Mormon doctrine decrees that opposition exists in all things, to the extent that everything that manifests is a compound in one (2 Nephi 2:11). We are also invited to grow and develop in capacity toward the fullness of our divine potential. These two Mormon concepts provide ground for a new social and political movement. In the past few decades, developmental psychology has clarified that a person’s grasp of polarities with regard to conceptual (including political) understandings moves in an invariable progression based on one’s rising developmental center of gravity. This presentation will lay the groundwork for a more mature approach to civic engagement, politics, governance, and policy which transcends and includes both conservatism and liberalism—suggesting the related importance of personal internal growth.

John T. Kestler, Joseph West