Hugh B. Brown once said, “Beware of those who feel obliged to prove their own patriotism by calling into question the loyalty of others."

Recently an over-zealous LDS bishop wrote an op-ed piece which sparked some debate in the Mormon progressive community. Given the man’s position and the use of political questions as a litmus test for temple worthiness, a discussion has emerged around the separation of politics and LDS Church doctrine. Instead of writing an unproductive response to the bishop calling into question conservative platforms that are blatantly anti-Christian, I am instead addressing one of the article’s attacks; Democrat’s pro-choice position. As a proud progressive, I also feel the discussion should center on facts, data, and historical significance, and not arrogantly challenging people’s religious worthiness due to disagreement.  In defense of Democrat’s pro-choice position, here are some points to consider:

So we lost the Senate. Yea, it hurts. Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. And get ready for the storm – the real storm -- coming in two years. You know, the political storm where Democrats take back the Senate and retain the White House. No, I’m not being overly optimistic. No, I am not riding on dancing unicorns jumping through candy-covered rainbows. I am saddled on a brute horse charging through the political lines of defeat. The Electoral College is on our side. The popular vote is on our side. The Senatorial election map is on our side. 2014 will be a contest quickly forgotten and 2016 will be our triumphant return to Rome.

A short video clip of President Obama has recently gone viral. In it, he states, “And sometimes, someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result.  And that’s not a choice we want Americans to make.”

Recently, the Sutherland Institute posted an article regarding LDS Democrats “trying to reconcile opposing values” between our religious and political beliefs. One commenter boiled it down to what I believe many feel is the core reason members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cannot also be members of the Democratic party:

Across the U.S., conservative-dominated school boards have sought to manipulate public education curricula by overruling relevant experts in subjects such as history, economics, and science, establishing requirements to teach subjects through a conservative lens, and via outright censorship. In 2010, the Texas Board of Education approved a social studies curriculum that questioned the Founding Fathers’ commitment to secular government and presented conservative political philosophies in a positive light. Astonishingly, the school board cut Thomas Jefferson from a list of figures whose writings inspired revolutions across the world in the 18th and 19th centuries and replaced him with religious figures such as St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin because the board members disliked Jefferson’s support for separation between church and state.

As a general rule I find it very difficult to people who don’t share my religious beliefs to understand why we Mormons are so “uptight” or “funny” about taking the Lord’s name in vain. They can’t understand why we’re so bothered by it. I’ve even had some ask me “Why are you so afraid to say the name of someone you love?” I reply that it’s exactly because we do love Him so much that we are offended or even hurt by the use of His name as a curse word. 

The United States of America has problems. Ignoring all of the foreign policy dilemmas, the US has major issues related to health care, education, equal opportunity, racism, and economic growth. These problems are not unique to America. It would be easy to find the flaws in other developed countries. Pointing out flaws is both simple and effortless. The hard part is finding solutions that cannot not only be passed by Congress, but can also be reasonably enforced and implemented.

Instead of trying to assert my intelligence by jumping on the blogging equivalent of a high horse and writing a one page solution for unsolvable major problems of the world, I instead want to highlight some simple everyday annoyances that should be legislated.

Mormons are taught to take care of the poor. The Bible and the Book of Mormon are full of commandments, pleadings, admonitions, and assertions that we need to help the poor.[1] There is little disagreement about that fact, and the LDS Church does a significant amount of humanitarian work across the world. And Mormon people are charitable on an individual level in a variety of ways.[2]

I'm genuinely enthusiastic about voting in this year's mid-term elections in a way I often am not.