Why This Evangelical Can't Vote for Mitt Romney

Crosswalk ^ | July 7, 2011 | Warren Cole Smith

[aMorePerfectUnion]

x

[svcw]

That is the perception their PR machine puts forth.

[Colofornian]

I had no idea the mormon church was so liberal. I always thought they were conservative

#1: Polygamy is a very liberal idea that militates vs. both monogamy as well as leaving more men single. Who instituted it? (The Mormons)
#2: Thinking that you are a god or god-in-embryo is a very "progressive" idea. Who instituted it? (The Mormons)
#3: Baptizing dead people is a very, very out-of-this world concept. [Notice the lone mention of it in the Bible -- the apostle Paul specifically says "they" -- not "we" -- as practicing it.] Who instituted it? (The Mormons)
#4: Claiming Jesus Christ utterly failed to protect His bride, the Church, is a very "progressive" idea geared as an attempt to erode the historic Christian church. Who instituted it? (The Mormons)
#5: Claiming the historic Christian church is 100% full of "apostates" is a very radical idea -- similar to what the Muslims have done in labeling Christians as "infidels." Who instituted it? (The Mormons)
#6: Marrying 11 women already married to other men is an extremely liberal practice. Who did that? (Lds founder Joseph Smith)

[Colofornian]

A 1993 study published in Demography [magazine] showed that Mormons marrying within their church are least likely of all Americans to become divorced. Only 13 percent of LDS couples have divorced after five years of marriage, compared with 20 percent for religiously homogamist unions among Catholics and Protestants and 27 percent among Jews. However, when a Mormon marries outside his or her denomination, the divorce rate soars to 40 percent — second only to mixed-faith marriages involving a Jewish spouse (42 percent).” (Casper Gh0sts, post #133)

Overall, the Mormon divorce rate appears to be no different from the average American divorce rate. A 1999 study by Barna Research of nearly 4,000 U.S. adults showed that 24% of Mormon marriages end in divorce — a number statistically equal to the divorce rate among all Americans. (svcw)

Right when the economy started dipping ('08), more couples were sticking it out (couldn't afford to divorce). That wasn't true in Utah...separations/divorces still increased. See story here: U.S. divorce dip excludes Utah: Recession has no effect on filings, despite national trend

UtahPolicy.com reviewed divorce-rate changes 'tween 2003-->2008. It measured % increases of divorce. The top five states with double-digit % increases over those five years were:
1. Alaska, 17.2%
2. Nevada, 14.2%
3. Colorado, 13.1%
4. Kansas, 11.8%
5. Utah, 10.5%
Source: Utah’s Divorce Rate Much Higher than States Without Gay Marriage Bans (Jan. 14, 2010)

The next five states with a % increase for those years were:
6. Idaho, 9.3% (also a high Mormon populated state)
7. South Dakota, 9.2%
8. Arizona, 7.1%
9. North Carolina, 5.7%
10. Virginia, 3.9%

This means that Utah's increase in its divorce rate 'tween '03 & '08 was more than TRIPLE than that of 40 other states!

Also, only 17 states had higher divorce rates than Utah's 1.83%. Here were those rates...notice the entire "Mormon Central" region (Utah-Idaho-Wyoming-Nevada):

1. Nevada, 3.61%
2. Arkansas, 2.58%
3. Wyoming, 2.35%
4. Idaho, 2.25%
5. Mississippi, 2.22%
6. (tie) Florida & Kentucky, 2.21%
8. Alaska, 2.20%
9. New Mexico, 2.09%
10. West Virginia, 2.08%
11. Colorado, 2.07%
12. Arizona, 2.04%
13. Tennessee, 2.02%
14. Alabama, 1.99%
15. Oregon, 1.92%
16. North Carolina, 1.88%
17. Washington, 1.86%
18. Utah, 1.83%
19. (tie) Virginia and Delaware, 1.81%

You would think that with Utah being 60% Lds, that it'd be lower than 18th on the divorce % list.

[Elsie]

You would think that with Utah being 60% Lds, that it'd be lower than 18th on the divorce % list.

Well, that WOULD be true; if MORMONism were as good for you as the PR machine claims...

[Notary Sojac]

You think this is a mere doctrinal/historical creed issue?

Ummm.... yes. Yes, I do.

Probably the most interesting thing about the whole Mormons versus everybody else debate is that it brings up issues in Christology that were "settled" during the church councils of the fourth through the sixth centuries.

I've often wondered how different our world would be if the Arians or Nestorians had won those debates.