The Conservative LDS Mind and a Warning

As I lay in bed not sleeping Tuesday night, I thought of the many conversations that could very well take place with my liberal friends regarding the presidential election. The more I thought upon the matter, the more I realized that I do not understand the liberal mind and the liberals most likely have no understanding of the conservative (let alone LDS) mind. This could be used as a general open letter and invitation to liberals to encourage a new dialogue and understanding.

LDS folks are raised in such a way that we are confident we can spot right from wrong by way of the Holy Ghost and the inspiration that comes to us from Heaven on a regular basis. We’re baptized and given this gift and commanded to use it to live our lives in accordance with God’s will. In a nutshell, we direct our lives and the decisions we make by the way we FEEL. Our decisions could fly in the face of factual data. But when we come out on the other side of the day having successfully traversed a metaphorical mine field, we look back and see it as the loving, guiding hand of a merciful Heavenly Father. We don’t always understand the why’s and wherefore’s, but we proceed into the dark knowing full-well that we are acting on spiritual promptings and that it will be for our ultimate good. (2 Nephi 31:17, Moroni 6:4)

LDS folks also have an understanding of the United States of America that might be different from mainstream citizens. We believe that this land we now call the United States of America was preserved by God himself as His “Promised Land”. That is has been set aside by God for people who choose to live His commandments through the ages. We believe that God has also told the inhabitants of this land that if they are righteous, they will prosper. The other side of that is if they are NOT righteous, God will wipe them off of this land as he has other inhabitants time and time again when they have turned against Him and His commandments. (1 Nephi 2:20, 2 Nephi 1:9)

We also believe that God acted upon the hearts and minds of men and women at the end of the Dark Ages to seek out this land again and establish a righteous nation thereon (1 Ne. 13:12). The previous inhabitants had been wiped out and comparatively small bands remained in the form of the American Indian, who were literally “driven forth and scattered abroad” by these new gentile conquerors. We believe that God inspired many righteous men and women to come here and obtain the land, with God’s approval, and form a new government which was founded upon principles inspired by their Almighty Creator. Because this form of government was inspired, we are very sensitive to changes therein. We consider the Constitution to be a Heavenly-inspired document, which, if altered too greatly, would bring the judgments of God upon us.

There is a massive divide in this country today. One that could not be better spelled out than the voting results: 59 million votes for President Obama and 57 million votes for Mitt Romney. For the incumbent, literally half the Nation do not want him in office. A lot of those people feel, in their heart-of-hearts, that Barack Obama wants to fundamentally change our form of government and our high place in the world. Not to mention a legislature which is completely locked up tight…one side by the democrats, the other by the republicans. If there were ever a recipe for no good happening in our government, the last 4 years and the next 4 years make for a perfect storm. Not specific to Obama’s policies alone, but as much to do with the conservative mindset, conservatives are unwilling to bend on the issues which they see as black and white, right or wrong. What are those issues? Gay marriage. Universal health care. Large government.

To the issue of gay marriage: LDS folks believe homosexuality to be a sinful behavior, defined in scripture by God himself. Like any other sinful behavior, it is something to be repented of and something Heavenly Father sees as wrong. Just like stealing another man’s wife, or coveting his belongings, or backbiting. It’s not an issue of equality at all. We know and love gay people in our own families. We don’t approve of their lifestyle choices, but Heavenly Father himself has defined marriage as between a man and a woman. This is not something we can change. It is a mandate from above. (Proclamation to the Family)

To the issue of universal health care: The vast majority of Americans are against universal health care, but are extremely dissatisfied with the constantly rising prices of health care. We believe the Founders of our nation were clear in the regard that Federal Government should remain small and stay out of the common man’s life. Thomas Jefferson stated “…a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” This theme is repeated by many others. The English colonists had left an oppressive government and did not want to establish anything akin to what they had in England…namely, an intrusive, micro-managing type of government that removed their ability to defend themselves against tyranny. They felt that the government should provide for the common defense and general welfare of the people, nothing more. To FORCE people (through taxation) to care for others (UHC) is behavior that a tried-and-true LDS person would see as wrong. The LDS Church welfare system is funded by voluntary donations. Obamacare is funded by taxes, the payment of which I have no choice in. It’s akin to Satan’s plan in the Pre-Mortal world where he offered to be our Savior and put forth the principle that would ensure all Heavenly Father’s children would return to him – by force. His plan would remove our very ability to choose between good and evil. (Moses 4) The freedom to choose is pivotal in LDS beliefs. Forcing your beliefs onto someone else is evil, pure and simple, as is passing a law against the will of the people. Our constitution is clear…we have the right to worship however and wherever we want. Or not at all. And we reserve the right to do good or evil – it is our choice. As a church we do not simply give handouts in a welfare situation. In emergencies, yes. While the church is prepared and able to provide a great many things for members or non-members in need, those people are generally expected to return the favor by working a few hours in a local pasta plant or spend a Saturday working at a beet farm. The Church has taken this a step beyond the "teach a man to fish" principle. The Church will also help get people the training they desire in order to give them skills necessary to get them on their feet again and a Perpetual Education Fund which enables members of 3rd-world countries to receive student loans at extremely no- to low-interest rates. The end goal is to get them educated and help end the cycle of poverty perpetuated in these nations. These programs are funded by the WILLING donations of members worldwide. It is not forced or required by the base doctrines of the Church. The conservative mind is one who wants, and DOES, give to others liberally when they are in need. The Entitlement Generation are of the mentality today that they want big government and want their leaders to provide everything for them and make their lives easy.

Now that over half our nation has chosen a path that the minority may deem unrighteous, we have a few choices to make. We can dig in our heels and take this nation on a fast track to destruction through partisan bickering, or we can choose to, as Jesus taught, “love the sinner…hate the sin.” One thing we can all agree on is this LDS principle: Contention is of the Devil (3 Nephi 11:29). The chasm created in this country is going to get wider if we can’t agree to disagree and get along better.

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On a slightly different but related tangent, I want to address one piece of this chasm that must be overcome and addressed soon. A large contingency of Obama’s loyal, voting public are minorities. Specifically, the Latino community – 75% voted for Obama. As recently as 2011, the LDS Church sent out a public statement advocating support for the Utah Compact, which is legislation which helps illegal immigrants gain legal status in Utah. It is a more compassionate approach to illegal immigration than other states like Arizona. Bishop H. David Burton was a key sponsor in the passing of this bill in 2011. This seemed to fly in the face of the opinion of most LDS people in general. Why is this important to the LDS Church and why would their position differ from that of the general membership? Let’s discuss. In 3 Nephi there are a whole slew of chapters and verses about the interaction of the gentiles and the remnants of the House of Israel (the Lamanite people, i.e. Latinos). We need to be clear about something. LDS folks believe that they, as gentiles, once baptized into the faith, become “adopted” into the House of Israel. The House of Israel, according to scriptures old AND new, are the chosen people of the Lord. NOT the gentiles. The majority of people currently inhabiting the United States are gentiles, as spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Because the House of Israel went astray and was wiped off this land, God promised that the Restoration of the Gospel fullness would come to the remnants of the House of Israel THROUGH the gentiles. 3 Nephi 20:1-16 is clear about this. If the gentiles inhabiting America today ever happen to forget the Lord and His Commandments, God will remember His covenants with the House of Israel and literally TURN THEM LOOSE ON THE GENTILES. Verse 15: “But if they [gentiles] will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they [the house of Israel] shall go through among them [gentiles], and shall tread them down, and they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor…to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people.” 3 Nephi 20 further clarifies this by saying (v15) “…if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people – Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.”

We HAVE to make peace with the Latino community among us. We have to repent of our sins and keep ourselves clean from the blood and sins of this generation. If we are not righteous and kind to them, they will tear us to pieces as a nation. This is why a good relationship between the LDS Church and the Latino population is so critical.

So, do we compromise our standards? Not likely. But would the Savior find a way to bring everyone together? Yes, and so should we. The White Horse prophecy may well come to pass simply by the EFFECT of the policies of the Church, not by any single PERSON, per se.



I know that was long, but your thoughts are appreciated.