{"id":34507,"date":"2023-07-12T03:32:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T03:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=34507"},"modified":"2023-07-13T17:22:25","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T17:22:25","slug":"mormon-leaders-whose-church-is-often-associated-with-the-gop-push-back-against-one-party-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/mormon-leaders-whose-church-is-often-associated-with-the-gop-push-back-against-one-party-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Mormon leaders \u2013 whose church is often associated with the GOP \u2013 push back against one-party\u00a0politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

David Campbell<\/a>, University of Notre Dame<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dropped a bombshell in June 2023 by telling their flock to vote for Democrats \u2013 well, almost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a letter that local leaders read during worship meetings nationwide<\/a>, the church\u2019s president and his two counselors instructed church members not to vote solely for one political party. Latter-day Saints, often known as Mormons, have overwhelmingly supported Republicans in recent decades<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMerely voting a straight ticket or voting based on \u2018tradition\u2019 without careful study of candidates and their positions on important issues is a threat to democracy and inconsistent with revealed standards,\u201d the church\u2019s top three authorities<\/a> wrote, referring to Latter-day Saint scripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such letters are frequently used to direct the faithful. For example, in 2008, similar letters mobilized Latter-day Saints<\/a> in California to support Proposition 8, a ballot initiative against same-sex marriage. As suggested by the significant time and money church members poured into Proposition 8<\/a>, these letters can be persuasive due, in no small part, to leaders\u2019 unique role. Within the faith, top LDS authorities are known as \u201cprophets, seers, and revelators<\/a>,\u201d and members often speak of the need to \u201cfollow the prophet,\u201d referring to the church\u2019s president. Indeed, there is a catchy children\u2019s song with that title<\/a>, which includes the repeated refrain \u201cfollow the prophet, don\u2019t go astray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the casual observer of American politics, it is no doubt surprising to hear that LDS leaders are promoting the idea of voting for Democrats. But as a political scientist who studies religion<\/a>, including the LDS church, I believe the letter highlights an important trend in American Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GOP fans \u2013 but not always<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is true that Mormons rival white evangelical Christians in their support of the Republican Party<\/a>, and they generally hold very conservative views<\/a>. According to the Cooperative Election Study<\/a>, 60% of LDS church members identify as Republican and only 23% as Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Mormons do not always align perfectly<\/a> with the priorities of other Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, they are more moderate on immigration policy<\/a>, and while opposed to abortion<\/a>, the church has never called for a total ban. Despite a history of opposing gay marriage, LDS leaders endorsed the recent bill in Congress<\/a> affirming the right to same-sex marriage \u2013 albeit only after ensuring that religious organizations would not be required to recognize such marriages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three<\/a>
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\u2019 three highest leaders answer questions after Russell Nelson, center, was announced the new president in 2017. George Frey\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Latter-day Saints never fully jumped on the Donald Trump bandwagon, either. In 2016, Trump only took 45% of the vote in Utah<\/a>, a predominantly Mormon state, largely because third-party candidate Evan McMullin<\/a>, a member of the church, ate into his support. Going into the 2020 election, Trump had lower approval ratings<\/a> among Latter-day Saints than among other heavily Republican groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many members\u2019 ambivalence toward Trump may stem from earlier messaging by church leaders. In 2016, an editorial in the church-owned Deseret News<\/a> called on Trump to pull out of the race \u2013 though it did not endorse his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more directly, church leaders issued a statement<\/a> decrying Trump\u2019s proposed \u201cMuslim ban.\u201d An uncharacteristic move for the church, it reflected Latter-day Saints\u2019 particular opposition to the targeting of religious minorities, given their own history of being treated as outsiders<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is no coincidence that the most prominent LDS politician in the country, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, has long been a thorn in Trump\u2019s side<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eyes on the future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why are leaders speaking out? One might argue that this is nothing new, since the LDS hierarchy has previously encouraged more two-partyism<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not in our interest to be known as a one-party church,\u201d one elder told The Salt Lake Tribune during a 1998 interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A better question is why the church\u2019s top authorities are speaking out now. Part of the explanation likely stems from concern over the hold that Trump<\/a>, and the Trumpian approach to politics, has on the Republican Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I argue that there is another explanation. Latter-day Saints are well known for their extensive missionary program around the world. Within the United States, however, the church has not been immune from the national decline in religious affiliation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three<\/a>
Latter-day Saints missionaries walk to Sunday lunch in Colonia Juarez, Mexico, in July 2011. Dominic Bracco II\/Prime For The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The church itself reports declining growth in official membership numbers<\/a>, which are based on baptism records. Public surveys, however, find that the number of Latter-day Saints in the U.S. is actually declining<\/a>, not just the growth rate. Even among self-identified Latter-day Saints, a quarter have considered leaving the church<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research that I and other political scientists have done shows that one reason so many Americans are turning away from religion<\/a> is the relationship between conservative Christianity and the Republican Party. People whose religious views align with the religious right but do not share its politics often feel conflicted. In some cases, they leave the congregation where they worship for a new one. Others, however, give up on religion<\/a> altogether \u2013 one reason for the dramatic growth in the percentage of Americans who have no religion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most of this research has focused on evangelicals\u2019 entanglement with the GOP, it follows that, as a predominantly Republican faith, Mormonism is also likely to experience an exodus. Strikingly, in her research into why people leave the LDS faith, religion writer Jana Riess finds that former church members are far more likely to be Democrats<\/a> than those who stay in the fold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older Latter-day Saints continue to identify heavily as Republicans, but members under 30 are much more likely to describe themselves as Democrats<\/a>. If those young church members see their church as a bastion of Republicanism, they may decide that Mormonism is not for them \u2013 whereas more bipartisanship might keep them in the fold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This recent call from LDS leaders could create a potential counter-example of a trend within American religion. Increasingly, Americans tailor their religious beliefs to their politics<\/a>, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, on the other hand, is a statement from men whom Latter-day Saints believe speak for God, telling their co-religionists that they should break Republican ranks. If there were ever a case to expect religion to inform people\u2019s politics, this is it \u2013 with eyes on the 2024 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Campbell<\/a>, Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy, University of Notre Dame<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Campbell, University of Notre Dame Top leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dropped a bombshell in June 2023 by telling their flock to vote for Democrats \u2013 well, almost. In a letter that local leaders read during worship meetings nationwide, the church\u2019s president and his two counselors instructed church members […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":34508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2450],"tags":[1829,13797,2973,4716,8156,6610,530,475],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34507"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34507"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34510,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34507\/revisions\/34510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}