Mormon Opinions on Divorce and Marriage, Pew Poll Shows

Mormon Opinions on Divorce and Marriage, Pew Poll Shows

It seems that one of the greatest challenges that Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) face today is public opinion surrounding the historical but long-discontinued practice of polygamy. Those who oppose the LDS Church use this topic as often as they can to try and paint the church and its members as anything but good people. The reality is, when there is a genuine interest to understand and learn about the history of polygamy, a better assessment can be made about Mormons and what they believe. The Deseret News has finished up their five part series on the recent Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life, ‘Mormons in Ameria’ survey results, which were recently released. In this their final article, “Mormons say Polygamy Morally Wrong, Pew Poll Shows,” not only is polygamy addressed, so are some other very sensitive and important topics.

Mormon recreationIf there is one thing that many can agree on it is that Mormons seem to be clean-cut, innocent people with very high moral standards. We saw this  most recently on the past season of NBC’s “The Sing Off” when the BYU acapella group Vocal Point displayed their amazing talent for the world to see. During the comments from the judges, there was often reference to “clean-cut”, “pure”, “innocent” and “warming.” So there seems to be one fairly strong opinion about Mormons. However, there are also other opinions that may not cast the LDS faith in the best light. When discussions about polygamy, morality and homosexuality are brought to the forefront, it seems that negativity and misperceptions abound. (more…)

Reflections on the 2012 Pew Study, “Mormons in America” – Mormons’ Immigration Attitudes Set Them Apart

Reflections on the 2012 Pew Study, “Mormons in America” – Mormons’ Immigration Attitudes Set Them Apart

 

There should be no real surprise to find out that the majority of those who identify themselves as Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are politically and morally conservative. After all, they are a religion that teaches things like not to drink coffee or tea, not to smoke, not to date until you are at least the age of 16, that every life counts and that families can be together forever. The recent Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life, ‘Mormons in America’ survey results were recently released, and the Deseret News has put together a five part series looking at different aspects of this research. In this their fourth piece called, “Mormons’ immigration attitudes set them apart,” we find out some of the areas where Mormons are seen as  questioning, challenging or supportive in response to the current political cycle.

Mormons and Immigration PewThe article begins by stating, “U.S. Mormons are more conservative (66 percent) compared to the general public (37 percent), and on most issues, they closely track white evangelicals. But immigration is one issue that sets Mormons apart from their evangelical counterparts.” There is some very good information presented and the Desert News presents this hot topic in a way that can help all readers get a clearer picture about what Mormons believe concerning immigration. (more…)

Reflections on the 2012 Pew Forum Study – Mormons in America – Marriage and Family

Reflections on the 2012 Pew Forum Study – Mormons in America – Marriage and Family

We have all heard the statement “proof is in the pudding.” In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life, ‘Mormons in America,’ many great topics were addressed and a better understanding gained of what Mormons think about those topics. The Deseret News has taken a look at this research and has created a five part series discussing different aspects of the survey. In their piece “New Pew survey reinforces Mormon’s top goals of family, marriage” they take a deeper dive into the findings surrounding these critical beliefs of those who are Mormon.

Mormon family Pew studyThe article references a very important statistic that was found through the Pew survey, “81 percent of Mormons say being a good parent is ‘one of the most important things in life.’” I guess from one perspective you could ask the question, based on what Mormons are taught about the role and importance of families, why this number is not 100%… but 81 is a good number. There are probably a number of reasons that number is not higher which may lead to some good follow-up research. (more…)

Mormons Say Polygamy Morally Wrong

Mormons Say Polygamy Morally Wrong

By Amy Choate-Nielsen

Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST

David Letterman knows how to get a laugh.Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?”
Mormons say polygamy wrongLaughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life. (more…)

Mormon Beliefs and Attitudes on Immigration

Mormon Beliefs and Attitudes on Immigration

A recent The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted an in-depth survey of Mormons in the United States. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fourth article in a series that appears in Deseret News is evaluating the results of this survey and providing context for the results.

Immigration is a controversial topic in the United States. The survey asked one question on this topic. They were asked which of two statements most closely matched their view, even if they didn’t completely agree. They were asked whether immigrants strengthen or burden the nation. No distinction was made between legal and illegal immigration, leaving those polled to decide for themselves what the question meant.

Mormon Immigration views from Pew StudyIn the general U.S. population, 45 percent of Americans feel that immigrants strengthen the country, while 44 percent burden it. 12 percent feel that neither or both are true or they have no opinion on the subject. Mormon views closely mirror these statistics. 45 percent of Mormons also believe immigrants strengthen the nation, although a smaller number, 41 percent, consider them a burden on society. The number of Mormons who accept both or neither or who have no opinion is higher, at 14 percent.

These numbers put them at odds with evangelical Christians, one of the few political areas in which they disagree. Within the white evangelical population, 59 percent believe immigrants are a burden, and 27 percent believe they strengthen the country. Like Mormons, 14 percent answered both, neither, or no opinion. (more…)

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