Free Republic

Mitt Romney’s Mormon beliefs are featured prominently in a pro-Obama voter guide being circulated to African-American churchgoers in the all-important Hampton Roads area of battleground Virginia, the latest reminder that the Republican presidential nominee’s faith could be an under-the-radar issue for some voters. Romney would be the country’s first Mormon president, and although America’s most prominent evangelical leaders have overcome their theological concerns to enthusiastically back Romney’s candidacy, some on the left continue to see his Mormon beliefs as a possible wedge issue. The new brochure, produced by a coalition of black pastors in the Norfolk area, includes a side-by-side...

I leave and heave A sigh and say goodbye

With Mitt Romney campaigning...his Mormon religion is coming under increasing scrutiny. SNIP Now Mark Driscoll, pastor of the high-profile Seattle-based Mars Hill Church, has added his voice to the fray -- agreeing that Christians should consider Mormons as members of a "cult" and not "brothers and sisters in a common faith." Writing on his website Tuesday, Driscoll goes on at length about the various definitions of a cult. He is careful to say that Mormonism has "outgrown" the popular culture and sociological definitions of a cult because of its enormous growth and general acceptance in the nation. But, Driscoll writes,...

During the early 1830s, Emma Smith was beginning to have some strong suspicions that her husband, Joseph (Mormon prophet) might be involved in infidelity. While these were only suspicions, Oliver Cowdery (one of the three “witnesses” to the Book of Mormon) had proof of Smith’s adultery and confronted him on it. Smith denied to Cowdery that he was in any such activity. Cowdery would be excommunicated from the Mormon church on several counts including, “by falsely insinuating that he [Smith] was guilty of adultery.” 1 Emma’s suspicions were confirmed when she caught Joseph and 19-year-old Eliza Partridge locked in a...

Last week, a Texas jury convicted Warren Jeffs, leader of the polygamist FLDS Church, of two counts of child sexual assault...For Americans who are increasingly interested in the religion of the two Mormons running for president, Jeffs' conviction raises what could appear to be difficult questions about modern Mormonism. There is no formal connection between Jeffs' FLDS Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... From 1852 until 1890, however, the Mormon Church did publically teach and practice polygamy... Given that history, many Americans ask themselves whether Jeffs' cocktail of religious authority, polygamy and child sex represents some...

When Joseph Smith died in June of 1844, the Mormon Church faced a succession crisis. Mormon historian Richard S. Van Wagoner explained, “Despite frequent kidnaping and assassination attempts, Joseph Smith established no firm policies regarding presidential succession in the event of his death. The resulting confusion threw the prophetic transition into turmoil. He simply had not expected to die at thirty-eight. Never given to full disclosure to any man or woman, the prophet’s public and private statements between 1834-44 suggested at least eight different methods for succession, each pointing to different successors with some claims to validity.” (“The Making of...

Responding to pointed questions about her recent PBS documentary, "The Mormons," filmmaker Helen Whitney said Friday the criticism she gets most is over her insistence not to label the people she interviewed on camera as either Mormon or not. Helen Whitney It was a conscious choice, she said, "and I stand by it.... I wanted each of you to listen with your heart and not give anyone more or less credence because they were Mormon or not," she told hundreds of people attending the annual meetings of the Mormon History Association in the Salt Lake Hilton. Whitney said she has...

Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:00 a.m. EDT Hillary Supporter Rips Romney's Mormon Faith Mitt Romney's visit to New Hampshire started on a sour note Tuesday when a restaurant patron declared he would not vote for the Republican presidential contender because of his faith. "I'm one person who will not vote for a Mormon," Al Michaud of Dover shouted at Romney when the former Massachusetts governor approached him inside Harvey's Bakery. Romney was kicking off the second of two day's worth of campaign visits in the lead primary state. Romney kept smiling as he asked, "Can I shake your hand anyway?"...