Articles

 
DEMOCRATS AND THE CHURCH: NEWSPAPERS

Far Right Wing of Utah GOP at Odds with LDS Positions Salt Lake Tribune, 4/28/02	While the right-wing faction of the party cloaks itself with the same Mormon armor as moderate Republicans when arguing conservative causes, a close examination of its positions on key political issues shows it is further apart from official stands of the LDS Church than the Democrats they so like to label as infidels.
Senator Reid Explains Mormonism and the Liberal Agenda BYU Newsnet, 2/24/01	Senator Reid: "I think it is much easier to be a good member of the Church and a Democrat than a good member of the Church and a Republican." [The majority of this article includes sound bites]
A Small Tent: Lawmaker Says No Room for Demos in LDS Salt Lake Tribune, 10/27/00	In a small-town newspaper that devotes scads of room to the Snow Princess Pageant, a Republican lawmaker accepted with relish an election-year opportunity to assail Mormon Democrats. "The issue is whether faithful members can in good conscience support the official tenets and substantiated agenda of the [Democratic] party," Bill Wright, a Utah House member and Mormon running for the Senate, wrote in a recent column in The Payson Chronicle. "The answer, of course, is NO."
Transcript of National Press Club Interview with Gordon B. Hinckley Deseret News, 3/08/00	Q. Given the platform and positions taken by the Democratic Party, can you be a good church member and a Democrat? A. Yes, I think so. I don't know why you couldn't. It depends on what you believe as a Democrat in terms of some things. There are some things we don't subscribe to. We've got lots of Democrats in the church, lots of them, and they are good people. I don't worry about that too much.
Party of One: Harry Reid is a  Congressional Conglomeration... Salt Lake Tribune, 6/21/98	"The only aggravation I've had in politics as a member of the church has come from within the church,'' says Reid, the only Democratic member of Congress who belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.``Some people in the church write me letters about what a bad person I am; they've really tried to damage me.''
LDS Official Calls for  More Political Diversity Salt Lake Tribune, 5/03/98	"One of the things that prompted this discussion in the first place was the regret that's felt about the decline of the Democratic Party [in Utah] and the notion that may prevail in some areas that you can't be a good Mormon and a good Democrat at the same time,'' [Elder Marlin] Jensen said. "There have been some awfully good men and women who have been both and are both today. So I think it would be a very healthy thing for the church -- particularly the Utah church -- if that notion could be obliterated.''
Professor Sheds Light  On Lack of Political Diversity BYU Newsnet 4/5/98	England said too many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view parties as they do the LDS Church -- that they will somehow denounce their religion if they vote against their party.   "Political parties do not have truth -- they have perspectives," England said in an interview.
Satan's Foot in the Door:  Democrats at BYU Dialogue, Summer 1995	As I sought Clinton supporters to see how they felt, I was referred to "those liberal Mormon Democrats"--not just Democrats but always "those liberal Mormon Democrats." I've lost track of how many times I was asked if I planned "to talk to both of them." Yes, I found both of them and many, many more. Indeed, they are in sufficient numbers and in positions of such authority that the author of the letter would undoubtedly conclude Satan not only has both feet in the door but has long since led BYU carefully down to hell.

 
 
 
 

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS: ARTICLES FROM CHURCH PUBLICATIONS (This is by no means an exhaustive list)

The American Presidency and the Mormons by James B. Allen, Ensign, October 1972	A Primer on Politics by D. James Cannon, New Era, October 1971
The Church and The Proposed ERA Ensign, March 1990	Heroes and Heroines: Emmeline B. Wells by Julie Wardell, Friend, February 1995
Beyond Voting: Some Duties of the LDS Citizen by Cheryll Lynn May, Ensign, June 1976	Earthly Governments and the Kingdom of God Teachings of the Presidents of the  Church: Brigham Young, ch. 36
Political Campaigns and You by Gary C. Lawrence, New Era, September 1972

 
 
 
 

RESPONSES TO REPUBLICANS

Debunking Rush Limbaugh on the Environment

Indeed, Limbaugh's claims often fly in the face of carefully considered scientific evidence, and put him in opposition to the views of the most eminent scientific experts, as reflected in the conclusions of such esteemed bodies as the National Academy of Sciences and the World Meteorological Organization.

In the near future, we hope to get copyright permission to reprint  many of these articles
on our site, instead of merely linking to them.  Thank you for your patience.