Mormonism and the Limits of Political Neutrality

Why Mormonism?

I chose Mormonism to study over groups that are arguably more influential in American politics, such as evangelical Christianity, Catholicism, or Judaism, because it satisfies key requirements: (1) relative doctrinal uniformity among the faithful, and (2) a centralized institution at the helm with influence on its membership. Among active members of the LDS Church in the U.S. doctrinal uniformity in combination with a central institutional authority remains unparalleled. Of course, a few members do not toe the party line, but they tend to either be so outspoken that we know them by name, are inactive, or do not speak of their concerns in order to keep their families intact. In Judaism and Catholicism, one’s cultural identity associated with the religion can remain strong even if not all practices are followed. Among Mormons, there is very much a “you’re in or you’re out” mentality that more strongly parallels evangelicalism. However, evangelicals do not have as much universal cultural capital as the LDS faith does. No matter where two Mormons might be from, they automatically share common cultural ground. While two evangelical Christians may share the same basic beliefs (and they might not even agree on that), Mormons share similar church and life experiences. They grew up singing the exact same songs in Primary (LDS Sunday school) and experienced the exact same rites of passage as teens and young adults. Generally speaking, members accept the doctrine passed on to them by the institution. This makes for a relatively uniform “Mormon culture” to study as a proxy for understanding the political influence of religion in American life. If we understand how personal beliefs influence public policy, then we can become more readily aware of these biases both in others and in ourselves when crafting policy.