Posted on 09/27/2011 7:51:26 AM PDT by Vigilanteman
The Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Mormons and a few other faiths have three things in common – they believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God and that He died and was resurrected for our sins. So what's the problem? The political pundits continue to try and make Mitt Romney's religious beliefs a big issue as he runs for the Republican presidential nomination. Different denominations of Christianity are just that – different denominations – which means different worship practices of the same fundamental Christian beliefs. Some people have commented that they cannot support Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon. When they are pressed to explain why that is objectionable, they stutter. Still others are skeptical of Mitt Romney based solely on hearsay or lack of knowledge about Mormons. Even more puzzling to me is the recent trashing of the Mormon faith by Bob Jones III, of the university that bears his name, while endorsing Mitt for president (USA Today article by DeWayne Wickham, October 23, 2007). Some of us call that a backhanded endorsement. I am a practicing Bible-reading-and-believing Baptist Christian, and I respect any Christian denomination that shares the same basic beliefs. I cannot respect a religion that trashes other Christian denominations, or one that seeks to destroy other faiths. Muslim extremists want to kill anyone who does not agree with them. I have a problem with that. This is not an endorsement of Mitt Romney, nor is this intended to defend or explain the Mormon religion. It is a reminder that Christianity has several denominations with different practices. Misperceptions or lack of clarity about someone's religious beliefs can only distort one's reasoning in deciding who to vote for. Media and political prognosticators are constantly trying to put labels and sound-bites on candidates for their reporting convenience, and sometimes, to help create a negative perception of a candidate. Romney is a Mormon, but a "flip-flopper" on social issues. Guiliani is a liberal with a conservative record as mayor of New York City. Huckabee is a conservative Baptist preacher, but he does not have enough money raised to be considered a tier one candidate. Fred Thompson might be a true conservative but his "sizzle" is a let down. And John McCain is strong on national security and "gray" on everything else. Maybe I am asleep when the media reports on the Democratic presidential candidates, because I do not hear them proclaiming Hillary's religious affiliation or her socialist tendencies, Barack Obama's Muslim educational past or John Edwards's distinctly socialist tendencies. History has shown that a media sound-bite is not a predictor of how a president will sign legislation when it reaches his desk. President John F. Kennedy reduced taxes for the first time in decades, and he was a Catholic Democrat. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and he was a Texas southerner. And Ronald Reagan was a fiscal conservative after being governor of California, one of the most liberal states in the country. Go figure! This country needs a president who has a sensible, common sense solution or idea for the tier one issues that we face. National security in our fight against Islamic fascism, sustaining the positive growth of our economy, market-based incentives to make our health care system more affordable and accessible, restructuring a dysfunctional social security system, replacing an outdated and unfair federal tax code, and harnessing the unbridled growth of government and entitlement spending. Religious affiliation is a good indicator of integrity and character, but it is not the only predictor of presidential performance. And since the First Amendment to the Constitution protects us from a president imposing his religious preference on the rest of us, I would rather have a president with some religion than one whose religion is suspect. "In God We Trust" was no accident by our Founding Fathers.
Mittens is a RINO, I don’t think the writer wants to get over that.
I’ve been rooting for Cain since his entry into the contest. Seemingly every day lately I find more & more reasons why. Great article that is dead on.
The haters will surely melt down on this one as they commonly do.
I know that most Christians on earth belive that Mary is Ever-Virgin. Of course the number of folks believing something doesn’t make something true or not true. I was just curious about the LDS.
Freegards
Yes, LDS believe Satan and Jesus were brothers.
The only denomination that believes Mary and Joseph didn’t have children after Jesus is Roman Catholicism (actually, Eastern Orthodox might believe this too, but I don’t know enough about them). Protestants interpret Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:2-3, and John 2:12 as saying Mary had other children after Jesus. As well, the “until” in Matthew 1:25 we consider to mean that Joseph and Mary had relations after Jesus was born, but not before. Obviously Catholics disagree.
V-man:
I think I understand your point, but is pointing out glaring flaws in the official doctrine of a denomination being a “hater”? Just as with homosexuals (I know, bad analogy), if I hated them and NOT just their sin, I’d say nothing and gloat when they burned. That’s not what Christ calls us to.
Colonel, USAFR
Why is it good politics to stir up the haters? Why even go there?
Like Truman said about his problem with JFK, “It’s not the Pope its the pop.” My problem isn’t that he is a Mormon, its that he is a RINO. It seems to me that like 0bama’s supports claiming that those that disagree with him must be racist, the Romney folks are claiming that his lack of support is based on his religion. Both are wrong.
Romney is a RINO, he'll never get my vote.
Romney is NOT a Christian and, although he is a vast improvement over the current POTUS, he'll never get my vote as there are several Christian, conservative candidates.
Oh, and I am a Baptist too! What does that have to do with anything?
“Do you know if the LDS believe that Jesus had actual brothers from Mary and Joseph?”
I know of no doctrinal position other than that of the Bible, and the Bible says He did:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_the_Just
This is merely one example:
Galatians 1:18–20
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not
“I know that most Christians on earth belive that Mary is Ever-Virgin”
No so much - many Catholics believe so, but no Protestant denomination that I’m aware of holds this belief.
Colonel, USAFR
Yes, the LDS faith believes that Jesus had earthly brothers and sisters. They also believe that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children.
My big problem with Romney is RINO.
The Mormon conception of Jesus Christ has little relationship with what the Bible states and if you do a little research on the LDS church, you’ll find that it is difficult to understand why anyone would even take it seriously. I think it’s more of a cult than a religion. However, atheists say the same thing about Christianity (and all religions) so it’s a matter of perspective. Like most Americans, I don’t vote for a candidate based on his or her purported religious faith but on principle, character, policy and their record. Romney fails on almost every standard and even if he held exactly the same spiritual beliefs as I do, I would not vote for him. As we often state: we’re electing a president, not a spiritual leader.
One can either attempt to redefine what constitutes "Christian" (dishonest, in my opinion) or use a term with somewhat less stringent criteria to properly reflect the degree of shared belief among Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian denominations.
So the LDS believe Jesus had actual siblings from Mary and Joseph? (not talking about the satan/Jesus weirdness)
Freegards
The few Mormons I have known have been fine people. I could vote for a Mormon with no hesitation.
On the other hand I do not agree even remotely with some of the things they believe.
I will certainly not vote for someone just because they are a Baptist as I am. Note Jimmy Carter, tho I really don’t think he really is a Southern Baptist because he seems so dishonest.
Most protestants don’t hold with that and believe when John spoke about Jesus’ brothers he was talking about his brothers not his cousins.
I guess so. I am not an expert on LDS.
This Mormon wants to thanks Cain for his honesty. And I appreciate you for posting this in what is often a hostile forum toward my faith.
Cain is really growing on me. I think he could win.
Romney Care is a valid reason, but I think Cain was addressing those who refuse to vote for him due to religion - and there more of those than I would ever have imagined.
He was also addressing the media double standard, which is another valid point.
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