Posted on 06/06/2007 11:02:56 AM PDT by finnman69
I've heard a lot of people make a big deal out of this. Being a Mormon bishop is nothing like being a Catholic bishop. One of my LDS friends invited my former wife and myself to his wedding service in the chapel (they intended a temple marriage a year later), and my wife was surprised to see that the bishop conducting the ceremony was her chiropractor. It's my understanding that there are no paid clergy in the LDS church, so a "stake president" is just extra volunteer work that somebody who has another way to make a living does.
I've even heard some people make a big deal out of Mitt's "Melchizedek priesthood". This is simply something that every faithful male Mormon comes to hold. It's not terribly different from saying that Rudy Giuliani got confirmed in the Catholic church. It just happens to the majority of men in the LDS faith, it's not the same as becoming a priest in a Catholic or Episcopal church, where one takes special responsibilities for one's faith that excludes other means of making a living.
I think Huckabee was asking to be called on it when he said that there were probably atheists to choose from, if somebody wanted that. It begs the question, "Can you name one, Governor?" He's lucky he didn't get that as a follow-up.
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