Letters to the Editor
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And Don't Forget It ...
"...I do not speak for my church on public matters--and the church does not speak for me."
Something that every elected officeholder in the country should chant ten times upon waking in the morning and before bed each night.
I wonder how many of them would be able to choke the words out.
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Some questions for Mitt
Just a few questions for Mitt:
1. Joseph Smith admitted to friends that he made it all up. How do you account for that?
2. Prior to publishing the Book of Mormon, Smith was convicted in court of falsely claiming that he could find buried treasure with the same sorts of stones he used to "translate" the Book of Mormon. Do you think it's likely that a criminal convicted of such fraud would be a prophet of God?
3. The first edition of the Book of Mormon credited Joseph Smith as the "author" of the book. That being the case, do you really think the Book is God's word?
4. Several of the witnesses who claim to have seen the gold plates later recanted and claimed that they had seen nothing. How do you reconcile this with the alleged "truth" of the Book of Mormon?
5. There is no archaeological evidence whatsoever supporting the Book of Mormon. How do you reconcile that with your faith?
6. Do you really believe that blacks who accept the tenets of the LDS church will become "white and delightsome" as pre-1982 editions of the Book of Mormon claim?
7. The evidence that Joseph Smith, and by extension, the Book of Mormon, is a fraud is overwhelming. Why should the American public elect a candidate who believes in a religion that is based on demonstrable fraud?
I'd welcome an answer to any of the above.
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I don't care what any candidate's faith is . . .
. . .unless he (or she) tries to force me to subscribe to it.
I do care intensely about what Mitt Romney's domestic and foreign policy decisions might be as well as his economic policies.
In all those areas, I have plenty of doubts. Barring a flat-out epiphany, I can't see myself voting for him.
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The Wrong Speech
How about the question that should have been asked for this speech: "Governor, your belief in religion concerns many people, I would like to get your response."
For some reason, a vast majority in the United States believe the application of religious beliefs to government policy is both desirable and good, unless perhaps it might be taken up by Muslims or Mormons. We stand in stark contrast to the rest of the modern world in this regard. Although no examples should be necessary to detail the suffering caused in the name of religion, allow me to cite the millions who have died in the AIDS crisis because of influence of religious dogma on domestic AIDS miseducation. This is compounded abroad where "abstinence and fidelity" is preached to tens of millions who will hear no other message. I do hope the orphaned and dying children of Africa might live long enough to ask us why.
Look at it this way: at least Romney doesn't share the same end times prophecies that seem to be the genesis of policy for the current administration. To some extent, I'd almost prefer a President who knows the public is alert to the role of religion in his decisions. Our current President is a man who sees himself as divinely guided by some Messiah, and has the certitude of convictions to prove it. This delusion is fully enabled by a public that is conditioned to be silent to moral crimes committed in the name of Christianity, and people across the globe are paying the price.
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bostonMA - I don't know how you can say that,
While I haven't been paying any attention to this Romney fellow,
Every practicing mormon believes they are the chosen people of the latter day saints.
Which means that they are the LAST of the chosen ones before the return of Christ. And that is only made possible through Armageddon at the end of time.
Offhand, I tend to think in his case it's just not visibly driving the agenda as yet.
It's useful to consider how many powerful mormons have already been employed in the government by 'conservatives' over the last 25 years, and how that predisposed mythology has lead us along to where we find ourselves now.
Before I think you can make some statement like this:
at least Romney doesn't share the same end times prophecies that seem to be the genesis of policy
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Can it ever be enough for the religious right?
There's a real question as to whether anything that Romney says is going to pacify the religious right enough to get them behind his campaign in earnest. Many in the evangelical camp have an abiding suspicion of Mormonism- their worry is not that Romney will govern based on Mormon principles (whatever those might be), but that his presidency would provide a public spotlight for a faith that they regard as heretical. Political pragmatism might win out if Romney is the eventual GOP nominee, but in the meantime there are a lot of previously influential right-wing Christian figures that are going to have a hard time getting excited- or marshallings their followers- for the Romney campaign. That hampers him during the primary season, and more importantly raises questions about the ability to draw evangelicals to the polls in November.
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@essmeier
I wonder - do you think that someone might run a particular Southpark episode as an Anti-Mitt campaign ad? Whenever I see him I personally can't get the refrain of "Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb" out of my head.
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I care strongly about a candidate's religious affiliation.
Religion as an adult is a voluntary ideological association. And since ideas are what drive our actions it is pretty darn important in a political candidate. Look no further than the devout Christianity of George Bush and his homophobic policies.
And if you claim to be a member of a religion and yet don't believe/follow what it teaches, then you are a stinking hypocrite. Is Romney really a Mormon if the church doesn't speak for him? And if it doesn't speak for him then why the hell is he a Mormon?
It is the same with Catholics who use birth-control and other people too callow to go it alone I guess but of course not mature enough to see how their continued affiliation helps bolster archaic, often harmful institutions in need of change.