Undiscussed Regarding Romney's Mormonism

I was somewhat dumbfounded when I caught the very end of a recent PBS documentary on Mormonism - reviewed here in this article. In effect, the, I believe non-Mormon, on screen narrator stated how much Mormonism embodies the best of cultural America we struggle for, even today.

The point was made that, because, in our history, they have been one of, if not actually the most demonized minority of them all, ultimately the only one to have ever become literal outcasts at one point, Mormonism has evolved and adjusted, actually becoming something akin to the epitome of mainstream.

Mormons "were considered a knife at the back of the American experience," Verdoia says. "Now they are, in fact, considered in some ways the very embodiment of what it means to be American. How was that brought about?

It's estimated that only about 20 - 30 percent of Mormons ever practiced polygamy. Still, they were driven out and ultimately established a sort of America all their own until time and growth caught up with them and they and America again fully merged.

If Romney secures the Republican nomination we could see a tremendous irony on a Presidential debate stage some night, whether he were to compete against a woman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, or Barack Obama, a Black.

Given that Obama's roots are truly Kenyan and women, while facing discrimination, were never and would never be driven out, the fellow most genuinely representing the most persecuted American minority of them all? That would be the white guy in the suit.

Comments

[Cindi]

The Role of Women in Mormonism and If you're a good Mormon male, you get your own planet? Sorry, not for me.

[Dan Riehl]

I'd love to have my own planet. Heh!

[ET]

As a moderate conservative, I am looking closely at Romney and his primary rivals. It will be interesting to see who among us can put our religious predjudices aside as we consider the '08 presidential election.

I predict that Romney's faith will be an issue, but one that he may just overcome. He passes the character test, in my mind, much more than Rudy or Newt. I am likely to accept Mitt's religious practices, because the result is a man of integrity. I respect the other candidates' intellectual and leadership traits, but their turbulent personal lives give me pause.

I also predict that our liberal friends here will expose themselves on this issue - as the hypocrites they are. They rant about our insensitivity to muslims, our failure to "understand" other faiths, or other lifestyles.

**Wait until we see the attacks on Mormons coming from the left**

Let the games begin.

[Barrasso]

Well being a lapsed mormon raised in a majority mormon place, I still can't buy them being described as the most persecuted minority in the history of the US. There were a few pretty bad decades, but then it smoothed out nicely. It would be nice to have your own planet till you realized it has no alcohol, caffine, or thong bikinis.

[Barrasso]

Mormon magic underwear are very unsexy.

[Barrasso]

Mormon magic underwear are very unsexy.

[ET]

Barrasso - I'm a Catholic, and I would support a Mormon for president if I thought he was the right guy.

That doesn't mean I want to BE one. ;>0

[Barrasso]

I don't know why that double posted, maybe I really, really meant it subconciously.

[Barrasso]

I can say that a friend of mine moved here from L.A., and I asked him if it was too boring for him he said no because you could leave things in your yard and no one steals them. I haven't locked my car door in years, that I can say very positively about mormon culture, they don't steal your stuff. However there are trade offs the food is not so great, unless you love casserole.

[jong]

The guy's a serial flip-flopper. Name the crucial issue, he' flop. Remember Hillary's famous it takes a village quote.

Here Mitt then: “Hillary Clinton is very much right, it does take a village, and we are a village and we need to work together in a non-skeptical, no-finger-pointing way…”

Now - not so much: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, also a candidate for president, is wrong when she says "it takes a village" to raise a child.

"I think it's time for us to recognize every child deserves a mother and a father," Romney said during a speech to New Hampshire Republicans this weekend in Newbury.

The guy wants to be president so bad he'll say anything.

[wardmd]

Which presidential candidate HASN'T said whatever they think the (current) audience wants to hear?

They're ALL political whores (sorry, Imus, if I'm stealing your material).

Mitt Romney's Mormon religion is no more an issue than J.F.K.'s Catholicism was.

I'd much rather have someone who HAS faith (in something), rather than someone like Hillary (who believes only that SHE is ENTITLED to be President because she... She... Damn, what the hell has SHE ever done to qualify her to be President?).

I, myself, am a Catholic. I am very comfortable with MY FAITH. I am also VERY COMFORTABLE with Mitt Romney being a Mormon (and supporting him for President).

Just what, exactly, do you think ANYONE's religious beliefs will do to impact their ability to be President and Commander-in-chief? Seriously, do you think Mitt Romney will appoint judges who are MORE LIBERAL than John McCain or Rudy Giuliani (or worse, Hillary or Barack Obama) would? Do you think he would force the country to convert to the LDS church?

I have had MANY, MANY Mormon friends over the years, and I have found them ALL to be friendly, decent, honest and patriotic people (yes, ALL of them).

I'm sure there are "bad apples" within the Mormon religion, but looking at my own faith, I think Catholics have a LOT more to be embarrassed about (pedophile priests, for example) than does the LDS Church, and I'm not sure ANY denomination which calls Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson "Reverend" (can you say Illegitimate child, taking mistress to White House to meet with President Clinton, and Tawana Brawley [Al, we’re still waiting for you to pay the court ordered restitution for the defamation suit you LOST]) should be casting aspersions against Mormons.

Bottom line (for me, anyway) is that a candidate’s religious beliefs (if any) doesn’t mean JACK when it comes to evaluating their QUALIFICATIONS for office.

I want to know what they BELIEVE (with respect to political/social issues over which they will be making decisions which affect ME), and will they ACT accordingly, or will they stick their finger in the air, to see which way the political wind is blowing at any given moment in time (or worse, abandon their beliefs for the sake of “compromise”).

Which kinds of laws will they SIGN, which kind will they VETO, and which kind will the PROMOTE (like President Bush’s [and John McCain’s] STUPID “comprehensive immigration reform”).

What kind of JUDGES will they appoint (are we going to get more Harriet Meyers types, and Rudy may SAY he’ll appoint judges like Alito and Roberts, but what kind of judges DID HE APPOINT as Major?).

Finally, what kind of people will be appointed to key positions within the Administration (more incompetent FEMA directors like Michael “Browny” or Homeland Security director Michael Chertoff)?

[Phoenix]

I'd love to have my own planet. Heh!

Posted by: Dan Riehl

~~

You do. It's called The Riehl World. :) You be president.

[Phoenix]

My only problem with religion is its exclusionary nature. If a leader can look at those he leads who are non-believers and not judge them, fine.

The reverse is obviously true, as well, but for different reasons.

[templar knight]

Barasso, no caffine----no planet, as far as I'm concerned. That's all the addictions I have left. My wife took my cigars, I quit drinking after college, I never used illegal drugs, and coffee and tea are all I have left. I'll stay on this little patch of ground I have staked out here in W. Texas, and I'll leave all the planets for the rest of you, especially Dan.

As an aside, I did run a couple of Mormon kids off a few weeks ago. They were getting too persistant, coming out here just about every week. I tried being nice, and let them come in, and they just kept going on and on. Finally, I just had to ask them to leave, and I do believe they were somewhat miffed. But I was nice about it, just told them I thought I had heard everything they could possibly have to say after 4 visits.

[lt]

Mormons are freaks! I teach relgious studies at Georgetown and the more you learn about Mormonism the freakier it is. My students all say that after learning about the Mormon faith, they'd never vote to put a Mormon in the WH.

[Dan Riehl]

"Mormons are freaks! I teach relgious studies"

LMAO That troll is just stupid enough to be left alone as they're harmless. ha ha ha You can't demean someone or something else when you make yourself look so pathetic, cousin "it"

[Cindi]

LOL templar, I remember the time two JW women came knocking on my door. I invited them in, then back a few times. Honestly they taught me how to read the bible. When they started getting nutzO is when I backed off. One afternoon after I realized they were nutz, they knocked on my door. I ran upstairs to the bathroom and stood in the shower stall, opened the window and said........sorry, I don't feel so good, maybe another time. Didn't want to hurt their feelings or anything but telling them to fuck off. They came back sometime later, again I didn't answer. Later after they left, I opened my front door and there were three bags of food. I felt so bad. lol. Now I keep my highlighted bible next to the front door. Kiddin of course.

Religious beliefs are very important to me, but not as much as someones moral convictions. I had a woman babysit my daughter, she and her family are mormons. I absoutly admired at the time the way they were raising their now grown children.

Would I not vote for Mitt because he is mormon, I don't think so. Will I consider that in my decision. Of course I will. In these times I realize my own selfish desires overtake the needs of our country. Much more needed to be heard from those running as Republicans. So far Mitt is my second choice. Rudy is out. Come on Fred.... ;)

[Cindi]

heh, I kind of like "magic panties." lol.

[wardmd]

templar knight,

I live about a mile from an LDS church, and I've NEVER been bothered by ANY Mormons - I have had MORE than my share of "brothers" and "sisters" (that would be Jehovah's Witnesses [aka WatchTower Society]) both at home and in the parking lot at my local supermarket.

As for you, "it", how is Mormonism any "freakier" (to you) than, say Catholicism is to an Athiest?

Again, I ask you (any of you), what do you think Mitt Romney is going to force America to do (by virtue of him being Mormon), that President Bush has not done (by virtue of him being a Christian)?

Personally, I think facing a meteorite to pray five times a day is REALLY freaky, but I'm not about to say that a Muslim shouldn't be President (or hold any other public office).

ANYONE who believes that a person's RELIGIOUS beliefs (in and of itself), or lack thereof, disqualifies them from public office is a BIGOT!

The Constitution (Article VI, section 3) specifically articulates that "No religious test shall EVER be required as a qualification to any office…”

So, not only are you a bigot, but your actions are UNCONSTITUTIONAL as well.

[jasmine]

I'd NEVER vote for a Mormon, even if I agreed with everything he said. I'm African American and we will make a concentrated effort to show the idiocy of Mormonism. Not that long ago nutjob Mormons thought a black person couldn't get imto heaven unless he was a slave! The synagogue here is also teaching or warning people about Mormons and it would so devastating to have one in the White House. MR Romney or as our preacher calls him, Flipper, will never get most peoplre of faith to vote for him. And yes, you're not supposed to have a religious test, but this guy is such a moron, I mean mormon that we're going to do it anyway and we've got a ton of financial support!

[tony]

I just joined Republicans for Obama. I was very disappointed with the candidates at the debate. Don't believe in evolution? That's retarded. Mccain believes in evolution but that's because he was there. He looked like one of the patients in the Alzheimers unit off his meds. Is he off his aricept again?

[Buzzy]

Wow, Jasmine has a preacher in his / her synagoge and is AFRICAN / American. Tony claims he just joined Republicans for Osama and It claims he teaches religious studies at Georgetown. Mitt must be scaring the hell out of the secular socialists already.

[templar knight]

Hmmm...well, jasmine, I doubt Mitt was counting on the black vote to get him elected anyway, as blacks vote en masse and en bloc for the Demonrats. And any Republican who would vote for Obama, well, you're not a Republican. Not that the Republicans have a potentially strong ticket, mind you, but Obama, or Hillary, please! He has very little, if any, experience, and Hillary is just wrong for the country. Were I a Demonrat, Edwards would be my choice.

[Fred Beloit]

Sorry but I just can't go with Mitt because of the medical care mess he participated in in Massachusetts, a real Democrat-type scam. I favor Fred Thompson at this point. I feel Rudi is just a RINO. I love McCain's war stance, but fear his sudden and unpredictable lurches to the left, eg, McCain-Feingold. Federal judges who follow US law and the Constitution, rather than those who put their personal preferences and Liberal beliefs first, are a must as far as I'm concerned. No more umbras, penumbras, and foreign law precedents, please.

[wardmd]

jasmine,

Go ahead and vote for whomever you want (and DON'T vote for whomever you don't want), but do you not the the bigotry in your own position?

Wouldn't YOU be screaming RACISM if anyone were to say that they would not consider voting for Barack Obama JUST BECAUSE HE'S BLACK?

Does Mitt Romney (not Mormons in general) believe the "no blacks can get into heaven unless they are slaves" position? Are you going to judge Mitt Romney based on the actions of SOME Mormons? Is it FAIR, therefore, to judge ALL blacks on the actions of SOME blacks (say, gang members)? Is it FAIR to judge ALL Muslims on the actions of SOME (terrorist) Muslims? No.

Doing so simply perpetuates the bigotry and hatred between GROUPS (judging people by the color of their skin [or their religion], not the content of their character).

Fred,

I, too, prefer Senator Thompson, but until he IS a candidate, I’m going to evaluate those who are running with an eye towards he (or she) who will best protect and defend the United States, and who I have reason to believe will sign (or promote) legislation that I believe is RIGHT for America, and who will veto (or oppose) legislation that I believe is WRONG for America.

As you said, appointing judges who understand that THEIR JOB is to APPLY the LAW, not MAKE the LAW is a prime concern (Giuliani and McCain CANNOT be trusted to do so [they have NO track record which would lead one to conclude that they WOULD]).

[Leatherneck]

Back in the early 90's I was back home from the CORP. My brother, and I went to my Grandmothers house. We saw there was two bikes outside, and inside where two Mormons talking to my Grandmother, and her Husband.

My brother, and I went to the kitchen, and sat down. Soon my Grandmother introduced us to the Mormons. I asked the two Mormons how thay got over here on just one bike? They flew out the door, and I smiled. My brother then asked my Grandmother why she let people like that inside her house?

Boy, did my Grandmother come unglued. She yelled at us to get out of the house, and pointed her finger at me, and said she did not like my ways.

Mormons are not allowed in Russia, and I wonder if they can take a joke.