Posted on 06/23/2007 1:28:02 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) SALT LAKE CITY -- Mitt Romney said Saturday that criticism of his Mormon religion by rival GOP presidential campaigns is happening too frequently.
“Clearly, any derogatory comments about anyone’s faith—those comments are troubling. The fact they keep on coming up is even more troubling,” Romney said during a fundraising trip in the home state of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Mormon church is one of the fastest-growing religions and claims about 12.5 million members worldwide. But many evangelical Christians in crucial primary states such as Iowa and South Carolina consider the faith a cult.
Romney’s remarks follow an apology from GOP rival John McCain’s campaign for comments about the Mormon church allegedly made this year by a volunteer.
Also recently, Republican presidential hopeful, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, issued a similar apology for a campaign worker’s e-mail to Iowa Republican leaders that was an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny of Romney’s religion. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani apologized after the New York Sun noted that a campaign aide had forwarded to a blogger a story about unofficial Mormon lore. Legend has it that a Mormon would save the Constitution, the story said. The campaign aide passed the story along with a note: “Thought you’d find this interesting.”
Romney said in a large presidential race there always will be some volunteers or workers who cannot be controlled. But he said the difference between derogatory comments that originated from the McCain campaign and others is that the Arizona senator has not personally apologized to him.
“In the case of Senator Brownback and Mayor Giuliani ... they called immediately. They each spoke with me personally. I don’t have any issue with that at all,” Romney said.
He said McCain “can do whatever he feels is the right thing. There’s no need for me to suggest how people respond to things that go on in the campaign.”
Tucker Bounds, a McCain campaign spokesman, said the McCain campaign has already apologized.
“It’s a very sincere apology. There is absolutely no place for those type of comments in our campaign,” he said.
Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, said he had not spoken with McCain since the last presidential debate, on June 5.
Romney used a fundraiser hosted by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller to criticize the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. It banned unregulated, unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals to national political parties and federal candidates.
“The bill ought to be repealed,” he said. “It’s been the wrong course for American campaigns.”
Romney said he favors unlimited donations as long as they are immediately disclosed on the Internet.
Romney was attending fundraisers in Salt Lake City and in Logan on Saturday.
Awww, give us a hug. I read that entire post.
Now now, when the self-proclaimed betters chastise you, have the good sense to bow and scrape, don’t presume to approach their lofty perches. [/sarcasm]
> ...just to try and prove your point that the Muslim Religion of Peace is the same as Christians,
Mate, if you can’t make your point without telling fibs, you ought to change your screen name to “Pinocchio”, to give everyone fair warning of what to expect from you.
Mormons don’t accept the White Horse Prophecy as valid and the church rejects it. It’s only non-Mormons that bring it up.
There are valid statements about the church (or at least the body of priesthood holders) playing a key role in preserving liberty in America, but those saying it is a prophecy about a single Mormon rising to political power are twisting their words to fit their own agenda.
> You’re thinking St. James was Jesus’ biological half-brother, right? Wrong.
You clearly have an interesting view of Christian doctrine. I’ll defer to The Boss on the matters you raise: He is best qualified to do performance reviews on His Saints and Apostles, like St Paul. Me, I wasn’t there, I can only go by what I’m told in Holy Writ. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
But not Kool Aid or Jello.
It you're interested, have a look. -> Link
~”I would rather you’d said something along the lines of what the Bible has given you.”~
You didn’t criticize the Bible, or I would have. Since we agree on that score, what would be the point?
~”But why do Mormons cling to the Book of Mormon, when the Bible should be sufficient?”~
I suppose this is a matter of perspective. The way I see it, the fact that there are so many different denominations, all with their own little spin on things, and additionally people such as yourself, who eschew organized religion entirely, tells me that the Bible is not sufficient. We all claim to know the Truth, but we all disagree. One of these things doesn’t fit.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the Bible. It contains many great and precious things not contained elsewhere, such as the great covenants of the Patriarchs, the life and times of Jesus, and the accounts of His Apostles.
But, in the end, it is an anthology that was compiled rather arbitrarily. I do not accept the notion that God has stopped talking to man just because man decided to sit down and agree on what He said. The Book of Mormon is one way in which He continues to speak to us in modern times; it is a companion to the Bible, and adds its own testimony of Jesus Christ to that contained in the Bible.
How can this be anything but good?
~”Joseph Smith had some stones, they call them seer stones. Doesn’t the Bible warn us not to dabble in the occult?”~
You refer to the Urim and Thummim. These were tools prepared by God, and their possession constituted, in ancient times, what we call a “seer.” As Joseph Smith was a prophet, with need for such tools for the translation of the Book of Mormon, they were provided him.
Take a look in the Old Testament; the Urim and Thummim are mentioned on a number of occasions. If Joseph Smith was practicing the occult through their use, then so were several of the Patriarchs.
~”Is Father, Jesus Christ and Holy Ghost 1 God? No, to the Mormon they are not 1 God but multiple Gods. So your statement that you do not believe in multiple Gods is something you know to be false.”~
The context in which I had understood your question was in light of the oft-heard claim that Mormons are polytheists.
While we do not accept Trinitarianism, we do believe in the Godhead - God the Father, Jesus Christ our Savior, and the Holy Ghost. They are three distinct, separate, divine individuals, albeit united - one - in purpose, power, and authority.
I suppose you could technically call this belief in multiple gods, but I find it a bit of a stretch. I certainly consider myself monotheistic. But, then, I also consider myself Christian; and that, as we’ve seen, is a hotly contested point in some quarters.
~”Further, those who have died can be Gods”~
We do believe that those who have lived worthy lives - i.e. employed faith, repentance, embraced grace, etc. - will be inheritors of “all that God hath.” This means a literal progression over time to receipt of the attributes of divinity, and such will then be gods - not Gods, because such will still be subject to the reign of God the Father.
~”Have there been no “Gods” (i.e. good Mormons) in all of Mormon history?”~
Not that I know of; though we have been given to understand that Abraham has received his exaltation and obtained attributes of divinity. I suspect that I would need a tad more than a few thousand years, personally.
You must understand a simple principle: the LDS Church is a facilitator in the process, but Mormons do NOT corner the market on exaltation. God judges according to the heart; if a person lives their lives as best they can according to that law which is available to them, they are just as worthy of the prize as the most devout, picture-perfect Mormon. We aren’t running an exclusive club here.
~”The “God” you worship was created, not the creator of the Universe, not “God,” but a created being in your theology. This is not God.”~
This is not your concept of God; but the logical error here is that you assume that your concept of God is the correct one. I suppose it’s something we all do.
But let’s step back for a moment. Do we have a full comprehension of the universe? Is our universe the only one? Who knows but that God is the creator of the universe? He says He is. But what’s beyond that? Do we know? Perhaps creation of a universe - or a thousand - is within God’s power, and that other universes have been created by other hands? If “forever” is defined as the lifetime of our space-time continuum, then God has literally existed forever, regardless of His origins.
I’m speaking theoretically here, of course; this conjecture is not based on LDS doctrine. I don’t believe the topic is covered. Frankly, it’s not that important to my salvation, so I don’t spend much time thinking about it.
I’m sorry, I’m having a hard time finding the lie. Would you mind pointing it out for me? Thank you.
What is your point? I’m not reading in there anywhere that a Presbyterian should not be in political office. I am not reading in there that Methodism is a cult. What I am reading is that they are all wrong. Personally, I agree.
I do not know what the LDS Church’s stance on Jehovah’s Witnesses is. I would assume that we work with them just as we work with other faiths.
~”So much for an ‘Everlasting Covenant’ that thundered out of Heaven!!!”~
I’m afraid you misunderstand the entire concept, Elsie. It’s a pity, because it looks like you put a lot of effort into that post.
The term “Everlasting Covenant” does -not- refer to “plural marriage.” It refers to “eternal marriage.” This is still practiced among LDS couples in temples today. And the covenant is eternal - it lasts forever. Thus the term, “everlasting covenant.”
It is, to elucidate further, the product of a marriage performed through the genuine priesthood of God. It has been practiced since the foundation of the world, and I am quite happy that it has been restored to the world in the Last Days.
~”Do you have a list of those demoninations that believe it’s ‘necessary’?”~
Sure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism#Comparative_summary
~”Just what does ‘necessary’ mean to an LDS member?”~
It means that it is a commandment given to us by God, and is therefore a requirement in order to return to live with Him.
I’m afraid you were looking at the wrong post, my friend. I hope you like jello...
~”20 YEARS??!?!?
Must be very convoluted!”~
Not really. That’s why we baptize 8-year olds. The Gospel is well within their grasp.
Of course, for intellectual red meat for the hungry, Mormonism has plenty and to spare.
My point is that I’ve spent enough time living and studying the beliefs that have here been criticized that the attacks put forward seem quite pedantic to me. Anti-Mormons spend all day pounding on a boulder with a rubber mallet.
Goodness, you say that like you made a point.
I’m not going to get into the “grace by faith” vs. “grace by faith and works” argument with you. Suffice it to say that there are just as many scriptures supporting my point of view as support yours.
That’s why we need modern revelation.
That’s an interesting insight, thanks.
~”See the footnote on the word “generation”, it can also be translated as “race.””~
~”Why didn’t Tantiboh answer my question about the occult?”~
I do work for a living, NJADB. A little bit of sleep is nice, too.
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