Romney: Attacks On Mormon Religion Troubling

CBS 4 MIAMI ^ | 23 JUNE 2007 | AP

[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.

[sevenbak]

Yes, that's true, it's free and available online without having to go in person. http://www.familysearch.org/

[sevenbak]

Sas, if you can buy into the Rigdon authorship thing, I can see where the rest of your assertions about Spauding come from. Have you ever actually read the Spaulding manuscript, or just what Philastus Hurlbut, the former member of the Church who had been excommunicated for immorality, wrote about it? Did you know he was employed by an anti-Mormon committee in Ohio to collect derogatory evidence against Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon? Read the Spaulding manuscript and then read the BOM. Then we can talk...

[sevenbak]

Alexander Campbell’s commentary on the the Mormon book of Ether:

Better yet, just start with the Book of Ether. Might as well refute Campbell first.

[LeGrande]

According to engineering studies I have read, Noah’s ark was feasible, this, I rather doubt. It has as much credibility as the later alleged crossing by Israelites to the Americas, with American cities, etc. peopled by their descendants. Totally without archaeological support. This cockamamie Jaredite crossing, same thing.

You have seen actual engineering studies that show that Noah's Ark was feasible? Would you care to share your sources with us or is this something that you just made up out of thin air?

I am especially interested in the lists of the animals, food storage and space requirements. I don't believe that it is possible to make a wooden boat large enough to contain two of each of the mammals on the earth much less all the birds and reptiles.

Noah's Ark is a fairy tale. I am amazed that grown adults actually seem to believe in these stories. What is even more peculiar is that they argue over whose interpretation of the fairy tale is true? How insane is that?

[sevenbak]

I don't find the story of the ark troubling at all, and yes, I'm an adult. ;-) It's fantastic, yes, but so are many many things in the bible (and the BOM for that matter) It's based on faith in God's word. If one takes the bible to be true, then a careful reading of the events surrounding the deluge and subsequence science is also helpful.

Take the vast numbers of animals for instance... The earth was divided from the pangea state 2 or 3 hundred years after the flood, in the days of Peleg. (Genesis 10:25) That would explain the animals spreading out to different continents and different genetic separation between species could have happened after that.

As far as the gathering of the animals, if the Lord could make a Donkey talk, or give Solomon the ability to communicate to animals, why then could he not bring the animals to Noah. We know the instinct drive is strong, with God, all things are possible.

Now, about all that water?

Have you ever seen how oatmeal rises in the pan when you cook it from all the pressure and heat below, and when you take it off the heat, it sinks? Give the Lord some credit. All it would take to sink the continents temporarily, say 100 days of so before Ararat, is for the internal core of the earth to cool down. The seas would rise above the highest peaks quite rapidly.

Yes, call me crazy for believing in the fairy tale. I do indeed!

Cheers

[sasportas]

Its been years since I read “Who really wrote the book of Mormon.” It had very good documentation in it, as I remember. But if you think I am going to go research it again for your sake, forget it. Believe what you want, its a free country.

If it contradicts your phony prophet, it wouldn’t matter what evidence I brought, you wouldn’t accept it. If Christ himself presented the evidence, you wouldn’t accept it. I’ve conversed enough (in real life not on the net) with Smithites to know that.

[sevenbak]

Like I thought, you didnt’ even read the Spalding manuscript, just the book about if written by an adulterous apostate that was written to discredit the church and to make money.

I challenge you again to read the Spalding manuscript by it’self, and then compare it with the BOM. I have, and it’s totally preposterous that it was used as the fodder for the BOM.

[sandude]

If Christ himself presented the evidence, you wouldn’t accept it.

I can't speak for sevenbak, but for myself and all of the true believing Latter Day Saints that I know, we would accept Christs testimony without question. We are Christians. If He were to come again tomorrow, to the mount of olives in Jerusalem and announce that Joseph Smith was a fraud and that we had been deceived, I would humbly accept it and ask Him for forgiveness. Every other practicing Mormon that I know would do likewise. What would your reaction be if He were to announce to the world that Joseph Smith was His prophet and that the Book of Mormon contained the everlasting gospel?

[sandude]

I’m sorry sevenbak, I should have included you when I responded to sasportas.

[colorcountry]

Color, this is getting really old. You are the one that makes a big deal about our "works" ...not us.

If some want to do works before men, they will have their reward, but if we do it in secret, our Father who seeth in secret, will reward us openly. Cheers

Oh so you're not saying you're better than us - - you're just saying you are just more openly blessed. I get it.

[Enosh]

Link

40,000 animals x 11.125 ft3 = 445,000 ft3 OR	445,000 ft 3 1,518,750 ft3	× 100 = 29% of the Ark's capacity
35,000 animals x 11.125 ft3 = 389,375 ft3 OR	389,375 ft3 1,518,750 ft3	× 100 = 25% of the Ark's capacity
16,000 animals x 11.125 ft3 = 178,000 ft3 OR (kind = genus taxon)	178,000 ft3 1,518,750 ft3	× 100 = 11.7% of the Ark's capacity
2,000 animals x 11.125 ft3 = 22,250 ft3 OR (kind = family taxon)	22,250 ft3 1,518,750 ft3	× 100 = 1.4% of the Ark's capacity

Anything else in the Bible we're supposed to disregard, LeGrande?

[Enosh]

BTW, LeGrande, if you want to play the Bible Miracle game, forget nautical engineering and go with physics.

Joshua 10:12-14

How's that for a wowzer?

[Elsie]

...I want to remind everyone how much loved this great Constitution and Country is in the eyes of the leadership of the LDS Church.

The one that hangs by a thread?

[Elsie]

Why the desire to seperate the two and do one before men and the other before God?

Because they are DIFFERENT!

Why do YOU want to merge them together?

---

Is not a tithe a gift to God?

You guys are saying it's a COMMAND!!

Make up your mind!

[Elsie]

... it shall be said of me ‘He was murdered in cold blood!”

Well; he sure got THIS part right!

[Elsie]

... it shall be said of me ‘He was murdered in cold blood!”

The SAYING part!

[Elsie]

Mitt's wife Ann was also an Episcopalian before joining the LDS Church, btw.

HMMmmm....

Seems like something was lacking in Sunday School!

(How LONG had she been an 'E'?)

[Elsie]

Says...I am Indian.

Therefore; I must be also!

Born in Indiana in the little town of Indianapolis!

[Elsie]

No it is FastCoyote words not mind!

You are right!

I went back a checked, and sure enough, it was at the bottom of his post.

(I was confused because usually the item one is refering to is highlighted by being italicized.)

[Elsie]

And, depending upon the ROUTE they took; they’d either have to go thru the Mediterranean Sea, or around the Horn of Africa.