Sen. Reid’s BYU Speech and Afterwards

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Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid’s BYU speech discussed his upbringing, conversion, and his basic political beliefs and how they have influenced his career and perspective on public service.  Senator Reid’s prepared text can be found here.

Senator Reid had the good sense (if not class) to wait to criticize the political beliefs of past Church leaders, President Bush, and conservative christians in a press conference following his speech.

Some past prominent LDS Church leaders wrongly pressed conservatism on church members, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday during a press conference at Brigham Young University.

The Nevada senator attacked President Bush and evangelical Christians while saying members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints need to worry less about abortion and gay marriage and more about health care, global warming, education and jobs . . .

“I think people in the church have to understand there are issues more important than abortion and gay marriage.”

The Church, as an institution, would appear to think otherwise as it has made the rare exception to voice its political opinion on abortion and gay marriage and not health care, global warming, nor jobs.

 On past church leaders,:

Reid said Ezra Taft Benson, active in very conservative politics before he became a president of the LDS Church, and Ernest L. Wilkinson, the president of BYU from 1951-71, were among past church leaders “who were very right-wing people politically.”

“Members of the church are obedient,” Reid said, “they are followers in the truest sense of the word, and I think they’ve taken members of the church down a path that is the wrong path. Look at Joseph Smith. Here’s a man who was progressive, to say the least. He broke from the pack. He did things differently than they’d been done. He was against slavery. He wanted to start a national bank.

The SL Trib adds Sen. Reid’s actual comments on President Benson:

In the past years we’ve had some very prominent members of the church, like Ezra Taft Benson, who are really right-wing people. Members of the church are obedient and followers in the true sense of the word, but these people have taken members of the church down the path that is the wrong path.

Understandably, being a party’s standard bearer can be a tough role to play, but right after speaking about King Benjamin’s example and service to God, Senator Reid took some rather uncharitable digs at President Bush:

“They have focused on just a few issues, flag-burning, gay marriage, abortion,” Reid said. “The country has gone beyond that to other issues. We have a country that needs to do something about health care. Global warming is here. We have a president who doesn’t know how to pronounce the words.”

and at evangelicals:

Reid also told reporters the Republican Party has been driven by evangelical Christians for 20 years. “They are the most anti-Christian people I can imagine, the people from the Christian far right.”

More first hand accounts at Hot Blava and by Gordon Smith at Conglomerate.

The BYU Democrats had their own meeting with with Senator Reid and a photo gallery where the Senator posed with many of its members.

(Possibly) Related posts:

1. Sen. Reid sounds a little desperate
2. Sen. Harry Reid may have trouble in 2010
3. Al Gore meets with LDS Church leaders