LETTER: Mormons must be liberals

Editor,

I’m surprised to hear someone say that Mormons can’t be liberals. In my mind, it’s exactly the other way around: Mormons must be liberals. It’s part of our theology. Part of the problem might be the definition of liberal. Liberal in what? I don’t equate the term with “sin” or “Godlessness,” and I’m pretty sure there are atheists in both major political parties. I believe that being liberal means several important things that Latter-day Saints can easily find in their theology: caring for the poor, minimizing class distinctions, being good stewards of the land, not initiating war with other nations, etc.

On the other hand, it is unfortunate that political parties and terms like “liberal” and “conservative” exist. It makes it too easy to say “I’m a Republican, since Republicans believe [insert favorite conservative topic here].” Terms like “liberal” and “conservative” are used the same way. While it makes voting easy (ex: “Democratic ticket, please”), people don’t seem to spend as much time analyzing the issues at stake as they otherwise might. There are good and bad things associated with each party, and within the “liberal” and “conservative” worldviews. Sure, it’s easy to pick a “pet” issue such as abortion, see where each party stands on that issue, and join that party for life, but there’s a lot more going on in the world. If the labels disappeared, and we didn’t feel like we had to be part of a political group, it might be easier to take the issues at face value and vote for what we truly feel to be right, rather than taking the bad with the good when we choose a political party or a rhetorical title.

Jesse Walker