They hate it when the truth gets in the way.
Posted on 11/02/2011 8:59:30 PM PDT by delacoert
Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney may face even more opposition regarding his faith if he becomes the GOP nominee, according to polls and several interviews by the Huffington Post.
The staunchest opposition against Romney because of his faith came from Rev. Robert Jeffress, who is the spiritual leader for the largest church in Texas. Jeffress, a supporter of GOP contender Rick Perry, called Mormonism a “cult,” and Perry – along with many Christian conservatives – publicly rebuked him.
According to new polls and information from Evangelical leaders, Christian views might change if Romney is chosen as Obama’s adversary in 2012.
Rev. Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told the Huffington Post, “One of the issues for Mormonism is that it is now being discussed in public in a way that will bring a great deal of attention to Mormon beliefs and practices… Americans are going to find many of those beliefs absolutely bizarre and strange.”
Some of those views are certainly unconventional, especially when viewed by Christians. Mormons believe that the dead can be baptized through via proxy, marriage continues into the afterlife, and perhaps most importantly to Christians, that Jesus is not totally sufficient to be saved.
More damaging could be the perceived notions of the faith. Polygamy and racism (the Church of Latter-Day Saints didn’t allow black priests until 1978) are just a few of the stories Romney may have to dispel to win over Evangelical voters.
Polls say that Romney’s religion is most definitely an issue, despite the ex-governor’s unwavering numerical support.
A survey by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press said that 41 percent of liberal Democrats would be likely to support a Mormon for president.
A Gallup poll’s findings were equally dismal for the former CEO. Results showed that 27 percent of Democrats would not vote for a Mormon, and 20 percent of Republicans would not either. That equals about 21 percent of overall voters “not comfortable” with Romney.
In a race with more than one major contender, this could definitively hurt Romney’s campaign. Romney automatically starting with a 21 percent handicap could be enough for other candidates, like Herman Cain or maybe even Rick Perry, to overtake him.
Some prominent Evangelicals don’t think Romney’s faith should be that big of a decider of the 2012 election.
Rev. Jim Wallis, the spiritual adviser to President Barack Obama and decidedly progressive said, “What kind of underwear Mitt Romney wears is a lot less important to us than what his moral compass is and what his policy agenda is,” he told the Huffington Post.
Chuck Colson, another well-known Christian, maintains that Mormonism is in no way Christianity, citing “doctrinal differences” as the rift dividing the two faiths. Still, he acknowledges Mormons’ resolute adherence to “life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty issues.”
So far, Romney’s belief hasn’t hurt him too much in the polls; he has been either first or second in virtually all polls in the past few weeks.
...
Chuck Colson, another well-known Christian, maintains that Mormonism is in no way Christianity, citing “doctrinal differences” as the rift dividing the two faiths. Still, he acknowledges Mormons’ resolute adherence to “life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty issues.”
What do they want him to do convert to Baptist?
‘Still, he acknowledges Mormons’ resolute adherence to “life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty issues.”’
Too bad Romney appears to lack that resolute adherence.
You’re right. Mormanism is so main-stream.
I’m no huge Romney fan, definitely not a Romneybot (leaning toward Cain or Gingrich), but I have two words about his religion.. So What! Religious tests are un-American. If you want to minister to the President, whoever he will be, I’m sure he’ll solicit your spiritual counsel as most do. But it should NOT matter what his faith is. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. Romney is not ideal at this point, but the ed guarandarntees that you line up the Republican contenders, side by side, that they have more in common with each other on issues, policies, worldview, than any of them have overall in common with that emissary from hell, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. And the ed guarandarnteees that you fundamentalist idiots that would rather see four more years of Obama are in the words of the rock, a bunch of candy asses.
So what if he thinks that Jesus and Lucifer were brothers from the Planet Kolob, as referenced in the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq?
What could possibly be the harm in that?
Personally, I’m more worried about the fact that he’s a lying, abortion promoting, big government loving, gun grabbing Socialist who will say anything to get elected.
(That, and I’m kind of worried about the magic underpants. I mean, do we really know how often he changes them?)
I have no idea what your post means.
Otay
Obviously people are more comfortable with people who think like them on issues other than just politics. Agnostics and Atheists hated Bush more for his belief in God than the war policies. I think it's the main reason for the Palin attacks too.
Evangelicals will naturally be more comfortable with other evangelicals and it could also explain why teh Catholic Santorum who is very solid on social issues doesn't get much traction while Huckabee does.
OK, so there is no religious test to hold office in our free country. Just as there is freedom of speech and religion.
But, that doesn’t mean that what a candidate believes or says is completely irrelevant in the selection process. Adherence to religious doctrines have a bearing on the candidate’s reasoning processes that may affect presidential decisions.
Christians are also Concerned About Mitt Romney’s Religion,
Of course they can't identify a single "Christian conservative" who has publically rebuked Jeffries. Later on they bring up Jim Wallis who is neither Christian or conservative.
Christians should be preaching the truth About Mitt Romney’s Religion, ((It's a Cult!))
Christian in name only. Anyone who reads the bible and believes it to be the word of God would not except Mormonism.
They hate it when the truth gets in the way.
Says who? If someone whats to base his vote purely on a candidate's religion they certainly have an absolute constitutional right to do so. There are no religious tests for voters either. And that type of constitutional freedom is as American as apple pie. You vote on what's important to you and please allow others to base their vote on whatever is important to them, including religion.
Says who? If someone whats to base his vote purely on a candidate's religion they certainly have an absolute constitutional right to do so. There are no religious tests for voters either. And that type of constitutional freedom is as American as apple pie. You vote on what's important to you and please allow others to base their vote on whatever is important to them, including religion.
Unless it's Islam.
Speaking of which...
“I Will Be a Second Mohammed”
In the heat of the Missouri “Mormon War” of 1838, Joseph Smith made the following claim, “I will be to this generation a second Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was ‘the Alcoran [Koran] or the Sword.’ So shall it eventually be with us—‘Joseph Smith or the Sword!’ ”[1]
It is most interesting that a self-proclaimed Christian prophet would liken himself to Mohammed, the founder of Islam. His own comparison invites us to take a closer look as well. And when we do, we find some striking—and troubling—parallels. Consider the following.
Mohammed and Joseph Smith both had humble beginnings. Neither had formal religious connections or upbringing, and both were relatively uneducated. Both founded new religions by creating their own scriptures. In fact, followers of both prophets claim these scriptures are miracles since their authors were the most simple and uneducated of men.[2]
Both prophets claim of having angel visitations, and of receiving divine revelation to restore pure religion to the earth again. Mohammed was told that both Jews and Christians had long since corrupted their scriptures and religion. In like manner, Joseph Smith was told that all of Christianity had become corrupt, and that consequently the Bible itself was no longer reliable. In both cases, this corruption required a complete restoration of both scripture and religion. Nothing which preceded either prophet could be relied upon any longer. Both prophets claim they were used of God to restore eternal truths which once existed on earth, but had been lost due to human corruption.
Both prophets created new scripture which borrowed heavily from the Bible, but with a substantially new “spin.” In his Koran, Mohammed appropriates a number of Biblical themes and characters—but he changes the complete sense of many passages, claiming to “correct” the Bible. In so doing he changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place. In like manner, Joseph Smith created the Book of Mormon, much of which is plagiarized directly from the King James Bible. Interestingly, the Book of Mormon claims that this same Bible has been substantially corrupted and is therefore unreliable. In addition, Joseph Smith went so far as to actually create his own version of the Bible itself, the “Inspired Version,” in which he both adds and deletes significant portions of text, claiming he is “correcting” it. In so doing he also changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place.
As a part of their new scriptural “spin,” both prophets saw themselves as prophesied in scripture, and both saw themselves as a continuation of a long line of Biblical prophets. Mohammed saw himself as a continuation of the ministry of Moses and Jesus. Joseph Smith saw himself as a successor to Enoch, Melchizedek, Joseph and Moses. Joseph Smith actually wrote himself into his own version of the Bible—by name.
Both prophets held up their own scripture as superior to the Bible. Mohammed claimed that the Koran was a perfect copy of the original which was in heaven. The Koran is therefore held to be absolutely perfect, far superior to the Bible and superceding it. In like manner, Joseph Smith also made the following claim. “I told the Brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts, than by any other book.”[3]
Despite their claim that the Bible was corrupt, both prophets admonished their followers to adhere to its teachings. An obvious contradiction, this led to selective acceptance of some portions and wholesale rejection of others. As a result, the Bible is accepted by both groups of followers only to the extent that it agrees with their prophet’s own superior revelation.
Both Mohammed and Joseph Smith taught that true salvation was to be found only in their respective religions. Those who would not accept their message were considered “infidels,” pagans or Gentiles. In so doing, both prophets became the enemy of genuine Christianity, and have led many people away from the Christ of the Bible.
Both prophets encountered fierce opposition to their new religions and had to flee from town to town because of threats on their lives. Both retaliated to this opposition by forming their own militias. Both ultimately set up their own towns as model societies.
Both Mohammed and Joseph Smith left unclear instructions about their successors. The majority of Mohammed’s followers, Sunni Muslims, believe they were to elect their new leader, whereas the minority, Shiite Muslims, believe Mohammed’s son was to be their next leader. Similarly, the majority of Joseph Smith's followers, Mormons, believed their next prophet should have been the existing leader of their quorum of twelve apostles, whereas the minority, RLDS, believed Joseph Smith's own son should have been their next prophet. Differences on this issue, and many others, have created substantial tension between these rival groups of each prophet.
Mohammed taught that Jesus was just another of a long line of human prophets, of which he was the last. He taught that he was superior to Christ and superceded Him. In comparison, Joseph Smith also made the following claim.
“I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him, but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.”[4] In light of these parallels, perhaps Joseph Smith's claim to be a second Mohammed unwittingly became his most genuine prophecy of all.
[1] Joseph Smith made this statement at the conclusion of a speech in the public square at Far West, Missouri on October 14, 1838. This particular quote is documented in Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History, second edition, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1971), p. 230–231. Fawn Brodie’s footnote regarding this speech contains valuable information, and follows. “Except where noted, all the details of this chapter [16] are taken from the History of the [Mormon] Church. This speech, however, was not recorded there, and the report given here is based upon the accounts of seven men. See the affidavits of T.B. Marsh, Orson Hyde, George M. Hinkle, John Corrill, W.W. Phelps, Samson Avard, and Reed Peck in Correspondence, Orders, etc., pp. 57–9, 97–129. The Marsh and Hyde account, which was made on October 24, is particularly important. Part of it was reproduced in History of the [Mormon] Church, Vol. III, p. 167. See also the Peck manuscript, p. 80. Joseph himself barely mentioned the speech in his history; see Vol. III, p. 162.”
[2] John Ankerberg & John Weldon, The Facts on Islam, (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1998), pp.8–9. Eric Johnson, Joseph Smith & Muhammed, (El Cajon, CA: Mormonism Research Ministry, 1998), pp. 6–7.
[3] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.4, pp.461.
[4] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.6, pp.408–409.
If you have a few moments; perhaps you'd like to hear about folks that do this in the SPIRITUAL realm OTHER than certain televangelists.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.