Perspective: Politically homeless, but at home in the gospel

Feeling politically homeless is uncomfortable. Recently, increased political polarization has left many of us wondering where we belong.
After my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I found myself living in the capital city of a swing state during a presidential election. National candidates visited local sites to convince voters to support their causes. For the first time, I felt like my vote mattered. I recognized the responsibility of actively listening and researching as I made the decision of which candidates I would support.
What I found surprised me: I didn’t always feel the need to vote along party lines, because honest and ethical candidates were not exclusive to one party.
That realization was a bit startling. I had lived much of my life believing that those not of my party were not only wrong, but evil, intent on destroying the things I held dear. Instead, I observed many people on both sides who were courageously standing up to fight for what they believed would create a better world.
Likewise, on both sides, I saw candidates who seemed willing to change their values and stances based on donations or support that could further their ambitions.
With this discovery, I found myself voting for candidates from both major parties. It felt freeing not to be tethered to any particular group. But at the same time, our country was becoming even more divided, and party lines were being drawn more deeply than ever. Either you were a part of “the team” or “against democracy.”
However, I didn’t feel like either group held all of the answers to economic, social, political or value-based issues. And so, I continued to float — politically homeless even as many others around me seemed to circle their wagons and shoot verbal arrows at anyone who voiced opinions different from their own.
This was sometimes challenging within my church family. These were the people that I worshipped with. We prayed and sang and committed to being better human beings together. Their thoughtful faith and selfless service were examples to me. And yet, when it came to politics, it was almost as if blinders prevented some of my fellow worshippers from seeing flaws in their own political side or goodness in opposing viewpoints.
When others of my faith assume that we have similar political beliefs, I am often silent or nod quietly, unsure of how to respond. Sometimes when I have tried to share my honest thoughts about issues, I have felt dismissed, as if my views were so obviously wrong that they didn’t deserve further discussion.
I often don’t explain my personal views because I worry that my moderate beliefs will be seen as “radical” or that others will misjudge me as “falling away” from my faith. This self-censorship sometimes makes it difficult to engage authentically with people I love and respect.
These kinds of real and imagined political barricades within our congregations can lead those who see themselves as outside the norm to remain silent, perpetuating the narrative that everyone holds the same views about what is best for the country. This collective illusion may also stifle conversations that would allow for new insights and increased understanding from differing perspectives.
Recently, when teaching a Sunday lesson, I mentioned in passing that varied political beliefs are acceptable within the church. Afterwards, a relieved woman shared that she had begun to doubt her place in the church because her political views were different from those around her. It was spiritually and emotionally essential for her to realize that she could share spiritual beliefs while holding different political ideals than some members of her faith.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaders have been clear that there is no one chosen party. The official policy states, “The Church is neutral regarding political parties, political platforms, and candidates for political office. The Church does not endorse any political party or candidate. Nor does it advise members how to vote.”
In fact, in a 2023 letter to Latter-day Saint congregations in the United States, church leaders encouraged members to research candidates instead of voting along party lines: “Members should also study candidates carefully and vote for those who have demonstrated integrity, compassion, and service to others, regardless of party affiliation.”
The letter continued, “Merely voting a straight ticket or voting based on ‘tradition’ without careful study of candidates and their positions on important issues is a threat to democracy and inconsistent with revealed standards.”
Following this counsel, I try to ask myself these questions when choosing whom to support: “Are they ethical? Are they trying to bring people together? Are they working peacefully with a determination to better the world?”
We can have faith communities with robust variety along the political spectrum. No one should feel like they don’t belong at church because they don’t belong to a specific political ideology. Regardless of political differences, we can create sanctuaries of acceptance among those who wish to worship alongside one another.
I continue to remain politically homeless, but I will always have a home among my fellow saints — a group of imperfect humans striving to lift each other as we struggle and rejoice together.
My hope is that our faith communities can be places where no one feels estranged, regardless of how we vote. If we actively seek to understand and respect different viewpoints, political tensions won’t divide our congregations.
Brooke Beazer works for a nonpartisan policy institute and is a member of multiple grassroots community organizations that are seeking to bridge political divides and promote civil discourse.