It seems almost instantaneous for
people to assume that a white, Mormon boy from Utah is Republican. I grew up in a home where conservative ideals
were taught and in a Church whose membership is overwhelmingly
Republican. The elections in Utah, at
least for the last 20 plus years, has been somewhat of a joke as far as the
"two-party" system is concerned.
I give admiration to those who run for office as a non-Republican in
Utah, knowing full well that their chances of actually winning are exceedingly
remote.
My parents have always tried to exemplify whatever the
Church teaches, including political neutrality. I remember multiple times on
election day asking them who they voted for, and they would never answer. They refused to let anyone running for
office, be they friend or foe, to put an advertisement in their yard on a
high-traffic road. I can only assume
their reason for this is that they believe that who a person votes for is
private, and since everybody in the area knows that the Erickson family lives
at that house, they didn't want to even give the slightest hint of who or what
they'd be voting for.
The Church has had a long history
with conservatives. Many teachings of the Church are easily relatable to the
conservative view. I would dare say that
in Utah it is the default that if you are a "good" Mormon, you will
just vote Republican (did you know that Brigham Young actually declared in
Illinois that all Mormons would be Democrats?
Oh, and in order to get statehood the Church leaders actually had to
"call" members of the church to be republican [including a very
unhappy J. Golden Kimball) to be Republicans so that there would be a two-party
system. My how times have changed!) Each year at election time Church
headquarters issues a letter to each congregation in the United States
indicating what a privilege and responsibility we have to study the issues,
pray about our decision, and then cast our vote for who or what we feel is the
best choice, always reaffirming the official position of the Church as
politically neutral. Individual
congregations and especially individual members, however, are not that
neutral. An experience from my life that
truly exemplifies the mentality of most Utah Mormons regarding the elections is
this: in an effort to boost political activity, the congregation leaders have
been allowed to make announcements over the pulpit with regards to caucuses,
etc. One Sunday at Church it was
announced as a reminder that the caucus would be held that Wednesday at the
Junior High School. Wouldn't you know
it? It was the
Republican caucus that was held at the Junior High School,
and the Democratic caucus was held the same night, but in someone's home. I genuinely believe that the leader who made
this announcement literally had no idea that there was another caucus or that
anyone in the congregation would even have any interested in going to a
Democratic caucus.
Imagine my surprise when through
the cognitive development of my mid- to late-teens, I started to question the
political ideals that had been commonplace in my community, embraced at home,
and preached by members. While I had
simply defaulted to the Republican party as a pre-teen, I had no idea why - I
simply just did what was the norm. As I
started to develop my own ideals and beliefs, they didn't really align that
well with the Republican viewpoints. I was confused and concerned because
whether right or wrong, there was a strong need to conform felt by pressures
from peers, leaders and especially parents.
I decided to give myself some time to more fully establish my own
personal beliefs and opinions before establishing myself as a non-conforming
individual.
I often tell people that the most
difficult aspect of living in Korea as a missionary was how opposite everything
was from the American norm. From the
light switches being turned on and off from side-to-side rather than
up-and-down, to the sidewalks being made of individual bricks instead of
concrete, to literally everything else.
My first day in Korea my trainer and I attended a vocal concert, and I
remember thinking to myself, "How sad that these people don't know how to
sing. If I could just teach them correct
technique!" I went through the next
few months constantly wondering how an entire country could be doing everything
so wrong! Didn't they know that there
was the right way to do things?
Eventually Heavenly Father helped get it through my thick skull that in
many cases there isn't a distinct "right" and "wrong". Does it really matter what direction a light
switch is? They both work the same. I quickly realized that my ethnocentric
mindset of "this isn't the way I do things so it must be wrong," s
completely and utterly inappropriate and complete bigotry. I firmly believe that the Lord made each of
us to be different and unique so that we could learn from each other and help
each other to progress. You'll notice
that He didn't make us all uniform, or put us on an individual island. We're supposed to be with
each other and learn from each other.
Thus, Korea not only taught me the
importance of respecting every view, even if it is different than your own, but
gave me an opportunity to see a different way of living life, running a
country, and establishing a unique culture.
The emphasis they have on education, family and the community is
amazing. When one considers the
situation in which the Korean nation found themselves in the mid-1950s after
nearly a half a decade of war and enemy-occupation, the entire country was
essentially leveled and in rubble. Now
60 years later, they are a thriving, successful country. Their priorities and work ethic are amazing
and we would do well to adjust some of our priorities to better mirror theirs
if we want to have similar results.
Though some would argue that health care in Korea is not at the level of
American health care, I was able to experience the benefits of so-called
"socialized" health care. Even
though I wasn't a citizen, made no money while in Korea and thus I paid no
taxes, by virtue of being a human being in their country I was given the same
medical attention for the same low fee as anyone else. Again, their sense of community and taking
care of everyone, regardless of financial situation, was amazing to me.
Through these and many other similar experiences, I came
back to the United States a changed person.
I found that my experiences in Korea had only solidified my earlier
Democratic leanings. Yet, back in Utah
at the mecca of Mormondom I found little tolerance for opposing political views
from the community, from peers, and even (especially) from family. So, I continued with the political neutrality
promoted by the Church - keeping my own ideals to myself and respecting the
views of others.
In early 2012 it became apparent
that I would have somewhat of a dilemma at election time. Mitt Romney was likely to become the
Republican candidate for President. Mitt
Romney is a member of the LDS Church but has a different political viewpoint
from my own. I have been grateful for
the amount of time I have had to deeply ponder about the issue of who to vote
for. Do I vote for a man whose religious
ideologies are in exact parallel with mine, but whose political agenda varies
from my own; or do I vote for a man who has made important changes and that I
agree with about 85% of the time on major issues? As I look at Mitt Romney I can't help but
feel an affiliation with him. We both
are BYU graduates, we both go to the same Church on Sunday, have the same
priorities with regards to family, education and work ethic. Even seeing his wife in a modest dress is
another affirmation that he and I are more alike than not. The reason for this is because, in my
opinion, active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are
more likely to be devout simply because the standards and beliefs of the Church
are very firm and if you believe in the teachings of the Church, you also
believe that activity and devotion to the Church are part of the deal. This isn't to say that members of other religious
affiliations are entirely void of such dedication and devotion, but with the
standards of the Church being so high, you are either in or you are out, there
isn't much middle ground. So, again,
Mitt Romney is obviously "in", and I have made the decision to be
"in" as well.
My wife and I have had rousing discussions about this
issue. I am grateful, again, to have had
enough time to formulate what I feel is the best course of action for me. I
have come to the realization that nobody should vote for a candidate solely on
the basis of religion. My decisions of
who to vote for in the past has been partially affected by the candidate's
religious viewpoints, but not entirely based on that one factor. Thus, in this election, my decision should
not be based solely on the basis of "Mormon vs. Non-Mormon". Rather, I look at their political platform
and agenda. What I find is that I am
somewhat divided. I have about five
things that are extremely important to me.
Mitt Romney's agenda is in line with two of them but opposed to the
other three, and Barack Obama's agenda is in line with the other three but
opposed to the other two. So, what's a
Dan to do? Keep my eyes and ears open
until election day, and then make the best choice with whoever my political
agenda best coincides with.
Interestingly enough, I have a
replica of the situation at the State level.
Last week's primaries put Jeff Flake (R) against Rich Carmona (D) for
Senate. Jeff Flake is another devout
Mormon. In this case, fortunately, the decision
is quite easier. Rich Carmona has been
an Independent throughout his career until this year. Therefore, my occasional conservative views
mixed with a lot of liberal ideas are nearly entirely espoused by one
candidate. How fortunate?! I don't think that happens too often. I think more often than not, each of us,
regardless of political orientation, religion, ethnicity, or anything else - we
are all unique individuals with unique ideologies. It is very rare to have someone whose
ideology is very similar wanting to represent you and be your voice in
government.
Now, does this mean that I hate Jeff Flake, or disavow Mitt
Romney? Nope. I respect them both, and wish them both
well. If either or both are elected will
I scream and shout? Probably not - I
hope that I can be one to promote a culture where we support our leaders, even
if we don't always agree with them (and if we don't agree with them, then the
next election we are welcome to replace them!)
Do I think Mitt Romney is a bad Mormon because he and I see the
political world differently? Absolutely
not. Would I shake his hand if I saw him
at Church? Yep - already did (although
this was two years ago when he didn't have secret service agents around
him). Will I vote for Mitt Romney this
election? That remains to be determined
based on the next two months. If the
election were today my vote would be for the incumbent. Do I feel that makes me a bad Mormon? Absolutely not. Up until now have I remained silent about my
political ideology for fear of "rocking the boat"? Yes.
But now more than ever I feel it is important for people like me to
stand up and show the world that you can be a Mormon in good faith and not vote
for Mitt Romney just because he is also a Mormon. Will I possibly lose popularity, make
friends/family members upset, or lose Facebook friends? Probably - but if such is the case, then
those people aren't the type of people I want to be close with. Do I hate people who are supporting Mitt
Romney (or any other candidate I don’t agree with)? No, I don’t.
We should all be tolerant and
respectful of each other and individual ideologies, without trying to shove our
own down the other's throat. Do I feel a
sense of excitement that for the first time a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Presidential nominee of a major political
party? Absolutely! Hopefully this is the first of many!
I've been thinking about writing
this blog post for some time now, and even now have some hesitancy posting it
(it's been written for two days without posting). My motivation for writing this is manifold. I feel that most people I know have taken the
opportunity to spread their political ideology, and I have been the silent
observer. It's my turn to say something,
and I'm taking my turn. Further, I think
it is important to help promote the truth about being a Mormon in 2012. The Church really does
believe in political neutrality, stating that "Principles compatible with
the gospel may be found in various political parties". Yes, Mitt Romney is a member of the LDS
Church - but does that mean that all Mormons will or should vote for him? No.
Also, a huge portion of the reason for writing this post is for me. I know what I think, believe and feel about
most things, and I am developing the confidence to share those ideologies in an
appropriate manner. I shouldn't be
ashamed of them just because they are different from what is expected, or
different from the established norm. I
am a human being, a child of a loving God, and I should respect myself as a
human being enough to have confidence in what I believe (popular or not). I will continue to do my best to not make it
overbearing, rude, condescending or in any other way inappropriate. But, here I am, making a huge step and
actually posting this and putting out my very personal views and opinions for
anybody to see, whether or not anybody does see it, or whether or not anybody
cares.
In the
chance that this helped someone else have the confidence to share their voice,
that is great (even if our voices have differing views), that’s great. If not, at the very least, I found the
confidence to share mine.
The End.
P.S. Here's a copy of a First Presidency letter regarding
elections and political neutrality (found at
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-issues-letter-on-political-participation):
Political Participation, Voting, and the Political
Neutrality of the Church
As citizens we have the privilege and duty of electing
office holders and influencing public policy. Participation in the political
process affects our communities and nation today and in the future.
Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then
uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest.
Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties.
Therefore, in this election year, we urge you to register to
vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to
vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your
ideas of good government.
The Church affirms its neutrality regarding political
parties, platforms, and candidates. The Church also affirms its constitutional
right of expression on political and social issues.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas S. Monson
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
The First Presidency
