I don’t usual post on political topics (I think this site should be a politically neutral place to discuss ancient and modern religious ideas), but I thought this piece was interesting.

A recent Gallup poll concluded that Mormons (Latter-day Saints) are the most conservative major religious group in the U.S.

The study showed that 6 out of every 10 Mormons describe themselves as politically conservative.  That’s 59% of Mormons compared to 46% of Protestants/Other Christian, 39% of Catholics, 20% of Jewish, and 23% of Muslims that would describe themselves as politically conservative.

Another interesting find is that Mormons’ tendencies towards conservative thinking is not changed by geography (they tend to be almost equally conservative whether in Utah or in other states), but it is changed by religious activity (65% of “active” Mormons being conservative while only 36% of “lapsed” Mormons identifying themselves as such).

Mormons are not only the most conservative major religious group, but also the most Republican.

You can see the whole study here:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/125021/Mormons-Conservative-Major-Religious-Group.aspx

In other related news, a well-known LDS blog (www.timesandseasons.com) has named Harry Reid (Active Mormon, but not conservative nor Republican) as Mormon of the Year for 2009! Now that’s just more than a wee bit ironic! Go figure…

For more on this, see: http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2010/01/times-and-seasons-2009-mormon-of-the-year-harry-reid/

Also, see the Salt Lake Tribune’s take on it: http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_14166894