Posted on 09/09/2012 10:23:41 AM PDT by Mozilla
On Thursday night, Glenn Beck tackled an issue that has come up frequently throughout the 2012 presidential campaign — Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith. Prior to the show, the radio and television host invited TheBlaze readers and viewers to submit their questions, as he sought to address the myths that often surround The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Beck, who is also a Mormon, told viewers that his faith is inherent in all that he does. In fact, it is his personal relationship with God that guides his actions and sustains him.
“I do what I do, because of my faith,” Beck told viewers. “Because of my faith, I’m not afraid.”
He also went on to highlight some of the elements that people need to know about his personal faith and its central underpinnings. From a belief in Jesus Christ to the notion that helping one’s fellow man is essential, these values lay at the center of the Mormon experience.
“God lives. We survive. America flourishes,” he continued, listing off the other sentiments that Mormons embrace. “The Messiah came and he will come again. Be good to one another. Give until it hurts. Give to the poor, the hungry and the underprivileged. Obey God. Make a covenant with him. He keeps his word. But be on his side. Don’t try to get him on your side.”
The first issue — or myth, rather — that Beck tackled was polygamy, a marriage that includes more than two individuals. Since there is mass confusion surrounding Mormons and plural marriage, Beck provided in-depth background and historical analysis on the issue. While he explained that Mormons did, indeed, practice polygamy at one point in time, he notes that this dynamic ended 122 years ago and that the church takes a strong stance against it today.
GlennBeck.com has more about Beck’s statements surrounding historical constructs of the former practice:
He explained that in the 1800s, there was massive persecution of Mormons wer driven out of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. In Missouri, the governor even issued Executive Order-44 which ordered that all Mormons be exterminated or driven out of the state, resulting in 10,000 Mormons who lived there either being killed or forced to flee. Executive Order-44 wasn’t overturned until 1976. As a result of this persecution, there weren’t many men left. The desire to repopulate played a role in the decision to practice polygamy, but only about 5% did it before the practice came to an end in 1890.
He called polygamy ”a perversion of everything we believe in.”
“The media would have nothing more to have Americans believe that anybody who believes what I believe is [Warren Jeffs],” Beck said, referring to a cult leader who is serving a life sentence for having relationships with underage girls.
Contemporary polygamists aren’t Mormons, Beck explained. Watch the host tackle the polygamy issue, below:
Next, he delved into the so-called “magic underwear” discussion. He was, of course, referring to the undergarments that Mormon adherents wear. Many times, this element of the faith is mocked and ridiculed, as non-believers don‘t understand the significance and haven’t necessarily been exposed to the reasoning behind wearing the clothing.
“It is to remind us of something very sacred,” Beck explained. “It’s a reminder of the promises we make at the Temple.”
Rather than serving as a secretive and elusive tool, the underwear represent the personal promises that Mormons make to be “faithful, modest, and temperate.”
While it’s not always easy to wear the undergarments, especially when it comes to finding clothing to wear over them, Beck said that the difficulty makes it more sacred and meaningful. Considering the importance of the underwear to the Mormon faith, it also become more painful, the host admitted, when others mock the practice:
Beck also tackled the purported “secretive” activities that unfold in the temple. While many critics have alleged that the church is elusive and that some of the activities are top-secret, Beck made it clear that there’s nothing surprising or startling going on behind closed doors.
“There’s no secret stuff,” Beck explained. “There‘s nothing you will find in the temple that you won’t find in the Old or New Testament.”
Marriage and baptism are two of the practices that take place inside Mormon houses of worship — elements that most other Christian denominations can relate to. Beck did delve into “baptism for the dead,” a practice that he said has roots in 1 Corinthians.
See him tackle these subjects, below:
There is also, of course, the question of Mormon missionaries. Beck described the fascinating, two-year trips that young believers make to help spread the faith, while simultaneously embarking on a journey to find themselves.
During this time, young Mormons find themselves “preaching the word and reading the scriptures,” as they go door-to-door to discuss their faith. While sharing an example of a friend’s son who just left for Finland for a mission, Beck encouraged others — regardless of their faiths — to engage in similar experiences.
“He will live the exact opposite of a trophy society. In a culture where ‘I’ve got to go find myself, while spending $50,000 a year and listen to a bunch of liberal Marxist professors at some liberal college…these guys do find themselves,” Beck proclaimed. “Please, do this in your faith. It changes your children…it’s one of the reasons that Mormons are so successful. They know why they are at an early age.”
“It’s not weird to be a Mormon. And it‘s not weird to be president if you’re Mormon,” Beck concluded.
This special episode comes as the nation prepares to potentially elect its first Mormon president. While some biases certainly continue to color Romney’s candidacy, the impact appears to be minimal. As we’ve previously reported, November 2011 Pew Research Center results found that, while Romney may have experienced some negative results due to his Mormon faith in the primary race, his general election chances likely won’t be impacted.
Unfortunately, this hasn’t stopped anti-Mormon attacks from unfolding in media. Beck’s goal, of course, was to dispel some of the myths that drive and fuel these incidents.
I remember when Kennedy was running and no one cared about his Catholicism, they did mock him because he was philander.
Maybe, they just thought he was such an ally cat, he wasn’t really a Catholic.
Ans, I just don’t get how people don’t get that.
Romney does nothing without permission.
Yet you took your valuable time and responded.
Thank you.
In other words, you laid out some BS, and I called it as such. My response does not elevate it from the status of BS.
I asked the question about voting for a Buddhist or Rastafarian to make the point that the candidate's religion is a minor factor.
What is important is that the person understands the Constitution, and his duty to uphold the principles therein, which will allow us to freely practice our varied religions.
This is being attacked by the current administration and will increase if they are reelected.
A Mormon at my door, (and they are always polite), does not equate to a public booing of God ,3 times, by members of a major political party IMHO.
What is important is that the person understands the Constitution, and his duty to uphold the principles therein, which will allow us to freely practice our varied religions.
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Oh dear...
and Willard was knocking on doorts for years telling people they had to become morm ons or else...
and Willard got himself proxy dead dunked to make dead Christians into mormons against their will...
(This happened to my ancestors who died as Christains and were deade dunked into mormonism after their deaths and against their right and desire to “freely practice their varied religions”
Their religion wasnt Mormonism...
It was Christianity...
and then also Wilolard doesnt understand the Constitution...
He has said that Roe V Wade is the “law of the land”
Well Roe V Wade is unConstitutional...
The Supreme Court is not suppose to be making laws...
Thats the Constituional job of the Congress...
and then theres ObamaCare...
Willard has not yet denounced the Supreme courts decision as unConstitutional...
and then yet again Willard has yet to denounce the EOs of Obama, incuding that unConstitutional one about the illegal aliens who were bought here as children...
and wait theres more...Willard has declared that the birthers are wrong and that Obama is eligible to be president but ubnder the Constitution Obama is not...
SOOOOOO
That disqualifies Willard as a valid candidate who “understands the Constitution, and his duty to uphold the principles therein”
Are you bothered by obama being a muslim?
That is assuming you are really not bothered by a candidates religion.
I am intrigued that you appear to be judging all of mormonism by a couple of nice guys who came to you front door.
To make it clear:
If a CD of "Bob Marley's Greatest Hits" were running for president in this election- the CD would be better for the future of our country than reelecting Obama and Co.
Now- thanks to the wonderful state of the economy- I have to go to one of my jobs- so I can enjoy the pleasure of working twice as hard for 1/2 as much . Goodnight.
The up coming election is about electing the president of the United States, not a leader of my church.
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and yet Willard is a leader of your so called “church”
and he thinks he is fullfilling some mormon prophecy..
and at least a whole night of the GOP-e convention weas given over to appauding the wonders of Willard as a bishop and stake prersident of your so called “church”
If your so called “church” is not that important in the upcoming election why were unsuspecting Chrsitian delegates subjected to a mormon religious service of fasting and testimony about the mormon religion being true etc and how wonderful it all is ???
Those hours of worshipping Willard and his chosen religion were not an accident.....
Those Mormons were reading off a teleprompter what Willard whatred them to say...
Just as they had repeated those same stories dozens of times in their mormon religious services for years...
Why did Willard allow lies about the belief of his religion ???
Why did Willard lie about his ancestors and their religious history ???
Why was Willard falsely called a “pastor” instead of a bishop and a stake president (equal to an arch bishop) if not to fool the unsuspecting Christian delegates but to lure them into thinking the Mormon religion was just another Christian denomination instead of the false religion with no connection to the LORD Jesus Christ of the Christian Bible that it really is ???
What was religion doing in a polital arana if not part and parcel of it ???
I felt bad. I'm not interested in spreading lies about someone else’s religion. Unfortunately for the LDS, I didn't stop there. At another official LDS site, I found this quote:
It sounds like they're not very sure about what is official doctrine. That's the kind of thing that happens when official doctrine is based on a whim.
A Mormon at my door, (and they are always polite), does not equate to a public booing of God ,3 times, by members of a major political party IMHO.
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Have the guts to tell those mormons you think they are part of a cult and see how so called “polite “ they are then...
The dozerns of times over the years the Mormons at my door, on the street, and next door to my Christian church and in these threads have booed God far outweigh the 3 times the Democrats booed...
since you are counting...
I’ve been to Nauvoo several times. Interesting place. A Mormon tour guide there told me the reason they embraced polygamy was to increase their numbers. There just wasn’t enough men in the community to grow their population in monogamous marriages back then. The town (it wasn’t named Nauvoo at the time of Smith) became one of the most populace cities in IL. People felt threatened by their growing power and influence. After the murder of Smith the city gradually shrank into a small farm town with a modest tourist trade. Going to Nauvoo is a kind of pilgrimage for Mormons.
No, mormons practiced polygamy so Smith could bed under aged girls and other men’s wives.
It was a “reveal”, so Smith wouldn’t get creamed by his own people.
A Mormon tour guide there told me the reason they embraced polygamy was to increase their numbers. There just wasn’t enough men in the community to grow their population in monogamous marriages back then. The town (it wasn’t named Nauvoo at the time of Smith)
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The town of Commerce whichSmith himself renamed Nauvoo so it was Nauvoo in his time was much the same as any other town in the midwest during the 1830-40s ...There were many more men than women...
Smith and his goons had started pracing polygamy long before they got to Nauvoo, Illlinois...
as far back as New York state in 1831 Smith had an extra woman or 2...
They left that town and went to Kirkland, OH mostly so that Smith could be further away from the law that frowned on “illegal cohabitation” as bigamy was called in the US then..Kirkland had more men than women...
From Kirland they moved to MO where they got into trouble when mormons were stealing wives and daughters for their harams...MO had more men than women...
Then to Commerce named Nauvoo by Smith who became the mayor and dictatoral boss of the town and able to set up his harams as he pleased...
again there were many more men than women...
Smith had a private standing army of more than 5,000 in Nauvoo...If each of those men had multiple wives just where did all those many thousands of women hiding ???
Later when the mormons sold their forever temple to the Catholic Church and moved of their own accord to Utah the retio men to women was much greater again...
and yet the Mormons practiced polygamy there too...
No it wasnt a shortage of men...
it was a shortage of morals...
Nice you have a job.
Sorry, I am still trying to figure out how you don’t know obama is a muslim.
Sometime back in the 40’s or 50’s, my parents, I think before I was born, visited some friends in Utah who were missionaries to the Mormons. While they were there, a young Mormon man approached my mother and asked her maiden name. Her missionary friend told her later the young man’s purpose was to add her to his celestial harem. And of course he was very polite. Sick, creepy stuff.
Do you think they were?
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