Of course you can have differing opinions and be friends. There are obviously scales of importance.
If you believe people with a different skin color than you should be slaves, we won't be friends.
If you believe Trans rights shouldn't exist, we won't be friends.
If you believe climate change is a world ending catastrophe and all cars should be baned we may be able to be friends because I disagree on the baning of cars.
If you think gun reform is required we will probably be friends but we will probably have different ideas of how to go about it.
I dunno, I've thought about this and genuinely think it doesn't matter what your view on specific topics are. You could be the nicest person that only agrees with a few items on the Republican platform, but at the end of the day you support and empower them. Anyone deciding to vote Republican is essentially signing off on the entire platform. They can say they only want gun rights, but their vote still helps blocks medical access for women.
I live in a heavy Mormon area and think the same about them. I know many very nice Mormons who are ok with LGBT folks, but they still pay their tithe to the church and that money is used to fight against care for them. At the end of the day they are knowingly contributing to a system that hurts people, that's the line for me.
Thanks for your thought out and well formed opinion. I can see where you are coming from and it makes sense.
What if that Mormon person thought that the church was overall good, disagrees with some things they are doing and are in the faith to try to change it from the inside via voicing their opinions, talking with leadership, etc?
That's a great question. So if you look at all the good the church does and say "I like the idea of this" and but your pro LGBT so you don't like that aspect of the church.
I think that's a personal choice at that point. You have to weigh the good vs the bad. For me it's a clear choice. Mormons mostly only help other Mormons and you lose that help if you stop paying your tithing. So to me it seems like a membership you pay to be part of a community that can help you. But that same community hurts people. So with the idea that it's a paid club that helps each other, it doesn't justify the harm it does. Especially when that harm is done by forcing their views on others.
As for changing it from the inside, I don't see a lot of room for that. They have a living prophet selected by God. What they say goes, and the church is very big on rules. Historically the best way to force change for them has been external, social driven pressure around things like black priests and such.
I would while heartedly disagree. Especially with the American system. With the 2 party system we have to pick the person that most aligns with our ideals. I have friends that voted for Trump because the were business owners and he had better policies for them but they hated other things he stood for.
I have friends that voted for Biden because he has better policies for the lower/middle classes.
I have friends that voted for Biden because they just hated Trump that much.
I have friends that voted 3rd party because ef it "my vote doesn't matter".
Doesn't mean I can't be friends with them. Everyone has reasons for voting the way they do.
My issue with your statement is "never voiced who they would vote for". In my opinion it is the lack of ability to reasonably talk about why you are voting one way or another is a big issue with what is going on in the American political system.
And that's all that matters to you, the impact their (and your) choices have on the rest of society aren't a factor to you, and it shows. You ignoring their vote for trump because you "kind of like them" is just as bad and selfish as them voting for him because they own a small business.
Which is exactly why I wouldn't be friends not only with someone I don't agree with politically, but also anyone who pretends like political leanings don't matter - because you're an enabler and actively complicit in making bigots feel safe and comfortable.
And that is perfectly fine. We are allowed to choose our friends and how we find them. If you want to live in an echo chamber where everyone agrees with you that's fine. That's just not for me. I'm friends with many people from all walks of life. From business owners to a someone that is surfing other people's couches and sometimes not so lucky.
Depending on where they are at in life they change what is "important" to them. The stay at home mom isn't against helping the homeless but it isn't the top of her list of priorities. She cares more about the reproductive rights and Medicare.
She voted for Trump the first time and biden the second. Does that make her a terrible person I shouldn't be friends with? I don't think so
If you want to like people that vote against everyone's interests, electing a wannabe dictator because it puts money in their own pocket, have at it man.