Predicting Acceptance of Mormons as Christians by Religion and Party Identity

Smith, David T.

doi:10.1093/poq/nfw022

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…According to CDT, people experience anxiety or "dissonance" when they are forced to navigate conflicting beliefs that they hold. The theory examines competing and often contrasting views people hold on various issues (Anderton, 2011;Bolstad, 2013;Burns, 2006;Glatz, 2012;Gruber, 2003;McGrath, 2020;Smith, 2016;Vaidias, 2019). For instance, using CDT, Glatz (2012) explained parental reactions to adolescent children with an alcohol addiction.…”

Section: Social Identity Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bolstad (2013) investigated voting choices of the American public through the lens of this theory. More relevant to the current study, Smith (2016) researched evangelical Christian acceptance of Mormons as "Christians" despite their questionable theological beliefs; the study examined whether Christians were willing to overlook their beliefs in the theological realm (of Mormons not being full-fledged Christians) and hold their support of Romney higher for the sake of political identity and the 2012 election. The same question could be posed to evangelical Christians who supported Trump in the 2016 election.…”

Section: Social Identity Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many contemporary studies examine the awkward, tension-filled relationship religious groups have with political movements that imperfectly convey their values (e.g., Boerl, 2015;Hankins, 2008;Heltzel, 2009;Medhurst, 2017;Reed, 2019;Ribuffo, 2006;Salek, 2014;Smith, 2016;Williams, 2018). Some scholars examined the unique tensions faced by evangelical Christians in the political realm.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some scholars examined the unique tensions faced by evangelical Christians in the political realm. For instance, Smith (2016) examined how evangelical Christians wrestled with Mitt Romney (a devout Mormon) as a political candidate in the 2012 election. Many evangelicals overlooked their personal disdain for Mormon principles if they prioritized political conservatism.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Navigating Evangelical Political Identity in the Era of Donald Trump

Comer

Jacobi

2021

AM J QUALITATIVE RES

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Evangelical Christians have always had a complex relationship with political issues in the United States, especially with the rise of the Christian right in the 1980s. Since 2017 the Trump presidency has amplified that complexity, presenting a new set of issues for consideration. With Festinger's (1957) Cognitive Dissonance theory and Tajfel's (1981) Social Identity theory as the foundation, this study examines how evangelical Christian pastors conceptualize their religious and political identities, and how they communicate with their congregants about political issues. Pastors act as crucial gatekeepers within their faith communities so they provide crucial insight into the evangelical community. Six pastors from a mid-sized, Midwestern university town were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Findings indicate pastors hold non-negotiable beliefs, distance themselves from political connotations of evangelicalism, and explain political values with religious values. When communicating with congregants, they reconcile competing values and respect differences but indicate their desire to follow God's convictions.

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Section: Social Identity Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Social Identity Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Navigating Evangelical Political Identity in the Era of Donald Trump

Comer

Jacobi

2021

AM J QUALITATIVE RES

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“…Mormonism is often viewed as a heretical cult rather than a Christian sect (Harrison, 2015). Further, Smith (2016) argued that those who identify more strongly with the mainstream of Christianity are less likely to view Mormons as Christians. When the religion is not being portrayed as heretical, it is depicted as a…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

From Ideology to Ideologue: How the Mormon Church Utilizes the Ideograph to Interpellate Identity

Ewers¹

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As I approach this project, I reflect on my own religious identity. In particular, I reflect on my experience as my sense of religious identity evolved as I shifted from Evangelical Christianity to Christian Universalism. As I made the shift (I resist the term "convert" because Christian Universalism still recognizes, grew out of, and still is a form of Christianity), I felt the pressure from Evangelical Christians and the church through various media to maintain an Evangelical Christian identity as I drifted further from it. These were, as I would describe them, efforts to dictate my religious identity. This led me to consider how a religion might convey a preferred identity to members, especially when the religion seemed to be under threat as my own identity was. To conduct the research in this thesis, I have chosen one specific religion in this thesis: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church. The choice to study the Mormon religion is personal for me. At the same time my religious identity was shifting, my political identity was as well. The first U.S. election I was able to vote in was the 2012 General Election. Having been raised in a Republican, moderate home, I had not yet formed my own progressive views. As I debated whether I would vote for President Barack Obama or former Massachusetts Governor and Mormon Mitt Romney, I had to confront what Evangelical Christianity always taught me: Mormons were heretics. Confronting what I had always been taught was difficult and deciding that what I had been taught throughout my childhood was wrong was when I first became aware of how intertwined an Evangelical identity was with my own worldview.

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Respect or Transgression of Norms in the Context of Religious Diversity: The Example of the Mormons in France

Bacouel

Jentjens

2022

Managing Social Robotics and Socio-Cultural Business Norms

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Predicting Acceptance of Mormons as Christians by Religion and Party Identity

Cited by 3 publications

References 18 publications

Navigating Evangelical Political Identity in the Era of Donald Trump

Navigating Evangelical Political Identity in the Era of Donald Trump

From Ideology to Ideologue: How the Mormon Church Utilizes the Ideograph to Interpellate Identity

Respect or Transgression of Norms in the Context of Religious Diversity: The Example of the Mormons in France

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