Posted on 06/23/2007 1:28:02 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) SALT LAKE CITY -- Mitt Romney said Saturday that criticism of his Mormon religion by rival GOP presidential campaigns is happening too frequently.
“Clearly, any derogatory comments about anyone’s faith—those comments are troubling. The fact they keep on coming up is even more troubling,” Romney said during a fundraising trip in the home state of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Mormon church is one of the fastest-growing religions and claims about 12.5 million members worldwide. But many evangelical Christians in crucial primary states such as Iowa and South Carolina consider the faith a cult.
Romney’s remarks follow an apology from GOP rival John McCain’s campaign for comments about the Mormon church allegedly made this year by a volunteer.
Also recently, Republican presidential hopeful, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, issued a similar apology for a campaign worker’s e-mail to Iowa Republican leaders that was an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny of Romney’s religion. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani apologized after the New York Sun noted that a campaign aide had forwarded to a blogger a story about unofficial Mormon lore. Legend has it that a Mormon would save the Constitution, the story said. The campaign aide passed the story along with a note: “Thought you’d find this interesting.”
Romney said in a large presidential race there always will be some volunteers or workers who cannot be controlled. But he said the difference between derogatory comments that originated from the McCain campaign and others is that the Arizona senator has not personally apologized to him.
“In the case of Senator Brownback and Mayor Giuliani ... they called immediately. They each spoke with me personally. I don’t have any issue with that at all,” Romney said.
He said McCain “can do whatever he feels is the right thing. There’s no need for me to suggest how people respond to things that go on in the campaign.”
Tucker Bounds, a McCain campaign spokesman, said the McCain campaign has already apologized.
“It’s a very sincere apology. There is absolutely no place for those type of comments in our campaign,” he said.
Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, said he had not spoken with McCain since the last presidential debate, on June 5.
Romney used a fundraiser hosted by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller to criticize the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. It banned unregulated, unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals to national political parties and federal candidates.
“The bill ought to be repealed,” he said. “It’s been the wrong course for American campaigns.”
Romney said he favors unlimited donations as long as they are immediately disclosed on the Internet.
Romney was attending fundraisers in Salt Lake City and in Logan on Saturday.
False.
Deathbed confessions, Good Thief on the Cross, etc.
"..That good works are a symptom of faith."
True.
tant,
First, the guy (I’m sure we agree) is despicable.
Is he really a Christian? His actions (I’m sure we agree)
do not say so.
I truthfully do not know if he is a believing Christian.
Fortunately, God does.... and He’ll know exactly how
to handle that situation. Unfortunately, this man will
damage the name of Christ to his family and to others
during his miserable existence on earth.
Truly the best answer I can give. I do not know that
the guy is a Christian. God does.
Once in my last year of college, I was fortunate
enough to do my internship at my local church I was
attending there. It was fascinating to me.
One day, I pulled up to the church in my 1968 Plymouth
station wagon and the Pastor came out and said, “Come
with me. We need your car.” I went. It was a situation
like you describe. I don’t know if the guy professed
Christ, but the dear woman did. He beat her. I spent
a couple hours with the pastor and woman helping move
her out. We stashed the stuff in the basement of the
church.
I also learned another lesson about domestic situations...
the woman almost always goes back... sadly. And she did.
He was a professor at my college, btw.
Whether he professed Christ or not, he desperately needed
help. I don’t know if he ever got it. I graduated and
moved on.
best,
ampu
PS - A guy like you describe makes his profession and giving
worthless, doesn’t he?
“We cannot “buy” the grace we receive. But neither are we “entitled” to it.”
Neither can we add to it.
“Does it not logically follow, then, that salvation cannot come without good works? After all, without them, there is evidently no faith.”
No. Your premise was wrong and led you to a wrong conclusion.
~”False.
Deathbed confessions, Good Thief on the Cross, etc.”~
Interesting. So, you think that God finds deathbed confessions acceptable? That a man can live his whole life in wickedness, and still be justified in the end by acknowledging the evil he has committed?
The good thief is an interesting example. Evidently, his repentance was sincere, as he was with the Lord in Paradise; but, I wonder, is his case the rule, or the exception? Or is there possibly a fact that we aren’t told - that he repented of his sins before the cross, and that God had already accepted his plea for forgiveness, and the cross on which he hung was the inevitable earthly consequence of his forgiven actions? Mere conjecture on my part, of course.
Absolutely.
Remember, I'm 99% Catholic. ;)
~”Truly the best answer I can give. I do not know that
the guy is a Christian. God does.”~
Fair enough. I also ascribe to ultimate justice. But, then, we agree that a profession of faith is not enough; one needs real faith, and real faith causes good works.
At this point, I am left scratching my head. What is so different about our positions? You have accepted Christ as your Savior and accepted His grace, and your faith is borne out by good works. I have accepted Christ as my Savior and accepted His grace, and my faith is borne out by good works, as best I can, in any case.
The only difference between us, then, is that I think God holds us to His commandments to perform good works, and that if we don’t make an honest effort to do so, grace is withdrawn.
I cannot think that this is an offensive position to you, particularly as it only serves to incentivize me to try to be a better person; so why do we continue to argue about it?
~”Neither can we add to it.”~
This is true. We agree entirely.
But, then, I do not think that Mormons profess to do so. The claim that we try to “add” to God’s grace is one made by those who would discredit us.
I have never heard it preached in an LDS Church or by an LDS authority that we should in any way try to “add” to God’s grace. It is an interpretation of outsiders.
OK, that’s fine.
I do not think that a person can “find Jesus” in the waning minutes of his life. In my opinion, a conversion to God is a process, and one that doesn’t happen in an instant. It is built as we live His commandments and build up our own faith by means of obedience to Him.
This, I see, is where we part ways.
Best regards.
Now, Enosh, we were having such a pleasant conversation. Your accusation is as false as it is untimely.
Here you admit your error; The Power does not belong to the person, but to our Lord Christ Jesus.
Amen
Read the scriptural passages again. Both groups have faith. Both groups (sheep and goats) refer to Christ as “Lord.” You’re fooling yourself to read the scripture any other way.
Where in the Scriptures is that called blasphemous? Only the Pharisees laid that charge. Are you taking companionship with them?
That’s an interesting point CUH; I’d not read the verses quite like that before.
Another passage to add to the list of examples if why Christ requires us to -live- the Gospel in addition to -believing- it.
Ah, DL, I’d forgotten to ping you. You may be interested in my post #855.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1855211/posts?page=855#855
Mormon friend, if it is up to you or me to be good enough so that God doesn't withdraw His Grace (we're speaking of the Grace which Saves the immortal soul of a man/woman), the accuser of the brethren will steal your salvation and make it God's fault because He has promised that if you will bow your head and acknowledge His Grace to you, HE WILL SAVE YOU by the application of His faith in His Grace toward you ... and your profession will be counted for you righteousness you could never achieve and He will never leave you or forsake you once you confess Him.
At my age, I can testify truly to you from what I have witnessed that when a man bows his knee to Jesus, there is no way God will allow that man or woman to become a filthy family member for the rest of their life; He is good to His word ... He is the One Doing the Works and His greatest work is the transforming of a you or me. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind ... let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
Contending over works v faith using extraordinary examples profits little. Testifying to the Saving Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ profiteth much and is the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the heart to repentance and salvation in Him. For it is HE that is in you, to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Well, it's only that First Commandment thing. You know, Exodus 20:3
That would only apply if we were putting ourselves before God. That is clearly not the case. That was actually a cogent thought from you. I’m impressed.
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