Are Mitt Romney’s Mormon beliefs something we should worry about?

Mormons are not Christians in the traditional sense. They hold queer beliefs that would shock many people. Some of these beliefs are downright racist and have some black leaders in Charlotte, N.C. very worried what could happen if Romney manages to get elected as President of the United States. Mormon literature says "dark skinned people" are from "the seed of Cain." "According to this doctrine, it is forbidden to have “interracial marriages” with black people and those that do, will be “cursed” …

Their doctrine said the Negro race is cursed as we come from “the seed of Cain."

Yet Romney has said he is proud of his Mormon faith. "I am very proud of my faith and the faith of my fathers," Romney said. "Well, it's true and I love my faith. And I will… distance myself in any way from my faith."

Bill McKeever, founder of Mormonism Research Ministry, a Evangelical Christian ministry challenging the claims of Mormonism, said "people need to ask themselves if Romney's Mormonism will affect them personally, and if so, in what way."

McKeever said it is not rare for Mormons to excuse the comments of their past leaders by classifying them as "speculation or opinion."

"To imply that the ban on blacks holding the priesthood was mere ‘policy' is also misleading," McKeever said.

Jabriel Ballentine, seminarian at Virginia Theological Seminary, said “everyone should question the beliefs of all the candidates”.

"We might not agree with all of the beliefs of any candidate. However, we must pay attention to the implications of one enacting their beliefs," Ballentine said.

...The Mormons famously put their heresy this way: “As man is now, God once was. As God is now, man may become.”

Have Mitt Romney’s mormon beliefs ever negatively impacted anything he’s ever accompished or promoted? It’s a headline for stupid people to ingest. -MKS

Take a quick look @ some of the 16 things Salvation lists in post #91 about Romney's poor governing track record. Now...one might ask how any of these can relate to Mormonism.

If people want to understand how Mormonism's approach to the socio-political realm at the local level, people need to read these two articles (the first written by a Mormon; the second by an ex-Mormon):

* Mitt Romney mirrors his Mormon church [Lds writer says Romney flip-flops 'cause Lds church has/does]
* Who is Mitt Romney? [Ex-Lds author reveals why Mitt's wishy-washy culture waffles & flip-flops]

In the first linked article above, Mormon Neal Chandler highlights how in the 19th century... * Mormons forced communism upon its people -- and then not (United Order) * Adhered to theocracies under its first two "prophets" -- and then slowly drew back * Said polygamy was a condition of the highest degree of glory -- and then not * Encourage its Utah Territory voters to be Democrats -- and then told whole groups of people wholesale to "balance it out" as Republicans as statehood approached * Excluded blacks -- and then late in the 20th century not

From the second article linked above: What makes Mitt the kind of person he is — ruthlessly opportunistic, dishonest, insincere, willing to say anything for advantage, lacking in conscience, preoccupied with appearance, etc., on the one hand, yet squeaky clean, family-oriented, disciplined, boring, and predictable, on the other? My new e-book, A Mormon Story, sheds light on the culture that produced Mitt Romney.

Good question. (It's one I've raised -- and answered numerous times on various FR threads)

The answer, says this ex-Mormon in the book referenced above is: (From the article): The book reveals a value system that ultimately has no absolutes, other than the need to conform to deep-seated, highly-controlling authoritarianism that pervades LDS culture. That culture emphasizes a Mormon tradition known as "eternal progression" — undoctrinal spiritual evolution in which even God is changing. It also emphasizes the notion that the latest words of governing church leaders trump the Word of God found in the scriptures (including LDS scripture).

IOW, EVERYTHING in Mormonism -- from its theology to its social practices -- is up for potential change at the whim of the Mormon god. Bottom-line: There is no bottom-line in Mormonism! There is no bedrock doctrine that cannot be replaced!

There isn't even an Ultimate god in Mormonism...Nobody knows who the gods are that were part of the council which appointed the god of this world -- a former man, say Mormons.

So there's not even any Ultimate Authority in Mormonism!

I'll follow this up with other examples.

Have Mitt Romney’s mormon beliefs ever negatively impacted anything he’s ever accompished or promoted? It’s a headline for stupid people to ingest. -MKS

So what I am essentially saying -- in the last post and this one -- is that Mitt Romney flips flops because he's a Mormon leader. (That's what Mormon leaders do!)

One of my key points in other posts is I've attempted to draw an "If-Then" conclusion: If LDS theology effects social positions, then patterns of evolving theology and evolving social positions yields leaders who are all too comfortable with shifting both theology AND social positions.

We have to include the psychology of certain aspects of theological history. If a religious leader views God & historical faith leaders as ones who constantly do 100% about-faces on social positions...where theology & social positions not only "evolve" but involve total u-turns, then my premise is that when you have a leader like Mitt who has already displayed a penchant for multiple total u-turns THEN that = a socially (as in social issues) unpredictable leader.

We can agree that Mitt is totally unpredictable on social issues based upon his personal track record and based upon the historic leaders and the "god" he elevates as his role models

Therefore, what threads like these show all those FREEPERS who keep saying how "aligned" we are with Mormons re: "common values" is that the Mormon church can be liberal when it wants to...and it's been awfully convenient for that to happen more and more the last few years.

Examples:

* Homosexual rights: Mormon church supports Salt Lake City's protections for gay rights and Mormons Back Salt Lake City Gay Rights Laws

Illegal alien liberal policy nuances... note these headlines:
2 LDS branch presidents in Utah deported to Guatemala, El Salvador
* Utahpolicy.com had a headline in 2011: Considering The Disconnect Between Some LDS Church Members and Leadership on Immigration

Abortion: The official Mormon church position (see
http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_abor.htm) is that it's "OK" for an abortion if...
(a) Incest needs to be covered up;
(b) The baby is disabled and needs to be destroyed accordingly
(c) Mom's "health" (whatever that means...distinct from saying "life" of the mother)
(d) If the abortionist says it's "OK"
(e) If the Mormon god says it's "OK" in prayer...

E alone above could "justify" abortion to individual Mormons as long it overrides the person's conscience!

And if you need further evidence of just how liberal the Mormon church leadership can be when it wants to be, then look at how Harry Reid was welcomed with such warm open arms by an all BYU student & faculty occasion for Reid to speak there: Reid gets warm reception at BYU

Too many FREEPERS somehow think that Romney's wishy-washiness is "unconnected" to his faith. Well, the Mormon leadership has shown it can be morally wishy-washy whenever it's "convenient."

It was "convenient" for the Mormon church leadership to pass homosexual rights for Salt Lake City 'cause they were coming off of what the MSM regarded "negative" media play re: Prop 8 in CA.

It was "convenient" for their missionary program to support aspects of immigrants being here illegally.

And, at times, it's been "convenient" for daughters of Mormon leaders and others to get abortions.

Certainly, it's been "convenient" for them to have a Harry Reid in Congress "watch out" for Mormon church interests.

Historically, it was "convenient" for the Mormon god to change his mind about skin color...even if he didn't change Mormon racist "sacred book" passages depicting open racism. And it was "convenient" for the Mormon church to slowly rid itself of open polygamy because their church was threatened, their menfolk were in jail, and they wanted statehood. Even then, it was "convenient" for their original leader, Joseph Smith, to engage in sex with many women even though his own penned Book of Mormon called polygamy an "abomination."

Exactly. Mormonism is a political animal. Here is just ONE example of the LDS church using influence to pass legislation. There are more and what makes anyone think they won't do it to Mitt Romney, esp in light of his temple oaths? To think that the LDS church won't force Mitt to do things to help them is naive at best.

The LDS sent a group of US senators to Switzerland to try to get an exemption just for the LDS church to their new missionary policies.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700091651/No-more-US-Mormon-missionaries-to-be-allowed-in-Switzerland.html

A group of 14 U.S. senators and representatives — including LDS members such as Sen. Orrin Hatch R-Utah, Sen. Bob Bennett R-Utah, Sen. Harry Reid D-Nevada, Sen. Mike Crapo R-Idaho and Rep. Jim Matheson D-Utah – recently appealed to the Swiss government to rethink its restrictions against Mormon missionaries.

This is an article on the LDS church influencing legislation regarding illegal aliens.

"In order to allow the LDS Church to baptize and extend full membership, including calling illegal aliens to serve in voluntary positions, the Church asked U.S. Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah to quietly slip an amendment to the United States immigration act into an agriculture appropriations bill."

AND

"Thus, in 2011, many LDS legislators followed their faith leaders and passed legislation that benefits illegal aliens living in Utah despite strong personal convictions to the contrary and pressure from constituents to vote against the Church’s position.

A Utah state senator told a constituent that he was compelled to vote for SB288, which he philosophically opposed, because that was what the Church wanted him to do. (SB288 eventually became 3SHB116.)

Following final passage of 3SHB116, legislators reported that the Church wanted a bill that expressed compassion to the world and that the Church’s representatives on the Hill clearly asked legislators to vote for it.

When some legislators learned that their constituents had been told by public affairs officials that the Church was only providing information and not encouraging legislators to vote for illegal alien-friendly bills, the legislators responded that that was “an outright lie.”

http://www.cis.org/mormon-church-and-illegal-immigration

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