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.
As a participating watchdog in Glenn Beck’s work, I find your effort to drag him into the defense of the despicable Mitt Romney a very Romneyesque action. It happens that Glenn finds Mitt Romney’s duplicitous positions to be quite disgusting. Now buzz off, romneyite agitprop-in-waiting.
And how come, if polygamy is an “eternal principle” like D&C 132 states, God only gave Adam ONE wife? They were commanded to “multiply”. Wouldn’t that have been easier if God had given him more than one?
Sound more like another victim card being played. I think it safe to say that "mormon politician" (ie rommey) are not being picked on solely because of their 'religion'. Time and time again, opposition is due to his record - proabort, pro gay, pro big govt, pro gov't health care, etc. Since mittbots can't handle the truth of his 0bamaesque policies, they obfuscate it as a religion issue. I don't support mitt because of his policies first, his 'religion' second. Seem like mormons flip flop it (just like mitt) religion first, policies second.
you are full of it!
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Full of the Holy Spirit, yes.
Love you too, Resty.
I sent those meds of yours back to you...
Did you get them ???
hate for you to be short...
And despite all of our banter, I actually do really like you and I pray for you every night.
Correct, the LDS org does not support homosexual ‘marriage’. That would be the antithesis of what LDS believe regarding family as central to God’ plan. They do however support homosexual civil unions. It is kind of like the duplicitous position of holding that an alive embryonic aged human is not a human being until in a human female’s body. One is left to wonder what that position will evolve into when complete extra-corporeal gestation is accomplished. And that’s the problem many of us see with Mormonism, the doctrines evolve and yet are touted as directives from God the Father Almighty, Who changes not and in Whom is no shadow of turning ...
Shhhhhh, do get mormondude riled up this morning!
“Judge Romney By His Religion? I Do It, and So Should You.”
No thank you. I am not choosing a national Pastor when I am voting for POTUS, I am choosing a President.
“He is a baby killer , in my opinion”
I do not believe that he has ever once killed a baby.
LOL!
David did not put the sword to Uriah, but God held him responsible for the death his policies caused. Mitt Romney is not likely to have ever performed an abortion, but his policies have been responsible for the deaths of many alive human beings in the womb. And the even more despicable thing about that reality is that he enforced and promoted those deadly policies as a means to empower his political capital! That is so democrateque don’tchaknow.
You have a funny way of showing it!
Why am I not surprised you know not what you speak!
Marriage is an ordinance of God
Civil Union is not an ordinance of God it is of the world!
Shhhhhh, do get mormondude riled up this morning!
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Was there supposed to be a “not” in that sentence? LOL.
Or are you giving me permission to get MD riled up?
:)
No thank you. I am not choosing a national Pastor when I am voting for POTUS, I am choosing a President.
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Don’t you agree with should vote for someone who shares our values? Romney does not.
Duh! (carn fangled finners thsi morgen anway)
MD is like a force of nature and unstoppable when riled up.
I'm sure voters will think of you in the year 2525 -- as the song goes, "if man is still alive,"
-- when the "Ufologist Universalist" candidate will be a leading ballot candidate...
...and he, too, will have claimed to have been born somewhere on this planet...
...but he never produces a birth certificate proving as such...
...tho many voters will think the religion "very strange" of the "ufologist universalist" candidate...
...they will recall the Grunthor mantra and tell it to themselves endlessly (in the best New Wave band DEVO voice):
"I am not choosing
a national Pastor
when I am voting for POTUS,
I am choosing a President."
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