~”Quote it.”~
You’re right. The only example I could find from recent months was the following:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1829571/posts?page=78#78
That certainly isn’t enough to justify the charge I have leveled at you. It’s plain that I’ve confused you with others. You, sir, have my sincere apologies for my knee-jerk and unwarranted reaction.
~”I have said Mormonism isn’t Christian, the view that pretty much all Christians share. It’s also a view that most Mormons on this site have denounced at ignorant and hateful, which says more about them than anything.”~
That much you have said, and it is false. I am a Mormon, and I am a Christian, as I follow Jesus Christ and worship Him as my personal Savior. All else is details. As far as I’m concerned, that is the end of the discussion. Those who tell me I’m not a Christian because they are applying their traditional philosophies of what a Christian is are certainly ignorant, and a few of them are hateful.
~”However, it is clear to me that many Mormons support Mitt only because he is Mormon. If he were not Mormon, there is no way they would support him.”~
There are a few, but I reject the premise that there are “many.” Where such an attitude does exist, I am just as comfortable with the label of religious bigotry for religious-based support as I am for religious-based opposition. I do think you see Mormons where there are none - I doubt a third of the people on the Mitt ping list, for example, are LDS. Just as many of my LDS FReeper friends are Thompson supporters as Romney supporters at this stage. Personally, I’m about 60%/40% in Romney’s favor. Besides Thompson, I’m not even considering anybody else at this stage.
So, in that point, I maintain my position. You try to discredit many of Romney’s supporters on the grounds that they wouldn’t support him if they didn’t share his faith. Well, his base isn’t made up of Mormons. He’s attracted all types to his campaign, and by chalking up his support to some kind of transposed religious fanaticism (and for that, I do have quotes), you severely misunderstand and underestimate his appeal.
There are a couple different points here that you confuse.
* There are many of Mitt's Mormon supporters on FR. When conservative Mormons support a "moderate" Mormon who has paid lip service (if any) to Mormon teaching in the past, and obstinately refuse to admit that Mitt has any faults, to what reason should I ascribe this obstinacy and blindness but to a fanatical devotion to a coreligionist? These people refuse to admit the truth of direct quotes, even ones with video evidence, even signed statements by Romney. That is not normal behavior. It is bizarre and irrational. I call it worship. (No, not all of the Mitt-supporting Mormons on FR are like this, but most of the most vocal ones are.)
* There are Mitt's non-Mormon supporters on FR. They are a mixed bunch. Some are moderates who approve of Mitt's moderation. Some are religious conservative who love a conversion story. Some are financial guys who want a prez from the Street. Some think he's pretty.
* Then there are Mitt's supporters 'out there'. There are his political supporters, with varying motives. There are the people who have seen Mitt on TV telling them how great he is and so they're with Mitt for now. I think those supporters are soft and will fade.
Regarding the are Mormons Christian thing, it reminds me of the gay marriage debate.
Christian society has defined Christianity for a long, long time. Marriage has been defined for a long, long time. Different people have decided to stretch the meaning of both, IMO, to suit their ideological perspective.
Catholics do not recognize Mormon baptism. That is fundamental. You can call 2,000 years of theology of the Catholic Church ignorant if you want to, but it's foolish, and you're just starting a religious flame war, when you've got the liabilities of Joseph Smith, the angel Moroni, spirit children, and an eternal future as Gods on your own planet. Not a wise thing to do, IMO.