SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — As both presidential campaigns have stepped up their efforts Win over voters in western swing states that are included The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsa senior church official urged members Saturday to “avoid what is harsh and hateful” in the heat of election season.

Dallin H. Oaksthe chief advisor and likely successor to the 100-year-old church president Russell M. Nelsonencouraged parishioners at the Faith's biannual General Conference to avoid strife and be peacemakers in their communities a month before the Nov. 5 election.

The devil is the father of strife that can stir up anger and stop important policy changes, he told 18,000 church members in Salt Lake City and thousands more viewers in a livestream.

“As we pursue our preferred policies in public action, let us qualify for his blessing by using the language and methods of peacemakers,” said Oaks, the faith’s second-highest leader widely known as Mormon Church.

The faith's leaders strive to remain politically neutral. But sometimes they offer general advice about how members should approach important elections. About 7 million of the faith's 17 million members worldwide live in the United States, many in the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada as well as solidly red Utah and Idaho.

Latter-day Saints have been a reliable Republican voting bloc for decades, but many have done so half-heartedly hugged Donald Trump since his first run for the White House.

Some church members say the former president's demeaning rhetoric toward women, immigrants and refugees contradicts their core values ​​of humility, honesty and compassion. Others expressed concern about his felony convictions and his attempts to undermine the 2020 presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris hopes to capitalize on her opponent's inability to stop the Latter-day Saint vote. Her campaign formed an outreach effort last month, recruiting prominent members of the faith to convince people in battleground Arizona, a state with nearly 450,000 church members, that Trump disagrees with church teachings.

Trump has also gathered influential church members at his Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida to convince swing voters that he will better protect their religious freedom.

Harris is unlikely to win anywhere close to a Latter-day Saint majority. But by preventing Trump from making big gains among a key demographic, she could tip the balance in Arizona and Nevada, where more than 180,000 Latter-day Saints live.

One of Harris' biggest challenges is making her abortion policy palatable to members of a faith that, with some exceptions, has long opposed the procedure.

It's a sticking point for Marilou Idos, a conference attendee from Herriman, Utah, who said she's not a fan of Trump's brash style but plans to vote for him because he opposes expanding access to abortion. She also appreciates Trump's support for Israel.

“He's the lesser of two evils,” said Idos, 70. “The basic things that we believe in, Trump supports. Abortion is kind of the most important thing and the freedom to worship.”

The religion is also known for its belief in eternal families, close-knit communities, and prohibitions on alcohol, coffee, gambling, and same-sex relationships.

Sammy Price, 38, of Las Vegas, said he was leaning toward voting for Harris because he believes the nation needs her unifying rhetoric.

“Trump, he insults people, he makes people feel bad about who they are, and I don’t think I can tolerate that,” he said.

Undecided voters Jenna Winkel, 22, and her husband Ben Winkel, 24, said shortly before the conference that they hoped church leaders would avoid delving into politics.

The couple from Draper, Utah, said there is room for different political views under the Latter-day Saint umbrella. While Jenna said that her religion doesn't really influence her politics, Ben said that it does, but he wants to do more research of his own.

“The most important thing about any general conference message is that it is general and then we are asked to take it, study it and apply it to our own lives and perhaps to our politics,” Jenna said. “People take what they need to hear from them and apply it to their lives.”