At least, so asserted by grandfather, Ezra Taft Benson:

“In February 1974, Apostle Ezra Taft Benson was asked during an interview if a good Mormon could also be a liberal Democrat. Benson pessimistically replied: ‘I think it would be very hard if he was living the gospel and understood it.’”

"To this extreme position Ralph Harding, a two-term Idaho Democratic congressman and a Mormon, retorted:

"'In fact, it is much easier to be a faithful Latter-day Saint and a liberal Democrat than it is to be a faithful Church member and a member of the John Birch Society. Compassion and tolerance are attributes that are found in faithful Church members and liberal Democrats but seldom in John Birchers and other extreme right wingers.'"

("Mormons? 'Many Liberals,'" in "Salt Lake Tribune," 26 February 1974, p. 24, cited in John Heinerman and Anson Shupe, "The Mormon Corporate Empire," Chapter 4, "Political and Military Power of the Latter-day Saints"[Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 1985], p. 142, fn 24 p.274)


What my grandfather publicly said as a Mormon Church apostle against the notion of being, at the same time, a good Mormon and a Democrat he confirmed in his private Benson family conversations.

To his dismay, there were certain Mormon Church leaders who thought they could be both. As an adolescent, I overheard him express concern to my father about the appointment of eventual LDS apostle, Neal Maxwell, as Church commissioner of education.

He complained that Maxwell was a "liberal." Ever loyal to the prophet then-LDS Church president David O. McKay), however, ETB resigned himself to accepting on faith the prophet's decision.

First Presidency counselor in the McKay regime, Hugh B. Brown, was another burr under my grandfather's saddle (or, as my mother once angrily told me, "a thorn in the side of your grandfather"). Brown strongly opposed ETB's far-right JOhn Bircher views and his attempts to officially align them with Mormon Church doctrine. Nevertheless, as Brown became increasingly enfeebled with age, my grandfather expressed to me his love and concern for his fellow apostle, and never told me about the earlier political feuding with his colleague.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2014 08:32PM by steve benson.

Agreed. Anyone supporting universal health care, food stamps, unemployment benefits, gun control, progressive tax structures, or mortgage assistance cannot be a good Mormon because they would be aligning themselves too close to the philosophies of Jesus.

forced on the population by government edict.

If it is forced compassion it isn't compassion.

You must be mistaken, Steve.

Haven't you heard that the LDS church is politically neutral and does not "Attempt to direct its members as to which candidate or party they should give their votes to".

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality

</sarcasm>


On a side note, in my wife's mission there was an older (+70 years) sister missionary named Cora who was a socialist. After her mission my wife moved to Utah and ended up living with Cora before we got married. She was a feisty woman. She said at one time, one of the General Authorities (I don't remember who) stated that you could not be a good Mormon if you were socialist. Cora took great offense to that comment and wrote to that GA and demanded an apology. A short time later she received a letter from the GA with said apology.

that the government should take property from one and give it to another.

Socialists don't believe in property rights and as a result it ends in misery every time it's tried.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Is that why the Socialist State of Denmark is consistently ranked as the happiest society?

Does it really matter? Quit religion and move on.

I agree with Steve. It's a lot more fun to read opinions than dismissals.

J. Golden Kimball was a Democrat. Of course, the Democratic party was really different than it is today back in the 1920s. Personally, I've always felt that it is a tragedy that we are limited to just two choices. I would like see Third Party candidates succeed, though I know the chances are small.

I suppose Italian politics are strange to hold up as a model, but there is such a wide diversity of political parties represented in the Italian parliament from two Communist parties to the granddaughter of Benito Mussolini. I find European politics fascinating because there is a much wider choice than we have in the USA. This is somewhat ironic, given that Americans supposedly love choices. But we don't really have that many choices, do we?

In Canadian federal politics we have the Conservative, the Liberals (who depending on their leader can be right or left wing), the rampant socialist NDP & the Green Party...and there are usually candidates from communist parties and Christian Heritage (who would shut the whole country down on Sundays) plus a few more fringe groups. And then in provincial politics, each province seems to have a few far right and far left parties so the ballets offer lots of choices.

Ron Burr

My Dad, a life long conservative knew Brown when he practiced law in Lethbridge and had a lot of respect for him as a man.

Ron Burr

NO MORMONS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DEMOCRAT!!!

That's what my friend from Henderson told me. She was raised in the church and her family came from southern Utah.

They came during the depression and helped build Hoover Dam.
Many of the Saints who emigrated from Utah to build the dam settled North Las Vegas and are very proud to have 'their' Las Vegas temple on "Bonanza Hill", named for the street that runs up the mountain where the temple is.

They were dam workers and Democrats. They are still clustered as a very strong group living in North Las Vegas and would be very surprised to be told they are not supposed to be Democrats! They have been in the TSCC for generations and will tell you all Mormons are Democrats, especially the ones they know.

And they voted for Harry Reid........


I'm only reporting my experience.I vote for who I think will work best in the job, especially in local elections.

My dad, who was born in Provo and raised in Millard and Salt Lake counties, grew up in an atmosphere where Democrat was something akin to a curse word.

My mother, on the other hand, was raised in Snowflake. Her family was solidly Democrat until about the 1970s. Arizona is one of those states where you are required to affiliate with a party in order to vote in the primaries. When my mother changed her affiliation to Republican, it caused something of a stir in her family. Her father remained a Democrat up until the day he died.

My father has since gone on to be an Independent, since he disgusted by the antics of both parties. I can't say he's wrong!

<joke mode>

Could that have been shortened to just "Dam Democrats"?

</joke mode>

My stake president was a Democrat state senator. This was in Henderson in the 60s.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2014 07:56PM by iris.

RED was always the commies when I was growing up and later.

Now the Repugnantcans want to be called REDS.

Republicans were always blue.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-republicans-were-blue-and-democrats-were-red-104176297/