"You want the truth?
You can't handle the truth!"
Posted on 12/13/2007 5:48:56 PM PST by pissant
MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O’Donnell was recently cross examined by syndicated radio host and blogger Hugh Hewitt regarding statements O’Donnell made about Mormonism as a panelist on The McLaughlin Group. Here’s part of what O’Donnell said on McLaughlin:
On “Big Love” the HBO series, that has been a real headache for Romney. Here’s the problem. He dare not discuss his religion. And he fools people like Pat Buchanan who should know better. This was the worst speech, the worst political speech of my lifetime, because this man stood there and said to you, “this is the faith of my fathers.” And you, and none of these commentators who liked this speech, realize that the faith of his father is a racist faith. As of 1978, it was an officially racist faith. And for political convenience, in 1978, it switched, and it said okay, black people can be in this Church. He believes, if he believes the faith of his fathers, that black people are black, because in Heaven, they turned away from God in this demented, scientology-like notion of what was going on in Heaven before the Creation of the Earth.
Hugh Hewitt accuses O’Donnell of anti-Mormon bigotry for those words. Hewitt defended Romney’s allegiance to the “faith of [his] fathers” on the grounds that just because Romney is a Mormon doesn’t necessarily imply an endorsement on his part of everything his church teaches, in the same way Ted Kennedy or Rudy Giuliani are Catholics yet don’t abide by everything their church teaches.
There is however, a major difference, between the way in which Kennedy or Giuliani are Catholic and the way in which Mitt Romney is Mormon. The Catholic Church is on record as opposing politicians who profess to be Catholic while disregarding the Church’s teaching on abortion and homosexuality. Show me one instance where the Mormon Church has ever declared Mitt Romney or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid outside the bounds of its teachings on any issue.
The teachings of the Mormon Church are aberrant on fronts too numerous to mention. Mitt Romney has declared publicly his allegiance to his Mormon faith without citing one point where he disagrees with his church. Because Hewitt knows that many of the teachings of Mormonism are contrary to orthodoxy, he suggests that, like Kennedy and Giuliani, Romney doesn’t agree with his church on every point, without evidence to support the assertion.
Kennedy and Giuliani are on record on the points they diverge from their Church. Where is Romney on record on the points he disagrees with Mormonism? No such record exists. Until Romney himself denies it, we must assume the man believes the teachings of Joseph Smith in full; for Hugh to suggest otherwise flies in the face observable facts.
It is now becoming apparent that Governor Romney’s strategy for defending against legitimate questions about his Mormon faith is to cry “bigotry.” Governor Huckabee recently asked a writer for the New York Times magazine if Mormons didn’t believe that Jesus and Satan were brothers (a comment, by the way, that Huckabee has since apologized for). When the Associated Press picked up on the initial story, accusations of bigotry germinated in the blogosphere and spread like a virus through media, both old and new. Hugh Hewitt implied that by asking such a question Governor Huckabee might be a closet anti-Semite or an anti-Catholic bigot. But a simple visit to www.lds.org—an official LDS website—will readily show that the answer implied in Governor Huckabee’s question is the answer given by the LDS church! Is the LDS church bigoted against itself?
Every God-fearing American ought to be familiar with the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A man who holds to those teachings certainly is not disqualified from holding the office of president on that basis alone. But conservative evangelical Christians, who hold to the faith once for all delivered to the saints and who desire to defend that faith, are reasonable to ask themselves what a Mormon in the White House would do to elevate the profile of a false religion that presents itself as a form of Christianity. Dr. Albert Mohler recently wrote:
As an evangelical Christian theologian, I must clarify that Mormonism is in no way consistent with orthodox Christianity. It borrows Christian themes and texts, but its most basic beliefs directly contradict the central teachings of Christianity.
Mormonism holds that God is an exalted man, with a physical body. Christianity teaches that God is Spirit. Mormonism denies the historic Christian understandings of the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, and the doctrine of salvation. Christianity promises salvation through Christ’s atonement and the sinner’s justification by faith. Mormonism promises deification. Christianity calls for personal faith in Jesus Christ. Mormonism calls for obedience to its own teachings as the path to exaltation. Mormonism replaces belief in the sole authority of the Bible with other writings, including the Book of Mormon. This list is only a brief summary of the vast chasm that separates Christianity from Mormonism. Put simply, Mormonism is not just another form of Christianity. It is a rejection of historic Christianity.
I presume that Hugh Hewitt does not believe Albert Mohler is a bigot. The question for Hugh Hewitt and other Romney defenders is whether it’s helpful for the body politic (or for Romney) to be so quick and so absolute in leveling the charge of bigotry at those who feel obligated to at least clarify their religious convictions before stating their convictions as they relate to the presidential politics of 2008.
IOW, a bigot and proud of it.
Try the Spirits,,
Is that you Hugh? Disagreeing with someones beliefs is not bigotry.
Good ole evangelical hatred! I just love it!
And for good reason. Unlike this hyperventilating "pastor" (who does a gross disservice to the Lord he claims to serve) Hewitt has actually undertaken to understand LDS people, showing decency and honor in the effort.
And in America, you can choose to respect someone’s beliefs or you can choose to criticize them. Aint it grand.
[1] Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world..
In my experience, those who avoid discussing the issues and yell “Bigot”, are usually the worst bigots of all.
O’Donnell made some rather harsh statements about Mormons but when asked if he would speak out against Muslims, he said no, that he would be afraid for his life if he did. So I guess he will attack the Mormons because he feels safe doing so but is a coward when it comes to the RoP. What a wuss. Just what you’d expect from MSNBC.
They’ll whack off your head anyway, Larry.
Some of us Catholics think Lutheranism was a rejection of historical Christianity and that the Prophets of Muenster were really from Mars, so to speak. IAC, no presidential candidate should raise theological issues unless they have a direct bearing on the political issues at hand.
I agree, what a wuss.
Well, in a way he’s right, people have a right to ask questions.
But he’s not going to score a lot of points with an argument that bashes Catholicism. and claims that Teddy Kennedy and Rudy Giuliani are better politicians for not living up to the religion they profess to belong to.
Whether or not one agrees with everything that Mormonism teaches, would Romney be better for parting with its teachings? In fact, he has seemingly parted with them at times, when he said he was pro-abortion, or when he signed off on an insurance bill that provides cheap abortions for anybody who wants one, or when he ordered all the magistrates in Massachusetts to marry gay couples or quit their jobs. Does that make him better? Or does it make him worse?
I don’t criticize Mitt for not going over the laundry list of mormon tenets. He can talk about his faith as much or as little as he wants. And people can talk about the importance or unimportance of his faith all they want.
a very smart older woman that i know was visiting salt lake city recently and made this comment:
“I don’t think we should be worried about muslims, we should worry about the mormons! you think you can just get into their church to hear the choir? don’t you believe it! they have guards there and not just anyone can get in. very scary and worrisome to say the least.
I agree. Did not Alito and Roberts get grilled about the Catholic- anti-abortion connection?
“One man’s theology is another man’s belly laugh”
Robert Heinlein
Sometimes that's the best part!
Avoiding PC claptrap is also a noble goal.
"You want the truth?
You can't handle the truth!"
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