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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhen Mormons Go to Washington
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/10/mormon-politicians-lds-church-romneyOctober 15, 2012
When Mormons Go to Washington
Because of the skepticism Mitt Romneys Mormon beliefs have caused voters, the G.O.P. nominee has likened himself to J.F.K., the U.S.s only Catholic president. But the cozy relationship between the L.D.S. Church and Mormon politicians, particularly Republicans, would make even the Pope blush.
By Michael Quinn
Mitt Romney is the first member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (L.D.S.) to be nominated by one of the two major parties as a candidate for the U.S. presidency. The Churchs adherents are nicknamed Mormons, because their founding prophet, Joseph Smith Jr., published the Book of Mormon in 1830 as Gods new revelation, a volume of Holy Scripture, equal to the Bible in importance. Today the L.D.S. Church has more than 14 million members in 138 countries, and 15 members of the U.S. Congress are Mormons.
Due to Romneys well-publicized loyalty to Mormonismfrom 1981 to 1986 he was bishop of his congregation in Boston, and from 1986 to 1994 he was stake president for the Boston area, overseeing a dozen wards, or congregations, with a total of 4,000 membersmany have questioned whether his policies and decisions as president would be influenced by the dictates of the L.D.S. Church, headquartered in Salt Lake City. The question is not unreasonable: both in the distant past and in recent times the Church has tried to influence the political decisions of American Mormons holding public office. The Church is rigidly hierarchical, governed by 15 apostles, 12 of whom form the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The living prophet, who is also the Church president, and his two counselors, constitute the First Presidency. Devout Mormons raise their hands several times a year to sustain these men as prophets, seers, and revelators whose instructions are Gods word to Mormons.
Nonetheless, since the early 1990s, Romney and his supporters have wanted Americans to see his situation through a different lens, that of the objections raised in 1960 to electing a Roman Catholic as president. John F. Kennedy confronted those doubts in a September 1960 address, On Church and State, given in front of the Protestant evangelical ministers of Houston, Texas. After announcing that I am a Catholic, J.F.K. told his skeptical listeners, I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolutewhere no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be a Catholic) how to act . . . where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source. . . . I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Partys candidate for President, who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public mattersand the church does not speak for me. It was a tough audience for this message, but the evangelicals gave J.F.K. a rousing ovation.
During his 1994 effort to unseat Massachusetts senator Edward M. Kennedy, Mitt Romney tersely quoted J.F.K.: I do not speak for my church on public matters and the church does not speak for me. And in May 2006, with Romney eyeing a bid for the presidency, U.S. News & World Report enthused that the candidate plans to copy, almost exactly, JFKs winning approach. Romney says hell give a similar address, in which he will pledge allegiance to the Constitution, not the Mormon Church. However, the conservative weekly had to wait 19 months before it could proclaim that his long-awaited religion speech impresses even the critics. ...
For not yielding to the wishes of the L.D.S. Church, in 1965, Mormon Congressman Kenneth W. Dyal said he received abuse, threats, blackmail and vicious attacks on my integrity from corporations, church members and their leaders. It was perhaps for this reason that resisting the Church was not common.
Drale
(7,932 posts)JFK was not best friends with the Pope, while Mittens is best friends with the leaders of the Mormons.
Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)and he should be questioned in depth about it.
byeya
(2,842 posts)and reactionary. He was all right with that.
All it will take is another message from god to the morman prophet and the racism will
reappear as part and parcel of the core beliefs.
KurtNYC
(14,549 posts)One is the girl who was registering Republicans only in Colorado. She couldn't answer the question "and who's paying you for this?" but when she puts her hand up to block the camera, her CTR ring is clearly visible.
The other appeared last week and told Chris Matthews "Obama's a communist buddy...just study it out"
"Study it out" is a Mormon phrase which translates roughly to 'look in your heart for the answer (and ignore facts to the contrary)'.
broiles
(1,367 posts)KurtNYC
(14,549 posts)hughee99
(16,113 posts)and yet didn't even mention once that one of the most powerful people currently in office, the leader of the Senate, is a Mormon. You'd think a Senator currently serving in Washington might be a better argument than one who died 70 years ago.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)Harry,he is a convert and not one with the magic genes. Harry is a man of his word,been watching him for years,nothing fake about this guy. I know he's a Mormon,and,I'am really hard on these folks,but this guy knows he isn't going to ascend to any high office in his church. Nevada GOP is kind of a Mormon run outfit,just like the School Board in Clark County,controlled by Mormons. Harry will take care of people first and not his church.
Willard,that's a different story in it's self. He has been groomed by his Church and himself,to ascend to the Presidency. He will do anything and say anything,much like his training in the Mormon Church,to garner the White House. His father did the same things when being honest didn't work. Same old sh*t,just the next turd form his loins.
BlueMTexpat
(15,369 posts)who are Democrats, at least at the national level, understand the Church-State separation quite well.
Harry Reid, whatever role his faith may play in his personal life, is a statesman. And I absolutely love him for highlighting Mitt's failure to file taxes!
hughee99
(16,113 posts)for 10 years.