Posted on 06/10/2007 7:24:29 PM PDT by Reaganesque
Sally Denton uses today's Los Angeles Times op-ed page as a launching pad for the movie based on her book, "American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857," and as a means to propagate more anti-Mormon bigotry at the expense of Mitt Romney. Denton insists that Romney has to respond about the nature of his faith if he expects to win the nomination for the Presidency -- and uses a lot of 19th-century examples to "prove" her case:
MITT ROMNEY'S Mormonism threatens his presidential candidacy in the same way that John F. Kennedy's Catholicism did when he ran for president in 1960. Overt and covert references to Romney's religion — subtle whispering as well as unabashed inquiries about the controversial sect he belongs to — plague his campaign. None of his responses so far have silenced the skeptics.
Recent polls indicate that from 25% to 35% of registered voters have said they would not consider voting for a Mormon for president, and conventional wisdom from the pundits suggests that Romney's biggest hurdle is his faith. Everyone seems eager to make his Mormonism an issue, from blue state secularists to red state evangelicals who view the religion as a non-Christian cult.
All of which raises the question: Are we religious bigots if we refuse to vote for a believing Mormon? Or is it perfectly sensible and responsible to be suspicious of a candidate whose creed seems outside the mainstream or tinged with fanaticism?
Ironically, Romney is the only candidate in the race (from either party) who has expressed discomfort with the idea of religion infecting the national dialogue. While his GOP rivals have been pandering to the evangelical arm of the party, Romney actually committed himself (during the first Republican debate) to the inviolable separation of church and state.
First, Denton is hardly an unbiased pundit in this regard. She's flogging a book and a movie about an atrocity committed by Mormons 150 years ago. For Denton, 1857 is relevant to 2007, but for most Americans. The suggestion that Romney needs to answer for Brigham Young would be as silly as saying that Democrats have to answer for Stephen Douglas or that Lutherans today have to answer for the anti-Semitic rants of Martin Luther.
Denton first off would have people believe that all Mormons are "tinged with fanaticism," but does nothing to advance that case. She discusses the beginnings of their church in great detail, but her history lessons appear to end at 1857. In the only mentions of any connection to the present, she uses the HBO series Big Love and Warren Jeffs, neither of which has any connection to the modern Mormon church or to Romney's faith. Both the fictional account in Big Love and the unfortunately non-fiction and despicable Jeffs involve polygamist cults -- and in the TV series, are showed as in mortal opposition to the Mormons.
Denton includes this helpful instruction at the half-way point:
It's not a church's eccentric past that makes a candidate's religion relevant today, but its contemporary doctrines. (And it's worth noting that polygamy and blood atonement, among other practices, are no longer condoned by the official Mormon church hierarchy.)
So what contemporary doctrines does Romney need to explain? Denton never says. Instead, she spends her time writing about how Joseph Smith once declared his intention to run for President -- in 1844. She discusses how John C. Fremont's candidacy died on the rumor that he was Catholic -- in 1856. She mentions 1960, in which John Kennedy dealt with anti-Catholic bigotry, but only barely notes that he prevailed over it -- and that was almost 50 years ago.
Denton then frames the question that she feels Romney has to answer:
Do you, like the prophet you follow, believe in a theocratic nation state? All the rest is pyrotechnics.
Unfortunately for Denton, Romney has answered this question every time it gets asked. And somewhat incoherently, Denton appears to forget that she herself acknowledges this near the beginning of the column:
While his GOP rivals have been pandering to the evangelical arm of the party, Romney actually committed himself (during the first Republican debate) to the inviolable separation of church and state.
Romney has no need to enter into the field of religious apologetics in his campaign for the presidency, no more than does Harry Reid in order to run the Senate. He certainly has no guilt to expiate on behalf of a massacre committed almost a century before his birth, and for people like Warren Jeffs who do not have any connection to the Mormon church. In other words, Denton has taken up space at the LA Times to exercise her bigotry and to not-so-coincidentally sell a few books and movie tickets. She and the LA Times should be ashamed.
UPDATE: One commenter suggests that people opposed Keith Ellison on the basis of his religion. Er, not quite. We opposed him on the basis of his association with the notoriously anti-Semitic group Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan, and his association with CAIR, which has supported terrorist groups like Hamas. If Romney had spoken at Warren Jeffs' compound for political donations, then the analogy would be apt. Ellison's problem isn't his religion but the company he keeps, politically, a fact that he and his apologists like to wrap in a false cloak of religious antagonism.
Well I'm a Mormon church member and I certainly can apologize. I hereby denounce the Book of Mormon for its bigotry. I hereby denounce my former belief that its the most correct book on earth. Its fiction and deserves no more authoritative factual respect than the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. My apologies to all people with dark skin for once thinking that they got their dark skin because their ancestors were cursed by God. I apologize to them for once thinking that the scales of darkness haven't fallen from their skin and that they haven't become white/delightsome because they haven't repented. I'm sorry for thinking that people with white skin were delightsome while people with dark skin were loathsome. I'm sorry for thinking that God ever blessed people with white skin because they were righteous or more valiant in the pre-earth life. If there is anything I can do to undo the racism wrongs I've committed because of being a Mormon who was loyal to the Brethren then let me know.
I hope the other Mormons on this board too will humbly apologize for their bigotries.
Ooops my apology was incomplete. I’m sorry for thinking that people could get dark/loathsome skin if they became wicked. I’m sorry for thinking that people could become white/delightsome as a reward for righteousness. I’m sorry that I ever tried to make excuses for the bigotry of Mormon leaders and Mormon scripture. There is no excuse for bigotry. I’ll sure gain alot of respect for Mitt Romney if he’ll completely apologize and repudiate all the bigotry he has endorsed in his life. Same goes for anyone else who wants to come clean.
Over 1500 years of Jewish tradition speaks of a ben Joseph prophet. Within various Jewish traditions, there are other variations of Genesis, and other Books of the Bible which allude to a prophet ben Joseph. Just because the Bible of the KJV tradition does include it does not that God revealed it to his people.
Sorry MHGinTN it would be best for you to move on to a different topic to bash on. Read the all the references. It should be educational!
Who in your family is a bigot? Please name them.
So in your mind Joe Smith is so vital to God that He authorizes Smith to rewrite the Old Testament, to correct it, to create a prophecy after the fact that points more clearly to the advent of Joe Smith ‘in these latter days’. Okay ... Thanks for playing such a overt dupe. Nothing exposes the foolishness of Mormonism so well as the blatant tendency of its Apologists to grasp at the oblique to portray God as a doddering old man who needs help to rewrite His Word-to-humankind-throughout-History needing revision in ‘these latter days’.
God duped the Jews then for over 1500 years too! Joseph hit it on the mark. He had no idea of the other accounts of Genesis and various traditions and yet he got it! It is amazing. :)
I’ll come clean. I am sorry for all the things Degaston said. AND I am sorry my ancestor lead the attack of over 120 innocent, men, women and children that resulted in their murder. I am sorry that I lied about being “persecuted,” or lied about the “persecution” of my ancestors in a way to make this atrocity seem legitimate.
ben Joseph? (son of Joseph)? don't you think it was referring to Jesus Christ, or do you really think that all the Old Testament prophecies were talking about Joseph Smith Jr.
To all you non-Mormons, if this isn't the biggest case of blasphemy you have ever seen, then I'll eat my holy undergarments.
“I hope the other Mormons on this board too will humbly apologize for their bigotries.”
Wow, that is quite an apology. I could learn from it, I’m sure there are stains I could be rid of.
Just don’t go atheist on us. The problem is Joseph Smith.
Anyone in my family (and any family) is a bigot if they knowingly defend prejudicial beliefs and practices towards people based on the color of their skin.
Didn't you mean to say, "I am sorry for all the same things that Degaston said he is sorry about."
This sentence of yours was confusing. It seemed like you were apologizing for my apology.
You wrote: >> I am sorry for all the things Degaston said.
Didn’t you mean to say, “I am sorry for all the same things that Degaston said he is sorry about.”
This sentence of yours was confusing. It seemed like you were apologizing for my apology.
Thanks! LOL
Read the article! Have fun!
Wow, I am glad for you.
Fortunately, I don’t have that problem, because I treat all people equal including an awesome girl friend I had in High School.
Do you mind formatting it correctly?
Reading apologist drivel is impossible even when there are paragraphs and sentences.
Enosh,
As usual, you are back to your Clintonian ways. Now you’re trying to put words in my post that were never written. I’ve never called God a bigot. However, as for how I’ve previously described you and the rest of the Flying Inman posse, that could, arguably, be a different matter. Let me just state that in other posts, John Semmens describes you folks and your methodology in a tactful, but truthful way.
Enosh says in post 156 “Much of that was original Hebrew Law given to Moses by God.”
Were the quotes from both the Old Testament AND the New Testament not accurate? Are they “internally consistent?”
P.S. So you’ve appropriated Christ’s role as my Judge? You must think highly of yourself. No offense, but if its okay with you, I’ll let my Savior be my Judge.
Perhaps a link would serve you better that reformatting the article.
Waht did your “Savior” save you from?
I wasn't exactly there, but in the same spirit of repentance as exercised by both of you on this thread, since my own flesh & blood was indeed persecuted (as a Mormon in a previous generation), as a non-LDS Christian, I would ask that any LDS descendents who hold grudges or bitterness against previous generations of folks who named Christ as their Lord--folks who "saw fit" to physically harm Mormons--on their behalf I ask for forgiveness.
There is no process of "spiritual reparations," but you'd be surprised how bitterness can take root & pass from one generation to another. Some of that bitterness wasn't imagined; it was placed there by actual harm by some folks who claimed to be in Christ. And it's in those limited cases where I would ask generational bitterness to be placed under the cross of Christ; buried; forgiven; and not to be highlighted again.
[I do add a caveat: Not all that's been placed under the banner of historical "persecution" indeed qualifies as such; especially in the latter-days of LDS Missouri residency, there were outbreaks of violence & conflict by both sides in that state; tho LDS, I believe, could make a solid case that they didn't start it and were not deserving of the ill treatment they rec'd].
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