Democracy for Utah - Bridging the Religious Divide

Sen. Harry Reid: Right-wing LDS leaders have taken members down 'the wrong path'

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:33:21 -0600

Reid said Ezra Taft Benson, active in very conservative politics before he became a president of the LDS Church, and Ernest L. Wilkinson, the president of BYU from 1951–71, were among past church leaders "who were very right-wing people politically."

"Members of the church are obedient," Reid said, "they are followers in the truest sense of the word, and I think they've taken members of the church down a path that is the wrong path. Look at Joseph Smith. Here's a man who was progressive, to say the least. He broke from the pack. He did things differently than they'd been done. He was against slavery. He wanted to start a national bank.

"I think people in the church have to understand there are issues more important than abortion and gay marriage."

Also see coverage in the Tribune.

Anti-Cheney protest at BYU a success

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 13:18:09 -0600

Congratulations to the BYU College Democrats for holding an energized and effective protest rally on Wednesday. The YDems wisely chose to follow one of Maha's Rules of Protesting: Rule #5, which, paraphrased, is, "You don't win support by being jerks. You win support by showing the world that your opponents are jerks."

Chris at the YDems blog says:

The Cheney protest was a HUGE success. There were about 300 people at the BYU Democrats' sit-in, and only about 35–50 at the Republican "Thank-you Cheney Party."

Members of the press were everywhere and I overheard several of them saying how amazed they were that we were being so civil. [...]

Several people came up to us and asked questions, like "What's waterboarding?" or "What does Dick Cheney have to do with Habeas Corpus?" Others sat down next to us and tried to understand why we are protesting. Overall, I think the protest was a great success and the one on Apr. 26 should be even better.

More coverage:

Quiet rallies at BYU (Daily Herald)
Y. rally quite tame (Deseret News)
Hundreds gather on campus to protest or support Cheney's BYU visit (Salt Lake Tribune)

Democrats to talk about religious values: helping the poor, environment

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:46:45 -0700

USAToday:

Many Democrats talked openly during the fall campaign about their faith and how it influenced their policy positions in an overt attempt to counter the power of the religious right.

Now that they have won control of Congress, people can expect next year to see a new set of issues being presented with a religious spin.

Restricting gay marriage and promoting prayer in schools as "values" issues are likely to be replaced by helping the poor and protecting the environment. [...]

[Rep. Lincoln] Davis [Tenn.], who is anti-abortion, is proposing a package of social programs to support pregnant women, particularly poor women, as a way to cut the number of abortions. He also believes issues such as the minimum wage should be viewed in religious or moral terms and used by anti-abortion groups to judge a member's commitment to reducing abortions.

Meet the new evangelicals

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 10:41:29 -0600

An interesting article, but I couldn't help but notice that the author studiously avoids calling these religious folks "liberals", even though they're concerned about the environment and social justice (Tribune):

Perhaps the most significant change is coming from the rank and file, which until recently has been the most reliable constituency in the GOP coalition. In a farewell interview with Christianity Today, former White House speechwriter Michael Gerson, an evangelical Christian, emphasized this point: "I think there are lots and lots of young people, in their 20s to 40s, who are very impatient with older models of social engagement like those used by the religious right. They understand the importance of life issues and the family issues, but they know the concern for justice has to be broader and global. At least a good portion of the evangelical movement is looking for leaders who have a broader conception of social justice." [...]

"Do you know that evangelical leaders are telling us that global warming will produce even more devastating floods and disasters and disease on Earth?" Hunter asks viewers in the 30-second spot. "As Christians, our faith in Jesus Christ compels us to love our neighbors and to be stewards of God's creation. The good news is that with God's help, we can stop global warming, for our kids, for our world and for our Lord."

Religion taking a left turn?

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 11:49:26 -0600

CBS News:

"Jesus called us to love our neighbor, love our enemy, care for the poor, care for the outcast, and that's really the moral core of where we think the nation ought to go," Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches told CBS News correspondent Russ Mitchell.

The National Council of Churches represents about 50 million Christians in America — the majority of them mainline Protestants.

"Jesus never said one word about homosexuality, never said one word about civil marriage or abortion," Edgar said.

He calls this movement the "center-left" — and it's seeking the same political muscle as the conservative Christians, a group with a strong power base in the huge Evangelical churches of the South.

"Why Most Utahns are Democrats (but just don't know it yet)"

Tue, 16 May 2006 10:20:58 -0600

Steve Olsen is the Democratic candidate for Utah's U.S. congressional seat currently occupied by Rob Bishop. His pamphlet titled "Why Most Utahns Are Democrats (but just don't know it yet)" is the most compelling and provocative argument I've read that Utah can become--if it isn't already--a bluer state.

Sensitive, conciliatory without being wishy-washy about what Democrats stand for (and can stand for), this pamphlet is possibly the one best hope we Democrats have of winning converts in the Beehive State.

Definition of "Evangelical"

Mon, 08 May 2006 19:51:13 -0600

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of conservative Christianity, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, Protestant people, churches and social movements have often been called evangelical in contrast to Protestant liberalism.

I couldn't resist...

Sun, 07 May 2006 18:47:11 -0600

Religious Affiliation Year 2000 (Harris poll)

Top Ten Largest Religious Bodies in the United States
1. (Figures reflect U.S. membership only. A few of these religious bodies have significant numbers of members in other countries as well.)
Rank Religious Body Year Membership
1 Catholic Church 2002 66,407,105
2 Southern Baptist Convention2003 16,400,000
3 United Methodist Church 2002 8,251,042

A White Woman of Color/Bigotry in Utah

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 15:19:45 -0600

It happened again, twice in one month, this must be a record. Bigotry in my face. I'm Caucasian, right? Not according to the White Supremicists in Idaho and other places in our country. You can't tell I am a minority by looking at the color of my skin. But I am a minority, subject to bigotry, ignorance and plain stupidity.

I was in the Smith's store on 33rd South. I went there to buy my Passover food; the local Chabad Rabbi, Bennie Zippel has arranged to have Kosher food and Passover food at this store. Whoo HOOO! We made it! On the same aisle as the Mexican and Latino food. Down the aisle as the Asian food! {My family is hosting the 1st night Seder at our house this year. This is to celebrate Passover, the exodus from Egypt. For those D4U members who don't know, I'd be glad to explain more. Just think of the painting of the Last Supper, that's a seder.}

Democrats to focus on abortion prevention

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 10:41:02 -0600

The Hill:

The Senate Democratic leadership says it has found a wedge issue to strengthen the party's position on abortion rights, which top strategists think has become a liability in recent years.

The wedge is legislation expanding access to contraceptives and sex education, which polls show a majority of Americans support but which Democrats are betting will be difficult for social conservatives in the Republican base to accept. [...]

Celinda Lake, a pollster with Lake Snell Perry Mermin and Associates, working for NARAL, has tested voter support for Reid's Prevention First Act.

"It's 3-to-1 in favor of it. Even pro-life voters support it," Lake said. "It has the potential to be both a wedge and a turnout issue post-Alito. It shows how extreme a faction the Republican Party is."

State Democrats welcome political statement from LDS leadership

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 11:48:27 -0700

The state party's full response to the recent statements from the LDS church leadership (utdemocrats.org):

Salt Lake City , UT – March 16, 2006: Last Sunday, a statement from the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, read at the pulpit by bishops in LDS churches, gave Utah Democrats of the LDS faith a much-needed boost in morale.

This feeling of inclusion and acceptance is contained in just one sentence among many. "Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in the platforms of all major political parties," was the statement contained in the letter.

While leaders in the Utah Republican Party have chosen to dismiss the words of the LDS Church leadership as inconsequential and nothing to be taken seriously, LDS Democrats are holding firm to the belief that a significant step has been taken, and that discounting the church leadership is inappropriate, at best.

Statement by Utah State Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland, Jr.:

Letter by LDS leaders cheers Utah Democrats

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 10:32:58 -0700

Deseret News:

Each political season, leaders of the LDS Church send out a letter to stake leaders encouraging members to be good citizens and participate in the political process. The letter is to be read to local congregations before Tuesday. In some congregations, the letter has already been read. [...]

This year's letter reiterates that the church does not endorse any political candidate nor any political party. But the letter this year includes some language not in previous letters, a comparison with older such letters provided by the church's public information office shows.

"Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in the platforms of all major political parties. While the church does not endorse political candidates, platforms or parties, members are urged to be full participants in political, governmental and community affairs," the letter states. [...]

"The Democratic Party, like The Church of Jesus Christ, believes there is a clear responsibility for society to care for the poor, help working families in their challenges of raising children and providing a decent income for them, and reach out to those in society who are often left out," [Todd] Taylor said in a written statement.

"We hope members of the church will take this as an opportunity to find out more about the Democratic Party's principles that are closely connected with those of The Church of Jesus Christ and realize that the Democratic Party represents the same values shared by many Latter-day Saints."

D4U op-ed gets published in the Tribune

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 11:17:41 -0700

Congratulations to David Pace, whose op-ed on bridging the religious divide was printed in Sunday's Salt Lake Tribune:

My attendance at Mayor Rocky Anderson's Bridging the Religious Divide meetings over the summer and fall made it clear to me that there is a Mormon/other divide here in Utah. But more important than the wall between members of one church and non-members, I learned that the division within myself is the one I should be most concerned about. [...]

The external power discrepancies in ethnically divided Utah are real, but the crucible in which any "bridging" will take place is mostly internal. We can start by saying "us" rather than "them." Perhaps then we might see the pattern of our self- and other-hatred, choose leaders who will walk the walk and begin to address the imbalances of power that, in the end, threaten all Utahns.

David G. Pace is promotions co-chair of Democracy for Utah.

Great job, David!

Democracies must have faith ONLY in themselves

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:44:06 -0700

I actually believe that religion plays an important role in democracies. Paired with the other loci in a traditional medieval town square--the marketplace, the government, the university--the cathedral has its place as the voice of conscience, of moral, ethical and spiritual pursuits. (I use the term cathedral to mean all houses of worship) Ideally, the "cathedral" is the place of collective as well as individual reflection.

Religious Divide Implicates All

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 09:41:52 -0700

[The promotions committee, of which I am co-chair, is attempting to get D4U members to write letters and op-ed pieces about our issues. This is a draft of mine. –David]

My attendance at Mayor Rocky Anderson's Bridging the Religious Divide meetings over the summer and fall made it clear to me that there is a Mormon/other religious divide here in Utah. But more important than the divide between Mormons and non-Mormons, I learned that the divide within myself is the one I should be most concerned about.