Latest news with #Latter-daySaints
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
An AP reporter explored religion in Utah. She was surprised by what she found
This article was first published in the State of Faith newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Monday night. One of the reasons I loved starting my religion reporting career in Utah is that Utah is full of faith-related surprises. Yes, it's fair to associate the state with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but you can't stop there. Its religious character is complex, and includes vibrant non-Christian faith communities, as well as plenty of religious 'nones.' Deepa Bharath, a reporter with The Associated Press' Global Religion Team, recently put a spotlight on Utah's religious diversity with two stories about interfaith engagement. One was about Latter-day Saints who access physical and spiritual health benefits by practicing yoga and the other was about the Hindu temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, that's breaking down barriers between different faith groups. 'The temple (Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple) is surrounded by Latter-day Saints, and a lot of people going to practice yoga there are LDS,' said Bharath, who is based in Los Angeles. After seeing her stories, I called Bharath to learn more about what she uncovered during her reporting trip and how to lean in to your faith-related curiosity. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Kelsey Dallas: How did you end up on a reporting trip in Utah? Deepa Bharath: Jessie (Wardarski — a visual journalist on AP's Global Religion Team) and I realized we would both be in Salt Lake at the same time for an awards ceremony. We decided we had to do some stories, so I started looking into ideas. I found so many, but Latter-day Saints doing yoga kind of popped out because of my own background. I think I was uniquely positioned to write this story because of my knowledge of yoga and its origins. I started with the LDS people and they led me to the Hindu temple in Spanish Fork. It was really interesting. I didn't quite expect to find that amount of diversity. KD: So your research and trip changed some of your preconceived notions about religion in Utah? DB: Yes, I was surprised. I was surprised that there was this temple in an area that is overwhelmingly LDS and even more surprised at how accepting the community was. The LDS yoga practitioners I met with have deep knowledge of the concepts behind yoga and link it to their religion. And Phil McLemore, who was one of my main interviews, has icons in his house of different Hindu deities. I didn't expect to see that. And there were other types of interfaith engagement going on. Kids in the area visit the temple to volunteer and, in the process of serving, learn about this other culture. KD: How does the Hindu temple in Utah compare to other temples in the U.S.? DB: It's pretty unusual because Hindu temples are usually located where there is a large Hindu community or Indian community. You see them in Los Angeles, New Jersey and several cities in Texas. And this temple also stands out because it's a Hare Krishna Temple. Each temple under the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) is unique because it's run by a different person. KD: What advice do you have for non-journalists who'd like to learn more about the religious communities in their neighborhood or in the places they visit? DB: What I do is, if I see something interesting, a sign or building that's interesting, I just walk in — without trespassing. I just follow my natural curiosity. I've always been drawn to anything that looks cultural or religious. I walk in and ask questions. Ask questions about what catches your eye in your neighborhood. That's a great way to get to know your neighbors. It's a great way to expand your mind and heart. The 5 biggest Supreme Court decisions to watch for this month A Christian baker was sued for not serving a lesbian couple. The Supreme Court may hear her case Why the Justice Department just sued a small Idaho town Can Pope Leo remain a U.S. citizen? Will he? The Supreme Court just rejected a religion case. At least 2 of the justices aren't happy about it I've been reading through lawsuits somewhat regularly for the past decade, but Thursday was the first time I noticed the phrase 'Prayer for relief.' After doing some digging, I learned that this is a common phrase in civil procedures. It refers to the part of a legal complaint where the people filing the lawsuit list the 'damages or remedies' they're seeking, per Cornell's Legal Information Institute. 'Prayer for relief is also called demand for relief,' Cornell's article explained. In the Justice Department's religious freedom lawsuit against Troy, Idaho — a case I covered last week — the prayer for relief section includes requests for a ruling saying that Troy leaders violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, as well as that the church seeking to meet in the town's downtown district should have its request granted. The Trump administration is coming to the defense of schools being pressured to stop using Native American mascots, according to The New York Times. I really loved The New York Times' coverage of the wedding of one of the internet's favorite couples. My friend, Holly Meyer, dove into the world of Sacred Harp singing in her latest story for The Associated Press. Sacred Harp groups bring together people from a variety of religious backgrounds, including people of no faith and people from non-Christian traditions. 'There's no other experience to me that feels as elevating,' one singer told Holly, 'like you're just escaping the world for a little while.' Last week, I stumbled on coverage of a fascinating situation at Harvard: A professor known for her research on honesty and ethical behavior has lost her job — for being dishonest. Also last week, Chris Del Conte, Texas' athletic director, shared a relatable explanation for not wanting Texas football to play a Sunday night game: He said, 'I just said no to Sunday. I gotta go to church.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Are Latter-day Saints shifting left? Here's what the data shows
An analysis of the 2024 presidential election found that politically moderate and younger Latter-day Saints have 'warmed up' to President Donald Trump after swinging away from the Republican candidate in 2016 and 2020. The Republican rebound among young and moderate voters goes against some predictions of a permanent Latter-day Saint shift toward the Democratic Party during the Trump era, according to a comparison of election data published Monday by political scientist Ryan Burge. 'There's nothing here that says that the LDS vote is trending to the left,' Burge told the Deseret News. 'You can't look at the data and make that claim.' Trump's initial lackluster showing among Latter-day Saints in 2016 has largely been reversed, Burge shows, with moderate voters moving 15 percentage points toward Trump since 2020, and younger voters jumping 25 points back his direction. Much has been made of Latter-day Saints' lukewarm reception of Trump in 2016. That year, Trump received just 52% of the Latter-day Saint vote — down 30 percentage points from Mitt Romney in 2012, and 20 points from John McCain in 2008. The drop was mostly caused by Trump's bid pushing 26% of Latter-day Saint voters toward third-party candidate Evan McMullin, Burge said, while 22% voted for Hillary Clinton. But with no viable third-party alternative in 2020 and 2024, Trump's vote share among Latter-day Saints surged, resulting in identical results both times: with 66% of Latter-day Saints voting for Trump, and 30% for his opponent. 'I think most of the hesitancy people had about Trump went away,' Burge said. Burge's calculations are based on the latest data from the Cooperative Election Study, an election-year poll that surveyed 144,500 people from 2022 to 2024, including 1,600 self-identified Latter-day Saints. Taking a deeper look at the Latter-day Saint data reveals multiple transformations occurring simultaneously within one of the most religiously and civically active demographics in the United States. While Latter-day Saint voters continue to lean heavily Republican, Trump's rise to the top of conservative politics has contributed to real changes in Latter-day Saint political identification. Republican Party affiliation among Latter-day Saints fell from around 75% before Trump, to 64% in 2016, 62% in 2020 and 58% in 2024. Democratic affiliation, on the other hand, increased by 9 points, to 25%, and the percentage of independents doubled to 17%, during the same time period. Meanwhile, the share of Latter-day Saints who identify as 'conservative' fell from 61% to 50%, leading to an increase in self-described 'moderates' from 30% to 38%. But, as can be seen in the overall Latter-day Saint vote, these shifts have not translated to the ballot box. Trump's performance among Latter-day Saints has actually improved, paradoxically, as some voters attempt to distance themselves from certain conservative labels, Burge said. In 2016, 64% of Latter-day Saint voters identified as Republicans, and 61% as conservative, but Trump received around 50% of their vote. In 2024, GOP affiliation had fallen to 58%, and conservative identity to 50%, but Trump netted 66% of the Latter-day Saint vote. These crosscurrents could represent a desire among a substantial portion of Latter-day Saints to remain independent from 'the whole MAGA movement,' Burge said, even if they can't stomach the Democratic alternative and still vote for Trump. 'A lot of people want to say they're ideologically moderate but if you actually look at the way those groups vote, it's almost always leaning to what the larger group does,' Burge said. 'A vote's a binary choice, you don't get to stand in the middle on that.' Opposing pressures among the Latter-day Saint electorate have created a genuine 'swing voting bloc' among moderates, according to Burge. In 2020, moderate Latter-day Saints favored Joe Biden over Trump by 27 points, with nearly 60% voting Democrat. In 2024, however, moderate Latter-day Saints were split down the middle between Trump and Kamala Harris. Many of these swing voters appear to be those who came of age amid Trump's dominance in American politics. Less than one-third, 31%, of Latter-day Saint voters age 18-35 cast their ballot for Trump in 2020. But in 2024, Trump received support from 56% of young Latter-day Saints. The flip among young and moderate Latter-day Saint voters likely has something to do with tribal identities, and voters wanting to fit in with their community, Burge said, pointing out that 75% of Latter-day Saints over 50 voted for Trump in 2024. What's more, the relatively small gap in partisan affiliation among the youngest Latter-day Saint voters — with about 50% identifying as Republican and 35% as Democrat — is likely to grow over time because voters tend to become more conservative as they age, Burge said. But the increase in support for Trump among young Latter-day Saints might also reflect a process of self-selection, according to Burge. Politics has a greater impact on religious loyalties than many people would like to admit, Burge said, and some young people who leave the Republican Party because of Trump may also leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for linking or overlapping reasons. 'People are drawn to or from religious groups based on their political persuasion,' Burge said. 'What you're really seeing with the 18-35-year-old group of young LDS is the true believers because they're still identifying as LDS.' The church has issued statements declaring itself strictly 'neutral in matters of party politics.' The general handbook says, 'The Church does not endorse any political party or candidate. Nor does it advise members how to vote.' The church encourages its members to 'engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner, respecting the fact that members of the church come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and may have differences of opinion in partisan political matters.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Are Latter-day Saints shifting left? Here's what the data shows
An analysis of the 2024 presidential election found that politically moderate and younger Latter-day Saints have 'warmed up' to President Donald Trump after swinging away from the Republican candidate in 2016 and 2020. The Republican rebound among young and moderate voters goes against some predictions of a permanent Latter-day Saint shift toward the Democratic Party during the Trump era, according to a comparison of election data published Monday by political scientist Ryan Burge. 'There's nothing here that says that the LDS vote is trending to the left,' Burge told the Deseret News. 'You can't look at the data and make that claim.' Trump's initial lackluster showing among Latter-day Saints in 2016 has largely been reversed, Burge shows, with moderate voters moving 15 percentage points toward Trump since 2020, and younger voters jumping 25 points back his direction. Much has been made of Latter-day Saints' lukewarm reception of Trump in 2016. That year, Trump received just 52% of the Latter-day Saint vote — down 30 percentage points from Mitt Romney in 2012, and 20 points from John McCain in 2008. The drop was mostly caused by Trump's bid pushing 26% of Latter-day Saint voters toward third-party candidate Evan McMullin, Burge said, while 22% voted for Hillary Clinton. But with no viable third-party alternative in 2020 and 2024, Trump's vote share among Latter-day Saints surged, resulting in identical results both times: with 66% of Latter-day Saints voting for Trump, and 30% for his opponent. 'I think most of the hesitancy people had about Trump went away,' Burge said. Burge's calculations are based on the latest data from the Cooperative Election Study, an election-year poll that surveyed 144,500 people from 2022 to 2024, including 1,600 self-identified Latter-day Saints. Taking a deeper look at the Latter-day Saint data reveals multiple transformations occurring simultaneously within one of the most religiously and civically active demographics in the United States. While Latter-day Saint voters continue to lean heavily Republican, Trump's rise to the top of conservative politics has contributed to real changes in Latter-day Saint political identification. Republican Party affiliation among Latter-day Saints fell from around 75% before Trump, to 64% in 2016, 62% in 2020 and 58% in 2024. Democratic affiliation, on the other hand, increased by 9 points, to 25%, and the percentage of independents doubled to 17%, during the same time period. Meanwhile, the share of Latter-day Saints who identify as 'conservative' fell from 61% to 50%, leading to an increase in self-described 'moderates' from 30% to 38%. But, as can be seen in the overall Latter-day Saint vote, these shifts have not translated to the ballot box. Trump's performance among Latter-day Saints has actually improved, paradoxically, as some voters attempt to distance themselves from certain conservative labels, Burge said. In 2016, 64% of Latter-day Saint voters identified as Republicans, and 61% as conservative, but Trump received around 50% of their vote. In 2024, GOP affiliation had fallen to 58%, and conservative identity to 50%, but Trump netted 66% of the Latter-day Saint vote. These crosscurrents could represent a desire among a substantial portion of Latter-day Saints to remain independent from 'the whole MAGA movement,' Burge said, even if they can't stomach the Democratic alternative and still vote for Trump. 'A lot of people want to say they're ideologically moderate but if you actually look at the way those groups vote, it's almost always leaning to what the larger group does,' Burge said. 'A vote's a binary choice, you don't get to stand in the middle on that.' Opposing pressures among the Latter-day Saint electorate have created a genuine 'swing voting bloc' among moderates, according to Burge. In 2020, moderate Latter-day Saints favored Joe Biden over Trump by 27 points, with nearly 60% voting Democrat. In 2024, however, moderate Latter-day Saints were split down the middle between Trump and Kamala Harris. Many of these swing voters appear to be those who came of age amid Trump's dominance in American politics. Less than one-third, 31%, of Latter-day Saint voters age 18-35 cast their ballot for Trump in 2020. But in 2024, Trump received support from 56% of young Latter-day Saints. The flip among young and moderate Latter-day Saint voters likely has something to do with tribal identities, and voters wanting to fit in with their community, Burge said, pointing out that 75% of Latter-day Saints over 50 voted for Trump in 2024. What's more, the relatively small gap in partisan affiliation among the youngest Latter-day Saint voters — with about 50% identifying as Republican and 35% as Democrat — is likely to grow over time because voters tend to become more conservative as they age, Burge said. But the increase in support for Trump among young Latter-day Saints might also reflect a process of self-selection, according to Burge. Politics has a greater impact on religious loyalties than many people would like to admit, Burge said, and some young people who leave the Republican Party because of Trump may also leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for linking or overlapping reasons. 'People are drawn to or from religious groups based on their political persuasion,' Burge said. 'What you're really seeing with the 18-35-year-old group of young LDS is the true believers because they're still identifying as LDS.' The church has issued statements declaring itself strictly 'neutral in matters of party politics.' The general handbook says, 'The Church does not endorse any political party or candidate. Nor does it advise members how to vote.' The church encourages its members to 'engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner, respecting the fact that members of the church come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and may have differences of opinion in partisan political matters.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
From radio waves to temple domes: The unexpected journey of a Krishna couple in Utah
SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — Charu Das was in Los Angeles in 1980 when a for-sale ad for a small radio station in rural Utah County — about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City — caught his eye. Das and his wife, Vaibhavi Devi, have been longtime members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) also known as the Hare Krishna movement, a Hindu sect that worships Krishna as the supreme being. At $225,000, ownership of the radio station plus the parcel of land around it, seemed like a bargain to Das, whose dream at the time was to broadcast Krishna radio. The Spanish Fork property in Utah County was not far from the state's largest freshwater lake, tucked away amid rolling hills with the snow-capped Wasatch mountain range providing a majestic backdrop. Most county residents were — and still are — members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon Church. 'We came here not knowing what Krishna had in store for us,' Das said. Today, the little radio station is just a dot on their lush 15-acre (6-hectare) campus. At the property's center sits the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple, a 10,000-square-foot (930-square-meter) house of worship. Its architecture is unique to temples in northern India with ornate facades, domes, a large covered pavilion, overhanging windows and archways. Llamas and cows graze on the property's pastures. Peacocks crow as they strut around, suddenly fanning out their iridescent blue and green plumage. A lake provides water to cultivate flowers for worship and organic vegetables and fruits, much of which are used for a donation-based vegetarian buffet open to visitors. 'This place is like Vrindavan in Mormon country,' Das said, evoking the historical city in northern India, where Hindus believe Krishna spent much of his childhood. The city has thousands of temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort Radha — also one of the main deities at the temple in Spanish Fork. Das and his wife said they hadn't planned to build a temple. Initially, they added a log house where they held Sunday services and began breeding and selling llamas to support themselves. In the early 1990s, Vaibhavi Devi floated the idea of adding a temple, and they eventually built two: one on their property and the other in Salt Lake City. They were completed thanks in part to support and seed money from devotees, the local Hindu community and Latter-day Saints. The radio station took a backseat amid construction and management of two temples, he said. Devi, an artist, supervised the project, channeling her creativity throughout the process, her husband said. She hired an aerospace professional to design the smaller temple domes, and an Idaho company that fashioned potato storage structures to build the large, main temple dome. She also spent six months on scaffolding decorating the vaulted ceiling inside the main sanctuary, painting dancing demigods, lotus flower motifs and masterfully crafting foam to look like marble. The temple now conducts school tours as one way to support itself; about 4,000 students from area schools visit the temple each year, Das said. Monica Ringger Bambrough, a volunteer interfaith liaison for the Latter-day Saints church in the region, helps coordinate days of service for youth groups at the Krishna temple. 'Our kids don't get to see how others live out their faith,' she said, adding that the only two non-Mormon houses of worship in town are the Krishna temple and the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall across the street. The Krishna temple's biggest annual event is the Hindu Festival of Colors marking the start of spring, which draws thousands to Spanish Fork. It features color throws, mantra music, devotional dances and yoga. Das often takes the stage as master of ceremonies and 'senior rapper.' He's been writing rap songs, including one that captures a profound verse in the Gita about devotion and spirituality. 'The Bhagavad Gita is 700 verses divided into 18 chapters, which takes about 45 minutes to read,' he said. 'But I have a three-minute rap version for you.' Connecting with an audience through modern music has inspired him to spend more time in the radio station, which originally brought him to Utah. He's experimenting with AI-generated music, including a country-western jingle advertising their vegetarian buffet. 'This is it,' Das said. 'This is how we're connecting with people. This is what Krishna brought us here for.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
San Francisco Chronicle
26-05-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
From radio waves to temple domes: The unexpected journey of a Krishna couple in Utah
SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — Charu Das was in Los Angeles in 1980 when a for-sale ad for a small radio station in rural Utah County — about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City — caught his eye. Das and his wife, Vaibhavi Devi, have been longtime members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) also known as the Hare Krishna movement, a Hindu sect that worships Krishna as the supreme being. At $225,000, ownership of the radio station plus the parcel of land around it, seemed like a bargain to Das, whose dream at the time was to broadcast Krishna radio. The Spanish Fork property in Utah County was not far from the state's largest freshwater lake, tucked away amid rolling hills with the snow-capped Wasatch mountain range providing a majestic backdrop. Most county residents were — and still are — members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon Church. 'We came here not knowing what Krishna had in store for us,' Das said. Today, the little radio station is just a dot on their lush 15-acre (6-hectare) campus. At the property's center sits the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple, a 10,000-square-foot (930-square-meter) house of worship. Its architecture is unique to temples in northern India with ornate facades, domes, a large covered pavilion, overhanging windows and archways. Llamas and cows graze on the property's pastures. Peacocks crow as they strut around, suddenly fanning out their iridescent blue and green plumage. A lake provides water to cultivate flowers for worship and organic vegetables and fruits, much of which are used for a donation-based vegetarian buffet open to visitors. 'This place is like Vrindavan in Mormon country,' Das said, evoking the historical city in northern India, where Hindus believe Krishna spent much of his childhood. The city has thousands of temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort Radha — also one of the main deities at the temple in Spanish Fork. Das and his wife said they hadn't planned to build a temple. Initially, they added a log house where they held Sunday services and began breeding and selling llamas to support themselves. In the early 1990s, Vaibhavi Devi floated the idea of adding a temple, and they eventually built two: one on their property and the other in Salt Lake City. They were completed thanks in part to support and seed money from devotees, the local Hindu community and Latter-day Saints. The radio station took a backseat amid construction and management of two temples, he said. Devi, an artist, supervised the project, channeling her creativity throughout the process, her husband said. She hired an aerospace professional to design the smaller temple domes, and an Idaho company that fashioned potato storage structures to build the large, main temple dome. She also spent six months on scaffolding decorating the vaulted ceiling inside the main sanctuary, painting dancing demigods, lotus flower motifs and masterfully crafting foam to look like marble. The temple now conducts school tours as one way to support itself; about 4,000 students from area schools visit the temple each year, Das said. Monica Ringger Bambrough, a volunteer interfaith liaison for the Latter-day Saints church in the region, helps coordinate days of service for youth groups at the Krishna temple. 'Our kids don't get to see how others live out their faith,' she said, adding that the only two non-Mormon houses of worship in town are the Krishna temple and the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall across the street. The Krishna temple's biggest annual event is the Hindu Festival of Colors marking the start of spring, which draws thousands to Spanish Fork. It features color throws, mantra music, devotional dances and yoga. Das often takes the stage as master of ceremonies and 'senior rapper.' He's been writing rap songs, including one that captures a profound verse in the Gita about devotion and spirituality. 'The Bhagavad Gita is 700 verses divided into 18 chapters, which takes about 45 minutes to read,' he said. 'But I have a three-minute rap version for you.' Connecting with an audience through modern music has inspired him to spend more time in the radio station, which originally brought him to Utah. He's experimenting with AI-generated music, including a country-western jingle advertising their vegetarian buffet. ___
