Posted on 11/30/2009 6:01:03 PM PST by delacoert
I’ll just leave this here…
Before a defense of any kind of religious discrimination, one ought to make all of the necessary disclaimers: of course I oppose government-sponsored discrimination, and I certainly would not support the kind of absurd treatment described by Steven Reinhart in his piece featured below. That being said, there is a legitimate case to be made for judging any candidate for office by his religious convictions.
In late 2007, Mitt Romney made his somewhat-famous speech on religion, where he spoke the following words:
“Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.”
Similarly, Romney has stated: “I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it…my faith is the faith of my fathers. I will be true to them and to my beliefs.”
If freedom requires religion, if his Mormon faith sustains his life and he will be true to those practices, then I’m at an utter loss as to why we should ignore Romney’s religious beliefs when evaluating his fitness for the White House.
We ask plenty of questions of any Evangelical Christian candidate: what do his beliefs about the nature of God, the nature of the cosmos, and the meaning of man’s life mean for his potential tenure in office? But for whatever reason, these questions are looked at as unnecessarily piercing and prejudiced when asked of a member of a minority faith.
When Sarah Palin gave her fumbling answer about Israel’s settlements, several commentators jumped on her faith, wondering whether she subscribed to the bizarre but potent sect of modern Christianity that believes in the imminence of the End Times. Will anyone ask Mitt Romney about the oddities of the dogma of the Mormon Church? There are plenty of Mormon doctrines that may strike people as a bit odd — and rightly so. It is established in the church that the devout can reach the upper echelons of heaven and eventually become gods themselves, able to create their own universes and govern them as they see fit (all while supervised by the One True God). Why is it that when I bring this up to Romney fans, I am dismissed as a bigot?
As an atheist, I both understand and accept that in a predominantly Christian society, my thoughts on religion are necessarily going to open me up to questions. If I were to ever run for office (don’t count on that, by the way), I would not expect my supporters would try to ward off any questions about my atheism with the victim-card of discrimination. One’s philosophy of religion contributes profoundly to his worldview and thus is a completely valid criterion by which to partially evaluate a candidate’s fitness for office.
I view all religions as equally bizarre and irrational. But mainstream Christianity is often adopted as a cultural guise, meant for purposes of assimilation with the majority. Probe most self-described Christians and you’ll find plenty of deviation from standard dogma. Devotion to Mormonism, which is completely outside of the American mainstream, requires a certain level of commitment. To what extent will Romney’s faith influence his decision-making? I ask that question of devoted Evangelicals and judge them accordingly, and I will do the same of a Mormon. And I am not going to apologize for that.
What?
Since the odds of being born on Christmas is 1 in 365, the odds are that 1 in 73 that you'd be born on the 5 days surrounding Christmas.
What a 'happy circumstance' indeed!
Kid catch up...
Mormonism has nothing to do with Christianity...
Joey Smith started mormonism as an antithesis of Christianity ...he rejected Jesus, anything good and Christian and added excuses for illict sex, lots of stolen moeny and control over people to his cultish doctrines..
What point to you wish to argue.
For years now we've been watching you IGNORE the question: "Just what did Joseph Smith 'learn' to be UNTRUE about PRESBYTERIANism?"
And you even claim to have BEEN one!!
Surely you'd know!
(snicker)
Using what criteria?
I havent noticed anyone agreeing with your point...
Maybe you need to take your point to a thread on Islam...
This is Romney , his cult called mormonism and Christianity...
BTW Romney proslysized, preached about his cult and shoved his pagan religion down the throats of the people listening to that 1994 debate...
He denied Jesus and salvation and Christianity when he said “we will be judged only on what we do for others in this life”
Cult..
Two in a row there Elsie....
Nope. I don't believe I've ever received an answer. Wonder why?
BTW, speaking of deep in the old sack, isn't the whole MMM mantra about as deep & old as it gets. Hypocrisy? Hmmm
I’m trying to help everyone who professes THEMSELVES to be a Christian to understand that the greatest threat to all of us is Islam
- - - - - - -
Perhaps physically, but then again if I am asked to choose between Islam and “the sword” (meaning death). I will GLADLY choose death, witnessing the love of Jesus the whole time.
I have no problem dying for my faith.
Ok, you position clarified - a little. You would do well to confirm your info before. Fortunately this is 2009 and not pre1990 or pre1927, else your take would have been a little differnt.
Look at your posts just in the past couple of months, all of them to LDS threads.
Tada!!
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:reno232/index?tab=comments;brevity=full;options=no-change
May I ask what “sect” of Christianity you belong to?
Are you saying that we should NOT vote for a person if they are a MUSLIM?
This became a thread on Islam when it was absurdly declared less of a threat to Christianity than Mormonism.
Sure they do...
argue that they do not believe in Christ, you have a mountain of Mormon scripture to overcome
_____________________________________________
Yes lets look at what the mormons say about the mormon savior, Joey Smith...
Second President Brigham Young once remarked,
“I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, that this is the Gospel of salvation, and if you do not believe it you will be damned, every one of you”
(Journal of Discourses 4:298, March 29, 1857).
On October 9, 1859, Young said,
“From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are — I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent” (Journal of Discourses 7:289).
“He (Joseph Smith) is the man through whom God has spoken... yet I would not like to call him a savior, though in a certain capacity he was a god to us, and is to the nations of the earth, and will continue to be.”
- Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 8:321
“You call us fools; but the day will be, gentlemen and ladies, whether you belong to this Church or not, when you will prize brother Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Living God, and look upon him as a god...”
- Herber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses 5:88
“If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him [Joseph Smith]; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him [Joseph Smith]”
- (as quoted in 1988 Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p. 142)
There is “no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth...no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God”
- Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190
The machinations of man are not always led by Christ regardless of what the leaders of such activities may say.
(Sounds familiar)
If we were at war BECAUSE of our views, the Church interdenominational basketball league would be plagued by some pretty serious and gruesome injuries.
As it is it is simply followed by some really good food and brotherhood.
See you on the battlefield then ;)
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