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I've heard it said more than two dozen times on this board that one cannot be both a liberal and a good Mormon.

My question is this: In what way does right-wing politics go hand-in-hand with being a good Mormon?

Seems to me that a political philosophy which caters to those whom Jesus drove out of the Temple, would also run counter to Mormonism. Didn't Joseph Smith embraced many liberal ideas and practices in his day?

In fairness, I think rightist politics are also evident in Christianity , especially outside the mainstream churches. Personally I struggle with the thinking of many Christians who seem to equate Christianity not only with the Republican Party but also with Americanism. Christianity, Republican and America are not synonymous.

Albion wrote:In fairness, I think rightist politics are also evident in Christianity , especially outside the mainstream churches. Personally I struggle with the thinking of many Christians who seem to equate Christianity not only with the Republican Party but also with Americanism. Christianity, Republican and America are not synonymous.

honestly, i am not sure politics (left, right, or middle) go well with being a good Mormon.

subgenius wrote:honestly, i am not sure politics (left, right, or middle) go well with being a good Mormon.

Is your thinking along the lines of demarcation twixt God and Caesar?

moksha wrote:

subgenius wrote:honestly, i am not sure politics (left, right, or middle) go well with being a good Mormon.

Is your thinking along the lines of demarcation twixt God and Caesar?

perhaps...
One must decide which "master" one serves...
a good Mormon would serve the Lord and evaluate the candidate against the Gospel - not evaluate the Gospel against the candidate.
the latter being the way of a party affiliation...imho

subgenious, I am not qualified to say just what goes right with Mormonism. It isn't something I give a great deal of thought to. I think it foolish, though, to claim that God supports or favors one political party over another, or that he even cares specifically about American politics over those of any other country. Such arrogance leads to a multitude of ills in the world, I believe. Isaiah put it best when he said that "the nations are a drop in the bucket."

moksha wrote:Didn't Joseph Smith embraced many liberal ideas and practices in his day?

Joseph Smith, Jr., mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, ran as an independent. He proposed the redemption of slaves by selling public lands and decreasing the size and salary of the United States Congress; the closure of prisons; the annexation of Texas, Oregon, and parts of Canada; the securing of international rights on high seas; free trade; and the re-establishment of a national bank.[2]

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Sta ... tion,_1844)

If you'd like a more in-depth look at Joseph Smith's political leanings, look at "General Smith's Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States" written by the man himself and published in Nauvoo in 1844. The entire book can be found at http://contentdm.lib.BYU.edu/cdm/ref/co ... 46/id/2597

subgenius wrote:perhaps...
One must decide which "master" one serves...
a good Mormon would serve the Lord and evaluate the candidate against the Gospel - not evaluate the Gospel against the candidate.
the latter being the way of a party affiliation...imho

Which would make it untenable for Mormons to vote for a proven liar?
Romney's screwed if the members decide you are right.

Which side of the political fence was God on during World War Two?
Churchill or Hitler

Which side of the political fence was God on during the Vietnam conflict?
North Vietnam or South Vietnam

Drifting wrote:Which side of the political fence was God on during World War Two?

Which side of the political fence was God on during the Vietnam conflict?

Excellent questions, since we have heard what happens to fence sitters.