Democratic Party a Better Home for Mormons

[_Yoda]

BC has never commented on this information which I have brought up before:

Mormons belonged to a single party, the People’s Party, which was not disbanded until 1891, when the LDS leadership determined it would need Republicans and Democrats in order to persuade Congress to grant statehood. Even then local LDS leaders apparently assigned church members almost at random to join one of the two parties in roughly equal numbers.

Here is my source:
http://www.cfr.org/publication/15311/White House ... onism.html

Apparently, in the early days of the Church, leaders assigned LDS members to Republican and Democrat parties. The number was roughly 50/50.

Many members of the Church who are Democrat today come from ancestors of this initial split.

Stating that good Mormons can't be Democrat is BS. It doesn't matter which party you are affiliated with. You vote with your conscience on the issues. Sometimes they fall closer to the Republican party, sometimes closer to the Democrat party, sometimes neither.

You belong to a party so you can vote and have a say in what is happening politically.

If the early Church leaders were bold enough to actually assign members to a party, do you think they would be less bold now to tell people to switch parties?

Church leaders have not done that. They have consistently said to go and vote. They have even come out strongly on specific issues like Prop 8 in California and the ERA years ago.

Interestingly, though, the Church HAS NOT come out and said, "Don't be a Democrat."

[_Jason Bourne]

Well said Liz. I expect some sort of one or two liner from the narrow minds here simply dismissing your substantive remarks.

[_Yoda]

Well said Liz. I expect some sort of one or two liner from the narrow minds here simply dismissing your substantive remarks.

Thanks, Jason. :)

It just seems like if the Democratic Party was really thought of by the Church as evil, the Brethren would warn Church members about being part of it, and publicly discourage it. They have not done that.

[_ajax18]

There are many good LDS that are democrats.

I said most. I'm mainly referring to the trend I see on this board versus the MAD board. It seems like most people here exit the church and embrace socialism, secularism etc.

Do you really believe that there are more democrats who remained Mormon than people who left the church and later became Democrats? I've heard of active Mormon democrats but not very many.

Politics is about representation and whose intrest you are promoting. You can't tell me that the Democrats promote the interest of LDS people. Narrow minded? Sometimes you just have to cut to the chase. So here it is. Jason, you get to pay more taxes than most people here come this election. So cancel your out of work activities. I'm going to go knock up a few girls and spread my seed across this world. You will be paying for it. Sometimes if you can't beat them, join them!

[_moksha]

GUIDE TO THE SCRIPTURES
Capital Punishment

Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed, Gen. 9: 6 (JST, Gen. 9: 12-13). The murderer shall surely be put to death, Num. 35: 16. Murderers who deliberately kill shall die, 2 Ne. 9: 35. Thou art condemned to die according to the law, Alma 1: 13-14. He that murdered was punished unto death, Alma 1: 18. The law requires the life of him who has murdered, Alma 34: 12. He that kills shall die, D&C 42: 19.

Are you saying that the changes that Jesus made, to this barbarous way of thinking, do not count for much?

.

[_Jason Bourne]

I said most. I'm mainly referring to the trend I see on this board versus the MAD board. It seems like most people here exit the church and embrace socialism, secularism etc.

Ok and yes it seems that many here who left the church become more liberal in their politics.

Do you really believe that there are more democrats who remained Mormon than people who left the church and later became Democrats? I've heard of active Mormon democrats but not very many.

I think this is accurate. I know few active LDS that are democrats. But I do know some who are and they are as good of LDS as you, me or BC.

Politics is about representation and whose intrest you are promoting. You can't tell me that the Democrats promote the interest of LDS people.

I think some of the things the Democrats promote line up well with the gospel and other things do not. Same with the republicans but they represent the social issues of abortion, gay issues, maybe family values though I think this is becoming hollow. by the way, I have always been republican and have never voted for a democrat other than my county DA. Though I man vote for Obama but I have not decided yet.

Narrow minded?

Yes it is narrow minded to say one cannot be a good LDS and a democrat as BC says.

Sometimes you just have to cut to the chase. So here it is. Jason, you get to pay more taxes than most people here come this election.

Yep probably I do.

So cancel your out of work activities. I'm going to go knock up a few girls and spread my seed across this world. You will be paying for it. Sometimes if you can't beat them, join them!

This is too simplistic. Money is fungible. It all goes in one pot and is used for a variety of causes. I could say I will cancel out my out of work activities and pay more taxes so we can invest in green technologies that we can produce and revolutionize our industrial base, or I could say my taxes are going up to pay off the national debt.

[_moksha]

Even religion in general is viewed as superstitious foolishness to most democrats. Part of the democrats rejection of religion is what allowed the Republicans to win the vote of poorer religious people. If the democrats were to go to bat for a religion, it would probably be Islam long before they'd ever fight for Christianity.

I know we live in a two party system and the Republican party would never nominate a Mormon, but seriously Moksha, Democrat and Mormon shouldn't even be in the same sentence. Most Mormons who are democrat aren't really Mormon anymore, or at least they're headed on a path away from the Church.

Two arguments against this:

1. Atheists really do make up a small percentage of the total population and are still a minority even among the Democratic Party who are willing to take all kinds of people in, as part of their commitment to diversity. At any given congressional prayer breakfast, you will find many Democrats.

2. There are active Mormon Democrats. I just read on LDS.net how two past Presidents were Democrats and there have been a number of Apostles as well. Despite the extreme right wing rhetoric of some and their constant refrain about how good Mormons can't be Democrats, there are still Mormons in the Church who are Temple worthy and even more importantly, they are good Christians too.

.

[_asbestosman]

But can a good Mormon be a Republican?

[_ajax18]

Yes, you can be an active Mormon and be a Democrat. It doesn't make much sense to me, but sure you can. J. Golden Kimball was rumored to be a democrat. I think he was the only one in UT county though.

Social issues are often purposely obfuscated. Lawyers spend their careers doing this. Too simplistic? I say that most of this rhetoric is too complicated. What's the bottom line? It is what it is. It promotes what it promotes. It supports who it supports. It excuses who it excuses.

Even the thought of voting democrat would seem like self hatred were I to do something like that, and I'm not even really Mormon anymore. The Democratic party goes against every value or truth I've ever known. I'd liken it to a black man joining the KKK. Yes, it has happened. No, it doesn't make much sense.

[_Hally McIlrath]

LDS doctrine has a strong background against socialism and the welfare state

Please explain the United Order in light of your comment.

and is pro constitution especially in the area of free speech.

Then you should NOT vote for John McCain, who, with his McCain/Feingold bill, is no friend of free speech. In fact, he even admits to that proudly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gewntRfT-zY

"I'd rather have a 'clean' government than one where First Amendment rights are being respected."