"Are Mormons Christian-Part 1"
Posted on 07/08/2011 11:59:15 AM PDT by delacoert
(WNS)--Mitt Romney and every American is free to believe whatever he wants, and religious belief – whether benign or bizarre -- should not prevent anyone from running for public office.
But that doesn’t mean voters shouldn’t take a candidate’s religious views into account. Indeed, a person’s religious beliefs tell us a great deal about both a candidate’s character and the core principles that inform his governing philosophy. When we evaluate candidates for public office, religion matters – and should.
As for Romney, I start with the understanding that Mormonism is not orthodox, biblical Christianity. If this understanding is true, then the promotion of Mormonism would be to promote a false religion. So the real question is whether supporting a Mormon for president would promote Mormonism. My answer to that is “yes.” It is inconceivable to me that electing a Mormon to the world’s most powerful political office would not dramatically raise the profile and positive perception of Mormonism. That is why I cannot in good conscience vote for Romney, despite agreeing with him on a good many social and fiscal issues.
Some argue that we elect a president, not a preacher, but this argument fails to account the presidency as “bully pulpit.” He is a preacher, apologist-in-chief for the American Vision. In this vital role, worldview matters. We have a right to expect the president to project a vision consistent with the beliefs, values, and ideals we’ve long held as a country.
I sometimes hear the related argument that we don’t ask an airplane pilot his religion, only that he can fly the plane. However, we do ask airplane pilots their religion -- at least indirectly. A theologian friend is fond of saying, “There are no postmodern airplane pilots.” He means that pilots do not merely push levers and twist knobs. They have a core set of beliefs and values about how the universe operates. They believe in the physical laws of the universe. Their behavior in the cockpit directly connects to their beliefs about the world.
Romney’s strategy has been to talk about “values” and dodge questions about religion, as if they were somehow unrelated. He hopes that as America accepted John Kennedy’s Catholicism, so too will America accept his Mormonism. But Kennedy gave a famous speech to the Houston Baptists about religion that explained his views and calmed concerns. Romney’s problem is that if he really believes what the Mormon Church believes, he dares not make that speech. The American people will say, “Really? Are you kidding me?” Or, if he says he doesn’t believe what the Mormon Church teaches, fellow Mormons will feel betrayed and even those who have trouble with the Mormon Church will nonetheless wonder about a man who can’t stand up for his own.
Yogi Berra famously said that “predictions are dangerous, especially predictions about the future.” That said, my prediction is that for Romney these problems are insurmountable and will ultimately bring down his bid for the presidency.
Thanks for your insight.
I was talking about contemporary Mormonism, not the one of the past.
I guess anybody can make the same judgments about another person’s religion from their perspective.
There are aspects of every religion that have some mythical characteristics, which can’t be proven.
I just see no plausibility in the revelations of Joseph Smith, especially in relation to Christianity, where the alignment between the two religions is tenuous.
Yes, that’s why it clearly states in the Constitution that adherence to a mainstream Christian belief is a mandatory requirement for election to federal office.
The problem with that line of thinking is that it rejects the fact the Founders never intended the US to be a secular state: .... RINOs suck
Point taken. It was an imprecise choice of words on my part.
I hereby change "secular" to "nondenominational" which is exactly what the Founding Fathers intended.
United States Constitution, Article VI, paragraph 3,
" ...... no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
I HATE these smug sanctimonious so-called Christian bigots who spew this kind of vomit! There are about 150 good, solid and responsible reasons not to vote for Romney and even more reason not to vote for huntsman. To go the bigoted route is despicable. I’m ashamed that these people call themselves conservative!
and yet you are spewing hatefilled vomit against Christians who dare to question Mormonism....seems like you are the bigot.
what right do you have to question someone else’s religion? Who the hell made you their spiritual guide...who aked you?
Uhhhh, while I'm not a Romney fan I am a Mormon and there is NOTHING different about a Mormon's view of the country, it's values and ideals that wouldn't be held by any other Christian. The suggestion that this is the case is ugly, mean, and ignorant. Mormons are among the most conservative and patriotic people you'll find, certainly more so than Obama and his hate America preacher Rev. Wright. I resent the implication that somehow Mormons are somehow unamerican or dangerous.
This writer is clearly peddling an inaccurate and bigoted view of the LDS faith, esp. in his claim the Mormon religion isn't in harmony with Biblical teachings of Christianity. There isn't anything in the LDS religion that cannot be justified by the Bible. And he says Romney dare not give a speech outlining what Mormons believe because Americans will blanche? Sorry fella, but 10s of thousands of young Mormon missionaries go out every year into the US and the rest of the world to share what the church believes and 100s of thousands of people each year here that message and accept it--I was one of them. There is nothing bizarre in the LDS faith. Indeed it can all be found in the Bible.
Oppose Romney on his policies and his prior governorship. I'll join you. But on the basis this writer sputters forth, it's just stupid and frankly unamerican. This kind of fearmongering based on one's private religious views has no place in American politics. It is more suited to the Third Reich. The writer, whomever he is, ought to be ashamed of himself.
Anti-Mormon religious bigots of FR? Perish the thought !!
On the subject of Mormonism, it’s not that Romney’s nomination will “raise the profile and positive perception of Mormonism”. That’s not what’s going to happen.
What will happen is this:
1. The press will either ignore or downplay the details of Mormonism until Romney gets the nomination.
2. The press will shine a bright spotlight on the bizarre nature of Mormonism once Romney gets the nomination.
The press wants McCain 2.0, and Mormonism is part of that.
The plan is to lure the stupid Republican primary voters into accepting McCain 2.0, and then lambasting Mc2.0 once he’s nominated.
“There are about 150 good, solid and responsible reasons not to vote for Romney and even more reason not to vote for huntsman.”
Whats even funnier about this particular article is that the writer seems to say he would vote for Romney with no problems if only he was a Christian or at least not LDS. So for all Romney’s liberal garbage the sticking point is that he is LDS for this guy. I can see considering someone’s religion as a part of one’s selective parameters, but they would have to be pretty darn close to other attractive candidates for that to start to matter for me. So far any of the LDS presidential canidates haven’t been close enough for religion to come into play, at least for me.
Freegards
You realize, don’t you that when you post a graphic that is just spot on, I will steal it? ;0) That is wonderful!
"Are Mormons Christian-Part 1"
IMO, we're seeing some "working behind the scenes for Romney" in the way of these FReepers swarming with posts declaring "his religion doesn't matter", "I'd rather have Romney than Obama". Memories of '08, and Mittbots trying to take FR over.
Wonder how much he's paying per hour for these flacks?
JR has warned about this very thing.
My only problem with Romney’s mormonism is that he doesn’t follow it. He is pro-gay and pro-choice.
I’m betting mormonism isn’t. Don’t know that for a fact, but I think it’s a safe bet.
I am interested in this argument. Well, if you don’t vote for Romney obama will win.
Romney and obama are both abortion supporters, homosexual marriage supporters (that is how Romney governed), both believe in man made global warming, both support ethanol use, both support unions, both support tax increase, both support government health care (obamaCare is modeled after RomneyCare), obama openly advocate for muslims, Romney’s lds faith has been partnering with muslims for more than a decade because as the lds leadership has announced “we are so similar in our beliefs”.
So there is you have one guys calls himself a democrat, one guy calls himself a Republican - I’m still trying to find a difference between the two.
Quite alike, aren't they?
lol
Bears repeating. These Kumbaya FReepers that want Romney as the nominee might as well just stay home. Once the media starts pounding on the racist mormon beliefs of the past, it will be all over.
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