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.
Yes, they were heretics.
Does that mean that those folks were wrong?
No, they were proven to be correct.
Therefore, it would seem that calling someone a heretic is kinda silly and an empty opinion based on little more than arrogant declarations of alleged truths.
Depends on the heresy. “The Round Earth” heresy did not lead millions to worship a god in a made-up religion, threatening their immortal soul.
And I will point out another source of doxens of inconsistencies — the Holy Bible. Does that make ALL christian sects out to be heretics?
No, one of them is correct or they are all wrong. Christ said He is THE way, THE truth, THE life. Not one of many. We have to try to figure out which is the correct one.
One way we do that is to see if, in context, things are consistent. I pointed out where Morman theology says that God is both unchanging but changes. This doesn’t make sense in any context. Another example is the Mormon doctrine that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are actually three separate gods. The Book of Mormon contradicts this view: " And Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God? And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and living God. Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No. Now Zeezrom said unto him again: How knowest thou these things? And he said: An angel hath made them known unto me. Alma 11:26-31
We look at things in context. There is no context that can solve for the opposite views that have to be held to believe what Mormon’s believe.
Think on it?
I have. I just ask you to do the same, instead of closing your mind to a different possibility.
Your opinion is quite obvious and accepts no further instruction despite your claim to seek such if it can meet your qualifiers. As I noted to you, God IS biased and has state so in no ambiguous terms. Have a nice week and stay safe.
Converts make up a huge portion of the rolls of the church, and all those young missionaries out spreading the Gospel certainly have a knowledge of their own doctrines because they run into folks like you every day, and need to be prepared.
Cheers
hahaha!
hahaha!
Are you kidding? It has become his defining signature, both in the MSM and on the street. If one is interested in politics in any sense of the word and doesn't know Mitt is a Mormon, then perhaps they shouldn't be voting for they are certainly not informed!
They never even announced the results of the poll at the convention, everyone knew what the outcome would be. The party waited and posted the outcome on their internet site.
Mormons if you’re not embarrassed by this poll, you should be.<<<<<
Why? Orin hatch would not and never did receive that kind of support. His is Mormon, but he’s not Mitt. Remember, Romney saved the state from an embarrassing loss at the olympics, and gave the state a great image afterwards, it wasn’t because he was Mormon that he gets so much support.
If you really think this way Color, why don’s you ask Bro. Reid to campaign in Utah? ;-)
Funny, that's what the mobs said when they killed Joseph and Hyrum.
How disappointing for them (and you) a hundred and 50 years later..
The illogic in Mormonism is astonishing to behold, especially when the adherents are so twisted by the convolutions that they cannot see the contradictions in the sources they so value, like this article by Peterson w/ Ricks! And the authors conclude that individual professions of 'being a Christian' should be taken at face value yet let the Lord judge the 'isms'. Of course, that is contrary advice to what Paul and Peter and James taught, as articulated in the New Testament writings, where we are admonished to resist the judaizing 'other voices bring' to the individuals, as if adherence to doctrinal additions to Jesus and Him Crucified are essential to salvation. It is so astonishingly demonic in deviousness don'tchaknow!
Orrin Hatch never made it far enough to be considered in a Utah Strw Poll of delegates.
Reid is a shill for the Dems. They will use him, tarnish him a throw him in the garbage. Mark my words! I pray for Harry Reid. He will be abandoned by his political party and by the judgements of the adherants of his religion. I have great empathy for him even though I disagree politically for everything he stands for.
He still is a person.....he will be made to suffer. I pray he turns to God in his suffering. God can and will use Harry Reid, just as he uses us all.
What else is new? I think it’s interesting how the anti-Mormon conservatives are in bed with the anti-Christian liberals. Very interesting.
No, there are two references to last day figures in Jewish lore. One is Messiah Ben Joseph and the other is Messiah Ben David. The latter is obviously Jesus Christ...
This should be some good reading for you, especially since it's from a non-LDS source... Read the links associated with it too..
nowandlater, I hope I'm not duplicating stuff you already sent
For the record, I'm protesting this garbage, Moderator. Sevenbak should not be insulted with such garbage.
This is really uncalled for!
Thank you MHGinTN!
free republic used to be free of god threads of such nature
don’t alienate the libertarians, we are part of this too.
where were you
re: 241
“I have. I just ask you to do the same, instead of closing your mind to a different possibility.”
>>>> That isn’t quite true. Please tell me what I have closed my mind to. I have made no declarations of support or denial concerning anything that has come under discussion here. I have asked questions about the so far unproven opinions concerning the “heresies” you claim against Mormons. If I had a closed mind I wouldn’;t bother asking questions, now would I?
You accusers really need to learn not to try putting words in other people’s mouths of thoughts and beliefs into their minds and hearts.
err, may i say, this is a relgion site ,muslim, hindu,
jesuit, todom ect. , what ever
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.