Letters to the Editor
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Damn it, Mitt
I'm a Mormon. Which means I'm about to get hit with "b-b-b-Joseph!" comments right after this, but hey - I don't give a crap what your religion is. (I loved the ending of that South Park episode.)
But Mitt has it wrong. Freedom does *not* require religion. For Freedom to work, as enshrined by the Founding Fathers, requires freedom of government *from* religion.
One of the tenants of the Mormon faith is the the US Constitution is a divinely inspired document - not perfect, as nothing made by man can be, but a pretty damn good thing. And what's enshrined in the Constitution?
No religious test.
Freedom of religion.
Freedom of religion from government.
Every Mormon that I've met - from living a few years in Utah (blech) and beyond have agreed with the 11th article of faith: We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
This includes the knowledge the church must be kept separate from state - let Caeser be rendered unto Caeser, and God unto God. Yes, there is an inherant contradiction with early church leaders running for office under "theodemocracy" - which I take to mean they thought they had a good idea and didn't really think it true. (Yes, Mormon leaders were human beings with dumb ideas too - hey, it was the early 1800's. Give them a break - there was stupidity to go around.)
For Mr. Romney to claim that Freedom *needs* religion is wrong. *Religion* needs Freedom. Without the latter, no person can truly express their religious beliefs.
I'm sorry, but I still don't agree with him (he's been off my voting list for some time for the flip-flopping - I support gay marriage (shock, I know), but his "oh, I love them, no wait, I hate them" bugs the hell out of me). Most of the other Mormons I go to church with aren't voting for Mr. Romney either (though we may be in a minority - I haven't done a nationwide poll) because we think he's reached incorrect conclusions.