Soon after moving here in 2000 I wrote this editorial which appeared in the Arizona Republic. If I wrote it today I'd probably express things a bit differently but, it is what it was.
_____________________________________________________
Like oil and water, some things just don’t seem to mesh well.
When I moved here four years ago, I discovered two affiliations in my life were viewed by some as mutually exclusive. They are not.
I am an active, participating member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon. And, I am a Democrat.
I’ve learned many think I’m a rare breed and this education started early.
When looking for a new home for our family, my co-workers assumed “you’ll be living in the East Valley, won’t you?” When I asked why, I was told, “That’s where all the Mormons, especially those involved in politics, live.”
Well, we ended up in Mesa: good schools, great community, wonderful neighbors and friends and a quick commute on the 202. I’ve stopped being baffled by those around me who are sincerely surprised to learn, yes, I’m a Democrat…a moderate Democrat, but a Democrat, nonetheless.
What’s frustrating are the assumptions and labels I wear because of my religious faith and Church membership. People assume I must be a Republican and not just any Republican. If I’m LDS, then I must be a conservative, some might say, right-wing Republican.
Somewhere along the line in Arizona’s political history, being a member of the LDS Church came to identify you and become synonymous with one who supports the entire spectrum of political philosophies treasured by the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Not just those affiliated with public policies associated with issues of a moral nature. But we’re also saddled with conservative positions on a wide variety of issues: environment, tax policy, immigration, the role of government, military spending, welfare and education.
Just because members of the LDS Church are opposed to abortion don’t assume we’re all in lockstep with other planks of the conservative agenda.
The reaction of Governor Napolitano, following her recent trip to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit with LDS Church leaders, highlighted this issue for me again. I’m grateful she made the trip and took the time to find out that being a member of the LDS Church does not automatically define an individual’s position on all issues of public policy. We’re not, as many assume, political robots programmed by our religious beliefs.
The LDS Church stays out of issues of public policy except those it feels strike at the moral fiber of our communities. The Church does not endorse, stake out or proclaim a position on issues regarding water quality, transportation or farm subsidies. There are no Church doctrines dealing with taxes, education or the environment. To be clear, members of the church are encouraged to pay their taxes, get an education and treat the earth with respect and keep it clean. But these are not doctrinal tenets.
A recent campaign ad I read declared that a non-LDS candidate’s efforts to lower taxes constituted “a core LDS value.” Huh? I don’t ever remember being taught that in Sunday School.
To be fair, I’m equally frustrated and, frankly, a bit miffed by LDS candidates who use their Church affiliation as a qualification for office. I think it promotes a "dumbing down" of LDS voters by suggesting a candidate should be elected because of his or her religious affiliation as opposed to doing some homework and learning about a candidate’s position on important questions of public policy and, in some cases, their actual voting records. When I hear someone say they voted for a candidate, “because they’re a member of the Church,” I’m embarrassed for them and wish they had a better answer.
Maybe the fault for this widely held misconception lies with me and other members of the LDS Church who are Democrats. Have we allowed ourselves to be painted into the conservative corner by not speaking out and getting involved in the political process on a wider assortment of political issues? If the only political voices heard from the LDS community are those of LDS elected officials, who embrace a conservative Republican agenda, then, perhaps, we as members of the church deserve the labels we’ve been given. In our effort to “elect good men and women” to public office we’ve become so singularly focused on several key moral issues that we’re now exclusively identified by those issues alone.
Being a Democrat does not mean I support every aspect of the Democratic Party’s national platform. It’s the party’s platform, not my platform. Neither political party holds all truth; I’m not a single party voter nor am I a single issue voter.
Being a Democrat and a member of the Mormon Church is not an un-holy alliance. It’s not oil and water. In fact, there are many natural areas of agreement. As a Christian faith, we have much in common with the efforts and focus of the Democratic Party.
When the religious right had its surge of strength in the early 1980s, I was impressed by an article scolding the Democratic Party for allowing the Republicans to usurp the identifying brand as the party for “righteous Christians.” The writer asked: Wasn’t it Christ who taught us to care for the poor and the needy, to focus our attention on the children around us; to suffer the widow and the homeless and to look after those who could not care for themselves?
As a society and, therefore as a government, this is and always should be our top priority. These concerns should be our truest guide in the public policies we legislate and determine. It’s why I’m a Democrat.
I don’t think I’m alone. I’m pretty sure there are other members of my religious faith who, like me support the Church’s position on moral issues, but are also Democrats. I worry, however, that due to the shrillness of the public debate at times; the impressions given and, thereby, the perceptions confirmed by some LDS elected officials, many like-minded members of the Church may be reluctant to speak out. Or, worse yet, may switch their registration to “fit in.” I hope they won’t but, will instead, open their mouths and speak up.
If they’d asked me, I’d tell them, “It’s okay to be a Mormon...and a Democrat.”
_____________________________________________________
Like oil and water, some things just don’t seem to mesh well.
When I moved here four years ago, I discovered two affiliations in my life were viewed by some as mutually exclusive. They are not.
I am an active, participating member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon. And, I am a Democrat.
I’ve learned many think I’m a rare breed and this education started early.
When looking for a new home for our family, my co-workers assumed “you’ll be living in the East Valley, won’t you?” When I asked why, I was told, “That’s where all the Mormons, especially those involved in politics, live.”
Well, we ended up in Mesa: good schools, great community, wonderful neighbors and friends and a quick commute on the 202. I’ve stopped being baffled by those around me who are sincerely surprised to learn, yes, I’m a Democrat…a moderate Democrat, but a Democrat, nonetheless.
What’s frustrating are the assumptions and labels I wear because of my religious faith and Church membership. People assume I must be a Republican and not just any Republican. If I’m LDS, then I must be a conservative, some might say, right-wing Republican.
Somewhere along the line in Arizona’s political history, being a member of the LDS Church came to identify you and become synonymous with one who supports the entire spectrum of political philosophies treasured by the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Not just those affiliated with public policies associated with issues of a moral nature. But we’re also saddled with conservative positions on a wide variety of issues: environment, tax policy, immigration, the role of government, military spending, welfare and education.
Just because members of the LDS Church are opposed to abortion don’t assume we’re all in lockstep with other planks of the conservative agenda.
The reaction of Governor Napolitano, following her recent trip to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit with LDS Church leaders, highlighted this issue for me again. I’m grateful she made the trip and took the time to find out that being a member of the LDS Church does not automatically define an individual’s position on all issues of public policy. We’re not, as many assume, political robots programmed by our religious beliefs.
The LDS Church stays out of issues of public policy except those it feels strike at the moral fiber of our communities. The Church does not endorse, stake out or proclaim a position on issues regarding water quality, transportation or farm subsidies. There are no Church doctrines dealing with taxes, education or the environment. To be clear, members of the church are encouraged to pay their taxes, get an education and treat the earth with respect and keep it clean. But these are not doctrinal tenets.
A recent campaign ad I read declared that a non-LDS candidate’s efforts to lower taxes constituted “a core LDS value.” Huh? I don’t ever remember being taught that in Sunday School.
To be fair, I’m equally frustrated and, frankly, a bit miffed by LDS candidates who use their Church affiliation as a qualification for office. I think it promotes a "dumbing down" of LDS voters by suggesting a candidate should be elected because of his or her religious affiliation as opposed to doing some homework and learning about a candidate’s position on important questions of public policy and, in some cases, their actual voting records. When I hear someone say they voted for a candidate, “because they’re a member of the Church,” I’m embarrassed for them and wish they had a better answer.
Maybe the fault for this widely held misconception lies with me and other members of the LDS Church who are Democrats. Have we allowed ourselves to be painted into the conservative corner by not speaking out and getting involved in the political process on a wider assortment of political issues? If the only political voices heard from the LDS community are those of LDS elected officials, who embrace a conservative Republican agenda, then, perhaps, we as members of the church deserve the labels we’ve been given. In our effort to “elect good men and women” to public office we’ve become so singularly focused on several key moral issues that we’re now exclusively identified by those issues alone.
Being a Democrat does not mean I support every aspect of the Democratic Party’s national platform. It’s the party’s platform, not my platform. Neither political party holds all truth; I’m not a single party voter nor am I a single issue voter.
Being a Democrat and a member of the Mormon Church is not an un-holy alliance. It’s not oil and water. In fact, there are many natural areas of agreement. As a Christian faith, we have much in common with the efforts and focus of the Democratic Party.
When the religious right had its surge of strength in the early 1980s, I was impressed by an article scolding the Democratic Party for allowing the Republicans to usurp the identifying brand as the party for “righteous Christians.” The writer asked: Wasn’t it Christ who taught us to care for the poor and the needy, to focus our attention on the children around us; to suffer the widow and the homeless and to look after those who could not care for themselves?
As a society and, therefore as a government, this is and always should be our top priority. These concerns should be our truest guide in the public policies we legislate and determine. It’s why I’m a Democrat.
I don’t think I’m alone. I’m pretty sure there are other members of my religious faith who, like me support the Church’s position on moral issues, but are also Democrats. I worry, however, that due to the shrillness of the public debate at times; the impressions given and, thereby, the perceptions confirmed by some LDS elected officials, many like-minded members of the Church may be reluctant to speak out. Or, worse yet, may switch their registration to “fit in.” I hope they won’t but, will instead, open their mouths and speak up.
If they’d asked me, I’d tell them, “It’s okay to be a Mormon...and a Democrat.”
1 comment:
Very well put. You'll have to tell my mother about not voting for someone even though they're Mormon, though--she still says she'll vote for Romney in 2012 if he's the Republican candidate and she candidly admits it's because of his church membership. Sigh...
Post a Comment