Yes, Romney needs to answer questions about his religion

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | August 7, 2007 | Dick Polman

[greyfoxx39]

Mitt Romney's own Republican Party has made religion fair game, and Romney will be asked how his faith would affect his policies.

-SNIP-

But Mitt Romney is a serious contender in 2008, rich and disciplined, and he's running in an era when presidential candidates are virtually expected to parade their religiosity. This is particularly true in the Republican camp, where religion and politics are now routinely intertwined; indeed, candidate George W. Bush upped the ante in 2000, when he said that his favorite philosopher was Jesus, ''because he changed my life.''

So it's no surprise Romney is facing questions about his lifelong devotion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the breakaway theology that considers itself humankind's ''one true church.'' He had hoped to stonewall this issue, insisting in a TV interview 18 months ago that ''I'm never going to get into a discussion about my personal beliefs.''

But today word is circulating that Romney will discuss his faith in an autumn speech - and seek to disarm the skeptics much the way John F. Kennedy in 1960 dampened fears that a Catholic president would take orders from Rome.

Romney is dealing with potential hostility, fair or not, on several fronts. Many Christian fundamentalists, particularly southern Baptists, dismiss Mormonism as a cult (thereby imperiling Romney in the GOP primaries, particularly in pivotal South Carolina). Many secular voters are uncomfortable with the church's passion for proselytizing and its superior attitude, particularly its scriptural insistence that all nonbelievers are worshiping ''the church of the devil.'' Pollsters say that at least 30 percent of voters won't back a Mormon.

Romney's biggest problem is that skeptics are simply weirded out. They cannot quite envision having a president who believes that a man named Joseph Smith dug up a book of golden plates, long buried in a hillside, with the help of an angel named Moroni in 1827; that these plates, written in Egyptian hieroglyphics, spelled out the precepts of the true Christian faith; that Smith translated these hieroglyphics by wearing decoder glasses and burying his head in a hat; that Jesus visited North America after the resurrection; that the Garden of Eden was really in Missouri.

-SNIP-

Some questions do seem appropriate. First, the Mormon faith puts a high premium on ''faith-promoting'' information, sometimes at the expense of unpleasant facts. As a high-ranking Mormon leader said in a famous 1981 speech, ''Some things that are true are not very useful.'' Would Romney be able to assure swing voters that he would not merely perpetuate the faith-based thinking, and the rejection of empirical reality, that has trapped us in a ruinous war?

Second, since the Mormons consider themselves stewards of ''a quintessentially American faith'' (Romney's words), and since Mormons believe Jesus will return and rule the world from U.S. territory, does this suggest that a President Romney might wave the flag a bit too fervently, at a time when we need to repair our relations around the world? The Mormon faith is heavily rooted in what is commonly called ''American exceptionalism,'' the belief that we are special and we know best. Would Romney govern accordingly, and, if so, would that be a help or a hindrance in the war on terror?

-SNIP-

What matters, in other words, is not whether he really thinks Joseph Smith met an angel in 1827. The crucial issue is whether, or how, a devout Mormon would apply his faith on the job in 2009. His supporters have suggested that any such questions are symptoms of religious bigotry, but it is the Republican Party, over the past several decades, that has put religion front and center. They have made Mitt Romney fair game.

[colorcountry]

I am doing well. Thank you for asking. And how are you? Are you still working the coal miner story?

[Utah Girl]

There’s an exhibit - “Dead Sea Scrolls” - currently on display in San Diego. “Latter-day Saints find this scroll of particular interest, because it specifies “Alma son of Judah” as one of the people involved in the agreement on the fourth line and at the bottom of the document. This text contains the oldest known occurrence of the name “Alma” outside of the Book of Mormon.” http://www.sdnhm.org/scrolls/description.html

I think it is very interesting to see the new findings that are coming forth. Alma is a good example. For many years, the critics said that the Book of Mormon couldn't be true because Alma was a woman's name and wasn't anywhere in the Bible. And then the new scrolls appear and what do you know. Alma is referred to as the son of Judah. Here is one more citation Hebrew Names in the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon Evidences

[sevenbak]

Yes, Murray just drove in. The latest presser is expected here at 7:30. They canceled the one earlier. It’s looking grim! Flip on the tube in 15 minues.

[sevenbak]

Correction, starting early, flip on now

[colorcountry]

Watching...

Not good news. #4 hole wasn’t productive. 180 ft into the drilling of #5.

[Old Student]

“It all makes sense to me, thanks to LDS doctrines. These ontological “mysteries” and not mysterious to me, and this is a great comfort - particularly when the knowledge is solidified in my mind and heart by the testimony of the Holy Ghost as to its truthfulness. And then mainstream Christians get flustered that I fail to accept their viewpoint - after all, they’ve studied it and learned it and thought about it at great length.

What they don’t understand is that their religious viewpoints to me would be like trying to eat a Hershey’s chocolate bar after having become accustomed to eating the pinnacle of the art of the Swiss chocolateer. It’s just not satisfying to the soul to try to understand the convoluted and watered-down doctrines of mainstream Christianity when I have sampled of the pure, refined, unadulterated, and perfected truth of God and Christ my Savior.”

Oh! How very well said! I stand all amazed at how well that reflects my own experiences with LDS doctrine and what the Baptists and Catholics believe, those being the groups I’ve most non-LDS experience with. Lutherans, too. They lack something that our church definately has.

[colorcountry]

Maybe they lack this. The Missionary Baptism Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzr6khUZzEY&mode=related&search=";

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“for you are expounding on the fundamental doctrine of our church. That is, living revelation. “

Yikes! I am not advocating that, sevenofnine! I assure
you.

best,
ampu

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Are you discounting what is written in the holy bible? “

That’s just it. We all see the cryptic reference - and only
reference. And no one knows what it means. If it were a
MAJOR issue to God, we would have had a lot about it.

best,
ampu

[sevenbak]

No it’s not good news at all. Murray told us in the presser one thing, but the families lawyer called us and just reemed Murray for the way he treated the families tonight. He needs some serious people skills, he was callous and thoughtless, basically telling the families that even if they found a body in #5, there was no way in hell they were going done to get it.

The guy needs some lessons in compassion.

[sevenbak]

Too late, you already advocated it. I’m having your name tag printed up... Where would you like to serve?

;-)

[sevenbak]

How do you know this? How do you judge such things? How much needs to be written to be major issue with God? If it’s in the bible, say 5 times, it’s OK, but once or twice, no good?

I would like to see this breakdown.

[Elsie]

sigh, we’ve been down the secrets and mysteries thread, to which you never responded.

I didn't? Well let me do it now.

How foolish it is to claim something 'hidden' is true, just because it is hidden.

There is an elephant in my basement, but YOU do not get to see him, for you would not believe it.

---

Somethings simply are and never were meant to be public among the general populace. Otherwise, why did Jesus even bother to speak in parables?

You don't KNOW??

Read the book!

 

NIV Matthew 13:34-35
 34.  Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
 35.  So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."

 

NIV Mark 4:34
  He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

 

NIV Mark 4:2
  He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:

 

 

 

NIV Matthew 13:9-19
   9.  He who has ears, let him hear."
 10.  The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
 11.  He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
 12.  Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
 13.  This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
 14.  In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "`You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
 15.  For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'
 16.  But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
 17.  For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
 18.  "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:

 

 

NIV Mark 4:13
  Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

 

Matthew 15:15-16
 15.  Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
 16.  "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them.

 

NIV Luke 8:11
  "This is the meaning of the parable: 

 

NIV Matthew 21:45
  When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them.

 

 

We use parables today; only we call them strawmen.

 

 

[Elsie]

They can see your posts/rants as well.

Rants?

I gots RANTS??

[Elsie]

OK, that was funny.

HMMmm.. do I detect a slight inference that some of my stuff ISN'T??

pout...

[Elsie]

Nope; not biblical.

Matt. 7: 21 (21-27). 21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

---

NIV John 6:28-29
28. Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29. Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

[Elsie]

I'll see your dilbert cartoon and raise you a video.

No FAIR!!

I only have dialup, and my little squirrel is running as fast as he can!

[Elsie]

Oh, and one more thing. This same uneducated farmboy that received knowledge from God, would be hard to duplicate by any master’s degree.

 

 

 

http://www.prairieghosts.com/auto_writing.html

 

http://www.spiritnexus.org/tools/automatic.htm

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_writing

 

 

Old Joe should have lived TODAY!!

[Elsie]

What they don’t understand is that their religious viewpoints to me would be like trying to eat a Hershey’s chocolate bar after having become accustomed to eating the pinnacle of the art of the Swiss chocolateer.

We tend to look at it THIS way:

2 Thessalonians 2:9-11
9. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
10. and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
11. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

[Elsie]

You WILL be assimilated!