The LDS Church and Politics: Often Asked Questions About Mormons in Politics

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or "Mormons" are we are often called) I am thrilled to see an LDS member in the race for the presidency of the United States. That is not to say that I hold a few of the other candidates to be less qualified or worthy, it's just that it's nice to get some added notoriety for the church and possibly help clarify some misconceptions, with regards to politics, along the way. For brevity sake I will skip over some of the more common topics that normally get covered elsewhere, things like "are Mormons Christians," or "does the church still practice polygamy?" The answers to these by the way are, "Yes" to the first, and "No" to the second. Moving on past these, let's go over some other basic questions.

Does the church endorse a political party or candidate?

No the LDS church does not endorse any political candidate or party. We as members are asked to vote our conscience and pick the best available candidate for public office. This is why Harry Reid a Democrat (who is LDS) can be the Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate while Mitt Romney can be running for the presidency as a Republican candidate. Often times we are seen as a church that leans towards the Republican party, but in truth we are more likely to hold conservative values and will vote for whomever meets those values the best.

Does the church believe in being subject to government and law?

An interesting question I have heard asked in regards to Mitt Romney running for office is, "would he do what the president of the LDS church wants him to do, or that which is required of his office." To this I often quote the 12^th Article of Faith of our religion which states, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." Even LDS members that used to live in communist East Germany were asked to live their lives by the laws of the state. It is therefore highly doubtful that a candidate for office would act contrary to this belief.

Have LDS members in the past held political office?

LDS members have had a long history of service to this country. Currently there are 5 Senators that are members of the church, continuing a legacy that was started by Senator Reed Smoot who served for over 30 years in the US Senate. Former LDS president Ezra Taft Benson served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the Eisenhower administration, a position he held for eight years. Of course few of these are as well known as Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts who is currently running for the Republican presidential nomination.

Do LDS Politicians Hold Callings in the Church?

The LDS church has a lay ministry, members who serve in calling of the church normally have a full time occupation or career. Members who have served in political office in the past have also had full time callings in the church. These members included booth Reed Smoot and Ezra Taft Benson, both who served in high positions of leadership in the church while they were in political office.

What Core Values can we expect from LDS politicians?

It is hard to say what personal believes are held by each LDS individual running for public office. More likely than not, their views tend to be conservative and probably covered by one of the 13 Articles of Faiths of the Church. The 13^th Article in particular encompasses a lot of general basic believes that might be applicable here, it states, "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

While religious affiliation should probably not play a very significant role in politics, often times it does. Hopefully these answers can shed some light on LDS members in politics.