Introduction

The church's involvement in politics shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us, nor is it anything new. Joseph smith and the saints learned first hand that politics directly affected their ability to live their religion when they were driven unlawfully from their homes in independence. Some would like to separate politics completely from religion because there are somewhat different entities but you often can't. They may be oil and water, but they exist in the same container of life that consistently shakes them up together.