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Judge Romney By His Religion? I Do It, and So Should You.
Race 4 2012 ^ | November 30, 2009 | Alex Knepper

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.


TOPICS: Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: braindeadbigots; excusesexcuses; hidebehindreligion; mitthides; mittwhit; mittwhits; mittwits; mormon; mormonism; rino; rinos; romney; romneyhiding; unusualtopic
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To: General Mung Beans; 50mm; Old Sarge; darkwing104; Alice in Wonderland; AmericanArchConservative; ...

Interesting posting history you have for being here only 3 months......


61 posted on 11/30/2009 8:55:11 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: General Mung Beans

What do you love about Romney most? His love of mandates or his love of man-dates?


62 posted on 11/30/2009 8:56:09 PM PST by Waryone (II Chronicles 7:14)
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To: metmom; General Mung Beans

So you think maybe the General is a paid shill or is he a Romney pimp for free?


63 posted on 11/30/2009 8:58:54 PM PST by Waryone (II Chronicles 7:14)
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To: Waryone; 50mm; Old Sarge

Supports using human DNA in animals for hybrids and Mitt?

DU suicide run.


64 posted on 11/30/2009 9:06:55 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: delacoert

Good grief — Romney supports abortion and now the Mormon church now supports same-sex marriage.

What is happening to this man?


65 posted on 11/30/2009 9:18:45 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Good grief — Romney supports abortion and now the Mormon church now supports same-sex marriage.

Romney does not support abortion.

The Mormon church does not support same-sex marriage.

66 posted on 11/30/2009 9:20:08 PM PST by Spiff
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To: delacoert

Another thing — Romneycare in MA is a flop and is breaking the state of Massachusetts. Do we need anything else to judge this man?

Actions speak a lot louder than words.


67 posted on 11/30/2009 9:20:33 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: delacoert; mrreaganaut

I have said it before, and I will say it again...

I don’t LIKE Romney because of his politics and flip flopping.

I don’t TRUST Romney because he is Mormon. With the rank and file Mormons still believing that a Mormon will save this country (the White Horse Prophecy) and the LDS temple oaths that place the LDS church above EVERYTHING else, a Mormon in office is just a power grab for the Mormon Church.

However, I do believe that the late LDS “prophet” Gordon B. Hinkley was more behind Romney’s run than the current one, Thomas Monson will be.

It is interesting to note that Romney dropped out of the race right after Hinkley’s death.


68 posted on 11/30/2009 9:40:07 PM PST by reaganaut (Ex-Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see")
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To: Ballygrl; delacoert

if he has good ideas on keeping unemployment and taxes low? promotes a good business environment? is tough on terrorists who want to destroy us?

- - - - - - -
NO, NO and NO. Solves that problem. And Romney is just Obama with an “R” behind his name.


69 posted on 11/30/2009 9:41:35 PM PST by reaganaut (Ex-Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see")
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To: Tennessee Nana

Romney’s “inspiring speech” was a load of lies and half truths.

Either that or he is not planning on keeping his Temple oaths.


70 posted on 11/30/2009 9:45:13 PM PST by reaganaut (Ex-Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see")
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To: Spiff
Evidently you have not seen this:

Conservatives beware: The real Mitt Romney arguing FOR abortion, even for underage girls without parental permission:


Christians, social conservatives, believers in Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness, along with ethical and moral Americans of every political and religious stripe recognize abortion as baby killing. The abortionist's goal IS to kill the innocent and helpless young baby growing in the warmth, safety and security of its mothers loving womb, depriving him of his God-given Life and Liberty! Any way you look at it, that is antithetical to all religious faiths, to ethical and moral behavior, and to Liberty itself. It's a sin against God and man, it's evil incarnate, it's anti-American, and it's a shame and disgrace that our government not only allows, but unconstitutionally forces such barbaric butchery of holocaustal proportions on her previously free and otherwise moral and ethical society! The fact that Mitt Romney unabashedly and unapologetically pledged to preserve and protect such unholy barbaric butchery makes him forever disqualified from any consideration whatsoever for higher office.

Romney Truth File

71 posted on 11/30/2009 9:50:04 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Spiff

Those pop-up posts on every thread have videos so you can see it in Romney’s own voice/words about how he supports abortion.


72 posted on 11/30/2009 9:51:16 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Spiff
This has multiple threads on it about how Mormons are supporting gays. Maybe you better get yourself up to date on what is happening.
73 posted on 11/30/2009 9:54:12 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Nosterrex

Really? A muhammadan before a Mormon? See my sig.


74 posted on 11/30/2009 10:05:30 PM PST by Skenderbej (People need to learn that no muhammadan practices his religion peacefully.)
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To: La Enchiladita; Tennessee Nana; delacoert; Elsie

Romney demonstrated that he did. Under no circumstances do we want anything resembling theocracy

- - - - - - -
But that is exactly what the LDS church wants again. A return to the glory days of Brigham Young. It has been prophcied, discussed, written about, and even part of the doctrine of Jesus returning to Adam-ondi-Ahman (Independance, MO) where the garden of Eden was to reign from there.


75 posted on 11/30/2009 10:08:52 PM PST by reaganaut (Ex-Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see")
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To: Nosterrex

My problem with Romney’s religious beliefs is that if he were elected as POTUS that would be used as a tool by the Mormons to seduce others to join their cult.

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Yep. And they need the numbers. People are leaving in droves. You just have to attend any evangelical church in the SLC area or Provo area to see the pews full of ex-mos.


76 posted on 11/30/2009 10:16:27 PM PST by reaganaut (Ex-Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see")
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To: reaganaut

My problem with Romney’s religious beliefs is that if he were elected as POTUS that would be used as a tool by the Mormons to seduce others to join their cult.

- - - - -
Yep. And they need the numbers. People are leaving in droves. You just have to attend any evangelical church in the SLC area or Provo area to see the pews full of ex-mos.


That is quite a switch since when i was last active in church. What has caused this? I read your tag line and assume you have thought about this quite a bit.


77 posted on 11/30/2009 10:26:53 PM PST by Psalm 144 (What did you think NEW WORLD ORDER meant? The Constitution? States' rights? Individual liberty?)
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To: Waryone

(ouch)


78 posted on 12/01/2009 3:37:37 AM PST by ejonesie22
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To: General Mung Beans
Oh you're going to be fun around here...

Ole'


79 posted on 12/01/2009 3:40:39 AM PST by ejonesie22
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To: metmom

It cracks me up when people say they’ll vote for David Petreaus. Ask them what the man’s politics are and they go all slack jawed.

Not bashing Petreaus, just pointing out the foolishness of voting for a man who’s politics are a mystery.


80 posted on 12/01/2009 3:49:07 AM PST by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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