Mormons: What do they think about their life in America?

Americans may think of the soaring towers of the Salt Lake Temple as the signature architecture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the 21,000-seat Conference Center in Salt Lake City is a head-turning landmark as well. Completed in 2000, the center is reportedly the largest theater-style auditorium ever built. It’s now a popular venue for hearing the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, backed up by the church’s massive pipe organ.Mitt Romney’s bid for a presidential nomination is a visible element of what has been called the “Mormon moment” in America: the rising prominence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in national politics, media, and the arts, as well as the portrayal of Mormons on Broadway and television. This prompted the Pew Research Center to sponsor a survey of American Mormons, focusing on what Mormons say about themselves and their perceptions of what other Americans think of them.

Here are some key findings from Pew’s survey: Almost two-thirds of Mormons (62%) say other Americans know nothing or only little about their church. About half Mormons (46%) say that there’s a lot of discrimination against them. And, more than two-thirds of Mormons (68%) say that other Americans don’t think of Mormonism as part of mainstream American society.

However, more than six of ten (63%) believe that the acceptance of their church is rising in America. And, a clear majority (56%) of Mormons feels that the U.S. is ready for a Mormon president.

Earlier on OurValues.org, I predicted that Mitt Romney will be Obama’s opponent in November. I called a Romney-Obama contest the matchup of the century and, no matter who wins, a political and moral watershed in American politics and society. This matchup is one of the top five values-related topics that I predicted will dominant the media, public discourse, and dinner-table conversations this year.

For now, what do you think of the findings I presented today?

If you are a member of the LDS church, tell us what you think.

Do the survey findings repesent YOUR views?

If you are not part of the LDS church, does the survey reflect your attitudes?

Each day this week on OurValues.org, I’ll introduce new findings from the Pew survey. Mormons in America was also the topic of yesterday’s in-person dialog in the small-group session I am leading on Civil Discourse. In a sense, we’re continuing our small-group dialog by expanding it to the online OurValues.org community. (Read about our kickoff of this in-person effort in last week’s column.)

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Originally published at www.OurValues.org, an online experiment in civil dialogue.

Comments

[Greg Geiger]

I agree that most Americans know little about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When I first joined the Church, many of my friends asked me if I would have to give up my car and wear black clothes (confusing Mormons, I suppose with the Amish). Mormons understand that they have a unique religious perspective -- that is why they are Mormons, and why their faith is meaningful in their daily lives (as the Pew study accurately reports). We don't expect everyone to agree with our viewpoint, but we do wish to be known for the faith we actually hold, not for the tired stereotypes and media hearsay that seem to attend every dsicussion of the LDS Church. If you want to know about Mormons, find one and ask them. I'm pretty sure they will be willing to answer any questions you may have.

[Karin Dains]

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I believe that two problems we face are ignorance and fear. Perhaps we have not been vocal enough in expressing the important aspects of our faith in terms that are easily understood. We love our families, we love our Heavenly Father, we believe in the absolute sanctity of the marriage relationship, we believe in doing good and in loving our brothers and sisters of other faiths regardless of our differences. I associate with people who are Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, and members of all Protestant faiths. Rather than focusing on our differences, we have learned that we have very similar goals in life and that truly we are more alike than different. By educating one another, we have learned not to be afraid of one another but, rather, to embrace and appreciate the differences that do exist. We help each other by serving in the community. I would not give up these relationships for anything in the world and appreciate both these people's willingness to educate me and their willingness to be taught in return.