Posted on 08/11/2012 11:51:20 AM PDT by NoLibZone
With the choice of devout Catholic Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney, a Mormon, has arguably crafted the most religiously unique ticket in presidential history. Both religions have interesting precedent in presidential politics, however, with varying degrees of success.
John F. Kennedy was famously the first and only Catholic to be elected president. Less than two months before the 1960 election, JFK addressed the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in a hope to allay fears that the pope would use him as a conduit into American politics.
Mitt Romney's father, George, also a Mormon, was a serious Republican candidate for president in 1968. Most political observers believe he didn't get far enough in the process to have his Mormon faith fully examined or questioned. Perhaps facing a more determined press than in '68, Mitt's Mormonism was questioned in his first run for president. He, like JFK, felt the need to address his faith publicly and did so in December 2007.
Read more: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/08/11/mormon-catholic-pairing-makes-historically-unique-gop-ticket/#ixzz23GUbjkaK
(Excerpt) Read more at politics.blogs.foxnews.com ...
Can you provide a link to this? Since you’re so adamant about it, I’m sure you got some handy.
“you know Gods will and plan no better than any of us. Youre doing traditional Christians no favors with your vitriol.”
So you believe Joseph Smith found some gold plates with reformed Egpytian written on them and that told him all Christianity is the whore of Babylon and that he ought to take on a few extra wives?
It’s hell-bound alright.
“Who was yor choice then? Who would you have voted for?”
I didn’t get a choice. I live in Texas. It was settled before one of the most conservative states in the union even had a chance. The Open primary and lib states picked our nominee for us.
A link to what, what I related are personal experiences.
I didn’t put it in a news paper.
Interesting dynamics at work.
I personally do not. However who I am I to say that’s not what happened? Any more than say a confucian would be able to say with cerainty that my Lord was not resurrected on the third day.
Its a loser of an argument. Neither you nor I know with any certainty. They call it faith for a reason. You do Christianity no favors by condemning a religion that presents no threat to you. The golden rule still works and is pretty much universal across religions.
I call Mitt Bishop because he was a Stake President, the Mormon version of a Catholic Bishop, and we have never had a presidential candidate that high in a religious order.
The Romneys are truly powerful and leaders within Mormonism, they arrived here to serve Joseph Smith 170 years ago and have never wavered, they have produced many leaders, including a candidate for Holy Prophet who died before the decision was made, Mitt’s father was a Bishop as well, the Romney family is royalty within the religion and have brought in tens of millions of dollars, and made 2 consecutive attempts to gain the White House.
Mitt Romney sought a meeting with his Holy Prophet to ask permission to run for president in 2005 and then announced.
You seem to be overselling your story, try to tone it down a little.
The political climate was that a lefty that hated republicans killed JFK, not republicans, or “the right”, or “Dallas”.
Can I get a shout out???
/s
“I personally do not. However who I am I to say thats not what happened? Any more than say a confucian would be able to say with cerainty that my Lord was not resurrected on the third day.
Its a loser of an argument. Neither you nor I know with any certainty. They call it faith for a reason. You do Christianity no favors by condemning a religion that presents no threat to you. The golden rule still works and is pretty much universal across religions.”
Mormonism is a proven fraud. They even found Joseph Smith’s papyri (he bought it from a traveling Mummy salesman) that he “translated” the so called Book of Abraham from (he translated it during an era where no one could actually read ancient Egpytian) and Egyptologists declared it to be a standard burial rite. Mormonism is disprovable in over 200 different ways. I can dismantle it in 3 seconds. No, maybe just 2 and a half. You don’t need to be Confucious or anybody. You just have to be a rational adult without a serious mental disorder.
As for “posing no threat,” Christ Himself damns all false prophets to hell. We are told by Paul that whoever preaches a different Gospel, let him be accursed. All religious cults, whether it is Islam or Mormonism or the Jehovah’s Witnesses, are wrong in the sight of God.
Joe Biden is America’s first Catholic vice-President, and a Catholic in good standing.
The only way that your posts make any sense at all, is if you are not a Christian.
Christians are baffled by you absurd reasoning, you are denying Christianity to get to your defense of Mormonism.
So you profess to know Gods will with regard to Mormonism? You’re now a special, self-appointed prophet who has special insight into these things?
Then I guess you completely missed the irony of saying that Christ himself damns all false prophets to hell.
I thought I did and smiled at you too!
Wait, there could be a third, and that would be your view.
“So you profess to know Gods will with regard to Mormonism? Youre now a special, self-appointed prophet who has special insight into these things?
Then I guess you completely missed the irony of saying that Christ himself damns all false prophets to hell.”
Seriously, buy a clue on Mormonism. It is not wise to comment on something you’ve never thought about before or studied on. As for “God’s will with regard to Mormonism”:
Gal 1:8-9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (9) As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Rev_19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Try again. I’m a practicing Catholic. One who actually goes to church and listens. I don’t recall any part of the Gospel that says that I’m supposed to go out of my way to castigate those who don’t agree with my religious views. Apparently there is some part of your Gospel that says otherwise. Must be one of those new translations.
“The Mormon haters on this board are living in a virtual dream world of their own creation. Your imaginations about the cult of obedience of the Mormon Church have no basis in reality, regardless of what you think your uncle and former bishop told you.”
So your family was one of the first to be conned by Joseph Smith. Congratulations. Not that I should boast. Mine is filled with drunks and schizophrenics.
“Lying for the Lord
The following was written by Ken Clark for MormonThink. Ken worked full time for the LDS Church Education System (CES) for 27 years. He also served as a bishop; a calling he enjoyed as much as full time instructor and Coordinator for the Church Education System. He loved (and still loves) the students and the ward members. His story can be found here.
Ken gave an excellent presentation on Lying for the Lord at the 2008 ExMormon Foundation Conference in Salt Lake City. Lying for the Lord on You Tube.
“The right to lie in the service of your own interests is highly valued and frequently exercised”-Nero Wolfe
I began this list when I was a full time employee of the LDS Church Education System (CES). I worked as a Seminary Principal/teacher, Institute teacher/Director, and Stake CES Coordinator from 1975 - 2002. My last assignment was brief. I signed a Letter of Agreement with CES to serve as the Director of the Pullman, Washington LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to Washington State University in July 2002. I resigned from CES a month later. I carry fond memories of the students, ward leaders and others I grew to respect in the LDS Church. I started this list in an effort to defend the church from its detractors. I was insulted that critics accused LDS church leaders of dishonesty. I “knew” the criticisms could not be true.
As an informal defender, I discovered that those accusing the church leaders of being dishonest sometimes had the facts on their side (when I took the time to check). I dealt with the cognitive dissonance by pointing out that (1) all organizations are run by humans and if you search hard enough, of course you’ll find a few isolated examples of deception; and (2) since the leaders are human, they will err on occasion. I guessed there may have been occasional isolated examples of premeditated deception but it was not a pattern or standard practice.
Sometimes I caught myself revealing less than the whole truth, or embellishing in order to defend the church. I noticed that other members often did the same thing. I gave myself permission to be slightly dishonest because I was defending God’s one true church; or so I reasoned. Eventually I decided to let the lives and sermons of the church leaders speak for themselves. If detractors were right some of the time, the church and I would deal with it.
I believed a list of prevarications presented in the proper context would prove that lying wasn’t actually lying. Instead the list would prove that a perceived lie was probably a misunderstanding, a remark out of context or a deliberate misinterpretation of historical events. My belief was that those who accused church leaders with deception were deceivers themselves; they twisted words and took remarks out of context. But as I read more church history my list grew, and at some point it occurred to me that a pattern of institutionalized deception had been established by Joseph Smith. Subsequent church leaders, including those who serve currently, followed Smith’s example of lying to protect the church. The growing evidence pointed to a standard practice.
Evidence presented in this essay establishes that when the church image or its leaders needed protection it was and is, okay to fib, deceive, distort, inflate, minimize, exaggerate, prevaricate or lie. You will read quotations by church leaders who admitted that deception is a useful tool to protect the church and its leaders “when they are in a tight spot,” or “to beat the devil at his own game.” They admit engaging in moral gymnastics; that God approves of deception - if it’s done to protect the “Lord’s Church” or “the brethren” as the leaders are called.
I was stunned after I learned these uncomfortable truths. I had naively believed that when church leaders transgressed, they followed the required steps of repentance, as taught to members and investigators. I believed they had the courage to face their mistakes and confess their shortcomings, no matter what the consequences; to live the same standards they set for the members. I believed they were completely honest.
D. Michael Quinn called the use of deception by LDS church leaders, “theocratic ethics.” (The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, page 112) Smith lied to protect himself or the church; which was an extension of himself. Dan Vogel in his excellent work, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, described Smith’s viewpoint; he was a pious deceiver. Smith used deception if in his mind; it resulted in a good outcome. Smith had Moroni, an ancient American prophet and custodian of the gold plates declare, “And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. ( Moroni 4:11-12). Translation: if deception was necessary to do good, or bring a soul to Christ, then it was worth it, as long as God approves. Smith believed he knew when God approved of lying.
Smith believed God also approved of murder if it was for a good cause. He wrote in the Book of Mormon that Nephi was inspired by God (1 Nephi 4:6) to deceive and capture a servant; and then murder another man in order to secure an ancient historical record on brass plates. And in Missouri, Smith and his counselor Sidney Rigdon threatened to kill Mormon’s who disagreed with Smith’s policies and initiatives (Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Chapter 3, “Theocratic Beginnings,” 79-103).
Smith re-wrote scripture to demonstrate that God had ordered the prophet Abraham to lie to protect himself and his wife Sarah from harm (Abraham 2:23-25).
Before becoming a prophet, Smith’s chosen profession relied on deception to earn a living. He assured clients that he could see underground treasure using a magic stone in the bottom of his hat and clients paid him to locate hidden gold using this method. He never did of course. Smith’s arrest, trial and conviction in Bainbridge, NY for fraud in 1826 documented his activity. He was found guilty of glass looking. The modern term for Smith would be a con artist. (Dan Vogel, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, 82-86). Modern scams operate on a similar principle Smith used to separate people from their money.”
The rests at: http://www.mormonthink.com/lying.htm
Wordy, wordy, wordy, without really saying anything, we get it, you ran for office unsuccessfully and were a Bishop.
The Romneys are Mormon royalty and perhaps it’s biggest cash cow, and is a powerful family even in the normal world, a Mormon bridge to government power, your family isn’t and hasn’t, the difference of about 30 months of when your families started serving Joseph Smith is meaningless, the Romneys committed and made the journey from England specifically to serve him.
Romney did ask permission of his Prophet, but then, he plays in the Mormon big leagues, millions of dollars from the Romneys go in, and Romney benefits hugely.
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