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Richard Packham (revised by Bonaparte) | unpublished | Richard Packham (revised by Bonaparte)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

[gotribe]

Sounds a lot like islam, you know, the chosen people and all. Spare me from those types.

[Bonaparte]

Not a bad comparison, gotribe.

Mormonism's founding "prophet," Joseph Smith was a lot like Mohammed -- deceitful, paranoid, murderous, licentious and full of venom toward Christians -- "...the Harlot Catholic Church and her Bastard Offspring Protestants..." -- the more I read the core Mormon church documents, the more sickened I am by that "faith."

[restornu]

So you are Richard Packham

Now it is all so clear...

....yikes how creepy!

[Bonaparte]

No.

Richard Packham is Richard Packham.

I am Bonaparte.

That's why the heading of the article makes it clear that I (Bonaparte) revised Richard Packham's list of questions for Romney.

Guess it wasn't as "clear" as you thought, restornu.

You can now go back to your usual murky confused state.

Had you been paying any attention at all to the discussion on this thread, you would know that --

Richard Packham is a self-described atheist, but I (Bonaparte) am a Southern Baptist believer.

Richard Packham is an ex-mormon, but I (Bonaparte) have never even been in a mormon temple.

I thought you said you prayed to God for clarification in all matters. Maybe you've been talking to the wrong "god."

By the way, shouldn't you be out somewhere doing "good works" so that you'll get to become a god and rule your own planet?

[Grig]

“I’m also guessing that, if the one-year waiting period between the civil ceremony and the temple “sealing” was in effect, he probably got a waiver on that rule.”

I served my mission in England and they don’t (or didn’t at the time) recognize a temple sealing as a legal marriage, so couple had to be married civilly, and after that they can be sealed with no waiting period. It is not a matter of exceptions being made for prominent persons, exceptions are made for all who live in a jurisdiction where they must get a civil wedding first.

[Bonaparte]

Here, I'll make it easy for you...

In post 166, Rameumptom (a mormon like you) identifies Richard Packham.

"I just googled Richard Packman's name. He's an atheist and ex-mormon. He is also a flaming Lib."

That's the very first thing Rameumptom says in his post 166, so you should have no trouble locating this statement within the text of that post.

Then, in post 194, TAdams8591, who has been your steadfast ally on this thread, identifies me (Bonaparte) as Baptist.

Do you see the difference between Richard Packham and me (Bonaparte) now?

Can you see that it's really not possible to be a believing Baptist conservative and an atheistic ex-mormon liberal at the same time? This means that it's not possible for me (Bonaparte) to be Richard Packham (who is not Bonaparte, but is Richard Packham).

If you study all of this information, I think you'll agree that I (Bonaparte) am not Richard Packham afterall.

[Bonaparte]

Thanks for your input, Grig.

[Nova]

Rich,

For a Baptist, you sure have a confusin' outlook.

(yea, that's meant as sarcasm)

[Bonaparte]

You don't suppose I've got one of those "double personalities," do you?

I'd sure hate to think the 'me' that ain't me is being me without me knowing I'm not me but some other 'me', you get me?

But OTOH, that sure would be rich -- get it? "Rich"?

Oh, man, that's funny. I've got to run that one by my good friend, restornu.

[jonathanmo]

Cleaver became a Mormon in 1984. Gladys Knight is a Mormon as well...does that mean if I listen to “Midnight Train to Georgia” that I’m going to burn in the eternal fires of Hell?

[restornu]

He is also is Same sex wow any port in a storm for you Bonaparte the Ends Justify the Means rriiiiighht......

[Bonaparte]

Good question!

But being a complex theological question, it's above my pay grade.

Have you asked your pastor/priest/rabbi or other spirtual advisor?

If and when you do that, let me know what you find out.

I love "Midnight Train to Georgia" and I'd hate to have to delete it from my hard drive and CDs, along with "Neither One of Us."

(Dontcha just love the way the Pips sing "neitheroneofus" in that song?)

[Bonaparte]

"...Same sex wow"

Restornu, on second thought, forget about going out and doing all those good works.

I can see that you already got your own planet and speak its language.

[jonathanmo]

I also love them singing "On and On"...Gladys was never the same after she lost her Pips!

Hey, Sam Warren from the Drifters is a Mormon as well...you may be deleting "Under the Boardwalk" as well...my spiritual adviser is consulting the runes and we'll get back to me shortly...I may have to kill a chicken for a deeper reading, which takes time...I'll get back to you ASAP...
Relax, Mr. Bonaparte...

[Bonaparte]

"Cleaver became a Mormon in 1984."

Jeepers, I almost completely forgot about that piece of info, on account of being seriously flipped out that I might have to stop listening to Gladys sing.

Just looked up more info on Cleaver. After he joined the mormon church in 1984, he divorced his wife and became a crack cocaine addict (late 1980s), was convicted of crack possession and burglary (1992), and then nearly died in a fight over drugs (1994), before dying at age 62 (1998).

I'm sure his mormon reliance on prayer for revelation helped bring him through all these trying ordeals.

[Bonaparte]

Aw, say it ain't so! I gotta delete the Drifters?? That can't be right. It just can't!