Political Identity in Mormon Culture

Jesse Wright

10/11/12

Blog 5

            The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has a strong tradition of political neutrality.  According to the Church’s official website, the Church does not “endorse, promote or oppose political parties, candidates or platforms, allow its church buildings, membership lists or other resources to be used for partisan political purposes, attempt to direct its members as to which candidate or party they should give their votes to, or attempt to direct or dictate to a government leader” (Newsroom).  That being said, it is evident that members of the Church do seem to lean towards the right in political affairs.

            An article in the Salt Lake Tribune showed that Mormons are twice as likely to vote Republican on a national scale (Gehrke).   It also states that “fifty-nine percent of Mormons nationwide identify themselves as Republicans, compared with 14 percent who say they prefer Democrats” (Gehrke).  This data shows that Mormons lean strongly towards the conservative or Republican spectrum in politics.  Although the Church remains neutral in politics, the Church does teach morals which direct and guide its members and may have an effect on their political identity. 

            One example of a teaching by the LDS Church that corresponds directly to politics is the Church’s position on families, particularly its position on marriage solely between a man and a woman.  In 2008, the Church campaigned heavily in support of Proposition 8 in California, a law which banned same-sex marriage.  This is an example of the Church, and subsequently its members, becoming politicized because of its teachings. 

            The Church’s stance on abortion is another example of the Church’s teachings becoming politicized.  The Church has been very transparent in its belief that abortion is wrong and has campaigned heavily in favor of pro-life organization.  Church members are discouraged from participating in abortions and can be subject to church disciplinary actions if they have an abortion.  Because of this stance on abortion, many Mormons will not vote for candidates who are pro-abortion. 

            Both of these teachings, while not necessarily political, lean towards the Republican Party.  Because of this, Mormons tend to vote Republican and generally associate themselves with the Republican Party.  Although there are Democratic Mormons, the stereotype is that if you are a Mormon, you vote Republican, and for the most part that seems to be true. Despite all of the Church’s statements on political neutrality, it is clear that the LDS faith fosters a political identity that leans conservative. 

            This example of Church doctrines becoming politicized is support for the theory of primordialism.  Primordialism is “an approach to understanding identity which assumes that identities are something people are born with or that emerge through deep psychological process in early childhood, given one’s family and community context” (Samuels).  This theory is evident in Mormonism in that children are taught from a very young age the importance of following the Church’s teachings and standards. As children grow older and begin to become politically aware, they associate their family’s political beliefs (which, statistically, are likely to be conservative) with membership to the Church.  It is easy to see how Republican ideals easily match up with some of the Church’s teachings (i.e. abortion and same-sex marriage) and because of this, members of the Church have formed a political identity that is predominately Republican. 

Works Cited

Gehrke, Robert. "Survey: Mormons embrace GOP, shun Democrats." Salt Lake Tribune,

December 4, 2011. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home2/53110048-183/mormons-utah-lds-party.html.csp (accessed October 11, 2012).

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. 2. 1. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2013. Print.