John; a few questions: was Romney married in the Temple, and is he presently a worthy Temple Mormon. If he is a Temple Mormon, does he visit a Temple to be baptized for dead etc.

My church is located in Mesa, AZ which was founded by the Mormons. We live in a Mormon culture, so I have some insight to Mormonism and teach on it regularly. I have numerous Mormon friends and neighbors.
Andy Jackson | Homepage | 11.01.06 - 4:08 pm | #

Romney's Mormon personal practices are unknown to all but immediate family. He steadfastly, and I believe correctly, refuses to discuss them publicly.

Frankly Andy, since you are publicly a McCain guy, I find it a bit sneaky to leave a comment mentioning specific Mormon practice that would appear odd to many creedal Christians. I know you know the answer to the question, you are too widely read not to.

So, am I to assume you did this just to change the subject?

I do not pretend the Mormon religion is a true faith. But that has little to do with whether or not a Mormon would be a good President. Eisenhower was Seventh Day Adventist - another "church' we think strange - so what?
John Schroeder - Blogotional | Homepage | 11.01.06 - 6:11 pm | #

In sum Andy, if you think a Mormon President is a problem, post and say why. Make it a hypothetical candidate; make him a Temple Mormon, do what ever you want, but state your case. I'll give you space on Article 6 to do it.

Or, is this just becasue you are a McCain guy?
John Schroeder - Blogotional | Homepage | 11.01.06 - 7:02 pm | #

John:

Thanks for this post. It reflects a sound understanding of the LDS (Mormon) point of view. Frankly, words matter, and it seems to me that commited Christians (creedal or not) should be loath to use a hurtful word to describe another person's cherished religious faith.

Andy, I can tell you that Mitt Romney was married in a temple. If he is a fully committed Mormon (and there's every reason to believe that he is), he worships in one of the temples regularly. His schedule these days probably makes that difficult.

If you really know many Mormons well, you know that temple worship for us is very sacred and uplifting, a major part of our lives. We raise our children to be married there. And if you know those things, why would you try to inject that topic into a discussion of a political candidate who happens to be a Mormon? It's hard to imagine an honorable reason for doing that. It's easy, however, to imagine many dishonorable reasons, including an attempt to cast the candidate in a bad light and to appeal to ignorance about his religion.

An analogy for you: Let's say it were 1960, when John Kennedy was running for president and his Catholicism was in issue for many protestants. Let's
say you asked, "Was Kennedy married in a Catholic church, and is he presently a mass-going Catholic? If he is, when he takes the communion wafer does he really believe the wafer and the wine are transformed into the blood and flesh of Christ in his mouth?"

That pair of questions was just as irrelevant to Kennedy's candidacy as yours are to Romney's. They are also just as prone to inflame prejudice and capitalize on the ignorance of some people.

Almost everyone's religous faith contains elements that seem strange to outsiders. Mormonism is no exception. You seem ready to exploit that fact on your candidate's behalf, and your apparent willingness to do so says much more about you than it does about Mitt Romney.

Just my opinion. If I'm wrong about your intentions, please tell me.

Lowell
Lowell Brown | Homepage | 11.01.06 - 10:01 pm | #