issues of same-sex marriage and abortion (and even then, there’s certainly no LDS consensus). Perhaps I’m just arguing semantics, but I think it would be inaccurate to say there’s a distinct LDS political identity that most members of the Church belong to.

           

REFERENCES

Samuels, David J. 2012. Comparative Politics. New Jersey: Pearson Education.

The Pew Research Center. “A Portrait of Mormons in the US – Social and Political Views.”

http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/A-Portrait-of-Mormons-in-the-US--Social-and-Political-Views.aspx (accessed October 10, 2012).