INVITATION TO ALL MORMONS TO VOTE THEIR CONSCIENCE
LDS Church encourages member involvement in political process
By Carrie A. MooreDeseret News
Published: Monday, Sept. 22, 2008 12:28 a.m. MDT
While the LDS Church has long affirmed its political neutrality regarding political parties, platforms and candidates, it is reminding its members of their duty to vote and of the church's right to speak out on political and social issues.
In a letter sent to priesthood leaders dated Sept. 11 to be read from the pulpit in LDS congregations nationwide on Sunday, the church's First Presidency titled its message "Political participation, voting and the political neutrality of the Church."
Church leaders each year read a statement of political neutrality from the pulpit and encourage members to get involved in the political process, but this year's letter differed from previous years in the urgency with which it encourages individual political participation.
"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," the letter reads.
"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 letter said.
As in the past, the letter affirms the church's "neutrality regarding political parties, platforms, and candidates. The Church also affirms its constitutional right of expression on political and social issues."
In June, the First Presidency sent a letter to church leaders in California — also to be read from the pulpit — asking church members to "do all you can" to uphold traditional marriage. The move came following a ruling earlier this year by the California Supreme Court that overturned a previous referendum outlawing gay marriage.
Voters there will decide in November whether to approve the proposed amendment, and opponents have grown increasingly vocal in their criticism of the church's stance and the political involvement of its members.
E-mail: carrie@desnews.com
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First Presidency Issues Letter on Political Participation
SALT LAKE CITY | 22 September 2008 | The following letter was issued by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 11, 2008, to be read to Church congregations throughout the United States: 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
Greetings!LDS Members are invited to join Mormons for Obama!This is a group dedicated to bringing together members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) who support Barack Obama.We encourage all people to participate with their local Obama groups (i.e. Utah for Obama).Please read Obama's speech on faith.Also, please use the blog feature for discussions, and make announcements over the listserv. The listserv is now moderated.The Mormons for Obama email discussion group can be found here.Visit the Mormons for Obama Store!Some other Mormon groups for Obama:Oregon Mormons for Obama 08AZ Mormons for ObamaLatter Day Saints (Mormons) for ObamaDFW Mormons for Obama
Greetings!
LDS Members are invited to join Mormons for Obama!
This is a group dedicated to bringing together members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) who support Barack Obama.
We encourage all people to participate with their local Obama groups (i.e. Utah for Obama).
Please read Obama's speech on faith.
Also, please use the blog feature for discussions, and make announcements over the listserv. The listserv is now moderated.
The Mormons for Obama email discussion group can be found here.
Visit the Mormons for Obama Store!
Some other Mormon groups for Obama:
Oregon Mormons for Obama 08
AZ Mormons for Obama
Latter Day Saints (Mormons) for Obama
DFW Mormons for Obama
Selective Amnesia
Separation of Church and State unless you......
No one has requested all catholics to renounce their churchs to picket the vatican, close the convents, or become atheists.
If every church going or "religious" person is held responsible for the actions of his pastoral peers. THE CHURCHS WOULD BE EMPTY.
Does the atrocities of the Catholic Church the actions of some of its "fathers", which has never been a secret. The numerous counts against the priest make every Catholic now a pedophile or condone the action of pedophilia.
Does every mormon think descendants of Africa an inferior race of people as preached in the beginning. To whiten the skin was godly pure. The now considered to be "Native American" is the result of the mixing of the races. Now the true Native American is who are considered Negro black and colored results of descendants of Slavery never to mention of the Africans that built the mounds of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas. Alabama , Georgia, etc Are the same people called Olmecs later Aztec Inca Maya "Native?" Americans the greeters from the mounds indegenous to this North America was black as night. To insist that all Mormons have tried to purposedly hide this from the masses to keep the status quo. There would have been no reason to change the Book of Mormon...I don't hold them responsible for this. or Moroni
This as ridiculous as Senator Obama's now having to distance himself from his pastor. Do we all walk out the churchs.
I have a very unique situation. I am 1/2 Iraqi, first generation American, I was raised Mormon and I'm a woman.
When I heard Barack Obama's speech in 2004 I wanted to know more about this person who spoke with such a passion and truth about this country. I downloaded that speech and saved it, not knowing if or when I would hear him speak again. When I found out he had written a book, I immediately went out and bought his book and another for my mother, a staunch Republican. She loved it and what he stood for.
When the time came for California to vote, I knew where my vote would go.
There was one problem... I was still registered to vote in Southern California where I had just moved after living there for 20 years.
In my heart and spirit I knew that I couldn't NOT vote for the person who has brought back FAITH in this country, a person who's actions have matched up to what he says, a person who, like me, has diverse parents... One who traveled across the planet to make a life for himself like my very own father did in 1967 when he came from Baghdad to go to college, met my mother and married and had me. I couldn't NOT vote for a person who has made something of himself without the luxury of a family legacy to get him into Harvard and into the Senate and now as our Democratic nominee. A man who UNITES us in the shadow of 8 years of fear and powerlessness with a government who lies and insults our intelligence time and time again. A man who, without negativity, without rhetoric and most importantly, without big business has shown us that EACH AND EVERY VOTE COUNTS.
I decided I was going to FLY DOWN TO LOS ANGELES FOR THE DAY TO VOTE.
I flew from Oakland to Burbank---Voted for Mr. Obama--and flew back 3 hours later to watch CNN's results. My Father (another staunch Republican) was so inspired by my actions he told me he was going to be voting for Barack Obama as well, he felt connected with his story of making something of yourself out of nothing (my father is a business owner for over 35 years) and said that he was without a doubt the best person for the job.
Please help us to bring back what has been missing in our leadership for way too long. INTEGRITY.
Thank you for your time,
I am all three of these things. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Some people in my religious congregation see me as a bit of an anomoly. I point out to that one of our highest leaders, one who past away in the past few years, was a committed Democrat: James E. Faust. I believe that he, a lawyer in his professional life, had enough information to form a viable opinion of quality leadership. Though our political coure values may have differed, we both agreed infinitely on our choice of worship. He can't have been too far off course.
Of course in my previous blogs you will know that my two favorite candidates (one for each party) are Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. I realized early on that the Republican party would nominate the man who put in the time over the best man for the job. Early on in this great race I decided that I would not vote for Mitt Romney just because we shared a religion. I would only vote for him if we could agree on core values of effective government. Over time I saw only two choices out of the many offered to move our country into a positive new direction: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. Now to be fair, these two choices didn't plot the same course, but I felt that they would both end up at the same destination. America would be econimically stronger, physcially safer, and internationaly more well-loved under the influence of either of these two candidates.
Of course Mitt is out, and I see one hope left alive for moving this country forward. I remain a devoted member of the LDS church. I maintain my status as a registered Republican. I stand firmly in Barack Obama's camp as his supporter. Let us spread the message of hope around and see if we can't pull more Americans into the direction of peace and prosperity.
Via Crooks and Liars:
Man, Bush really is losing his base. This was the last polling group to actually mostly approve of Bush's Iraq policies. Can't imagine what it will be like in a Friedman unit.
The Salt Lake Tribune had an article a couple of days ago citing a poll in January that says LDS support for the Iraq War has dropped sharply, to 44 percent.
