The betrayal of a Party

I sent a shortened version of this blog to the Daily Universe, the BYU student newspaper. If it gets published, I’ll put a link up. This is something that’s been on my mind for several months now, and in speaking to some friends, I’m not the only one feeling this way. I’ve been a life-long, straight-ticket voting Republican. I’ve dismissed past criticisms that the Republican party is bigoted and racist as vicious attacks by political adversaries. And then Mitt Romney came along. If you were to change nothing on his resume, with the exception of his religion, he would likely be the Republican nominee for president today. If Mitt, with his stellar reputation for superb leadership and change, were a protestant, or even better, a Southern baptist, he could have won the nomination in a landslide. But he’s not. He’s a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or as many know us, a Mormon. You think Mike Huckabee would have even entered the race if Mitt were a good-ol Southern baptist? Doubtful. Because of his religion, the Republican party has declared that Mitt is not fit to lead this nation. With all of the strides the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has made recently in being more understood and accepted as a mainstream religion, there is still a long way to go. Calling the Republican party as a whole bigoted and racist is stereotypical and unfair, as I know many party members who are not, but the actions observed during this primary season speak louder than any press release. I hope that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints across this nation will step back and re-evaluate their blind allegiance to the party which was declared that Mormons are second-class citizens because of their faith. Does this mean I’m now voting Democrat? I don’t know. I still can barely stomach the thought. It’s humbling to be reminded of the persecution that our ancestors faced and see that in many areas of this country, it’s still alive and well. It’s sad that in this land of supposed tolerance that someone can be denied the highest echelons of politics because of religion, but the stark reality of the situation is clear, and magnified in the Republican party. You think Harry Reid has been held back as a Democrat because of his religious beliefs? I dare say that any persecution Sen. Reid has faced has come from members of the church who are Republicans in some form of, “How dare you be a practicing Mormon and a high-profile Democrat. That borders of blasphemy.” To me this way of thinking is absurd. So, why are many Mormon’s Republican? I’ve heard many answers, but the two most common are attributes Mormon’s hold dear - family values and fiscal responsibility (both personal and national). Well, as evidenced by the growing deficit, the Republican party can’t be counted on anymore to be small-government or even fiscally responsible. If you’re going to cut taxes, then cut spending. Anyone with any training in accounting (or 4th grade math) can tell you that if you don’t have as much coming in, you can’t spend as much. So, how about family values? By this I mean supporting laws that uphold and strengthen the traditional family unit and opposing laws that attempt to undermine and negate the positive impact of a two-parent, husband-wife (male-female) led household. I feel these traditions and beliefs are vital to the success of our nation, but like all religious beliefs, are best taught in the home and church with little or no government involvement. Getting the government involved brings the ability to legislate religious beliefs, which I feel is fundamentally dangerous. Yes, it’s all well and good when a religious belief you hold is one that is being legislated, but what happens when it’s not something that you believe in and a law is about to be passed forcing you to comply with or abstain from something you don’t believe in? For example, many Mormons will agree with a law defining marriage as a union only between a man and a woman, but what about a law that forces all secret/sacred societies and rituals to be exposed and allow unfettered access to anyone? How would Mormons feel about that violation of religious freedom? Some feel that the “family values” type legislation violates their personal beliefs and freedom in a similar fashion. Legislation of religious beliefs can become a slippery slope that leads away from freedom and towards intolerance, not unlike a society that mirrors one the pilgrims had to leave hundreds of years ago in search of religious freedom and tolerance that played a major role in the founding of this nation. In summary, I’m at a political crossroads. In one sense, I’m very apathetic towards the whole process in general, but I’m also feeling betrayed and am not sure where to turn.