The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is founded on the teachings of Christ. These teachings are found in His ministry on Earth in the New Testament, His given word as Jehovah in the Old Testament, His revelation and visitation to the Americas in the Book of Mormon and in His modern day revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants. He also continues to reveal his will through prophets.

To determine what we should believe we must look at Christ's teachings. What issues did He address during His ministry here on Earth? Who did He visit? Where did He go? What was His message?

Time and again He told us to care for the poor:

Deuteronomy 15:7 says: If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.

Mosiah 4:26 says: And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.

D&C 52: 40:   And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple.

 He warns us not to judge others:

Matthew 7:1: Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Romans 14:10: But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

We have been told prayer is special and not to make public displays:

3 Ne. 13: 5-6: And when thou prayest thou shalt not do as the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

We see repeatedly that Christ has asked us to help others as much as possible without casting judgement on them. Religion is a sacred and private matter. We believe everyone has the right to practice their religion. Strong values are built in the home. We must take personal responsibility in that. Seeking after wealth is wrong. Using wealth to help others is right. We should be out helping those who have made decisions with which we don't agree. This is all the basis of Christian charity.

How can we reach these goals? All of us need to do our part. When we pool our resources we can get more done. This is why tithing and church welfare are so successful. We are part of a church that encourages contributing to a common pool to help those less fortunate. Unfortunately, there aren't enough Church members to contribute enough money to fix all the problems in the world. This is why governments MUST do what they can. Social programs are necessary to fight the scourges of hunger, illness and poverty. Letting people suffer and die is wrong. All people are God's children and so this responsibility extends worlwide. Foreign aid is given by the church and should be given by the government as well.

The programs founded by Democratic administrations include the New Deal and the Great Society. These programs have alleviated much suffering in our country. We must build on these programs. All people deserve access to medical care. This is something that the Democratic party is now pushing. This is in line with Christ's teachings to help the sick and the needy.

Of course many are concerned about gay rights and abortion. You don't have to accept every position taken by the Democratic party. In fact, there are many Democrats who are pro-life and against gay marriage. The Democratic Party Platform acknowledges these differing viewpoints within the party. Pro-life candidates are on the rise in the West. There are Democratic candidates who share your views on these issues. Shape the party from within. Choose the party that promotes good works and change the things you don't like. This should be our goal.

The Republicans don't have a monopoly on morality. In recent years they have been plagued with corruption and scandal. They are not the party of Christ, though they try to tell you so. They have led us into a war based on false premises. Their leadership covered for a pedophile. Many have been caught in bribery scandals. Adultery is all too common among them.  They make promises of a more moral country, yet they bring shame upon themselves.

Matthew 15:8: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

We need laws against gifts from lobbyists. We need laws showing where candidates get their money. We need laws to remove pork projects like the bridge to nowhere from good bills. These will help fight corruption. Democrats are pushing for these laws. Republicans are running away from them.

Republicans have taken the votes of Mormons for granted for many years. Republican leadership from the South considers the LDS people a cult of devil worshippers. They are not allies of the Latter-Day Saints. It's time for a new direction. Vote for the Democratic Party.