Ambroise Tézenas

Commission for The New York Times Magazine (USA)

Salt Lake City, USA
Story by Noah Feldman

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. on April 6, 1830. The Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations (called Wards) and temples worldwide, reporting just over 13 million members on its rolls.
Our post-denominational age should be the perfect time for a Mormon to become president, or at least the Republican nominee. Mormons share nearly all the conservative commitments so beloved of the evangelicals who wield disproportionate influence in primary elections. Mormons also embody, in their efficient organizational style, the managerial competence that the party’s pro-business wing considers attractive. For the last half-century, Mormons have been so committed to the Republican Party that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once felt the need to clarify that Republican affiliation is not an actual condition of church membership.