I'm serving up idols to the Church up in the celestial forum. The thread is 6 pages long and is going to grow. I have something special in mind for the Church as I dish up its idols on a silver platter:
Most church leaders almost certainly did not vote for Trump. The Deseret News published an editorial that was pretty strongly anti-Trump. Do you think a pro-Trump group of Brethren would have allowed that? Look to Mitt Romney's example if you want a sense of what the leaders of the LDS Church think of Trump. My guess is that Mitt is in harmony with the Brethren on this one.
Should Church leaders have put their mouths where their morality is then?
I think Cthulhu has a right to be angered at his vote count. Even Hugh Nibley received at least one presidential mail-in vote from some elderly man in Orem Utah yelling at the postman about New Zealand and downvotes.
Should Church leaders have put their mouths where their morality is then?
Their tradition is to speak out on legislation that bears on moral issues, not individual candidates. I don't think they would have viewed breaking this tradition as a good idea. Once they speak out about a particular candidate, then they lose any credibility regarding their claims of being politically non-partisan. Whether others buy it or not, the leaders of the LDS Church have a certain practice when it comes to politics, and they are going to stick to it for the long-term health and credibility of the organization.
“The past no longer belongs only to those who once lived it; the past belongs to those who claim it, and are willing to
explore it, and to infuse it with meaning for those alive today.”—Margaret Atwood
Should Church leaders have put their mouths where their morality is then?
Their tradition is to speak out on legislation that bears on moral issues, not individual candidates. I don't think they would have viewed breaking this tradition as a good idea. Once they speak out about a particular candidate, then they lose any credibility regarding their claims of being politically non-partisan. Whether others buy it or not, the leaders of the LDS Church have a certain practice when it comes to politics, and they are going to stick to it for the long-term health and credibility of the organization.
The difference is also tax law. The Church can take sides on issues without risking its tax exempt status.
he/him When I go to sea, don’t fear for me. Fear for the storm.
Jessica Best, Fear for the Storm. From The Strange Case of the Starship Iris.
The difference is also tax law. The Church can take sides on issues without risking its tax exempt status.
That’s really the crux of the matter. Good point.
“The past no longer belongs only to those who once lived it; the past belongs to those who claim it, and are willing to
explore it, and to infuse it with meaning for those alive today.”—Margaret Atwood