No surprise. First of all, all this Baptist pastor did was repeat what is on the Southern Baptist Website: That Mormonism is a cult...hardly "headline news."
If Mormonism wants to be Mormonism, let it be Mormonism. If Mormonism wants to counterfeit itself as "Christianity," then it's going to be identified by what it is: A cult! Its camouflage isn't going to "take."
From the article: Evangelical Christians made up 44 percent of the Republican primary electorate in 2008, according to an ABC News analysis, and many have an antipathy toward Mormons, which is why Romney fared poorly among these voters last time. Will the press keep pounding away at this anti-Mormon outburst?
Yup. And even more so if Romney wins the nomination. The entirety of the 2012 MSM coverage will be...
(a) all about the ins and outs of Romney's culthood; and (b) the fact that Romney was a member of a church that banned blacks from its temple, from its priesthood, from temple marriages -- all while he was still age 30! If you think about how a mere rock in a hunting ground caused a stir, Mormonism has tens of thousands of such "rocks" highlighting its racism...and some of them are still in their sacred books...which can't just be erased away as an off-base leader opinion-from-the-past.
We will see MSM questions like, Mr. Romney, why as a 30 year-old adult did you belong to a religion restricting blacks from priesthood? "Do you believe you will be a god? Do you believe conservative voters from other churches are 'apostates?' Do believe that although polygamy is no longer practiced on earth, it's being practiced at now & for eternity in another dimension known as the celestial kingdom?"
From the article: We had the spectacle of reporters asking Romney whether he wears The Garment, a special knee-length underwear. The candidate told The Atlantic he would keep such matters private.
Yup. Expect the weird beliefs of Mormons to override the economy, the attack upon the preborn and marriage as an institution, etc. etc. etc. I'm sure the fledgling GOP would have loved to focus on other issues in 1856 besides polygamy and slavery...but the Mormons were negatively helping to set the social agenda then -- as were the institutional bondage-masters of the South.
This is where Kurtz is showing his utter ignorance as a writer. Indeed, Mormon theology does teach that Jesus and the devil are spirit-brothers. And the fact that the Mormon church and grassroots Mormons made much "to do" over this in December 2007 and thereafter shows a tremendous lack of candidness on their part.
It's late January 2010. Rexburg Idaho. Home of BYU-Idaho. An Lds apostle, M. Russell Ballard, gives an unscripted fireside "convo" with Mormon students. See: Ballard speaks on Mormons in the media from the Rexburg Standard Journal, which covers the talk.
Ballard lets the "cat out of the bag": From the Rexburg article: "You remember Mr. (Mike) Huckabee (who was also vying to be the Republican candidate for president), who among other things said that Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil were brothers?" Ballard asked students. "Remember that? It went all over the media. "Well they are!" Ballard exclaimed to a laughing student body.
Ah, yes. When Mormons accused Huckabee of lying about this -- or worse. They were all offended. Get them behind closed doors, and they laugh about the reality of having Mormon worldviews pegged in the public square.
So, here, we have an Lds general authority conceding that -- to quote him "Well they are!" in reference to the issue of whether they cite "Jesus and the devil are brothers."
Now in case someone views that this information needs to be suppressed...not let it become aired out...or they think that we are overriding realities in our assessments of Mormonism, Elder Ballard concedes at this fireside chatm adding: "But they (the media and nonmembers) don't understand that, because they don't have the (LDS gospel) restoration. They don't understand the spiritual relationship that ... we are all sons and daughters of God, and that Lucifer was one of those and (that) he chose to use his agency in an unrighteous way."
Expect a barrage of proctological exams of Mormonism over the next year.
Each objective of course.....
Endless MSM “specials”......
The best Aircraft Commander I ever had in the Air Force was a Mormon, and I don’t believe I ever met a better man. So while Romney is about my last choice, it’s not because of that.
Besides, judging from Romney’s history, his politics don’t seem to be very constrained by his religion.
MSM fixated on Romney’s religion?
Should surprise no one. Mormon’s historically vote Republican...
Anything that divides Republicans will be nursed as a campaign issue.
I am not Mormon, have no Mormon family members, but lived among many of them in NM & AZ. I was Republican County Chairman in a NM county that had 5 Dems to 1 Pubbie. The three groups that you could always count on at the poles were the Rock Rib Republican Ranchers, the Mormons and the John Birchers. Like it or not, that was the situation. The Dems played the race card and the evil corporation card (it was a mine union town) even then. (early to mid 1980’s)
There are some things better left unsaid in public discourse. One of those is religion. It is also true here on FR. Caution should be in order when this approach is taken.
I know a great deal about Mormon history. (from written history and from discussion with X-Mormons)
The issue with NittWitt Mitt is not his religion. He simply does not represent what has been Historically Republican. He is pro abortion, a very strange position for a Mormon. He is a big gov. statist.
There is plenty to discuss about Romney. But it is fruitless to discuss his religion. Even though there are some real problems with that.
Its these McMormons, living in their McMansions, that are ruining this economy.
"As for the one Mormon running for office. Those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways. So don't worry about that, that's a temporary situation."
--The Reverend Al Sharpton
That is a mainstream view, that Mormonism is a cult, Jeffress told reporters here. Every true, born again follower of Christ ought to embrace a Christian over a non-Christian.
I don’t think that is bigotry, I wouldn’t have used “cult”, but whatever.
The last part is pretty dumb, in my opinion. How Christian would it be to vote for a pro-choice Christian over a pro-life Jew or Hindu? He probably didn’t mean it like that but then again I don’t know why he didn’t clarify what he meant.
Freegards
Mormons seem to be up there with the gays..