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Janiece Johnson is a transplanted Bay Area, California, native who loves history, design, art, good food, and traveling in non-pandemic times. She has master's degrees in American History and Theology from Brigham Young University and Vanderbilt’s Divinity School, and a PhD from the University of Leicester in England. She co-authored The Witness of Women (Deseret Book, 2016) and was the general editor of the Mountain Meadows Massacre Complete Legal Papers (Oklahoma, 2017). Her book manuscript—American Punishment: Mormon Transgressions and the Mountain Meadows Massacre is under contract with UNC Press as she continues work on a book project on early Book of Mormon reception.

Why religion will matter in 2012

After the release of our poll last week showing the impact of perceptions of religious differences on support for President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, I’ve been answering a lot of questions about why religion will matter in the 2012 elections. There is both a particular and a general answer to this question.

Washington Post: Mormon religion a non-issue during the 2012 presidential election

John G. Turner teaches religious studies at George Mason University, is the author of "Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet,” recently published by Harvard University Press, and a contributor to The Washington Post’s local faith leader network. On the one hand, Mitt Romney has further kindled American interest in its most famous homegrown religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has not been in the crosshairs of this much sustained media interest for at least 100 years. At the same time, Mormonism has yet to emerge as a live political issue during the 2012 campaign.

Would America elect a Mormon?

For most of American history, voters wanted their president to be white, Protestant and male. But such prejudices have eroded — dramatically, in some cases. The last Democratic presidential primary contest was between an African-American and a woman — two groups that many voters once ruled out for the presidency. While a sizable share of voters still would refuse to support any gay or atheist candidate for president, those numbers also have dropped significantly, according to the most recent Gallup poll on the subject. But in a trend that may prove troubling to Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, nearly one-fifth of voters surveyed nationwide told Gallup last year that they would not support a Mormon for president — about the same as when Romney's father, George, ran for president more than four decades ago.

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Teen Wins $10,000 for Film on Immigration

"These are people who I've grown up with and spend a lot of time with that came from different circumstances," Kyle Ransom said. "I just wanted to tell a story about how I see the American experience in all of them even though they're not your typical high school kid."

Latter-day Saint Life

New Survey Examines Are Mormon Women Really More Depressed?

A new survey focusing on Mormon women and depression found that women who are very active within the LDS Church experience depression less than those who are not very active, a finding which may complicate the stereotypical belief that Mormon women are more depressed than American women.

JFK and Mitt: The media’s double standard on faith

During the 1960 presidential campaign, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy was attacked for his Catholic faith, then viewed by many as subversive and un-American. Anti-Mormon bigots are now targeting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for his Mormon beliefs, which are now viewed by many “progressives” as a “transparent and recent fraud.” But in those 50 years, the role of the media has changed significantly. A June 2012 study performed by American National Election Studies (ANES) found that 43 percent of liberals would be “less likely” to vote for a Mormon candidate for religious reasons. An essential point, given how often news outlets highlight Romney’s religion.

Latter-day Saint Life

Smithsonian Displays Rare Mormon Artifacts

If you visit the Smithsonian, you might just see rare Mormon artifacts, like an original manuscript of the Book of Mormon, an 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon, rare Mormon gold coins, and two Kirtland Safety Society notes from 1837.

Do Mormons really want recognition as a 'mainstream' religion?

To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who view Mitt Romney's successful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination as a significant step toward acceptance of the church as a mainstream American religion, respected Harvard professor Noah Feldman has these words of caution: "Be careful what you wish for." In early 2008, Feldman, a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard, wrote a long essay in the New York Times titled "What Is it About Mormonism?" in which he speculated that "the soft bigotry of cultural discomfort may stand in the way of a candidate whose faith examplifies values of charity, self-discipline and community that we as Americans claim to hold dear."

Latter-day Saint Life

New Poll on Sabbath Day Observance Reveals Surprising Findings

The Sabbath may be losing its religious significance in the eyes of many Americans, but a majority still believe taking a day of rest benefits society, according to a new survey on Sabbath observance by the Deseret News.