Is there a Mormon political identity? I'm sure the first thought for many of us is no. Every person has his/her own opinions, and religion should not limit our political choices. When looking at aggregate statistics, many of us will be surprised to find that there is indeed a strong Mormon political identity. Although I do not think the Mormon political identity constrains the political beliefs of members of the LDS Church, I do recognize that the teachings of the LDS Church influence its members political choices. So what causes this Mormon political identity? Lets take a look at a few examples and possible causes of the Mormon political identity.

     First of all, lets look at party affiliation in the LDS Church. In the United States 65% of LDS Church members say they belong to or lean towards the Republican party (Pond 2009). In contrast, only 35% of the general US population say they belong to or lean towards the Republican party (Pond 2009).

So why the strong preference for the Republican party for Mormons? We can find some explanation for this by looking at the primordialist and constructivist arguments of political identity. As we discussed in class, the primordialist argument says that identity is formed very early in life (Hawkins 2012). Could factors from early life affect the political identity of Mormons? I think to a certain extent the primordialist argument could explain some of the Mormon political identity. Many church members were born into the church—their parents were members and often times even their parents and parents parents were members. If you were raised in a conservative, Republican household then I'm sure that would have some effect on your personal political beliefs.

     The constructivist argument sheds further light on explaining the Mormon political identity. According to constructivist theory, identities are malleable (Hawkins 2012). Rather than developing our identities while we are young, our identities are formed over time as a process. So what factors would cause a Mormon political identity? First, the teachings of the LDS Church greatly affect the political identity of its members. For example, lets look at abortion. In the United States, 27% of the general population think that abortion should be illegal in most cases (Pond 2009). 61% of Mormons, however, think that abortion should be illegal in most cases (Pond 2009). One explanation for this is that the LDS Church does not support abortion in most cases. Since most active members support the opinions of the church, a Mormon political identity is formed. Mormons will generally have similar political beliefs due to the influence of the LDS Church's teachings on its members.

     Although there is definitely a Mormon political identity, that does not mean that all members of the LDS Church have the same political beliefs or opinions on all matters. There are many political factors that the LDS Church does not have a stance on, and members can believe what they want. Some controversial political topics like gay marriage even build a political divide among Mormons. Although there is definitely a general tendency for Mormons to be against gay marriage, not all Mormons agree. The individual circumstances of each member affects their opinions, like whether or not they have gay friends, family, or acquaintances.

     In summary, it is evident that due to the LDS Church's teachings there is definitely a Mormon political identity. According to the primordialist argument, this is partly due to the fact that most Mormons are raised in a Republican household. According to the constructivist argument, the influences of the LDS Church's teachings influence the political identity of Mormons. Due to other individual factors, not every Mormon has the same beliefs though. The constructivist argument as says that our political identity is malleable and it continually can be changed. Despite the general tendency for Mormons to have similar political beliefs, each one of use continues to form our own opinions and beliefs according to our individual circumstances.

REFERENCES

Hawkins, Kirk. BYU lecture on October 10, 2012. Political Science 150.

Pond, Allison. 2009. A portrait of Mormons in the U.S. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.                           http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/A-Portrait-of-Mormons-in-the-US--Social-and- Political-          Views.aspx (accessed October 11, 2012).