Are all the apostles Republicans?

[Guest]

Is it known fact that all of the First Presidency and 12 apostles registered as Republicans, or are there some democrats and unaffiliated party? I know Thomas S Monson is a Republican because it says so on his wikipedia page, but I'm curious about if there's any variety politically and if that affects doctrine and what the Q15 decide.

[Guest MormonGator]

Once they get to that office they usually swear off partisan politics, but remember-they are still citizens of the country. 

There are also different types of republican. There are alt-right republicans, libertarian republicans, traditional republicans, moderate-liberal republicans. So it wouldn't surprise me if Holland and Bednar (two that were heavily involved in academics) are on the moderate side of the GOP.

But again, it doesn't matter. They don't make political decisions for everyone. They make religious ones.  

[zil]

46 minutes ago, Zarahemla said:

Is it known fact that all of the First Presidency and 12 apostles registered as Republicans, or are there some democrats and unaffiliated party? I know Thomas S Monson is a Republican because it says so on his wikipedia page, but I'm curious about if there's any variety politically and if that affects doctrine and what the Q15 decide.

I think you've got it backwards - doctrine impacts their political decisions, not the other way around.

[Guest]

I registered as unaffiliated with any political party because that's how I feel Jesus would feel about politics.

[Guest MormonGator]

22 minutes ago, Zarahemla said:

I registered as unaffiliated with any political party because that's how I feel Jesus would feel about politics.

I've mentioned it here before but one of the first questions I asked my stake president was if I had to resign from the ACLU to join the church. He said "Of course not, this isn't about politics." 

Wise words. 

[Just_A_Guy]

I believe Elder Renlund is a Democrat.

[Guest]

The main reason I registered as unaffiliated after this election is because I asked myself, did my side make a mistake, and based on Trump's picks so far I asked myself if I was on the wrong side. And then I realized, why do I have to pick a side and stay loyal to them? It's voting, not a church covenant. So I washed my hands clean of all political parties and will just vote with my heart from now on.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I'm with you Zarahemla!  I think that there are some things the Republicans get right and some things that the Democrats get right.  In my opinion, LDS people should rise above political party and vote with their heart as you said.  

[Guest MormonGator]

7 minutes ago, LiterateParakeet said:

I'm with you Zarahemla!  I think that there are some things the Republicans get right and some things that the Democrats get right.  In my opinion, LDS people should rise above political party and vote with their heart as you said.  

We should also remember that it's the book of Mormon that matters not politics. 

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

6 minutes ago, MormonGator said:

We should also remember that it's the book of Mormon that matters not politics. 

Really good point.  I'm giving myself a gentle rebuke now....when everyone is talking about politics from social media to real life, it's not hard to spend more time on politics than the Book of Mormon.  But we know which one is more worth our time.  Thanks for the reminder.  

[Guest MormonGator]

6 minutes ago, LiterateParakeet said:

Really good point.  I'm giving myself a gentle rebuke now....when everyone is talking about politics from social media to real life, it's not hard to spend more time on politics than the Book of Mormon.  But we know which one is more worth our time.  Thanks for the reminder.  

I think all of us need that rebuke Lit, not just you 

[mordorbund]

For your consideration:

Many people I know on both sides of the aisle (and even from the Libertarian Party) absolutely hated their candidate and felt that (s)he did not represent the Party values. As a result, the November ballots were handed out with puke buckets and nurses were on hand to care for nose trauma (spited faces would have to wait).

If you want to see to it that 2020 and 2024 are different, you should learn how primaries are handled in your state. Are they open? or do you have to register with a Party? What's the latest you can register and still participate in the primary? Knowing the rules empowers you to be more proactive. Depending on which promises President-elect Trump chooses to keep, we may see an extremely moderate Democrat candidate in 2020 as never-trumpers register Democrat in hopes to get someone more conservative in.

Additionally, there are also the mid-term elections. 2018 gives you the chance to elect a congress that gridlocks the President.

And of course there's your local elections. These will have more influence on your culture and family than the national elections.

By all means, vote your heart (or conscience) and be Independent, but recognize that there are rules in place and it is by working within that full framework (not just flipping a coin atop the capstone) that you have the most impact.

[Jojo Bags]

There is no way anyone can convince me that any of the apostles voted Democrat.  That party's platform is blatantly evil.  Elder H. Verlan Andersen said that your political views reflect your moral values.  I can't imagine any apostle supporting the murder of children or homosexual marriage.

[Guest MormonGator]

12 minutes ago, Jojo Bags said:

There is no way anyone can convince me that any of the apostles voted Democrat.  That party's platform is blatantly evil.  Elder H. Verlan Andersen said that your political views reflect your moral values.  I can't imagine any apostle supporting the murder of children or homosexual marriage.

I can. One of the most faithful men in my old ward was a democrat and held elected office. HUGE respect for him. 

The truth is that if you believe in the Book of Mormon, you are a Mormon. Regardless of what you political views are and how you think a secular government should operate. I am not a democrat, for the record. 

Edited December 2, 2016 by MormonGator

[askandanswer]

On 11/22/2016 at 9:18 AM, MormonGator said:

We should also remember that it's the book of Mormon that matters not politics. 

But lets remember how political the Book of Mormon is. It begins with a prophet decrying the behaviour of the political leaders of his time and country. Then there is a story of the beheading of someone who probably had a fair bit of political influence, followed by an account of a small group of religious refugees fleeing the city because they offended the religious and political elite. All this within the first ten chapters. Later on, in the Isaiah chapters of 2nd Nephi, we get a lot of material from a man who is believed to have been closely connected to several Israelite (or Judean?) kings. We get the final farewell speech from a beloved king in Mosiah, and a rationale for the transformation from a monarchy to a sort of judicial led democracy where the rule of law prevails. We get a good discussion of the connection between politics and religion when Ammon and his companions convert two Lamanite kings and much of their kingdoms. And there's much more, which I'm too lazy to write right now. If we read the Book of Mormon and ignore the politics, we are missing out on a learning opportunity. 

[Guest MormonGator]

1 hour ago, askandanswer said:

, which I'm too lazy to write right now.

Man after my own heart. I was going to write about procrastination being a sin, but I'll get around to it later. 

[prisonchaplain]

On 11/20/2016 at 7:04 PM, MormonGator said:

I've mentioned it here before but one of the first questions I asked my stake president was if I had to resign from the ACLU to join the church. He said "Of course not, this isn't about politics." 

Wise words. 

Of course it's spiritual--not political.  Your church does believe in exorcism, right? 

[Guest MormonGator]

Just now, prisonchaplain said:

Of course it's spiritual--not political.  Your church does believe in exorcism, right? 

The membership info you requested is in the mail, PC. 

[prisonchaplain]

Given that we once signed up a college class mate, who happened to be a raging social liberal, as a GOLD MEMBER in the Moral Majority, complete with a Rev. Jerry Falwell-signed Old Fashioned Gospel Hour family Bible (Hey, it was the 80s)...I guess this is payback. 

Edited December 2, 2016 by prisonchaplain

[Guest MormonGator]

2 minutes ago, prisonchaplain said:

Given that we once signed up a college class mate, who happened to be a raging social liberal, as a GOLD MEMBER in the Moral Majority, complete with a Rev. Jerry Falwell-signed Old Fashioned Gospel Hour family Bible (Hey, it was the 80s)...I guess this is payback. 

lol. That's awesome. 

[NightSG]

On 11/20/2016 at 6:12 PM, Zarahemla said:

Is it known fact that all of the First Presidency and 12 apostles registered as Republicans, or are there some democrats and unaffiliated party?

Of course there aren't any Democrats.  Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if Apostles burst into flames upon entering the temple?

[Guest]

On 11/20/2016 at 6:12 PM, Zarahemla said:

Is it known fact that all of the First Presidency and 12 apostles registered as Republicans, or are there some democrats and unaffiliated party? I know Thomas S Monson is a Republican because it says so on his wikipedia page, but I'm curious about if there's any variety politically and if that affects doctrine and what the Q15 decide.

James E. Faust isn't in the Quorum of the Twelve anymore, but he was a Democrat for many, many years and apparently served in the Utah state legislature as a Democrat.  I have also heard that Neal A. Maxwell (who is also deceased) was also a Democrat.

Of course, these men were Democrats twenty or thirty years ago, when the party's less desirable traits (e.g., abortion, gay marriage) were much less pronounced.  I think we can all agree, no matter if you vote Republican or Democrat, that inconsistencies between the Democrat party and the gospel are becoming more pronounced over time, and one could say it is slowly getting harder (though certainly not impossible) to be a Mormon and a Democrat.

I do think there are some good, appealing things about the Democrat party.  For me, there just aren't enough good things to outweigh the bad, so I trend Republican.  Just being honest with how I feel!

Edited December 2, 2016 by DoctorLemon

[Guest MormonGator]

11 minutes ago, DoctorLemon said:

James E. Faust isn't in the Quorum of the Twelve anymore, but he was a Democrat for many, many years and apparently served in the Utah state legislature as a Democrat.  I have also heard that Neal A. Maxwell (who is also deceased) was also a Democrat.

Of course, these men were Democrats twenty or thirty years ago, when the party's less desirable traits (e.g., abortion, gay marriage) were much less pronounced.  I think we can all agree, no matter if you vote Republican or Democrat, that inconsistencies between the Democrat party and the gospel are becoming more pronounced over time, and one could say it is slowly getting harder (though certainly not impossible) to be a Mormon and a Democrat.

Good point Doc, but it's important to remember that like republicans, democrats come in many forms too. There are traditional liberals like Hillary Clinton, Bill Nelson and President Obama. Than there are far left radicals like Barbra Lee, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Then there are the Joe Manchin democrats who are basically republicans and democrat in name only. 

There is the problem of perspective here. If you only know conservative republicans and all your friends are conservative republicans it begins to warp you. You meet someone who is pro-choice or pro gay marriage and you think they are radical, burn the flag leftist when in reality they are registered republicans who only sound liberal because they aren't John Birch society zealots.

It's the same with liberal democrats. When all your friends are liberal democrats you'll meet a liberal who is :: gasp :: pro-life and you'll accuse them of being a Trumper. 
 

Edited December 2, 2016 by MormonGator

[Vort]

8 minutes ago, DoctorLemon said:

James E. Faust isn't in the Quorum of the Twelve anymore, but he was a Democrat for many, many years and apparently served in the Utah state legislature as a Democrat.  I have also heard that Neal A. Maxwell (who is also deceased) was also a Democrat.

Of course, these men were Democrats twenty or thirty years ago, when the party's less desirable traits (e.g., abortion, gay marriage) were much less pronounced.  I think we can all agree, no matter if you vote Republican or Democrat, that inconsistencies between the Democrat party and the gospel are becoming more pronounced over time, and one could say it is slowly getting harder (though certainly not impossible) to be a Mormon and a Democrat.

I do think there are some good, appealing things about the Democrat party.  For me, there just aren't enough good things to outweigh the bad, so I trend Republican.  Just being honest with how I feel!

As a non-Utahn who has lived in Utah a couple of times, it looks to me like a Utah Democrat is different from a non-Utah Democrat, in ways that are subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle. I am not sure it's possible to be a fully invested American Democrat, working hard to promote the party line, and also a faithful Latter-day Saint. One might perhaps say the same thing about Republicans, but let's face it, the differences are not so stark and the chasm so vast.

[Guest]

Just now, Vort said:

As a non-Utahn who has lived in Utah a couple of times, it looks to me like a Utah Democrat is different from a non-Utah Democrat, in ways that are subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle. I am not sure it's possible to be a fully invested American Democrat, working hard to promote the party line, and also a faithful Latter-day Saint. One might perhaps say the same thing about Republicans, but let's face it, the differences are not so stark and the chasm so vast.

That's what I ran up against.  Back in my younger, wilder days, I was a registered Democrat.  About ten years ago, I was forced out because I realized that my affiliation was, to me, too far against my conscience and my religion (especially after studying how prevalent abortion truly is in America).  I also realized that there are many Republicans out there who are not in what would today be considered the alt-Right (though that can be hard to see this when you grow up in small town Texas).  My understanding of economics has also slowly evolved towards the Republican side, with some differences.  

Edited December 2, 2016 by DoctorLemon