Faith and politics, continued

I love public radio. I often hop in the car just in time to hear at least part of a really interesting program. Just over a week ago, we had to run to Home Depot (we've unfortunately had to go there 5+ times over the last few weeks). RadioWest was on broadcasting a panel on politics and religion in Utah.

Being the mom of an active toddler, it took me until yesterday to listen to the whole hour. They discussed exactly what I speculated about back in November. I was right in that Church members used to vary more in their political beliefs before the era of Roe v. Wade.

All four panelists are LDS- two Democrats and two Republicans. I definitely recommend listening to it, but here a a few tidbits that I just can't resist discussing further. Most of these are just paraphrases of what they said.

Neither is perfect. Maybe the answer is that LDS people aught to be fierce moderates.
-Quinn Monson

While I'm pretty sure I lean firmly to the left, I honestly think that a church of mostly moderates would be a very good thing. I definitely do not like the favor the tea party seems to be receiving here.

I'm so grateful for good Democrats in the church. I think the church's missionary effort is enhanced by the church being perceived as a big tent, which it is. I'm glad that my Democrat colleagues didn't get the memo on agency (chuckling), that they didn't read the scripture about the idea that we are to act and not be acted upon. In their bleeding heart liberalism, they want to take care of people rather than enabling people to suffer the consequences of their actions.
-Howard Stephenson

Seriously? He's happy there are LDS Democrats only because it's good for the missionary effort? And then he follows that with a back-handed insult?

You can't read the BoM without getting pounded about the equality of everything. The book is unambiguous about our responsibility to the poor.
- BYU business school faculty member Kim Smith

If this was really said by a BYU faculty member, I love it! Someone quoted him/her, though, so I can't be 100% sure of its truthfulness.

It is a myth that we get to sit on our rear ends for 30 years at the end of our life. God intended us to work by the sweat of our brows til the end of our days. We are not entitled to let someone else's work help us.
-Holly Richardson

I just can't believe she said this. "Working" by going on a couples mission or two doesn't equate to working until the day you die in order to survive. And seriously, she thinks no one else's work has helped her? She's a former lawmaker who is now a political blogger and a campaign manager, so she owes major gratitude to the women before her that helped make her dreams to be involved in politics possible.

We are the church of Jesus Christ. We minister to all people. That's a profound statement to me.
-Carol Spackman Moss on the church's reaction to the immigration raid in Logan

Yes!

It doesn't have to be socialism or no government.
-Ben McAdams

Yes!

I'd have real struggles with someone being worthy and believing in choice.
-Holly Richardson

After this, someone brought up the idea of being against something personally but not against it by policy. I wish she could understand that.

I got the feeling that what I hoped wasn't the case in that other post is the case, at least for the two Republicans they chose for the panel. Social welfare programs are a deciding factor in their Republican beliefs, the same as abortion and gay rights. Disappointing.