Posted on 05/04/2007 5:46:36 AM PDT by Saundra Duffy
They Shoot Mormons, Don't They? Religious bigotry, alive and well today
May 4, 2007 - by Saundra Duffy-Hawkins
I wouldnt vote for a Mormon for dogcatcher, much less President of the United States! Theres a lot of that kind of hateful rhetoric going around since Mitt Romney decided to throw his hat in the ring as if Mormons are some kind of hideous evil monsters. The loudest anti-Mormon shouts, sad to say, are coming from Americas so-called Christian right. How can Mitt Romney hope to get a fair shake in this spiritually polluted atmosphere?
There was another man running for President who faced the same dilemma John F. Kennedy only he was the target of anti-CATHOLIC bigotry. In his 1960 speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, JFK said the following: . . .I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end - where all men and all churches are treated as equal - where man has the same right to attend or not attend the church of his choice - where there is no Catholic vote, no anti-Catholic vote, no bloc voting of any kind - and where Catholics, Protestants and Jews, at both the lay and pastoral level, will refrain from those attitudes of disdain and division which have so often marred their words in the past, and promote instead the American ideal of brotherhood. John F. Kennedy Library & Museum (Speeches, 1960). By the way, if you listen to the audio version of JFKs speech, you will hear the hurt and frustration in his voice and the unfair treatment surely must have caused many a sleepless night.
Fast forward to 2007 where JFK might as well have been whistlin Dixie. The hostility toward Mormons today, in my opinion, is even worse than that suffered by JFK. Although it is said that JFK lost about a million votes to religious intolerance, Romney stands to lose even more if the anti-Mormon evangelicals hang together.
According to Media Matters for America - . . . a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media - FOX News is not reporting accurately on the level of evangelical hostility to the Romney run. Media Matters for America points out that among evangelical leaders rejecting Mormons: Shirley and James Dobson (National Day of Prayer and Focus on the Family, respectively), the Southern Baptist Convention (collectively), Pat Robertson (Christian Broadcasting Network), and Dr. D. James Kennedy (Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida). Among many conservative evangelicals who comprise a significant part of the Republican base Mormonism is considered an un-Christian cult. Media Matters for America (2007)
While stumping in Florida, a man in the audience stood up during the Q&A portion and said the following to Romney: You, sir, youre a pretender. You do not know the Lord. Youre a Mormon. Media Matters for America (2007). This is the kind of un-American, disrespectful treatment Mitt Romney will apparently have to endure throughout the entire campaign as if just being a Mormon is reason enough to open the floodgates for free flow of pent-up hatred and vindictiveness.
For the record, the Mormon bashers know full well that the official name of Romneys church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the members should rightfully be called members of the LDS Church but the words Mormon and Mormonism have an aura of negativity so they prefer to use the M word as if it were dirty.
Less than five minutes cruising around the official LDS website (LDS.org) will show anyone whos interested that the Church is a Christian organization, with Jesus Christ at the Head. There are no paid clergy all are volunteers. Humanitarian aid is legendary. Members of the LDS Church believe in strong family values; they are patriotic, they are law-abiding upstanding citizens of their community. Many LDS young men right out of high school go on two-year missions you know, the guys on bikes and during their mission they dont date, read newspapers, go to movies or watch TV; but rather they dedicate two years of their lives to serving others. Many women go on missions as well, and couples, only theirs is 18 months in length but the obligations are basically the same. Most members do not shop or go out to eat on Sundays reminiscent of the good old days when shops and stores were closed in obedience to the Commandment, Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. If they can help it, LDS Church members do not work on Sundays, either, preferring to spend the day at church and with their families. Church members are encouraged to store up a years supply of food and water so they will be able to care for their families in the event of an emergency. The LDS Church believes in self-sufficiency and self-reliance but in the event of a financial hardship the Church distributes food and supplies through their welfare (Bishops Storehouse) program. Members of the LDS Church do not drink alcohol nor do they use illicit drugs; they do not drink coffee and tea. A Mormon in good standing, therefore, will not be found in a drunken stupor puking her guts out at 3 a.m. anywhere in the world. Furthermore, members of the church are encouraged to dress modestly, be polite and courteous. And members of the LDS Church are faithful tithe payers. Come on, people, whats not to love?
So what on earth is their beef, the anti-Mormon zealots? Why is there such disdain for the LDS Church and its members? In Hugh Hewitts book, Mormon in the White House? he states his thesis that the fierce anti-Mormon sentiment among main-stream Christians stems from one or two or all three of the following factors (in order of importance):
1) It is just too weird.
2) A Mormon president will supercharge Mormons missionary work.
3) If there is a Mormon in the White House, Salt Lake City will call the shots, at least on the biggest issues. Hewitt (2007, p. 221-227)
Hugh Hewitt has written an exquisite book about the Romney campaign and overcoming the Mormon problem. Its a good read and I highly recommend it. Of the three problem points listed in the previous paragraph, Hewitt believes unless some unforeseen blunder destroys his chances none of the three is insurmountable for Mitt Romney. (Plus, he has the best hair.)
Well, Im no Hugh Hewitt, not even close; hes an icon on the conservative radio talk show circuit. Hewitt could talk circles around me (Ive seen him in action in Sacramento); hes brilliant; hes well educated, well read, no doubt a genius, plus hes kind of cute. Im basically a nobody an overweight grandma but after having researched for this paper, I have come to a totally different conclusion as to why there is such in-your-face angst over Romneys religion of choice: Its all about money, power and control (in that order). I think theyre (the evangelical religious bigots, that is) scared half to death and are revving up their attacks, not to save souls, but to save their reputations (which if tarnished would lead to financial ruin).
As I said, all one must do is browse around the LDS official web site to see what the LDS Church believes and stands for. Any reasonable person would conclude that Mormons are not evil monsters at all. In fact, they are God fearing, Christ believing, Holy Ghost following people going about doing good. You will know them by their fruit and the LDS has plenty of fruit and they are willing to share.
Earlier, I stated that some high-powered ministries have publicly condemned Mormons: Shirley and James Dobson, the Southern Baptist Convention, Pat Robertson, and Dr. D. James Kennedy just to name a few. There are hoards of others. Sunday after Sunday, preachers, evangelists, reverends and ministers from all Christian denominations pound the pulpit with anti-Mormon rhetoric. I heard the message loud clear when I was a Baptist and when I tiptoed through evangelical/Pentecostal territories. Was I ever miffed when I later learned for myself the Gospel truth about the LDS Church.
Just think about it, please. If Dr. D. James Kennedy, for example, who wrote the book, The Wolves Among Us, were to admit hed been wrong in labeling the LDS Church a cult that leads unwary ignorant people astray (to hell), what would become of his multi-million-dollar ministry? Suffice it to say, theres big money to be had by sale of books, tapes, CDs, videos, and other anti-Mormon propaganda, not to mention speaking engagements and world-wide religious crusades. Were talking trillions, all told. I realize the anti-Mormon aspect of these ministries is but a small portion of the business, but if the truth came out, that they had been using falsehoods about the LDS Church as a cash cow, their entire empires could tumble.
The ABC News program 20/20 aired on March 23, 2007, exposed the lavish lifestyles of some of the top evangelical preachers million dollar mansions and personal jets. ABC News - 20/20 (2007) (Again, the LDS Church has no paid clergy.)
Its nothing new. Severe harassment and persecution has been the lot of the LDS Church since its inception in 1820 when a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith saw visions and communed with heavenly beings. Rather than discuss the spiritual aspects of the LDS Church, however, lets stick to facts of history. Taken from a college-level early American history textbook, Joseph Smith, upon experiencing the visions and visitations, believed that God had work for me to do, and that my name should be for good and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues. Ayers, Gould, Oshinsky, and Soderlund (2004, p. 292). The textbook continues, They were met with hostility virtually everywhere they went . . . . As the movement gathered momentum, hundreds of people joined the church; entire congregations of churches of other faiths joined . . . Ayers, Gould, Oshinsky, and Soderlund (2004, p. 293)
During the dark time of American history when slavery was flourishing and when Native Americans were forced from their lands, the pioneers of the LDS Church also suffered at the hands of unscrupulous politicians, governmental leaders, and angry hate-filled mobs. In the face of relentless persecution, Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, had led his flock to Illinois. There they had established the town of Nauvoo, which by the mid-1840s had become the largest city in Illinois with over 15,000 people. . . In June 1844, a mob of non-Mormons broke into the jail where Smith was being held and killed both him and his brother. . .The Mormons abandoned Nauvoo in the spring of 1846 as anti-Mormons pounded the town with cannon, destroying the Great Temple. In a well-coordinated migration, 15,000 Mormons moved in stages to the Great Salt Lake. Ayers, Gould, Oshinsky, and Soderlund (2004, p. 334-335) Many walked all the way and many died along the way, including innocent babes.
Joseph Smith at one time was tarred and feathered by a mob. No jury, no trial, no judge and they had planned to castrate him, too. On October 27, 1838, the then governor of Missouri issued an extermination order: The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary . . . Far West History (n.d.) Please note that the order called for exterminating Mormons making no distinction between men, women and children, and indeed women and children were subject to the extermination order.
In an event known in LDS history as the Hauns Mill Massacre, precipitated by the extermination order, 30 to 40 LDS families were surprised by some 200 to 250 militia. After the smoke cleared, seventeen LDS people lay dead including a ten-year-old boy. Thirteen LDS members were wounded including a woman and a seven-year-old boy. A few Missourians returned the next day and took plunder. LDS FAQ (n.d.) No Missouri militiamen were killed but three were wounded. Just a few years earlier, the LDS folk who died that day had been members of other churches - Congregational or Methodist or Baptist or Presbyterian.
In l976, Governor Bond of Missouri officially rescinded the extermination order and presented apologies for the unfortunate developments it caused. Quoting from Governor Bonds Executive Order: WHEREAS, Governor Boggs order clearly contravened the rights to life, liberty, property and religious freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, as well as the Constitution of the State of Missouri; and . . . Expressing on behalf of all Missourians our deep regret for the injustice and undue suffering rescind Executive Order Number 44 dated October 27, 1838, issued by Governor W. Boggs. . . Far West History (n.d.) The individuals who harassed, abused, and even murdered Mormons in cold blood were never tried for their crimes.
I read Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail and it really touched my heart. There he was, suffering for the Lord in jail, and these religious leaders with highfalutin titles on the outside wrote an open letter (A Call for Unity) in which they criticize Kings tactics and basically blame King for the racial turmoil of the time. Though you can tell King is upset and hurt by the attack made worse because hes stuck in jail and cant confront the religious leaders face-to-face his response is gentle genius. I wish you had commended the Negro sit-inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. Barnet and Bedau (2005, p. 881)
King has a few choice words for the Church, too: If todays church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust. Barnet and Bedau (2005, p. 880)
King signs off with Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood.
Theres an eerie commonality between what JFK and MLK endured at the hands of the religious bigots of their day and what Mitt Romney is facing today. I hope and pray that Romney will be able to fend off these undeserved attacks from the religious hypocrites with the same grace, dignity and God-inspired resolve displayed by the other two.
A few popular bumper stickers read: Honk if you love Jesus and Christians arent perfect, just forgiven or Jesus is my co-pilot. Yet, apparently, these same bumper-sticker Christians are the ones waging war against Mitt Romneys run for the Presidency solely on the basis of his chosen faith in a Church that bears the name of the Savior of the world.
References
ABC News - 20/20 (2007). Philanthropic donations come from your heart, but where do they end up? Ex-money manager says "enough!" to secretive Christian Ministry spending. Glenn Ruppel & John Stossel. United States: ABC News.
Ayers, E. L., Gould, L. L., Oshinsky, D. M., & Soderlund, J. R. (2004). American Passages - a history of the United States - Volume I: to 1877 (2nd ed.). Belmont, California: Thomson/Wadsworth.
Barnet, S., & Bedau, H. (2005). Letter from Birmingham Jail. Current Issues and Enduring Questions - a guide to critical thinking and argument, with readings (7th ed., pp. 867-882). Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Far West History. (n.d.). The Extermination Order and how it was rescinded. Retrieved April 28, 2007, from http://www.jwha.info/mmff/exorder.htm
Hewitt, H. (2007). A Mormon in the White House? 10 things every American should know about Mitt Romney. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. (1960, September 12). Address of Senator John F. Kennedy to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from http://www.jfklibrary.org
Lds Faq. (n.d.). What was the Haun's Mill Massacre? Retrieved April 28-2007, 2004, from Brigham Young University Web Site: http://ldsfaq.byu.edu/view.asp?q=57
Media Matters for America. (2007). Fox News whitewashes evangelical hostility to Romney's faith. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from http://mediamatters.org/items/printable/200702280002
FC,
Turn in any and all criminals, it is your and everyone’s obligation.
That being said, I find it hilarious that you complain anonymously about someone’s criminal offenses here on Freerepublic and yet you have done nothing about it. Yeah, right that registers like you are telling the truth, NOT!
Wow, we learned something! :)
Well said:
[To emphasize this point: Take all of FastCoyote’s “tales” about his divinity. Let’s say FC is 14 now. Let’s say that in a decade, FastCoyote binds up all of his sageness into a single volume called “The Wily Wiles of FastCoyote,” and the disciples he seems slow of convincing on FR today mushroom in the year 2017.
Now you and I can argue over the true “root” date—was it 2007 or was it 2017?..but if FastCoyote had never shared any of his sageness from 2007 to 2016, I really don’t think you would have much ground to stand on in opposing my contention that his movement began in 2017...and that any other date is pure myth. [Especially if no official & original Vision from Coyote’s visit by his Coyote personages even emerges til he turned 30+ in the year 2023]
Whoo Hooo!!! I think I have my first convert, preachin the word of Fast Coyote! I have a P.O. Box in Pahrump where you can send your tithes!
But seriously, I think you understand what I was trying to do with my Godifying and Prophesying ;)
Oh, Christopher Hitchens is on Hannity & Colmes. Gotta go.
The only perfect sinless one who physically walked on the earth is Jesus Christ. All the rest of us - including the Prophets - had sin . . . and some had more or less sin than others.
Post 1
Luke 1
5 THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Post 2
One of those posts is wrong. Which one is it?
Good verses. Good post.
That’s one of my favorites. Have you heard the tune? It is very catchy.
I missed that. That’s funny.
What all did she say at the end, it was so slurred together its hard to tell.
I was asked which law he referred to. I had to give you my best guess since Jesus did not specify. Clearly it was understood by those who opposed him or he would not have referenced it. Neither is it that one verse. I gave you the whole exchange as it is written in the scriptures. I clearly fits the context of his reply and what he is trying to tell them. Or are you saying that particular verse is translated incorrectly?
“Tell us how you really came to feel the way you feel or shall I enlighten the crowd?”
Go ahead and make up whatever you want about me in whatever order, you obviously have a big coprolite you want to give birth to, so be my guest.
But, from the sound of it you want to pin me with the “FastCoyote the fornicator” story (which is odd, because you worship Joseph Smith who was so incapable of ‘keeping it in his pants’ that he needed 40 women”). But I digress.
I worked in the University system, one of my bosses was a married Mormon women who was doing a PhD thesis and required my expertise to build a database as part of her dissertation. She flirted with me to get her way, and when I asked if we were about to have an affair, all hell broke loose. I was almost fired, I was forbidden to talk with her, though she was in part my boss and responsible for the flirtation anyway.
So, now you will say, oh FastCoyote, you horrible man you, taking advantage of a pure driven snow Mormon wife. Except HR informed me in no uncertain terms that she had pulled a similar stunt the year previously, so you have to question the moral stability of a woman so desperate for a PhD that she would try to ruin me. A simple “no” would have worked fine, but her Mormon upbringing had her so tied in knots that she was incapable of a normal response.
Then there was the university website contract given to the blind Mormon son-in-law of someone in accounting over my objections. I paid for opposing that corrupt little scam as well.
But, that was hardly the only Mormon experience I’ve had. I dated for a short period a Mormon divorcee who had been ostracized from the church and was at that time quite shattered by the actions of the saintly Mormons. She introduced me to how kind Mormons are to those they cull from the herd.
Then there was the Temple Mormon business partner who kept no books, showed no profits, cheated on his taxes, physically threatened me and tried to cheat my mother out of $300,000. He lives in a million dollar house across from the Temple. I learned a lot there.
Then there was the lawyer who represented the hydroponics farm (down the road from the Cherry Patch in Pahrump), who first enlightened me about becoming a God with my own planet. The hydroponics farm’s secret to success was “magic water”, or some of the usual superstitious crapola.
Then there is my inside knowledge of Harry Reid and his Mormon convert, Dario Herrera (now doing time in the slammer for taking money and lapdances from titty bar owner Mike Galardi in the GSting scandal). There is way to much to go into here.
Then there is my accountant friend who was falsely charged with rape, so the false accuser’s buddy could embezzle from the business.
Then there is my Jack Mormon atheist boss who tells me no, I am not imagining things. He claims he will never do a deal with a Mormon.
So I had plenty of reason to believe Mormons were a risk to my health and prosperity before, but now that I’ve more thoroughly researched “the Cube”, I realize I need to actively oppose being assimilated. And that includes opposing Mitt as my president.
There’s some stuff I left out, but you get the idea.
By the way, I was just chatting with Joseph Smith in a revelation and he says to tell everyone “FastCoyote never lies”.
So... it’s taken you five months to do the right thing? If he’s a criminal, take action!
“One of those posts is wrong. Which one is it?”
False choice. Every penitent person is blameless. Both posts are correct.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;So, Eternal life is getting to know God, Yet Jesus Christ him self draws a simile between the oneness the apostles are to have and the oneness he and God share, moreover, he says the apostles should be one with the same oneness.
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
I never said it was entirely correct. In fact, I think it was tampered with from the earliest of times. There were a lot of different factions that wanted to put their spin on things. Those with the most power and biggest armies won. imo
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen....
...It is the standard end of any Mormon talk.
Mormons don’t have ordained Pastors. The congregation is chosen to speak at random. The first talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting (the standard Sunday service) was when I was 12 years old. I gave a 2 1/2 minute talk about counting our blessings. It included the poem “I wept because I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet.”
Mormons practice public speaking from the time they are about five years old (or even younger) in Sunday School or Primary. It is one of the reasons Mitt is so polished. Every Mormon ends there public devotional with the phrase that the traffic gal ended with....I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
The only perfect sinless one who physically walked on the earth is Jesus Christ. All the rest of us - including the Prophets - had sin . . . and some had more or less sin than others.
False choice. Every penitent person is blameless. Both posts are correct.
There is nothing in the first post to indicate possible penitience changing things. My point stands.
Delphi you give this same diatribe to anyone who disagrees with Mormonism, that they have some sort of tortured soul. You honestly believe that anyone who opposes Mormonism is troubled don't you?
You said it to me, to MHGinTN, to FastCoyote, greyfoxx and now to Colofornian. You're starting to sound like someone with a huge chip on their troubled shoulder.
“Is this America? Whatever happened to freedom of religion?”
What, did someone lock you in a closet and tell you you couldn’t worship any fool way you please? Why don’t you give us some evidence that that whopper is true.
“The Temples are open to all when they are first built.”
Then they close them so they can do secret handshakes and wear magic underwear while excluding everyone else from “the hive”.
“When I was a teenager, my Mom took us (Baptists at the time) over to the Oakland Temple for the grand tour. After that, the Temples are closed except for LDS ordinances which are none of your business. Why do you care what goes on in the Temples, especially if you think LDS is a bunch of hooey. No one is hurting anyone inside the Temples. Good grief already.”
I could care less what goes on inside the Temples. But don’t try and pretend that Mormons are no different than other Christians, because your Temples are monuments to secrecy and divisiveness meant to set you apart.
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