Mitt's Mission

Newsweek ^ | Oct. 8, 2007 issue | Jonathan Darman and Lisa Miller

[AmericanMade1776]

For Mitt Romney, it all started in a two-story, wood-framed house on a busy street in Pontiac, Mich. Painted beige, encircled by an asphalt lot that would hardly hold a dozen cars, the building manages to look both decrepit and picturesque, like a million other urban churches across the country. Today it houses the Unity Church of Practical Christianity, but until Romney was 10, it was the Mormon church he attended with his family—at least twice a day on Sunday, and one night a week for youth group.

[AmericanMade1776]

Missey_Lucy_Goosey wrote: “I know Fred Thompson has had more than one wife, at least one more than Mitt Romney.” Not at the same time. Fred Thompson is not a polygamist like Joseph Smith and the early Mormons and fundamentalist Mormons are.

yeah and neither is Mitt Romney like Joseph Smith and early or fundamentalist Mormons.

[tantiboh]

Debate’s fine. It’s the repeating myself when you refuse to listen to my answers that gets tiresome.

I appreciate your concern, though. Rest assured, I’ll be ready to go again in a few days.

Best regards.

[Missey_Lucy_Goosey]

Only because in order to become a state and avoid a conflict with the US government, the Mormon leaders in Utah had a "new revelation" and suspended polygamy when Joseph Smith said it was an everlasting covenant which must be practiced or else lose all hope of the celestial kingdom.

Very convenient.

[Colofornian]

Only because in order to become a state and avoid a conflict with the US government, the Mormon leaders in Utah had a "new revelation" and suspended polygamy when Joseph Smith said it was an everlasting covenant which must be practiced or else lose all hope of the celestial kingdom. Very convenient.

(1) You didn't know that the mormon gods were captive to US governmental laws, did you? (as if these supposedly universal gods were beholden to just one dot of land on just one speck of dust among the rest of the globes as they looked down from on high)

(2) The problem is, you just don't know Mormonese. You see, in the LDS "scripture," Doctrine & Covenants, Joseph Smith redefined eternal damnation to less than eternal "being-dammed-up" (as if the concept of damnation was originated in its close association with the similar English word of a water dam).

So you see, "everlasting" or "eternal" rarely means "everlasting" or "eternal" to a Mormon. I mean, you can show a Mormon these words as described of heaven or hell and it's like having no adjectives there at all re: descriptions of afterlife. Why? For one, Joseph Smith wanted to do away with a concept of eternal hell. So he came up with the idea of a temporary spirit prison in the afterlife.

Now the big problem with all of this is that you need almost a "magic decoder" ring to decipher the redefined English code. Unfortunately, the early converts to Mormonism had no such code book (they were hoodwinked). Likewise, contemporary "reader-outsiders" of the Book of Mormon don't have such a code book. So, they, too, will read "everlasting" and "eternal" as describing hell in the BoM & think hell is actually "everlasting" or "eternal"...but not really...well, maybe for the Hitler types & apostates...but the BoM descriptions really don't apply only to the Hitler types & apostates...Anyway, it can get real confusing in a hurry!

[Colofornian]

I hear that GOD is not exactly limited in His enacting Eternal Doctrines and then removing them.

Yeah, see my post #244 for how that word "eternal" has been a bit bandied about!

[Missey_Lucy_Goosey]

Thanks for the lesson in Mormonese.

I have a magic decodor ring from a cereal box, will that work? :-)

[greyfoxx39]

ME TOO....ME TOO!

[FastCoyote]

“yeah and neither is Mitt Romney like Joseph Smith and early or fundamentalist Mormons.”

That’s an open question. Bishop Mitt, stake President Mitt, comes from a core Mormon family that was practicing polygamy until the 1920s. Moreover, until he renounces his forthcoming Godhood, and renounces multiple celestial wives with billions of spirit children, he is still a doctrinal polygamist, if not one in real life.

Oh so many cans of worms to open.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Begging off for the evening is fine; provided you are honest about your reasons.

You still haven’t answered those questions that I put before you.

[Religion Moderator]

Discuss the issues all you want but do NOT make it personal.

[Saundra Duffy]

You wrote: “I’ve read some Mormon literature and it said that Jesus had a prior existence as a spirit being on another planet, and was created by the Mormon god through sex with one of his cellestial wives.”

What you read was ANTI Mormon literature and it’s out there in abundance. It’s a regular industry.

Here are our Articles of Faith:

The Articles of Faith
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Joseph Smith

Have a good evening.

[Elsie]

...neither is Mitt Romney like Joseph Smith and early or fundamentalist Mormons.

Quite true; he's not.

He's merely a PRODUCT of that rootstock and environment.

[Elsie]

Discuss the issues all you want but do NOT make it personal.

Whoa!!

We are not in the RELIGION area (yet).

Does this rule apply EVERYWHERE on FR???

[Elsie]

Here are our Articles of Faith:

It's a creed, but creeds of men are bad. Joseph was told that early on, but still, we got a creed, too.

--MormonDude(Glad our various beliefs have been codified.)

[Elsie]

You wrote: “I’ve read some Mormon literature and it said that Jesus had a prior existence as a spirit being on another planet, and was created by the Mormon god through sex with one of his cellestial wives.”

You'll note that your question was not answered.

[colorcountry]

Ah...but she answered the question that SHOULD have been asked.

[tracer]

Fine. And you as a moderator should put an end to all of this anti-Mormon bigotry that develops from the mere mention of Romney's faith.

There are many here who take this kind of thing very "personally." The tax-exempt and poorly-funded FR appears to foster hate speech in which "Mormons" continuously are accused of things they do not believe and have no connection to.

The fact that I am by no means a minority of one is worthy of your notice, as is the fact that FR's behavior is of interest to other conservative cyber-, print, and broadcast media.

My advice to FR is to not continue the process of waking a sleeping tiger. I can walk away from all of this if I choose, or if I am "banned," but the FR already and irretrievablly has fired the first round in an engagement in which it will not prevail

I haven't the time or the inclination to wage war with a dying blog, but there exist many others who do and have the capability of making FR's unpleasant encounters with the NY and LA Times trivial by comparison. No threat here, but, instead, some useful information that you surely were not aware of.

An apology from the ownership of the FR and a more even-handed application and enforcement of its own stated policies -- e.g. religious "flame-fests" being diverted to the Religion forum -- seems in order...

[Greg F]

Cults supress free speech.

[svcw]

Wow. anti-mormon bigotry.......are you threatening us who believe that LDS is a cult?
I do not support Mitt because is weak on the issues, a nor-eastern liberal, his statement on Rush (phony soldier), lots more reasons.
To say something nice, he does have good posture.
I have an uncle who is a bishop (that side of the family is LDS), when I have mentioned what he (or they) has told me I have been called a liar, a bigot and ill-informed. So who are the tolerant ones - not you guys.

I will write this faster because according to you FR is a dying blog.

[svcw]

I have asked this before Sandy...do yo believe that Jesus was the ONLY Son of God or A son of god.
My uncle the bishop has said A son of god.