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A very nice article. Thanks for posting it. :-)

I suppose that any first time brings attention like this. JFK endured the same in 1960. So far, I think that Romney has handled this aspect very well.

Thanks.

Journalists, as this NJ guy shows, needs a good crash course in Mormonism.

1 Smith, guided by an angel, discovered a new scripture that Mormons revere alongside the Old and New Testaments.

Very poor journalism. This NJ journalist cites this as if, in fact, it was fact.

Even the Bible says to confirm all testimony by 2 or 3 witnesses; and no one saw this "angel" minus Joe. And it was on Joe's testimony that this was even labeled "scripture." The journalist should have wrote:

Smith, who says he was guided by an angel, discovered a new "scripture" that Mormons revere alongside the Old and New Testaments.

2We also see that this journalist chap "softballed" the following w/this mild take:

Mormons believe that Christianity became prone to errors and distortions after Jesus's death, and that the true faith was restored in 1820 when God the Father and Jesus revealed themselves to Joseph Smith in the upstate New York town of Palmyra.

OK? "prone to errors and distortions..?"

Look. All humanity is "prone to errors and distortions..." but not all humanity are deemed out and out apostates (kicked out and self-removed from the one true faith). It'd be one thing if LDS claimed that folks were "prone to errors." It's another thing that they label the rest of the world as "apostates" with a 100% creedal abomination rate [source: Pearl of Great Price LDS "scripture," Joseph Smith - History, v. 19]

3More from this journalist: Mormons believe God placed man on earth to learn right from wrong, much as a parent sends children to school.

Now if this journalist really knew LDS theology, it would be more along the lines of the following: Mormons believe God placed man on earth to sin...what some Mormon leaders have referred to as an "upward fall." They say it was only through man's transgression--through Adam & Eve's disobedience in the garden--that the progressive door was opened that was the ladder to godhood (become gods). So LDS believe disobedience to God was a "good" thing.

Everything that followed in Genesis: Murder, rape, poly-sexualpartners, betrayal, warfare, was all "good." Why? Because, LDS say, it opened the door to godhood...for the progressive path there...what LDS call the "plan of progression" or "plan of salvation." They say that had this not happened, no plan of progression (becoming a god) would have been possible.

4They believe man can continue to progress spiritually even after death and eventually will reside in one of three kingdoms: the celestial for those who live by the church's teachings; the terrestrial for otherwise righteous people who do not live by the church's teachings; or the telestial for sinners.

OK, true, but where's the journalist's reference to LDS belief about becoming a "god?"

5The polling data also suggest that some anti-Mormon sentiment may be fueled by misconceptions. When asked what comes to their mind about Mormons first, the largest segment responded "polygamy" -- a practice that the Mormons officially discontinued in the 19th century.

Not true. First of all, Mormons did not "discontinue" its open acknowledgement (& supposed practice) of polygamy. They merely "colonized" to it to another planet (like Kolob or someplace like that). Ask LDS if they believe polygamy is still practiced in the celestial kingdom, and they'll tell you, "Yes."

Secondly only "some" of those polled pointed to polygamy. I'm sure others pointed to bizarre beliefs like becoming gods, baptizing dead folks, that the Christians creed are 100% abominable before God, that all Christians belong to apostate churches, wearing magic underwear for protection, & their teaching that deemed black skin as a "curse" for "pre-existent spirits" not being valient in the war in heaven (that teaching was never removed even with the door opening to black priests)--whereas white skin is still considered to be "delightsome" (as in "white and delightsome.)"

Quite a surprise. I thought everyone in NJ was a cafeteria Catholic. ;-)

As a Mormon bishop, Mitt Romney pleaded long and hard to persuade a woman not to have an abortion. Feminists hate him for this and have made it the centerpiece of their attack on him.

On the other hand, FRed Thompson accepted money to persuade lawmakers to allow the continued slaughter of the unborn. No water will wash away that blood.

Judas Iscariot well understood such "business decisions" as FRed Thompson made.

Corzine raises profile of New Jersey Morons.