{"id":37927,"date":"2024-10-24T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=37927"},"modified":"2024-10-27T17:18:39","modified_gmt":"2024-10-27T17:18:39","slug":"for-many-latter-day-saints-america-has-a-special-relationship-with-god-%e2%88%92-but-christian-nationalism-is-a-step-too-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/for-many-latter-day-saints-america-has-a-special-relationship-with-god-%e2%88%92-but-christian-nationalism-is-a-step-too-far\/","title":{"rendered":"For many Latter-day Saints, America has a special relationship with God \u2212 but Christian nationalism is a step too far"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nicholas Shrum<\/a>, University of Virginia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the verge of the 2024 elections, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are ramping up their campaigns in Arizona and Nevada<\/a>. Beyond being considered swing states, the two have something else in common: Latter-day Saint voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 5% to 10% of Arizonans and Nevadans belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \u2013 among the highest percentages in the country<\/a>, outside of Utah and Idaho. For decades, a steep majority of Latter-day Saints, often called Mormons, were regarded as reliable Republican voters. But the Trump era has tested that alliance<\/a>, especially when it comes to many of his backers\u2019 support for Christian nationalism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christian nationalism is often described as the belief that American identity and Christianity are deeply intertwined<\/a> and, therefore, the U.S. government should promote Christian-based values. Using questions such as whether \u201cbeing Christian is an important part of being truly American,\u201d a Public Religion Research Institute poll in 2024 found that about 4 in 10 Latter-day Saints nationwide are at least sympathetic to Christian nationalist ideas<\/a>, if not clear \u201cadherents.\u201d This was the third-highest rate among religious groups, behind white evangelicals and Hispanic Protestants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the report also found a seeming contradiction. Utah, home to the church\u2019s headquarters, \u201cis the only red state in which support for Christian nationalism falls below the national average.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a scholar of Mormonism and nationalism<\/a>, I believe the church\u2019s history and beliefs help explain why so many members wrestle with Christian nationalist ideas \u2013 and that this complexity illustrates the difficulty of defining Christian nationalism in the first place. America is sacred in Latter-day Saint doctrine: both the land itself and its constitutional structures. But as a minority that has often faced discrimination from other Christians<\/a>, the church displays profound skepticism about combining religion and state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sacred space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Book of Mormon \u2013 one of the church\u2019s key scriptures, alongside the Bible \u2013 describes the Americas as \u201cchoice above all other lands<\/a>\u201d and provides an account of Jesus Christ visiting ancient civilizations there after his resurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Latter-day Saint doctrine considers the United States\u2019 government to be divinely inspired. In 1833 the church\u2019s founder, Joseph Smith, dictated a revelation<\/a> wherein God declared \u201cI established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up for this very purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1830s, Latter-day Saints migrated from New York and Ohio to western Missouri, where they believed themselves divinely commanded to build a sacred city<\/a> called Zion. By the end of the decade, however, they had been forced out of Missouri by mob violence<\/a> and an order from the governor<\/a>, who called for the group to be \u201cexterminated or driven from the State.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church members fled to neighboring Illinois, then began a long trek west after Smith\u2019s death in 1844. The first pioneers reached Utah Territory in 1847, where they set up a society shaped by their beliefs \u2013 including, most famously, the practice of plural marriage<\/a>. But when Utah applied for statehood, tensions with the federal government mounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress enacted anti-polygamy legislation<\/a> that seized some church property, imprisoned more than 1,000 church members<\/a>, disenfranchised anyone who supported the practice, and revoked Utah\u2019s 1870 decision to give women the right to vote<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A photo of Utah polygamists in prison, taken around 1889 by Charles Roscoe Savage. Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By 1896, church leaders had begun the process of ending plural marriage, and Utah was admitted to the union. Latter-day Saints also adopted the two-party system and embraced free-market capitalism, giving up their more insular and communal system \u2013 adapting to dominant ideas<\/a> of what it meant to be properly American.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constitutional patriots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These experiences tested Latter-day Saints\u2019 faith in the U.S. government \u2013 particularly its failure to intervene<\/a> as members were forced out of Missouri and Illinois. Nevertheless, church doctrine emphasizes duty to one\u2019s country. One of the church\u2019s 13 Articles of Faith<\/a> explains that \u201cwe believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, and in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latter-day Saints have \u201ca unique responsibility to uphold and defend the United States Constitution<\/a> and principles of constitutionalism,\u201d as Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the church\u2019s highest governing body, said in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would argue that beliefs in the country\u2019s divine purpose and potential, and the close relationship between faith and patriotism, may illuminate Latter-day Saint sympathy for Christian nationalist ideas. Yet the church\u2019s previously fraught relations with the federal government, and with wider American culture, help explain why a majority of Latter-day Saints remain skeptical of Christian nationalism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, hostility against the church was so high and widespread that if the U.S. had declared itself a Christian nation, Latter-day Saints would likely have been excluded \u2013 and around one-third of Americans still do not consider them \u201cChristian<\/a>.\u201d According to a 2023 Pew survey<\/a>, only 15% of Americans say they have a favorable impression of Latter-day Saints, while 25% report unfavorable views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latter-day Saint leaders believe they have a right to exert moral influence on public policy<\/a>. But the church\u2019s awareness of its own precarious position in U.S. culture has made it wary of policies that put some people\u2019s religious freedom above others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Church members wait for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints\u2019 biannual general conference to begin on Oct. 5, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah. AP Photo\/Hannah Schoenbaum<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A step too far<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This wariness has also shaped Latter-day Saint culture\u2019s inclination to avoid extremes. After decades of being marginalized for practices considered radical, the modern church and its adherents have walked a delicate tightrope. And for many, Christian nationalism and the candidate many adherents put their hope in<\/a> \u2013 Donald Trump \u2013 seem a step too far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past half-century, Latter-day Saints tended to align politically and culturally with conservative Catholics and evangelicals. On balance, the church remains highly conservative on social issues, especially gender and sexuality, and 70% of its American members lean Republican<\/a>. However, more younger Latter-day Saints have much more progressive views<\/a> \u2013 and even the leadership has parted ways with the GOP on some issues, such as strict immigration proposals<\/a>. While the church opposes \u201celective abortion,\u201d it allows for several exceptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 2016 election, only about half<\/a> of the church\u2019s members voted for Trump; 15% voted for Evan McMullin, a Latter-day Saint who positioned himself as a moderate choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton. In 2020, Trump garnered about 7 in 10 Latter-day Saint votes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During congressional hearings about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Arizona House Speaker Russell \u201cRusty\u201d Bowers, who resisted pressure from the Trump administration<\/a> to recall the state\u2019s electors, cited his Latter-day Saint beliefs. \u201cIt is a tenet of my faith that the Constitution is divinely inspired,\u201d Bowers said, explaining his refusal to go along with the scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, left, is sworn in before testimony at the Capitol on June 21, 2022, alongside Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Sterling. AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In June 2023, church leaders issued a statement against straight-ticket voting, saying \u201cvoting based on \u2018tradition\u2019 without careful study of candidates and their positions on important issues is a threat to democracy<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holy purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ever since the Puritans, many people in what became the United States have believed God has a special plan for their society<\/a> \u2013 part of the same current that drives Christian nationalism today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latter-day Saints, however, have a specific vision of that plan. According to the church\u2019s teachings and scriptures<\/a>, the country\u2019s establishment was a necessary step toward restoring the \u201conly true and living church\u201d \u2013 their own. And that church is a global one, not just American. More than half of all Latter-day Saints today live outside the U.S<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Latter-day Saint teachings consider America\u2019s story part of a greater goal: ushering in the second coming of Jesus Christ. As the church\u2019s name suggests, Latter-day Saints believe that they are living in the last days, just before the millennial reign of Jesus<\/a> \u2013 a kingdom where national and political distinctions melt away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as with all other churches, its members live in the current day, where political, cultural and social realities shape how they interact with the world around them \u2013 and how they vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicholas Shrum<\/a>, Doctoral Student in Religious Studies, University of Virginia<\/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":"

Nicholas Shrum, University of Virginia On the verge of the 2024 elections, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are ramping up their campaigns in Arizona and Nevada. Beyond being considered swing states, the two have something else in common: Latter-day Saint voters. About 5% to 10% of Arizonans and Nevadans belong to the Church of Jesus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":37928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8025,46,10,296,36,4,38],"tags":[13797,7426,7205,479,7319,885,891,886,860,2973],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37927"}],"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=37927"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37960,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37927\/revisions\/37960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}