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How Mormons Saw Romney -- In wooing evangelicals, he made some fellow LDS members uneasy
Newsweek ^ | February 8, 2008 | Sally Atkinson

Posted on 02/19/2008 4:46:10 PM PST by Zakeet

In his pursuit of the presidency, Mitt Romney held fast to his Mormon faith, though his religion remains controversial with evangelicals and some other Christians. But his determined (and ultimately futile) wooing of evangelicals led him to make some statements that didn't quite square with Mormon beliefs and culture. And the effort itself may have deepened the impression of him as inauthentic—even to some fellow Mormons.

Early in his presidential bid, Romney was asked what he thought of polygamy. Prompted by what they considered a divine revelation, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discontinued the practice more than a century ago, and the church distances itself from polygamist "fundamentalists." But Romney went one step further, saying he couldn't "imagine anything more awful than polygamy." Many Mormons were privately taken aback. Mormons believe that, in its time, "plural marriage" was a commandment from God, and they are, as a group, fiercely proud of their ancestors, hundreds of whom practiced polygamy. (Romney's own great-grandfather had five wives.) LDS church members loathe the polygamy stereotypes and jokes bandied by outsiders. But hearing Romney—the most recognizable face of their faith these days—disavow it in those terms was mildly unsettling to LDS insiders.

Others were puzzled to hear Romney say he reads the Gideon Bible—a version popular with evangelicals: Mormons uniformly study the King James version, in a Salt Lake edition that is cross-referenced to all other Mormon scripture. "Seems like he just figured he had to say the safest, most Protestant thing he could think of—that was kind of annoying," says Russell Arben Fox, a Mormon professor of political science at Friends University in Wichita, Kans.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: 2008election; lds; mormonism; mormonvote; obsession; pavlovian; romney
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To: lmiller007

Apparently you know little about much of your own religion..............


281 posted on 02/20/2008 12:32:24 PM PST by Osage Orange (MOLON LABE)
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To: Dan(9698)
You do a pretty good job of being offensive.

Good!


  Galatians 5:1-12
1.  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
 2.  Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.
 3.  Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
 4.  You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
 5.  But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
 6.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
 7.  You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
 8.  That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.
 9.  "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough."
 10.  I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.
 11.  Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
 
 

 Matthew 13:57
  And they took offense at him.   But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

282 posted on 02/20/2008 12:32:48 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: POWG
re: you ignoring me...

Well, POWG, you didn't ignore me...you responded...

(Have you ever seen/heard someone say, "I'm not talking to you." :) )

(I mean you even knew details like how many pages it was! :)

Anyway, even if you skipped over the details...you seem to not understand that many of these posts are read by other posters and lurkers alike. They take a look at the truth claims of Mormonism--and where they fall short.

(And that's why BYU was unleashing 200 grad students to join the online "national conversation" about Mormonism in a year in which a major Mormon figure was out front).

BYU recognizes the "conversational" need. (I would hope you would, too)

283 posted on 02/20/2008 12:33:03 PM PST by Colofornian
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To: greyfoxx39; lady lawyer; Colofornian; Elsie; Tennessee Nana
Since the LDS reject the hallmark of the Trinity, some would not call them Christian.

Those people would be idiots who don't understand the history of how the Trinity came into being, they can however, correctly kick us out of the Catholic Church for not adhering to it...

I figured one obfuscation protects both posts, right?
284 posted on 02/20/2008 12:34:04 PM PST by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: Syncro
Can you go against the declarations of your Prophet and President?

Well.....

4. Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?
Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators?
Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?

285 posted on 02/20/2008 12:35:18 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Osage Orange

I can guarantee I know more about than you. If you want to post something with substance, rather than just quick little empty shots, have at it. I can’t wait for you to post another qoute from 150 years ago that isn’t a part of the official teachings of my church, nor representative of what I believe.


286 posted on 02/20/2008 12:35:22 PM PST by lmiller007
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To: lmiller007

If you wish to deny the teachings of your church because they may be from quite a few years that is your choice.

The LDS doctrine still seems to keep them as true.

Jesus’s writings are 2000 years old, should we discount those too?


287 posted on 02/20/2008 12:41:45 PM PST by Syncro
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To: POWG
If I ignore you again will I get a three page diatribe??

 
 
John 16:4
   I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.
 

Acts 20:31
   So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
 
 1 Corinthians 4:14-16
 14.  I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children.
 15.  Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
 16.  Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
 

1 Corinthians 10:11-12
 11.  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
 12.  So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

288 posted on 02/20/2008 12:43:47 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: lady lawyer
We are talking about the same personage, but we don’t accept some of the doctrines and creeds that have grown up around Him.

The same could be said of your past leaders...

289 posted on 02/20/2008 12:45:16 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: rickomatic
Thanks for an honest answer.

Obviously, I disagree about the Church's standing with Jesus, but as long as people either argue facts (not twisted quotations, facts) and as long as people state their opinions, as opinion. I doubt there would be a lot of name calling, again, thanks.
290 posted on 02/20/2008 12:47:33 PM PST by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: lmiller007
The point is, that Mormons today, do not tell evangelicals they are wrong...

It's STILL on your books.

Encourage the Living Prophet® to petition GOD and perhaps HE will change HIS mind about us.

After all; with much pleading, HE changed HIS mind about BLACKS in the Priesthood.

291 posted on 02/20/2008 12:47:40 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Syncro

That’s clearly not responsive. No Jesus’s teachings are still true. The point that you missed, is that random comments made by members of the Church often quoted on this website are 1) not official teachings of the church, adopted by the institution itself and 2) were uttered so long ago and constitute personal opinion shaped by circumstances and understandings of the time and are often not shared by Mormons today. But please, keep on telling me what I believe.

There are two ways to define what Mormons believe: 1) official teachings formally adopted by the church and 2) beliefs that are accepted by a consensus of the Mormon people. The stuff posted on this site are fringe qoutes that do not satisfy either 1) or 2) and are posted with the hope of marginalizing us Mormons.

You seem to be really confused.


292 posted on 02/20/2008 12:47:50 PM PST by lmiller007
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To: lmiller007
Quite easy to see.

The statements ending in question marks are questions.

Could you answer them?

I see the attacks have started on any that want to have a reasoned discussion using the words of your own leaders and your scriptures.

It always happens, there are hardly any answers or support for your Prophets and scriptures that detour from the Bible and mainstream Christian beliefs.

Jesus is my leader, and I will support anything he said.

Do the same for your leaders.

293 posted on 02/20/2008 12:48:01 PM PST by Syncro
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To: lady lawyer
Christ is God, as is God the Father. Nobody is ignoring that point. Nor has it been denied, by Joseph or any other Mormon. We believe that Christ is Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament.

"Isaiah 43:10,11. Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD [Jehovah] and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God [Elohim] formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD [Jehovah]; and beside me there is no savior.
Note from these verses that there are several things which God wants us to know, believe, and understand: (1) There is only one God (Elohim) and Jehovah is that one true God. (2) There were no Elohims formed before Jehovah. This means that Jehovah does not have a Father. That is, no God (Elohim) preceded him, by whom He was procreated. (3) There will be no Elohims formed after Jehovah. Therefore, when God said no gods would be formed after him, it must mean no real, true Gods.

294 posted on 02/20/2008 12:48:27 PM PST by Godzilla (Lets put the FUN in dysfunctional)
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To: Zakeet; restornu
IN JUNE 1828 JOSEPH SMITH JOINED THE METHODIST CHURCH [PROBATIONARY CLASS] IN HARMONY, PENNSYLVANIA

Maybe he was just needing a HARMON shot!!!

295 posted on 02/20/2008 12:49:27 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie
They certainly didn't support any candidate.

OK, will rephrase.

Most Romney haters were more interested in destroying him than they were in supporting their favored candidate, if they even had one.

296 posted on 02/20/2008 12:49:50 PM PST by Edit35
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To: Elsie

>>I’ve read that’s more or less a lay pastor.

Our ‘lay pastors’ are spokemen for THEIR religion!<<

Most of my experience is with Southern Baptists - and I was think I know plenty of SBC Deacons who would not be good spokesmen about SBC theology.


297 posted on 02/20/2008 12:50:04 PM PST by gondramB (Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.)
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To: Elsie

Did you get any answers to those queries?

They are now saying that the words of their leaders seem to not be important if they are 150 years old.

Jesus’ words are 2000 years old, they seem pretty valid even today.


298 posted on 02/20/2008 12:50:08 PM PST by Syncro
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To: Elsie

No, it is not on our books. Offical Mormon teaching is that some truths have been lost since Christ’s earthly ministry. The second point is that I don’t go around rubbing this belief in your face and refusing to see the good in you and refusing to vote for you.


299 posted on 02/20/2008 12:50:17 PM PST by lmiller007
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To: lmiller007
We can’t we get passed all of this and come together on the causes on which we agree?

We've alREADY done that!

Now we are down to the stuff we DISAGREE on!

300 posted on 02/20/2008 12:51:02 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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