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Yet again, LDS church unduly
influences Utah's laws
By Seth
Bracken
October 6, 2008 | The Utah Legislature is reconsidering
the alcohol laws that require a cover charge in private
clubs, after a press release from The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints gave ambiguous support for
liquor law reform. The suggestion to change the laws
was first made by Gov. Jon Huntsman, but it wasn't until
the church gave its support that the Legislature would
take into consideration the alcohol regulations.
To deny or at least not pay attention to the suggestion
of the governor and quickly obey every thought and mention
that the LDS church puts forth, yet again illustrates
that our political system is ridiculously influenced
by the church.
It is simply the way the political machine is run
here. The new liquor law goes right along the lines
of mentioning church positions on local radio shows
to show to everyone that the candidate is a "worthy"
member of the church, and other shallow attempts that
politicians and candidates routinely make in Utah in
order to appeal to the Mormon vote. The citizens themselves
are to blame for allowing the government and voting
process in Utah become so church influenced that the
very issues have been skewed.
Nationally and locally, candidates take advantage
of religious background and culture to get elected.
The Republicans do a particularly good job at portraying
themselves as the moral party, and Utahns unequivocally
accept the Republican party as the morally correct party
as an item of culture and habit. Many Mormon Democrats
don't want their church making political decisions.
They are members of the church out of their own will,
and with questions of moral issues, they will look to
our church for guidance. That does not mean that they
want their church's moral stances to be enacted on others
and they do not want their church to be a governing
influence in their state.
The moral and value stance of a candidate is the driving
force in Utah politics and the conservative base is
often mobilized to stop gay marriage and eradicate abortions.
However often other moral issues are completely ignored,
such as health care for children whose parents can't
afford it, or top business CEOs making millions of dollars
while the general populace scrambles for the little
it can get in order to survive, or the misuse of the
planet through pollution and wars that kill hundreds
of thousands of people. Gay marriage and abortion have
become the top moral issues while many others are just
swept under the rug and ignored.
While claiming the moral high ground, Utah politics
is unfairly influenced by the church and the political
system is rapidly losing its autonomy.
NW
MS |
