Questions For Mitt Romney

Richard Packham (revised by Bonaparte) | unpublished | Richard Packham (revised by Bonaparte)

[Bonaparte]

News reports say that Governor Romney, looking ahead to the possibility of presenting himself as a candidate for the U.S. presidency in 2008, has met privately with Christian leaders to allay their concerns about the fact that he is a Mormon. (See Boston Globe, Nov 2, 2006 at http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/11/02/romney_consults_evangelical_leaders ) These leaders apparently are concentrating on areas such as Romney's view of gay marriage, abortion, and whether Romney is really a Christian. Undoubtedly Romney's answers in those areas will satisfy most of these Christian leaders.

However, not knowing much about Mormon doctrine and practices, many Christians are unaware of some of the areas in which the idea of a Mormon as president could raise serious doubts in their minds. They simply don't know what to ask the governor.

Below are some suggested questions which might profitably be asked of Governor Romney, both by Christian leaders and by journalists.

• According to Mormon scripture, the founder of your church (Joseph Smith) was told by God in 1820 that all the churches of the day were "an abomination." Do you agree with God's view of other churches, as quoted by Joseph Smith? (Pearl of Great Price, JS-Hist 1:18-19)

• According to your church's Articles of Faith, number eight, the Book of Mormon is the "word of God." Do you believe that?

• According to the Book of Mormon there are only two churches: the "church of the Lamb of God [presumably the Mormon church]" and the "church of the devil," "the whore of all the earth." Do you agree with that Mormon scripture? (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10)

• According to the Book of Mormon a dark skin is a curse imposed by God on the unrighteous and their descendants as a punishment for sin. Do you agree with that doctrine? (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 12:22-23, Alma 3:6, 2 Nephi 5:21-22, Jacob 3:8, 3 Nephi 2:15-16, Mormon 5:15; references to the "Lamanites" are taken to be referring to Native American "Indians".)

• According to Mormon doctrine, the president of the Mormon church is a prophet of God, receiving revelations and commandments (God's laws) directly from God. Do you believe that? (Doctrine and Covenants , 21:5, 43:3, 58:18)

• One of the most sacred rituals for adult Mormons, performed only in a Mormon temple, is a ceremony called "the endowment." Have you undergone this ritual? If so, in what year?

• To be admitted to the temple for the endowment ceremony a Mormon must be "in good standing" in the church and undergo a personal interview with church leaders, who examine the member as to whether the member obeys church commandments, supports church leaders, pays full ten percent tithe, wears the prescribed Mormon underwear, abstains from coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco and extramarital sex, and other matters. If the member answers correctly, a pass to the temples (called a "temple recommend") is issued, good for two years. Do you have such a temple recommend now, indicating that you are in good standing in your church?

• In the secret Mormon temple ceremony Mormons take an oath of obedience to "the law of the Lord." Did you take that oath?

• Before 1990, the endowment ceremony required members to take an oath of secrecy not to reveal anything that happened in the temple under penalty of death. Did you take that oath?

• In the temple ceremony Mormons also take a secret oath to "consecrate your time, talents and everything which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..." Did you take that oath? Would you consider the office of the presidency of the U.S. to be a "blessing" with which the Lord had blessed you?

• Mormons teach that by obedience to all the commandments of Mormonism, a Mormon may attain the highest degree of heaven and ultimately become a god, creating and ruling over his own dominion. Do you believe that? Is this your ultimate personal goal?

• Although your church presently condemns the practice of polygamy, the scripture commanding it is still in the Mormon Doctrine and Covenants, Section 132. Many early Mormons were polygamous and married ("sealed") to numerous wives "for eternity." Do you believe then that there will be polygamous families in Mormon heaven?

• The extensive interest of Mormons in genealogical research is to enable them to perform "baptisms for the dead," thus posthumously inducting previous generations into the Mormon church. Many non-Mormons become angry when they learn that the names of their ancestors - having often been faithful members of some other religion during life - have been used in this way. often without permission of the living descendants. The posthumous baptism of many holocaust victims caused considerable anger among Jewish groups, and your church agreed to stop the practice as to them (but also admitted that it was unable to do so). Do you feel that such anger is justified? (Would you feel anger if some voodoo cult was using your deceased grandparents' names in some voodoo ritual, and then announcing to all the world that they were now voodoo worshippers?)

• It is well documented that Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, secretly had many wives. Some of those women were at the same time married to other men, meaning that Smith brought them into a state of adultery. Some were as young as fifteen. He claimed that he was commanded by God to enter into these marriages. Do feel that these early polygamous and adulterous marital practices of the church founder were really commanded by God? (See the book In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith by Mormon historian Todd Compton for detailed biographies of these wives.)

• Mormons believe that when Christ returns to earth, a millennium of peace will begin under Christ's rule (Article of Faith number ten), presumably as a single theocracy. Most Mormons believe that during that time, Mormons will be Christ's appointed officers and that the law will conform to Mormon teachings. Do you believe that?

• According to Mormon scripture (Doctrine and Covenants 135:3), Joseph Smith did more than any other man except Jesus Christ "for the salvation of men in this world." Do you agree with that, keeping in mind the contributions of men like the Apostles, Saint Paul, Thomas Aquinas, Saint Augustine and others?

[EternalVigilance]

As Rush said, I'll take a Mormon over a Liberal anyday.

How about a Mormon Liberal?

[Neu Pragmatist]

Who is your ideal candidate ?

[TAdams8591]

Mitt is an attractive candidate and to me, the most attractive in the race. He is going to be the next Republican nominee regardless of the Bonaparte’s of the world.

[To Hell With Poverty]

Again, I’m just pointing out how easy it is to abuse scripture, any scripture, to one’s own ends. If that makes me a viper to you, well I’m not too worried.

[Let's Roll]

Yeah, look what good Catholics Teddy the Whale and Jean Francois Kerry are for instance.

I want a candidate that will do whatever it takes to protect this country and her people - I really don’t care if that means torture, “wire-tapping, bombing muslim “weddings”, shooting people crossing the border etc.

In other words someone mean as a snake whose first loyalty is to this country and not the rest of the world.

How religious or even if he is religious (with the exception of islamic) just doesn’t matter. GWB is a man of character, but not mean enough to do what it’s gonna take.

[Bonaparte]

Whoa, Teri!

Check this out!

A 3-year course of regular Catholic Bible Study Class offered at St. Charles Borromeo!

It's too bad that parish is down in Pacayune, MS, otherwise you could attend it.

However, they do offer an online version of the course right there at their website!

[TAdams8591]

"Teri, you went to catechism as a child, you also attended Bible Study class and you are presumably still a believing Roman Catholic."

You reference was "as a child." Throughout 12 years of Catholic education, and having attended the then largest Catholic High School in the country, NO student attended bible study class. When we examined the bible, it was in religion class. However, at different periods through out those 12 years, I read the bible, including the Old testament, on my own. And since that was a while ago, I am not going to remember every story in the old testament, word for word.

The new testament, is read as the gospel at Sunday Mass.

You seem a little to intent in exposing people as uneducated and/or liars.

[Bonaparte]

"Who is your ideal candidate?"

Not Romney.

[TAdams8591]

"Yeah, look what good Catholics Teddy the Whale and Jean Francois Kerry are for instance"

Agreed. They're a disgrace. I also agree with most of the rest of your post.

[Bonaparte]

"Again, I’m just pointing out how easy it is to abuse scripture..."

And I'm just pointing out what happens when somebody does that around me.

[Vigilanteman]

If Duncan Hunter doesn’t make it to the Pennsylvania Primary, I’ll be voting for Mitt as well. The Bonapartes of the world will be the perfect poster children for religious bigotry, thereby giving the enemedia a hard time trying to put Mitt in the same camp as they succeeded in doing with George Bush. I believe that either Duncan Hunter or Mitt Romney will eat up the Hildebeast or the Soros sock puppet with big ears in a debate.

[Quicksilver]

I strongly suspect that you’d look foolish if you had the chance to ask Mitt Romney these questions.

[TAdams8591]

"However, they do offer an online version of the course right there at their website!"

Oh, good. It should be convenient enough for you to take it, since history is more your forte. Perhaps, you'll become better balanced. : )

[Mr. Blonde]

Best I can tell, this is important because you don't like Mormons and don't want one to be president.

About Mormon teachings about black people.

The Lord "denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile". (2 Nephi 26:33)

So God never discriminated based on color, and he didn't want his people doing so either.

"O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God. Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness..." (Jacob 3:8-9).

And finally in 1978 they allowed all worthy men (colored or not) to receive the preisthood.

So despite of their belief about why people had dark skin, they were not discriminatory towards them, and now they can rise as high as anyone else in the Mormon church. So even if Romney believes this is why people are colored, his faith tells him to not let it affect his relations with them. Now please tell me again why it matters. If you can in some way show in Romney's record that it has affected his treatment of black people, then you may have a point. But if that is the case he is most likely not only breaking US law he is breaking Mormon law.

[curiosity]

And what, exactly, is the relevence of these questions to Romney’s fitness to be president?

[TAdams8591]

Mitt would be perfect if he had Hunter's history on the issues. But alas, none of us are perfect. : )

Hunter did very well in the debates, better than I expected.

[Bonaparte]

"You seem a little to intent in exposing people as uneducated and/or liars."

I call them like I see them.

If that's being "too intent," then so be it.

At least I don't praise those who misrepresent God's Word.

"When we examined the bible, it was in religion class."

Wait a minute! You say you studied the Bible in class at your Catholic high school? Sure sounds like Bible study to me. I mean, isn't "studying the bible in religion class" an awful lot like "Bible study" in a class?

Hey, maybe I've got that all wrong. I'm just an ignorant Protestant, trying to learn a little about what you Catholics do in school, so forgive my ignorance, ok?

[Vigilanteman]

My ideal candidate would have Hunter’s military background and conservative backbone with Mitt’s economic expertise, model family and good looks. For me, Ann Coulter’s looks would be better yet, but it is the female vote which Republicans have to get, LOL!

[Bonaparte]

You still don't read what's in front of you.

The question asked did not address Romney's behavior.

It addressed his belief.

And, yes, I am aware of numerous contradictions in the Book of Mormon, through all its many revisions.

But none of this relates to the question asked, the one that you and most others on this thread have steadfastly ignored.

[TAdams8591]

"Sure sounds like Bible study to me. I mean, isn't "studying the bible in religion class" an awful lot like "Bible study" in a class?"

Bible study class as attended by protestants, focuses on the bible only, frequently in a chronological fashion, passage by passage.

Religion class, as we attended, focused on many aspects of religion, not just the bible, and not in as organized and focused a fashion.

Being that exacting about things can be a pain in the neck, can't it? : )