Is this a fair question for Romney? What are your vows, promises and duties as Mormon bishop?

February 6, 2012 | Ralph Mitchell

[mitchell001]

If Gingrich, Santorum or Paul were deacons or ministers of Catholic or Protestant churches, they would certainly be asked what their vows, promises and duties were and will they conflict with the oath of President of the US. I am asking the readers first if this is a fair question for Romney, second has it been asked and answered before, and third if it hasn't been asked who will most likely have the opportunity to ask this question during the GOP primary process?

[G Larry]

No.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[blueunicorn6]

The Mormon Protective Association will make sure that all is well.....for mormons.

[ferv888]

you and the MPA are really funny. here is a guy who worked at Bain whatever amount of time that took, plus then called as a Bishop he worked free of charge as a church leader, counnselor, tended to the welfare of his flock, and gave of his time so that others might move forward in their lives.

There is nothing secret about what a Bishop does, look it up on line.

First, the bishop is the presiding high priest and father of the ward. “As such, (the bishop) presides at sacrament meeting, priesthood meeting, ward council meetings, and at all other ward services and activities,” said President Monson. “By these and other means, he watches over both the spiritual and temporal affairs of the ward. He is also responsible for the doctrine which is taught in the ward.”

President Monson said a bishop must know his people, their names, circumstances, challenges, goals and abilities. “A wise bishop knows the names of the children in the ward as well, and he remembers them on their birthdays. He also is mindful of the widow and those who, for whatever reason, are not found as regular attenders in the meetings.”

Second, the bishop has responsibility for the Aaronic Priesthood. The bishop’s duty “is to see that every boy is ordained a deacon at the right age, as well as a teacher, a priest and an elder,” President Monson said. He added, “The two words, labor and love, will work wonders in achieving this objective. For those who are behind schedule, I leave the challenge, ‘Reach out to rescue.’

“Appoint as advisers to the Aaronic Priesthood quorums brethren who can relate to these young men — who can give them encouragement in the performance of their responsibilities and prepare them to serve at the sacrament table, as home teachers, in the case of teachers and priests, and to qualify for missions.”

Next of the bishop’s responsibilities is that of caring for the needy. President Monson quoted President J. Reuben Clark Jr., a long-time member of the First Presidency, who said: “To the bishop is given all the powers, and responsibilities which the Lord has specifically prescribed in the Doctrine and Covenants for the caring of the poor. . . . No one else is charged with this duty and responsibility, no one else is endowed with the power and functions necessary for this work. . . . It is (the bishop’s) duty and his only to determine to whom, when, how, and how much shall be given to any member of his ward from Church funds and as ward help.”

Next, the bishop is responsible for finances. The bishop, President Monson said, receives tithes and offerings, supervises the unit budget and expenditures and makes certain that records are properly and appropriately kept. “The bishop is the one who must determine how Church commodities and funds are used to provide for the temporal needs of the members.”

[Diogenesis]

When Bishop Romney was carpetbagging Governor (and a bad
one at that) of Massachusetts, more than once
he called Utah to find out what to do.
He admitted that already.

So it IS a reasonable issue. Yes.

[thomas16]

No Ralphy it is not

[Christie at the beach]

It will be asked eventually because John King on CNN slipped out the other night as referring to Mitt Romney as Governor Mormon. I think the media will bring up when the African Americans were not allowed to be a member. (to have Obama’s base very angry) The media is has no morals.

[svcw]

Everything about candidates core beliefs should be asked.
A persons religious leanings are the core of who they are.
If you want to know their core, it is important to know what they beleive.
Romney is a high level, temple worthy mormon, one more level and he probably would be part of the council of twelve.
If you do not know mormonISM you will not know who he is, mormonISM is his core.
Romney is who he is because of his mormonISM not in spit of it.

[svcw]

“nothing secret”, now that’s funny.

[svcw]

So asking about a candidates core beliefs is not relevant, why?

[Christie at the beach]

That picture is so funny this morning. ;) with all of this

crazy stuff in the news.

[mitchell001]

Good answer but I would like someone to ask and document Romney’s answers to theses questions.

[stonehouse01]

Troll alert. bribery.

[hoosiermama]

Thank you for starting the dialog.

So many questions, so few answers from the Romney camp.

Where is Hannity? He certainly wasn't afraid to bring Jeremiah Wright to We the People.

The people were not afraid to ask the tough question when Kennedy ran. IIRC Kennedy and his family were very open about his faith, even articles in national papers and magazines. But if questions are asked now, the questioner is attacked.

[LukeSW]

I can shed a little more light on this question as I was a Bishop at age 36 and during that same time ran for Statewide public office.

A Bishop is like any other actively practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has shown his willingness to serve in the Church. Like all members, he has committed to keep the commandments of God, and to honor and sustain the law. And his major duty is to love and serve the people in his geographically specified "ward," member and non-member alike. His first duty, however, is to love and serve his own family, and provide for their needs. Since there is no compensation for Bishops or any other local leaders in The Church, that means he has a job of some sort.

The Church itself stays completely out of party politics. In my case, the one conflict between my service as a Bishop and my campaign for State Treasurer was time. Since I had a difficult time being home enough to fulfill my duties of service to the members of my congregation, my Church leader (known as Stake President) and I decided I should be released as Bishop.

That decision didn't affect my membership or standing in The Church one way or another. I had served the best I could. Another brother was called in my place and later, after the campaign, I was asked to serve in a different capacity.

Most members and leaders in The Church are very patriotic and believe strongly that the Constitution of the United States was inspired of God and should be protected. We also believe that the principles in the Constitution are really a blessing for all people, not just Americans.

My greatest concern is that those principles are being trampled on and ignored. Readers should note, however, that there are active members of The Church across the political spectrum. There are very thoughtful liberal Democrats and equally thoughtful conservative Republicans. That split is best exemplified by Henry Reid and Glenn Beck, both of whom are active members.

Moreover, there are increasing numbers of Japanese, Mexican, European, African, Chinese, India(n), and yes even Jewish and Arab members of The Church. All of these are also encouraged by The Church to honor and sustain the law in their own countries.

Having said all of that, nevertheless I think it a fair question to ask Mitt. I was acquainted with Mitt when he served as Bishop of the Belmont Ward. My perception is that he is a pragmatic utilitarian, like most CEOs and business consultants. Therefore, I believe the better question is what is his perception of, and commitment to, the principles of the Constitution.

How one can justify RomneyCare, ObamaCare, or the huge Federal bureaucratic apparatus on Constitutional grounds is beyond me. But that is where Mitt seems weakest and should be moved to the right.

[blueunicorn6]

Nothing funny about the MPA. Fire a mormon and they have a meeting at their church and vote to boycott your business. Give a mormon a less than stellar evaluation and you receive a phone call from a higher-ranking mormon telling you to change the evaluation. Thank-you for bringing up the MPA and then writing about mormon bishops. It’s hard to stick to the issue when all you’re doing is spitting out propaganda. It’s a business, not a religion.

[svcw]

Stopped reading here: The Church itself stays completely out of party politics.

[LukeSW]

Nothing funny about the MPA. Fire a mormon and they have a meeting at their church and vote to boycott your business. Give a mormon a less than stellar evaluation and you receive a phone call from a higher-ranking mormon telling you to change the evaluation. Thank-you for bringing up the MPA and then writing about mormon bishops. It’s hard to stick to the issue when all you’re doing is spitting out propaganda. It’s a business, not a religion.

You must be living in an alternate universe. My experience is completely opposite of what you are suggesting. We have very good friends in our congregation. The husband is president of a local bank. My daughter who has just graduated from college needs a job. Our friend stays completely out of hiring decisions. Even when in this case, he really likes my daughter. She has interviewed a couple of times at the bank, and she is still looking for work.

[Tennessee Nana]

Second, the bishop has responsibility for the Aaronic Priesthood. The bishop’s duty “is to see that every boy is ordained a deacon at the right age, as well as a teacher, a priest and an elder,” President Monson said. He added, “The two words, labor and love, will work wonders in achieving this objective. For those who are behind schedule, I leave the challenge, ‘Reach out to rescue.’
__________________________________________

But what about the girls ???

Obama will eat him alive...