The word is out that Mitt Romney will give a speech on Thursday which will address his Mormon faith.
A number of people have debated whether this would be wise for him to do; after all, religion in politics has always been an unstable and unpredictable variable. And when you consider that the average American knows little of Mormonism, that uncertainty factor rises even more sharply.
However, some believe with the openly Christian Mike Huckabee surging, Romney needs to do this to essentially "assert his Christian credentials," or even try to make his religion a "non issue," which would probably be the wisest course in a purely political sense.
But what does Romney's Mormon faith mean in a philosophical and religious (primarily Christian) sense?
Well, the Heading Right blog believes giving this speech is a mistake.
Personally, I see this as a mistake. Reasoning with bigotry doesn’t usually have much effect, because bigotry isn’t founded on reason but fear. If “Faith in America” amounts to an apologetic on the LDS religion, it won’t get a meaningful enough response to make it worth the effort, and if it glides over the Book of Mormon towards a general declaration that religious faith has no bearing on the presidency, it will be nothing more than what Romney and his campaign have said all year long. Those who see Mormonism as a danger will not change their minds because a Mormon explains why it isn’t, or at least not enough to matter.
While I think I understand where the writer is coming from, Romney's faith actually IS important, and has nothing to do with bigotry. First let's look at the bigotry charge.
Merriam-Webster's defines a bigot thusly: a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. I think we would all agree that the mental image that pops into our heads when we hear the word "bigot" is defined by the latter part of that definition: when others are treated with hatred.
Holding to one's own opinions and believes is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the truth has been fully explored and we are always open to new information. The person who believes nothing will essentially believe anything. Even Leftists who hypocritically preach the religion of "tolerance" are themselves intolerant of any belief other than their own, which usually encompasses anything devoted to radical self-centeredness.
It is when loyalty to one's own beliefs becomes fanatical to the point of true "hate" that this becomes a problem. When we abandon the obligation to be truthful, when we say hateful things about others (not just descriptions of differences and why the other person may be wrong, but insults purely designed to hurt), and of course when we cross over into violence, then we have moved beyond that which is reasonable and logical into true hate and intolerance.
I do not believe most people would fit this description concerning Romney and Mormonism. However, those who are intolerant of my disagreement with Mormonism might think I am being hateful for what I'm about to say. It concerns why I disagree with the writer at Heading Right, and why I believe that Romney's religion IS important.
The Heading Right writer says
In the end, religion matters much less than that faith when it comes to public service, and matters much less than qualifications such as honesty, leadership, intelligence, and policy.
What the writer fails to realize or acknowledge is that faith and religion drives and determines qualities such as honesty, leadership, intelligence and policy. Despite what secularists would like to believe, our beliefs (even the beliefs of secularists) guide and help determine the things we advocate and the policies we pursue in the "real world." So in reality, faith is a very vital and relevant part of the real world.
I agree with John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, when he said, "Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
Why do I agree with Jay? Perhaps first of all is because I am a Christian. My faith influences (or should) everything I do and believe. It also guides and shapes my sense of justice, and of right and wrong itself.
Second, because ours is a Christian nation, and has been since before it's foundation. Our Christian heritage shaped the kind of nation we became, and is the single most important factor in our freedom and success. Tampering with the cause of our success invites disaster. Having someone at the helm of this great nation, the most powerful on earth, who is not grounded in Christian faith is severely detrimental to this nation; a non-Christian at the helm pulls the nation away from what it is designed to be, causing stress and strain on the whole structure of our country.
Third (which is closely related to the second), because faith shapes the character and goals of a person, the faith of the president would shape the course of this country.
So what is Romney's faith? As we all know, it is Mormonism. But does that mean it's a particular segment of Christianity, like Catholicism, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, or whatever?
While Romney will probably tell us it is, it isn't.
This article from CNN gives a brief history of Mormonism:
The Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims about 12 million adherents worldwide, roughly half of them in the United States. Followers consider themselves Christians, but elements of Mormon theology -- that the Garden of Eden was located in what is now Missouri, that a lost tribe of Israelites settled in North America and that a resurrected Jesus Christ visited them -- differ sharply from orthodox Christian belief.
The church was founded in the 1830s by Joseph Smith of upstate New York, who recounted what he called the revelations of an angel in the Book of Mormon. The church's early belief in polygamy fueled its persecution as followers migrated across the United States, but church leaders renounced the practice in 1890.
The article says followers of Mormonism consider themselves Christian, and there are certainly elements of Christianity in Mormonism. But can Mormonism be legitimately considered just a flavor of Christianity?
Raymond J. Keating did a good job of examining this issue almost a year ago. I would recommend reading his article here. But here are a few of the key tenets of Mormonism that Keating outlined:
• The “Trinity” means three gods.
• God was once a man who became a god.
• Human beings can progress to divinity as well. So, there are many gods.
• People exist as spirits, waiting to be born into human bodies.
• The Book of Mormon is supposedly based on golden plates buried in upstate New York that the faith’s founder was directed to by an angel.
• Mormons also practice baptism for dead non-Mormons.
Now does that sound like anything you find in the Old or New Testaments, which make up the Christian Bible? For those of you who may not be too familiar with the Bible, I can tell you they are NOT.
What's more, Mormons believe that Jesus was A son of God, not THE Son of God. Mormons believe Satan and Jesus were brothers. Mormons believe we can all someday rise to deity. The Bible, however, teaches that Jesus was the one and only Son of God, that he is one with God, and that Jesus was present at the time all things were created. The Bible also says nothing about humans someday becoming gods.
The eternal nature of God is a foundational element of the Christian faith. Further, the identity of Jesus Christ as the ONLY Son of God, who is also eternal and was present at the creation of the universe, is another foundational element of Christian faith. Finally, the condition of humanity (that it is fallen and sinful, and incapable of higher moral discernment without the help which comes through being born again) is foundational to the Christian faith. It also means we are created beings, and that we will never be deities, we will never be gods. Catholicism and almost every "flavor" of Protestantism is united in belief on these critical items. Mormonism is at odds with these basic tenets of Christian faith.
Keating's assessment:
While Mormons speak of being Christian, just these few tidbits should make it glaringly apparent that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not Christian.
What does the Bible say about it when someone distorts the Christian faith and teaches something other than Jesus Christ? Galatians 1:8-9 says, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
Hmmm. I don't think I want to play around with that!
In a strictly secular sense, according to our laws, the fact that Romney isn't a Christian in and of itself should not disqualify him from being president. However, we would be profoundly remiss if we did not consider the sage advice of John Jay, and what's more, the reason Jay said it.
It's because the faith of the person at the helm of the country will greatly influence the course upon which he takes our country, our nation which was founded on Christian principles and still largely operates on those. The faith of the president will help shape his decisions, and by extension, will help shape the country you live in, and the country your children will inherit.
Me? I don't hate Mormons, though I disagree with them. But I'd rather have someone with Christian values steering this country. Just like you don't put diesel in a gasoline engine and expect good results, I don't think you put a non-Christian in charge of a nation designed to operate on Christian principles and expect it to run correctly.
I also believe America has been blessed because she has largely worshipped and given thanks to God. Mormons clearly believe in a different kind of god than the infinite Jehovah of Jews and Christians, and they have a radically different idea about the nature and origin of Jesus than what the Bible tells us. With a non-Christian president, one who believes in a different god and a different savior, can America expect Jehovah-God to still bless and protect us?
HT to Free Republic.
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