Romney is questioned and challenged again on his faith by yet another conservative, this time it’s Iowa talk show host Jan Mickelson. This continues to show that Hugh Hewitt’s repeated assertions that Romney is being mostly attacked from the left on this to be fallacious - a lie.
Furthermore, the Romney boosters like Hewitt and his lap-sitting blog partner Dean Barnett seem to have convinced themselves that questions about the less mainstream beliefs that are central to the Mormon faith (like the idea of biblical-style miracles happening here in America, or that the messiah will return and show up in Missouri in some capacity) are off limits. Bull. I don’t see why theological questions are off the table. I think it’s perfectly legitimate to ask Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton if they believe that Jesus was the son of God, performed miracles, and that he’ll return on the day of reckoning. They’re all Christians, so I think it’s safe to say that they believe those things in one form or another.
The difference here, of course, is that much, much more Americans subscribe to the beliefs that Obama/Edwards/Clinton have than to Mitt Romney’s church’s beliefs. I don’t care that Romney is a Mormon. I think he’s unqualified for the office for a lot of other reasons (He’s a wrongheaded flip-flopping slimy eel of a politician) completely unrelated to his religion.
But to assert, as Hewitt and a few others do, that it exhibits bias to simply ask a candidate a theological question about his or her professed belief, is ridiculous. Especially when the candidate in question has made his religious convictions one of the central justifications for his entire candidacy!
Romney’s defenders real goal here is to insulate the candidate. Right or wrong, many of the traditions and beliefs of Mormonism will strike many Americans as “weird” (sadly anything not falling under the line of mainstream Christianity or Judaism is considered weird by Americans, let alone the Hell-bound atheists and their pals the agnostics like me. Hi Mom!) - for instance the continued splintering of the faith that happens when people seem to get visions and believe that their brand of Mormonism is in the true spirit of the church’s founders (read Jon Krakauer’s phenomenal Under The Banner Of Heaven for more details) - and they don’t want Romney to have to wade into those weeds. But I don’t see these questions as remotely out of bounds for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who happens to be a Mormon, so how are they out of line for Romney who is a presidential candidate? They’re not.
Look, religion is weird. It just is. Whether you believe in it or not, the very idea of invisible men and women, prophets, miracles, burning bushes, talking animals, etc. are just not things we encounter in daily life in the modern era (well, without the aid of drugs, that is). But a lot of people, the majority of people, have these beliefs. And if they are to be our leaders and have these beliefs inform their decision making processes, it is right to ask them about them to find out what they truly believe. Again, if a reporter asked Hillary Clinton, “Senator, do you believe that 2,000 years ago a man named Jesus walked on water?” that’s not out of bounds in the least. My guess is that she would say “Yes”, because it’s what she believes and that belief is part of her make up.
Born again Christians will never vote for a Mormon. They view this sect as a cult and antithesis to their beliefs.
I don’t see them voting for Hillary Clinton either, but I do see a lot of them withholding their votes in a choice between to evils.
For the first time the other day there was a local TV add promotimg the Mormon faith. Was this coincidental with a Romney candidacy in the offing? He leads in Iowa and New Hampshire. History proves this to be a harbinger of who the Republican nominee will be.
With a strong Christian as a running mate (Jeb Bush?) he could just pull it off. Of course the American people will again be the losers if this happens.
“Born again Christians will never vote for a Mormon. They view this sect as a cult and antithesis to their beliefs.
I don’t see them voting for Hillary Clinton either, but I do see a lot of them withholding their votes in a choice between to evils.”
Would they vote for a Jew? I’m not sure they would, but I think if it was a choice between a Mormon, a Jew and Hillary Clinton walk into the bar and the bartender says, ‘What is this? Some kind of joke?’
… Sorry.
If the election is between Mormon, a Jew and Hillary Clinton, I could see a few Born again Christians voting for Bloomberg, almost none voting for Clinton, several plug their noses and say, ‘At least he’s a Republican Mormon.’ and a few more stay at home and pray for the Rapture.
You assertion that Mormonism is “splintering” is a bit dubious. There are over 13 million Mormons with about an additional 36,000 calling themselves Mormon fundamentalists. That doesn’t even approach 1% - hardly splintering.
As for your thesis that it is mostly the right that is attacking (either outright or quietly) Romney’s faith, I would sadly, have to agree. His dismally low poll numbers in South Carolina as opposed to those in New Hampshire back this up. One reason why I plan on leaving the republican party and registering as an Independant.
With a strong Christian as a running mate (Jeb Bush?) he could just pull it off.
Oh god, don’t do that! To coin a tired, worn-out, threadbare cliche I vowed never to say again, I just threw up a little.
There will be a Bush or a Clinton in the White House come 2009. Jeb may not be VP but something big is in store for him for backing Romney so early on in the process.
I’m hoping I’m wrong, but it’s the match up the media wants to see and that is why it will likely happen.
I look forward to the day when an atheist is considered a serious candidate.
Just the fact of his or her public atheism would be a strong selling point for me, since it would indicate that someone was not only rational, but unafraid to admit to rationality.
Intelligence and courage seem like qualifications every bit as worthy as subscription to theological mumbo-jumbo bull$h!t.
Don’t get me started on Joseph Smith, who was certainly L. Ron Hubbard’s biggest influence, and a con man who pulled off the world’s greatest con just so he and his friends could get laid by a lot of teenage girls.
Who WOULDN’T love a religion that got you laid by a lot of teenage girls? Unless you were one of those girls.
To paraphrase wing-nut logic for a minute here;
Mormons believe in polygamy (don’t give me that, yes they do).
Muslims believe in polygamy.
All muslims are islamofacist terrorists.
Therefore, Mormons are islamofacist terrorists!
QED!
I no longer think anyone has any idea what exactly is the extent of the Christian Right’s influence on politics today.
After the collapse of crucial Christian-Right politicians such as Ralph Reed and Rick Santorum, the entire question of who and how many people the Christian Coalition has influence over is a matter of opinion, since it is an impossibility to measure.
Karl Rove used Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, Jerry Falwell, and other Christian Right leaders as a key part of a Conservative-values coalition which delivered millions of GOP votes.
Today, Falwell, is dead, Santorum and Reed are politically dead, and the Christian Right and Evangelical coaiitions are in no way the united front they once were.
If either Guliani or Romney are chosen as the GOP candidate, the other posters are correct: The Christian Right will have a hard time deciding which one prostitutes their values worse and how hard they will have to hold their nose when they go to cast their votes.
Complicating matters for the GOP also is the spiritual approaches taken by Obama and Edwards, who sound more like traditional values candidates than either Giuliani or Romney. And Hillary Clinton, like Bill, speaks their language.
I love it.
I no longer think anyone has any idea what exactly is the extent of the Christian Right’s influence on politics today.
After the collapse of crucial Christian-Right politicians such as Ralph Reed and Rick Santorum, the entire question of who and how many people the Christian Coalition has influence over is a matter of opinion, since it is an impossibility to measure.
Karl Rove used Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, Jerry Falwell, and other Christian Right leaders as a key part of a Conservative-values coalition which delivered millions of GOP votes.
Today, Falwell, is dead, Santorum and Reed are politically dead, and the Christian Right and Evangelical coaiitions are in no way the united front they once were.
If either Guliani or Romney are chosen as the GOP candidate, the other posters are correct: The Christian Right will have a hard time deciding which one prostitutes their values worse and how hard they will have to hold their nose when they go to cast their votes.
Complicating matters for the GOP also is the spiritual approaches taken by Obama and Edwards, who sound more like traditional values candidates than either Giuliani or Romney. And Hillary Clinton, like Bill, speaks their language.
I love it.
Mitt is right! You’re all going to burn in hell!
See for yourselves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ISNoNuIX0Y
“Born again Christians will never vote for a Mormon.”
Are we talking about born-again Christians, or REPUBLICAN born-again Christians? Because for the latter, Republicanism trumps all else, even Jeebus.
Pat Robertson called Mormonism an evil cult, but was more than happy to lick Romney’s face (and vice versa) when he came to speak at that 4th-tier bullshit college Robertson runs.
that 4th-tier bullshit college Robertson runs.
What, are you talking about the preferred source of DOJ operatives in the Bush adminstration?