Jesus, in the Bible, tells us, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." (Mark 2:27). Similarly, it could be said in the realm of politics: parties are made for man, and not man for the parties.
This year, the nomination of Donald Trump presents an interesting conundrum to many of my fellow Mormons and other conservative Christians. This block of voters tends to vote Republican, but what does one do when the chosen candidate seems so much against their deeply held beliefs? Some are choosing to hold their noses and vote for Trump, because "well ... he is the Republican nominee, so I need to support him."
That last statement gives me pause, and causes me to wonder: where does that even come from? Why do so many of us believe in that unwritten rule: I'm a Republican, so I need to vote Republican no matter what? Why do many act as if it's a betrayal if you ever vote outside of the party?
The answer is simple: because we allow ourselves to have our chosen parties dictate what we believe (that is, man is made for the party). Let's see if we can analyze this.
Why do political parties exist in the first place? They help to facilitate elections. (Parties are made for man.) If we didn't have parties, then many individual persons would run for president, and no one would gain the required 50.01% to win. In other words, the US Constitution practically guarantees the existence of political parties. Further, Duverger's Law shows that our constitution nearly guarantees that we can have at most two viable parties, and perhaps three in times of transition.
So, when each of us are born, there are two big parties already in existence. Most of us end up affiliating ourselves with the party that most closely matches our personal beliefs. When we register to vote, we choose a party, and then something strange happens. Many of us let the party dictate and mold our belief system. We're supposed to fall into step with every platform of the party and condemn every single platform of the opposing party.
Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, I was raised to be a Democrat. I remember back in 1976 when my father woke me up in the middle of the night to announce that my candidate Jimmy Carter had won the election, and I remember how well I slept after he had told me. Republicans were evil with their predisposition to boost up the rich at the expense of the poor.
In 1987, I went out to BYU, where a Democrat Mormon, such as me, was a novelty. For some reason, during the 1996 election, this came to a head. With the impending reelection of Clinton coming, I had the following discussion with many of my Republican friends.
R: "I don't understand how you can be a Mormon and a Democrat. Do you really believe in abortion?"
D: "I think abortion is terrible."
R: "Then you can't be a Democrat. They believe in abortions."
D: "But I can't be a Republican, since they support the rich and stomp all over poor people like you and me."
R: "I think you really need to pray about it."
Then starting in 1998, something funny happened. I became an actuary and took a series of economics courses. I watched how an insurance company operated, and my eyes were opened to how capitalism really works. I came to understand the Republican economic policies, and they made sense. I suddenly had a party that supported both my conservative beliefs as well as my newly formed economic beliefs. By 2000, the transition was complete, and I found myself voting for Bush and condemning Gore for trying to steal the election.
I then began fielding attacks on the Republican Party. I explained to many Democrat friends how the party wasn't racist, and how they actually helped poor people. Income inequality wasn't a problem, but rather evidence that the American Dream was real. Rush Limbaugh was a sincere person after all. Republicans weren't blocking Obama because he was black, and so on.
But then Donald Trump happened. Along came someone who said so many bone-headed racist and xenophobic comments that I felt that no party would support him. When it came time for the Republican Party to condemn Trump on his comments on Islam last December, the unthinkable happened. Most of the party either remained silent (for fear of disrupting the election) or fell right in line with Trump.
It opened my eyes. Trump was a candidate who seemed to legitimize racism, violence, and intolerance, and many Republicans were eating it up. I was so disillusioned, that I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want my name associated with the "Racist" Party, and I couldn't call myself a Democrat with my beliefs that their economic policies would destroy our economy.
There now exists no party that matches my belief system. I ultimately decided back in February to register as an Independent.
Then came the epiphany I share with you today. I am not a member of any party; I am a free man!
Each of us is an individual with unique beliefs. None of us should be beholden to any specific party. We should all be able to think on our own, and realize it's okay to believe in some platform points of one party and other platform points of another party. None of us signed a pledge saying we need to support the party we signed up with, and there is absolutely no reason for any of us to choose one party over another.
I'd like to reiterate what the LDS Church announces to all the units every election cycle:
Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest. Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties.
Therefore, in this election year, we urge you to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your ideas of good government.
For years, the Church has encouraged us to think independently and choose leaders according to our conscience. There is no call to support a specific party.
In conclusion, I strongly encourage you to be your own person. If you want to believe abortion is bad AND that global warming exists, then knock yourself out. You may consider registering as an independent. In many states this would mean not being able to vote in primaries, but it may be a choice to consider for some of you. I strongly suggest against the concept of "I need to vote for the person nominated in my party." Be a free man (or woman)!
Just remember: parties are made for man, and not man for the parties.
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