Jess, you’re a convert to the Church. How did you gain your testimony?

I’ve been a member of the Church for 7 years now. I feel like Heavenly Father had an eye on me growing up, and he gave me many reasons to ponder my salvation as a child. One night, a few weeks before my 18th birthday, I was reading in the Bible about Abraham. Overwhelmed by personal struggles, I slammed the cover closed and said aloud, “Why wouldn’t you just send a prophet? Wouldn’t that be so much easier?” A few weeks later, I met an LDS family and joined the Church just one week after meeting with the missionaries for the first time.

Do your religious beliefs inform your political beliefs?

Will: My religion teaches me that we ought to love one another, live within our means, be hard working and moral, get educated, and be wise stewards over the planet. This affects my political beliefs about war, taking care of the poor, fiscal policy, worker’s rights, education, and environmentalism. I feel that my faith and politics are in harmony. Personal political beliefs and religious beliefs are both values and definitely influence each other. So it makes sense that they are compatible. I am a registered Democrat, and my goal is to have balanced, moderate solutions. I consider myself to be both a moderate and a progressive — it is a progressive idea, these days, to want positive change to the status quo, but at the same time, I want take a moderate approach in making those changes.

Jess: Absolutely! I believe that we should love each other. I believe that we should educate our children well. I believe that we should encourage positive change. And, although I may not agree with what others do with their agency, I believe that everyone should have a right to use it according to their own judgement. I believe that my religious and political beliefs are very compatible. There are true principles of the gospel in both major parties, and depending on the issues of the time, I choose the party and candidate whom I feel will make the best choices. I would say that I am an independent on national issues, but locally, I am a Democrat.

Will, you and Jess met as missionaries, so that’s one way in which your mission has obviously affected your life. Did your mission have any effect on your political outlook?

My parents were Republican growing up and that affected what I believed when I was younger. I was a very vocal Republican before my mission. On my mission I learned and practiced compassion every day. I learned to hope for peace. Peace and compassion became my core values while I was a missionary. I also had a friend, while I was on my mission, with whom I had a lot of influential discussions about these issues. While I was on my mission I also found out that my brother is gay. This was a challenge to my political beliefs, and I decided to forge my own path.

Jess, how did you come to your political beliefs?

My father would often say that the shot gun under his bed was for my boyfriends or any Democrats that might come into the house. My family’s inability to acknowledge any good from the Democratic Party made me question the Republican Party from a young age. My husband, though, is the one who really started me thinking about politics. He is an avid Democrat. And although we don’t agree on everything politically, he made me realize that my views really were more compatible with the Democratic Party. I often get political hate mail from my extended family. I’m not sure, though, if they are more upset about me being a Democrat or a Mormon.

You’ve made your growing family a high priority. What about your faith and politics do you hope to pass on to your kids?

Will: I want my children to think for themselves and decide. I hope that they, like me, will believe that the LDS Church teaches its members to be good people and have good moral values and that living that way will bring happiness. I also hope that they believe that the political arena needs the voices of people who will listen to the other side and attempt to find compromise solutions.

Jess: I hope that they will know that love should never be conditional. I hope they always have the courage to stand up for what is right, even when they have to stand up for someone unpopular. I hope they will always search for ways to help those in need and value them for who they are and for their potential as children of our Heavenly Father.

To listen to the program, click here.

The LDS First Presidency sent a letter dated Feb. 9, 2012, to area leaders with directions to read it during sacrament meeting. The letter instructs that no weekday church meetings be scheduled during the precinct caucus meetings to be held in mid-March.

“We are concerned with the decreasing attendance at these caucus meetings in Utah in recent years,” the letter reads.

Craig Janis, executive director of Utah Common Values and outreach chair of the LDS Democrats Caucus, said he appreciates the push from LDS leaders.

“Utah’s caucus system is flawed and difficult,” Janis said, “but it is what drives politics in our state. If we as members of the Church want to ensure that LDS values are represented in our political system we need to be active participants in that system.”

We hope that UCV’s supporters will attend their caucus meetings as well. Here’s how to find yours!

A new study by the Pew Forum came out last week. It was about Mormons. The survey contained a lot of information, but one part of it was no surprise: most Mormons call themselves political conservatives. Utah Mormons are nine times as likely to be Republican than Democrat. But why? On Monday we’re broadcasting a show we recorded last week at Utah Valley University. A group of LDS legislators joined Doug on stage to discuss how their political beliefs are informed by Mormonism and vice versa.

 http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/11612-lds-values-and-political-beliefs

Pace encourages his fellow Latter-day Saints to consider other political arguments and not immediately revert to Republican positions. This is something UCV can really get behind, since it fits well with the third principle of the Utah Common Values pledge: having an open mind about new ideas.

Pace also describes experiences he has had within the church where he has been criticized for his political beliefs. Some of you may have had similar experiences with church members or even leaders, but it’s important to remember that Mormon Democrats are not “second-class Latter-day Saints”. Some politically conservative church members may look down upon moderate and progressive church members. To some, liberal and democratic political views equate to being less righteous members of the LDS Church. Pace and many of the people UCV has profiled are living proof that’s not true — their LDS values are what have made them embrace the values of the Democratic Party.

Note: This news summary was written by UCV intern Annelise White.

I was blessed to be born in Washington, D.C., spending my childhood in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, after part of my family moved here. I have lived a life full of financial and family strife, but I am thankful for the strength and resilience it has given me.

Last August I graduated from Brigham Young University in History. Towards the latter part of my stay at BYU, I (re)discovered much about myself. I have many interests in various fields of study, some of which include: politics (of course), international relations and development, music, veterinary science/medicine, animal rights and welfare, journalism, environmental biology, and the list goes on! Another passion is my love for languages; I’ve studied Spanish and Hebrew and would love to learn several more.

Another vital part of my life is my ethnic and religious background: I have deeply reconnected with my (paternal) Ashkenazi background as a result of my Jewish studies. Additionally, in the summer of 2010 I lived in Bogotá, Colombia, where I gained a better understanding of my (maternal) cultural heritage, and most importantly, where I met my awesome husband. I love traveling and wish to spend a lifetime doing so.

I am both humbled and proud to declare that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I admire doctrines of other religions, but it is my testimony as a Latter-day Saint that reaffirms my political views. As I have matured I have learned to be more open-minded, considerate, and compassionate towards my fellow men. My beliefs are best summed up by a refreshing article published in The Salt Lake Tribune last year: “The Book of Mormon narrative, regardless of its historicity, admonishes contemporary Latter-day Saints to reject riches and to care for the poor and needy.”

While most UCV supporters are probably not planning to vote for Romney in the upcoming election, as members of the LDS Church we strongly condemn ad-hominem attacks in politics generally, and we specifically abhor attacks targeting candidates based on their faith. Here’s to hoping that we aren’t the only ones who stand behind principle #3 in the UCV pledge!

Note: This news summary was written by UCV intern Annelise White.

How did you gain your testimony of the gospel?

I realized as a teenager that I had to either be committed to the Church or not, that there wasn’t any middle ground. I decided to find out if it was true by searching out the truth for myself. I eventually came to a personal decision that it was true. My testimony has also been strengthened by my church service, especially my mission in Belgium/Netherlands and my time spent as a missionary preparation insructor in my ward.

Where do you consider yourself to be on the political spectrum?

I consider myself a moderate progressive. I definitely lean more to the left of the political spectrum, but I also realize that one political party cannot possibly encompass all of my personal beliefs and positions. Being an LDS progressive is not difficult. My religious beliefs do not dictate that I have to belong to one party or the other.

How does your faith impact your political outlook?

My religious beliefs have a a huge effect on my political beliefs. My religious beliefs have influenced how I feel about social programs and the need to help those around me because we are all God’s children. It has also influenced my views on education — that there needs to be more government funding for education and more equality in education through out the country.

My religious beliefs also have a large impact on how I view moral issues. One example is that I see the LDS Church’s stance on many issues as being more moderate than that of most conservatives. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, but I also support civil unions and believe that there should be equality for all people no matter what their sexual orientation.

How has law school affected your outlook?

Being in law school has helped me realize that the law is such a powerful tool to help people, and that if it is used effectively, it can benefit so many. I think it is the responsibility of people in government and other influential positions to use the law to help provide better opportunities for all Americans.

How did your parents influence your political beliefs?

Growing up one of my parents was a registered Democrat and the other was a registered Republican. However, I soon learned that they often voted for the same people and felt similarly about political issues. I realized that it was important to do research issue-by-issue and candidate-by-candidate and not just rely on party affiliations. I also learned from my parents that it is important for me to find out what issues I care most about and make sure I vote for people who also care about those issues.

Here’s the flyer:

Now here’s a little bit about me:

• I was born in Kansas to two university professors. My parents are wonderful, educated, and loving people who have made me the person that I am. They raised me to be open-minded, non-judgmental, and to appreciate education.
• My family has university hopped from Alabama, back to Kansas, and most recently, to North Carolina. I love living on the East Coast with all of this country’s history and being so close to our nation’s capitol.
• I am a sophomore at Brigham Young University studying Political Science. I love the environment at BYU and feel blessed to be at this wonderful university. After graduation, I’m planning on attending either law school or graduate school in public policy or public administration. I want to end up working for the government or for a non-profit organization.
• I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church has taught me much about life and has helped shape my political beliefs. I look forward to getting married and having a family of my own some day!
• As a college student, it’s hard to have time for hobbies but photography is my passion and I love music. I play the violin and piano for fun. I enjoy traveling, and along with that, photographing the world.

Thanks for taking some time to get to know me, and I look forward to getting meet all of you!