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Evangelicals Against Mitt
The American Spectator ^ | 1/3/2008 | Carrie Sheffield

Posted on 01/08/2008 4:09:13 PM PST by tantiboh

Mitt Romney is facing an unexpected challenge in Iowa from rival Mike Huckabee, who has enjoyed a groundswell of support from religious voters, particularly evangelical Christians wary of the clean-cut former Massachusetts governor because of his Mormon religion.

The common worry among evangelicals is that if Romney were to capture the White House, his presidency would give legitimacy to a religion they believe is a cult. Since the LDS church places heavy emphasis on proselytizing -- there are 53,000 LDS missionaries worldwide -- many mainstream Christians are afraid that Mormon recruiting efforts would increase and that LDS membership rolls would swell.

...

THE ONLY PROBLEM with those fears is that they don't add up. Evangelicals may be surprised to learn that the growth of church membership in Massachusetts slowed substantially during Romney's tenure as governor. In fact, one could make the absurdly simplistic argument that Romney was bad for Mormonism.

...

ONE WAY TO GAUGE what might happen under a President Romney would be to look at what happened during the period of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Held in Salt Lake City, they were dubbed the "Mormon Olympics."

...

Despite all the increased attention, worldwide the Church grew only slightly, and in fact in the year leading up to the games the total number of congregations fell. Overall, from 2000 to 2004, there was a 10.9 percent increase in memberships and a 3.6 percent increase in congregations.

...

The LDS church is likely to continue its current modest-but-impressive growth whether or not Romney wins the White House. Perhaps the only real worry for evangelicals is that, if elected, the former Massachusetts governor will demonstrate to Americans that Mormons don't have horns.

Carrie Sheffield, a member of the LDS Church, is a writer living in Washington, D.C.

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: election; ia2008; lds; mormon; romney
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To: VirginiaConstitutionalist

Eisenhower was JW???? I did not know that.


1,341 posted on 01/26/2008 3:23:17 PM PST by GOPPachyderm
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To: colorcountry
I would tell you the truth but it would only anger you.

To anger a liberal, tell him the truth

1,342 posted on 01/26/2008 3:23:51 PM PST by Dan(9698)
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To: colorcountry

and Colorado


1,343 posted on 01/26/2008 3:25:52 PM PST by Invincibly Ignorant
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To: GOPPachyderm

This is a lie espoused by Romnulens, to make his Mormonism somehow less offensive. Eisenhowers PARENTS were JW.

Eisenhower’s family originally belonged to the local River Brethren sect of the Mennonites. However, when Ike was five years old, his parents became followers of the WatchTower Society, whose members later took the name Jehovah’s Witnesses.

All of the Eisenhower boys left the Jehovah’s Witness religion when adults and openly opposed major aspects of Watchtower teaching.

Eisenhower was baptized, confirmed, and became a communicant in the Presbyterian Church in a single ceremony on February 1, 1953, just 12 days after his first inauguration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower

Eisenhower wasn’t a practicing JW. In fact, if you judge by ones parents then I am perhaps the most Mormon poster on all of FR.


1,344 posted on 01/26/2008 3:31:57 PM PST by colorcountry (To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Invincibly Ignorant

And probably Montana


1,345 posted on 01/26/2008 3:32:29 PM PST by colorcountry (To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Old Mountain man

“What was that delegate count again?”

I think it’s 96% remaining at this point.


1,346 posted on 01/26/2008 3:43:40 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: tantiboh

“The polls you cite are not broken down to filter them out.”

Time will tell.

I worry for our country when we as a party run 4 rinos against
2 Democrats.


1,347 posted on 01/26/2008 3:45:16 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: colorcountry; VirginiaConstitutionalist

~”This is a lie espoused by Romnulens...”~

It is not a lie. It is a fact. You have stated as much. When he was elected Eisenhower was a Jehovah’s Witness.

It’s very strange to me that you would choose to call this objective fact a lie. Yes, Eisenhower converted shortly after his term started. It also appears that he was never a devout JW. But that does not make the assertion that he was a JW when he was elected a lie.

How many more objective facts do you choose to dismiss as lies because they don’t support your view of things?


1,348 posted on 01/26/2008 3:54:29 PM PST by tantiboh
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To: All
A few on this thread are in direct opposition to the United States Constitution.

The "no religious test" clause of the United States Constitution is found in Article VI, section 3, and states that:

“ ...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. ”

1,349 posted on 01/26/2008 4:10:37 PM PST by Invincibly Ignorant
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To: tantiboh
It is not a lie. It is a fact. You have stated as much. When he was elected Eisenhower was a Jehovah’s Witness.

How do you know? The article said he left the Church. If Eisenhower was JW, then I am Mormon. Hey everybody!!! Colorcountry is MORMON!

1,350 posted on 01/26/2008 4:19:13 PM PST by colorcountry (To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: All

I’m hearing crickets chirping. :-)


1,351 posted on 01/26/2008 4:19:35 PM PST by Invincibly Ignorant
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To: Invincibly Ignorant; tantiboh

Hey II, tant - why don’t you post a link supporting the assertion that Eisenhower was JW when he was elected President.

Come on now, there must be record of which congregation he actually attended during his campaign, right?

crickets anyone?


1,352 posted on 01/26/2008 4:24:53 PM PST by colorcountry (To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: colorcountry

Why are you dragging me into the Eisenhower thing? I’ve got my own problems. lol.


1,353 posted on 01/26/2008 4:27:00 PM PST by Invincibly Ignorant
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To: colorcountry

~”How do you know?”~

Um, it’s called “Historical Record.” Check it out, I think you’ll like it.

~”The article said he left the Church. If Eisenhower was JW, then I am Mormon.”~

Except, you are a Mormon, unless you got that little thing resolved and I haven’t heard about it.


1,354 posted on 01/26/2008 4:28:21 PM PST by tantiboh
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To: colorcountry

~”Hey II, tant - why don’t you post a link supporting the assertion that Eisenhower was JW when he was elected President.”~

How can you be asking me this? You said yourself he didn’t convert until 12 days after his election?

Alright, if you insist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower#Religion


1,355 posted on 01/26/2008 4:30:10 PM PST by tantiboh
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To: Elsie

No mind-changing necessary. You have to read what Joseph Smith said, completely and in context. My great-grandfather recognized the restored Church for what it was. It added light and knowledge to what he already knew — which was good, but incomplete. He was not the only preacher from the area who was converted to Mormonism. And each of them knew their Bible.


1,356 posted on 01/26/2008 4:32:41 PM PST by lady lawyer
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To: tantiboh
I see you never addressed the FACT....( that you of course deny..) that LD$ Inc...has dozens of businesses that DON'T qualify for charity status. BECAUSE THEY don't give much IF ANY of those monies away.

In one post you DENY, DENY, DENY....then you in another you admit it. SO WHICH IS IT?

Heck Tant...lol..I might think you are ignorant or hiding the truth. Because your previous posts don't jive.

Since you like to mention penis's..I also would suggest that you circumsize your mind and get your head out of the proverbial sand...

P.S. If you really, really think MAUI is close to Temple Square.....you NEED SOME SERIOUS GEOGRAPHY LESSONS.

ROFLOL!!!

You are always good for a laugh...

Thanks-

1,357 posted on 01/26/2008 4:35:27 PM PST by Osage Orange ("Bill Clinton is an unusually good liar" - Bob Kerry)
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To: Tennessee Nana
Romney said...

OK. So that leaves Ron Paul, with less than 2%.

Looks like we're going to be stuck with one of the liberal, open-borders, anti-citizen globalists, so it doesn't really matter which party they hail from.

1,358 posted on 01/26/2008 4:39:19 PM PST by meadsjn
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To: Osage Orange

The LDS Church doesn’t hide the fact that it owns commercial assets. Its investments are some of the best-managed in the world. The Church doesn’t try to qualify its commercial holdings as “charities,” because they aren’t. The tax-exempt assets, such as church buildings, are separate. The investments are held by Deseret Management Corporation.

Some of the Church farms are “welfare farms,” meaning that they produce food for the Bishop’s Storehouses, to provide for the needy. The members are called on to provide free labor on those farms. Other farms are regular commercial farms.

As Tantiboh said, “So what?” You act as if there is something shameful about it.


1,359 posted on 01/26/2008 4:41:09 PM PST by lady lawyer
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To: tantiboh

No tanti, show me where and when he last attended a JW meeting. Can you do it? All you have shown me is when he became a Presbyterian.

Here is a pro-JW article. Even IT states that Ida (Ike’s mom) was JW, but we had left many, many years before he ever considered running for POTUS. http://www.seanet.com/~raines/eisenhower.html

So let me ask you this. What constitutes “membership” to you? Did you consider him a member because his mother was a member? Is it because he attended some services as a child. Even though he left the JWs and was shunned by them, you consider his still a JW. It’s a curious thing, my FRiend. The J-dubs didn’t consider him a member. HE didn’t consider himself a member. But you DO. Why?


1,360 posted on 01/26/2008 4:41:37 PM PST by colorcountry (To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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