In Utah, Mormons overwhelmingly vote Republican. Some believe abortion is an over-riding reason, but there could be other reasons. A recent study found Mormons are the most reliable republicans. Many of the top Church leaders are republican as well. Why do you think this is the case?
[poll id = 516]
Wheat & Tares 
Haven’t a clue. On a different planet perhaps?
This list is missing what I think is the #1 reason, which is freedom and independence from progressive government intrusion. Most Mormons were Democrats in the early 20th century. That changed with the mid-century red scare when communism gave Mormons an apocalyptic evil to stand against, “and everything like unto it” which meant standing against socialist policies in US government as well.
Hedgehog – I’m with you there. The meshing of religion and state in the USA is hard for us non-USA people to understand.
For a country that apparently espouses religious freedom and separation of religion and state, the reality appears to be rather different.
We have some feeling that LDS members in Australia vote Liberal – equivalent of Republican – it is not a standard part of our rhetoric and culture.
Although there only a few votes so far it appears that abortion tops the list. I am wondering why this is the case when Mormons are not anti abortion? Why is abortion a big political influence?
I am a registered Independent. On a very conservative LDS blog I said I vote for Democrats, Republicans and Independents, at local, state, and federal levels. I was told I was not worthy to have a Temple recommend for voting for Democrats and Independents as these two parties do not oppose abortion. This happened last year. The person who told me that was veeery serious. Personally I am vehemently against abortion and wish the church would come right out and condemn it.
And I find out who my friends really are when it comes to politics. A LDS friend quit talking to me over public education differences. Definitely their loss. LOL
At this time the list shows how little the author thinks, knows, cares about what conservatives value. It really is telling. No mention about fiscal responsibility? No mention of limited government (in a large number of forms)? No mention of the 2nd amendment? etc. The list gives the impression that the author feels the only reason anyone would be a republican is if they are a racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-environment, bigot who is only ignorantly following false traditions.
I think young Mormons tend to vote Republican because their parents vote Republican, and they perceive the LDS Church being more aligned with the Republican Party platform. The shift to the Republican Party happened, as I understand it, in the 1960s and 70s when the conservative church reacted against the sexual revolution by embracing conservative political values.
I think before the d party changed and took anti-Mormon positions that more Mormons were dems. Times have changed. Democratic party has changed.
Taxes are in the list and could be lumped in with fiscal responsibility, and or limited government.
However, limited government is a euphemism for big government intrusion in our lives (gay marriage, birth control, abortion, defense spending), while are the same time lowering regulations on businesses. Republicans and Democrats both want big government, but priorities are different. Limited government is a crock when republicans say it. They want more prisons, no abortion, bigger defense spending. Democrats would rather spend this on helping the poor, and no good Christan Republican thinks that is good government policy. They’d call King Benjamin a socialist.
And let’s not forget that Donald Trump wants to get rid of the fourteenth amendment, but the second amendment, a historical accident is a sacred cows to some wacky NRA types.
General authorities regularly tell us we are under attack by evil influences in popular culture, immorality, etc. Republican rhetoric is the same, so of course Mormons vote Republican. Such feelings bring the community together by defining a common enemy and giving a reason to defend our purity. Essentially, we love to fight.
The main reason is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is conservative, including:
Honesty; staying morally clean until marriage with complete fidelity afterword; sustaining and respecting authority; paying tithes and offerings; serving the poor and needy; hard work; faith, thrift; avoiding lust, sloth, greed, wrath and pride; and most importantly, the plan of salvation with agency is a merit based plan.
Overall, conservatives contribute WAY more than any other group to charity. They also believe in a merit based way of life, or the law of the harvest. As mentioned above, this is why the vast majority of Mormons vote republican, as republicans have the most conservative ideals.
According to my Facebook feed, it is because of gun rights! 2nd Amendment all the way, baby!!
Which is probably why I vote Democrat.
I agree with Eric that this list is clearly not written by a conservative, and Nate is right that the reasons one aligns with the conservative party are generally not by issue (as is often the case with democrats) but overall philosophy. It seems to me that Utah in particular is a very libertarian strand of conservativism, even more than social issues, probably due to the government’s interference over polygamy that caused church leaders so much difficulty 100 years ago. The church has been fairly negative about government interference from the beginning, stating a preference for theocracy over democracy, something that I can’t imagine most people really stomaching if push came to shove. Look how it works in Iran. “Theocracy” is just our get out of jail free card for violating the 12th article of faith when a democrat or anyone else church leaders don’t like is elected.
Ken, your notion that the gospel is conservative is absurd. There are many liberal protestant churches. Are they reading a different New Testament? Jesus was a fairly conservative radical for his day, but make no mistake, he rendered unto Caesar. Cliven Bundy’s tactics contradict Jesus’ teachings.
Hawkgrrl, libertarianism is not a type of conservatism. Libertarianism does not fit into the conservative-libertarian dichotomy (or as some would say, false dichotomy). As a result, some libertarian views seem conservative while others seem liberal. I’m a libertarian, and I get into political debates with conservatives more often than I do with liberals. Just for starters, libertarians are pro-choice. Though some libertarians don’t approve of choosing abortion, they don’t agree with government intrusion into a woman’s right to make that choice.
This is a reader poll and the choices were made by that person. Maybe we could do a conservative poll too if someone wants to create different choices, or an independent poll.
Well the resurrection caused Jesus to see the error of his progressive ways on earth so he then directed his LDS prophets to become conservative. But it took some time for this to take place which explains Joseph’s mistaken enclusiveness.
Historian Jan Shipps has written that the shift from Mormons being predominantly Democrats happened around Eisenhower’s tenure and was, in part, influenced by Ezra Taft Benson, and his close association with the John Birch Society. My parents had recollections of Benson basically endorsing the Republican Party from the pulpit.
I don’t recall what it was like years ago, but LDS church-owned Deseret News and its current close alignment/uniformity with Republican stances acts as a defacto endorsement of the Republican Party by the LDS Church. Utah Mormons and former BYU students dominate church culture inside and outside Utah.
@Ken
What is true is that conservatives give way more to churches, period.
Hawkgirl,
I was speaking about the Gospel as interpreted by our faith. The gospel and interperuted by Mormons is very conservative
MH,
Here are the questions I would ask in your poll:
Because it is run by largely run by conservative men;
Because the plan of salvation in the LDS faith is based on merits, which is the essence of conservativism;
Because the welfare system in the LDS church requires contributions by the recipient;
Because the LDS faith promotes virginity before marriage and complete fidelity afterword;
Because the church promotes traditional marriage;
Because the church believes gender is an eternal identity;
Because the church promotes action when it comes to serving others;
Because the law of chastity as taught to our youth; including thoughts, words, deeds and dress;
Because of the churches stand on abortion, pornography, alcohol, drugs and other moral issues;
Because of the concept and consequences of agency and we are free to choose our destiny, which is a fundamental tenant of conservatism;
Because of the law of the harvest;
Because of the parable of the talents;
Because of the 1st article of faith that focuses on belief in God, not secularism;
Because of the 2nd article of faith as men will be punished for their own sin, with Justice being a key tenant of the conservatives;
Because of the 3rd article of faith that promotes obedience..
Because of the 4th article of faith which promotes faith (in God) and repentance (accountability), which are key tenants of conservatives;
Because of the 5th, 6th and 12th articles of faith which promote respect for authority;
Because of the 11th article of faith which promote respecting other faiths, instead of beliefs on others such as same gender marriage;
That is where I would start, I could keep going if you like.
One point that hasn’t been brought up is geography. In the USA, flyover country runs conservative. The coasts run liberal. The church is not typically concentrated in urban centers, and those also run liberal. When we lived in a more urban ward, it was much more balanced between conservatives and liberals.
Based on attitudes in Idaho, Colorado, and Nebraska that I’ve seen, gun rights is a huge issue. Hunting tends to run very closely with a sense of self-sufficiency in the mid-USA. In more rural areas it’s a vital part of emergency preparedness stuff and, of course, the more extreme doomsdayers.
While it is true that Republicans are embracing socialism more and more, the Democratic party is the home and originators of bankrupting socialized programs…the socialized programs we’ve had since the 30’s.. that were inspired out’ of the constitution, I think.
Democrats and especially Mormon Democrats, are unknowingly following Lucifer’s original methodology and don’t even know it. Thus the prophecy about the very elect being deceived is being fulfilled right before our very eyes and ears.
Conservatives’ in the Republican party are trying to get us back on track, especially in the inter-mountain west. That is one major reason not even considered in the originating question.
Joseph Smith said: “I attended a second lecture on Socialism, by Mr. Finch; and after he got through, I made a few remarks…I said I did not believe the doctrine.” History of the Church 6:33
In the story of the good Samaritan…why didn’t Jesus teach that the Roman government should tax everyone a bit more, especially the rich.. to take care of the sick and afflicted? That method would have been of the same methodology Lucifer was espousing in the pre-existence…Socialistic methodology. Who would get the blessings, a nameless, faceless bureaucracy?
In the June 2007 Ensign President Hinckley said,
“That war (the War in Heaven), so bitter, so intense, has never ceased. It is the war… between agency and compulsion, between the followers of Christ and those who have denied Him….
Ken, can you give me some answers that arent blatantly theocratic?
MH,
The poll was why LDS overwhelmingly vote republican. I gave the correct reasons why, take it for what it’s worth. And, you asked for a poll from a conservative slant.
I would add they only vote republican as they best (albeit shaking at times) represent conservative/libertatiran views that most Mormon’s share.
I would add two critical ones to the poll list from a conservative prospective
Because the 101st section of the D&C promotes right wing religious nuts with guns;
Because the Book of Mormon promotes protecting life, liberty and freedom via bloodshed;
The only place I associate with conservatives, expressing their ideology is at church. The conservative ideology I hear is based on Utah Republicanism, even though I live in Australia.
I try to understand where they are coming from, as they are the ones who are outspoken in my ward.
I had always believed we were just following equally valid political views that had been arrived at by our life experiences. I think most Australians see politics like this, but Utah conservatives don’t appear to.
I was hoping to suggest that so long as we can accept that at least 25% of members have a different view, which should be equally respected, we can all get along.
Ken @ 12 and Reed @ 22 make it clear they have no respect for the choices of their fellow members, at all. They believe morality is a conservative monopoly, and that anyone who sees things differently, are either evil, or deluded by evil.
How can we co-exist with people who see us like that. I begin to understand how other minorities feel when they are hated.
I don’t live near Utah and I tend to be a bit more libertarian leaning, but I immediately looked for “less government regulation” and “fiscal responsibility”.
Now I have plenty of issues with the republican party, but they still seem to get my vote most of the time. I am not a tea-party guy at all, but I do fear we seem to be going in a direction that we will all be like Greece before long – probably after I die. But I care about how my kids generation will live.
The number one reason members vote republican is because they think conservatism is in harmony with the gospel and they think the leaders want them to vote republican. The culture worldwide will change over the next twenty years as the church continues to grow in countries that are more liberal than a typical Utah Mormon. Utah Mormons will not realize they are the minority for awhile after that happens because they have insulated themselves from the outside world. That day will be a positive change for church culture!
I also believe that the alignment of traditional republican values of small government, free enterprise and social conservatism align with the (often cultural) aspects of the gospel. For example small government is perhaps a throw back to the governmental oppression of the early LDS Church. Free enterprise and all things anti-socialism appears to appeal to the work ethic espoused by the church. And the social conservatism aspect appears to appeal to the romanticised views of the past (Elder Hafens recent talk is a great example of this). My point is that it seems that these aspects of republicanism appea tol aspects of Mormonism that are cultural – some doctrinal – mostly cultural.
What happened to the Kim Davis entry? I’ve never seen an entire entry disappear like that before.
@Mormon Heretic: Couldn’t agree more! FIL is constantly going on about Govt. staying out of our lives in terms of business, ‘regulations’, and taxes, BUT when it comes to social issues like marriage, abortion, etc, he’s ALL about Govt. getting involved.
Also, I have a SIL from Utah who, when asked several years ago who she was voting for, replied, “the Republican candidate.” And when asked why, she replied, “because my parents vote Republican.”
I don’t generally vote for Democrats because I think the Party as a whole encourages government dependency rather than personal responsibility: “What, you got drunk at the frat party and had sex with you-don’t-remember-who, and you’re pregnant? A tax subsidized abortion is the answer!” Or, “You can’t keep a job because your an alcoholic drug addict?” Not to worry. We’ll give you food stamps, subsidized housing and Medicaid.” I’m all for giving a hand up to those who want to help themselves. I’m opposed to my tax dollars going to those who work the system in order to remain irresponsible.
As above posters pointed out, Mormons tend to vote Republicans b/c the party professes personal and financial responsibility, and limits on Government involvement in our personal and business lives. Note I say “professes”. The reality is far different. I’ll hand it to the Democrats, at least you know what you’re getting, the lies of the Clintons aside. The trouble with even the most idealistic of Republicans is that they can’t resist the power inside the Beltway, and we still get Big Government, runaway spending, and, in effect, a “Democrat Lite”, or a party that JFK would have considered too ‘liberal’ in his day.
To be instructive, let’s watch the career of Mia Love (R-UT, 4th) as she makes her way through her fresh(wo)man term. I’m sure she’ll win reelection as long as she wants; the tenure of Congressional representatives is on a par with “Commie Lib” college professors. See how she votes in the 116th Congress (we’re now in the 114th) and compare her voting record THEN to what her 2014 campaign promises were. Then you’ll understand better why, AFAIK, I didn’t leave the Republican Party (have registered Libertarian since ’96), it left ME.