As Trump and Harris mobilize religious voters, leaders of the LDS Church urge decorum

Salt Lake City, Utah – In an effort to win over members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in western swing states, both presidential campaigns have increased their efforts. On Saturday, a senior church leader advised members to “avoid what is harsh and hateful” during election season.

One month before the Nov. 5 election, members of the faith’s twice-annual general conference were urged by senior adviser and probable successor to 100-year-old church president Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, to avoid conflict and be peacemakers in their communities.

He said this to a room full of 18,000 churchgoers in Salt Lake City, as well as thousands more watching on a live stream: “The devil is the father of contention, which can stir up anger and stall important policy changes.”

“Let us qualify for his blessings by utilizing the language and methods of peacemakers as we seek our chosen policies in public actions,” stated Oaks, the second-highest ranking member of the religion commonly referred to as the Mormon church.

The leaders of this faith make an effort to stay apolitical. However, they occasionally offer broad counsel regarding how members ought to go about important elections. Of the faith’s 17 million followers worldwide, about 7 million reside in the US, with a large number of them in the swing states of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho.

Although Latter-day Saints have consistently supported Republicans in elections for many years, many of them have only reluctantly supported Donald Trump since his initial bid for the presidency.

Some churchgoers claim that the former president’s disparaging remarks directed at women, foreigners, and refugees go against their basic beliefs of compassion, humility, and honesty. Concerns over his felony convictions and attempts to sabotage the 2020 presidential election have been expressed by others.

Kamala Harris, the vice president, wants to take advantage of her opponent’s failure to secure the support of Latter-day Saints. Last month, her campaign organized outreach initiatives and recruited well-known religious figures to persuade voters in battleground Arizona—a state with over 450,000 church members—that Trump does not adhere to the principles of the church.

At his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, Trump has also gathered powerful clergy representatives to support his argument to swing voters that he will better defend their religious freedoms.

It’s doubtful that Harris will be able to secure the support of most Latter-day Saints. But in Arizona and Nevada, where there are more than 180,000 Latter-day Saints, she might tip the odds by keeping Trump from winning by wide margins among a crucial group.

Making her abortion policy acceptable to adherents of a faith that has, with some exceptions, traditionally condemned the practice is one of Harris’s biggest obstacles.

It is a matter of contention for Marilou Idos, a conferencegoer from Herriman, Utah, who stated that although she dislikes Trump’s brazen demeanor, she intends to vote for him since he is against increasing access to abortion. She appreciates Trump’s backing of Israel as well.

Idos, 70, remarked, “He’s the lesser of two evils.” “Trump supports the fundamental values that we hold dear. The right to practice one’s religion and abortion are sort of the two big ones.

Along with its prohibitions against alcohol, coffee, gambling, and same-sex partnerships, the faith is well-known for its belief in eternal families and close-knit congregations.

Sammy Price, 38, of Las Vegas stated that he is inclined to vote for Harris because he believes her unifying message is what the country needs.

“I don’t think I can stand by Trump because he makes people feel bad about who they are and insults them,” the man remarked.

Voters indecisive Just prior to the conference, Jenna Winkel, 22, and her husband Ben Winkel, 24, expressed their desire that church leaders would refrain from discussing politics.

The Draper, Utah, couple stated that different political perspectives are welcome inside the Latter-day Saints denomination. Ben said that his religion influences his politics, despite Jenna’s claim that it doesn’t actually, but he still wants to conduct additional research.

The most crucial aspect of any general conference message, according to Jenna, is that it should be general. After that, we should analyze them and possibly apply them to our own lives and politics. “People will apply what they learn from them to what they need to hear in their lives.”