Posted on 12/04/2007 1:27:39 PM PST by Zakeet
From baptism of the dead to a ban on coffee, Mormonism's doctrines are alien to many Americans and that is unlikely to change when Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gives a long-awaited speech on his faith this week, religious scholars say.
Thursday's address by the former Massachusetts governor, who would be the first Mormon president of the United States, could fuel more questions than answers about a faith many powerful evangelical Christian voters dismiss as a cult.
"I can't see him really making a kind of passionate defense of Mormonism. That's not going to win votes. On the other hand, to pretend he is an evangelical is not going to win. He is in a very awkward position," said Alan Wolfe, director of Boston College's Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.
[Snip]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the sect based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is formally known, is the fourth-largest U.S. religion and one of the richest, with 12.9 million members globally and an estimated $5 billion in annual revenue. More than half live outside the United States.
It bans alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee. It maintains there is no eternal hell, the dead can be baptized and that God speaks through living apostles and prophets such as the church's current president, Gordon Hinckley.
Although Mormons revere Christ as their savior and consider themselves devout Christians, they reject the unified Trinity and teach that God has a body of flesh.
They believe the religion's founder, Joseph Smith, was a prophet instructed by God to restore the true church and that the Bible contains errors.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
"With Mormonism, I think one of the problems he is going to face is that the more he talks about
specifics, the more the differences are going to come into focus," said Boyd Petersen, interim
chairman of the Mormon studies program at Utah Valley State College.
The real risk he faces is that he will inadvertently draw out those that want to distinguish between christianity and mormonism.
While the mormons claim they are mainstream christians, the truth is that they are far from it. They MormonCorps leaders do not want that to be known of the jig will be up.
Will he admit he is a StakePresident in his church? (or clarify what that is?)
If you are not a mormon then the specifics don’t matter. A general discussion on moral values, American values and living life in the 21st century with each other is really all that is important.
I would not expect much detail. Just a 10,000 foot flyover talking about what good bunch of folks the are.
The longer Romney is in the race, the more I think that the truth is a malleable concept for him.......
He’s better off keeping quiet about it.
Earth to the MSM: nobody cares about Romney’s Mormonism. It’s his govt healthcare he instituted in MA that we don’t like.
I am with you on his positions and the other things that he has done in Mass. I wouldn’t support him for those reasons alone. Having said that, the fact that he follows a hokey folk tale spun by a charlatan (actually, two charlatans - Joseph Smith & Sidney Rigdon)is enough for me to pass on him.
"I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and try to live everyday of my life the way that He lived. Whatever a person believes, if they would simply adopt the teachings of "love thy neighbor as thyself, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, share with others, help others, and respect other people's rights and free will as long as they are not infringing on someone else," our nation and our world would be a whole lot better place to live."And let it rest at that while explaining in more detail his stances on those issues and the fact that they are now a fundamental part of his value system."Those fundamental Christian values define my attitudes and stances on abortion...protecting our borders...national defense...governmental spending...etc., etc."
There is no need for him to get into any more specificity on religion that that, and what is critical is him allieviating the fear that people like me have that his new-found conservative stances on abortion, gun control, immigration, etc. are anything more that political expediency.
He can only shoot himself in the foot by ignoring that in favor of any long winded speech on religion IMHO.
This is the 3rd thread you have posted on this, that I have seen.
Are there more?
tidbit from different thread
“Ronald Reagan truly admired the Latter-day Saints. His administration included more members of the Church than any other American president, ever. Three of us, David Fischer, Gregory Newell and I, served on his personal White House staff. Richard Wirthlin was his chief strategist. Ted Bell served as Secretary of Education, Angela Buchanan was Treasurer, Rex Lee was Solicitor General. His White House included Roger Porter, Brent Scowcroft, Richard Beal, Blake Parish, Jon Huntsman Jr., Dodie Borup and Rocky Kuonen, and there were many other Latter-day Saints throughout his Administration. President Thomas S. Monson served on a Presidential Commission on Volunteerism. Others were ambassadors. LDS senators and representatives were held in special regard, and the Tabernacle Choir was his special inaugural guest.” -Stephen M. Studdert, Special Assistant to President Reagan
Source: “President Reagan respected Church,” Church News, 12 Jun 2004
Womens groups should ask why Utah is among the two leading states for for the prescription of anti-depressants for women. Among women who are actively involved in their faith,they are much more likel to seek out psychological/psychiatric therapy.
Believe he has already done that, and admitted he was a Bishop at one point in time as well. Either way not sure "admit" is the correct word as there isn't anything wrong with it and he is currently neither.
(or clarify what that is?)
LDS congregations are called "Wards". A group of wards (in my area usually 6 to 8, might be more or less in other areas) are called "Stakes". A Stake President is the leader in the hierarchy of the church that presides over the Stake.
In terms of other religions the closest equivalent in hierarchy I can think of is maybe a Diocesan Bishop, though I don't know enough about Catholic hierarchy to say for sure.
No president was more greatly beloved by members of the LDS Church than Ronald Reagan.
Reagan would neither have engaged in nor approved of the self-righteous anti-Mormon demagoguery that Huckabee and some evangelicals seem to consider their God-appointed duty.
Romney looked beyond superficialities and judged the heart, the fruit of faith practiced. That is why he was such a great, great man.
No president was more greatly beloved by members of the LDS Church than Ronald Reagan.
Reagan would neither have engaged in nor approved of the self-righteous anti-Mormon demagoguery that Huckabee and some evangelicals seem to consider their God-appointed duty.
Reagan looked beyond superficialities and judged the heart, the fruit of faith practiced. That is why he was such a great, great man.
(But Romney would do that as well)
I think you still need one more edit :-)
You need to learn how to write a literate sentence.
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