Free Republic

<p>Despite major gains in pop and political culture, many Evangelicals remain wary of Mormons. Just ask Latter Day Saints (LDS) church member Mitt Romney who is currently struggling to claim front-runner status as the Republican nominee. Political pundits believe the lack of Evangelical support is crippling his campaign.</p>

...I attended a luncheon for the Holocaust Museum...Each year I ask myself, Why am I here? ...Tis a gruesome tradition. I think of my grandfather, Rabbi Jacob Meyer Rakowski... My grandfather was the...last — descendant of a rabbinic dynasty hailing back to 11th century France. At age 82, grandpa was gassed in Auschwitz, together with 47 members of my parents' families. I last saw him two years earlier, when my parents, my brother and I were deported to Siberia. I'm retelling this old history because now, with Mitt Romney possibly becoming the Republican nominee, it's important to remember that his...

Park Romney says some pretty wild things. Mormonism, he writes on the Web site parkromney.com, “is an insidious contemporary fraud.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “an American cult,” he professes. Mitt Romney, he claims, would be conflicted in office because “obedience to the leadership of the Mormon Church is part of the covenant of the temple ordinances to which Mitt Romney is absolutely a party.” Were you to come across a man articulating such views on a street corner, you probably would give him a wide berth and look over your shoulder to make sure he...

Many GOP voters -- including some well-meaning Freepers -- keep attempting to lecture voters that Mitt Romney's Mormonism "doesn't matter." Well, tell that to three of every five South Carolina primary voters who, according to CNN exit polls, said a candidate's religion mattered either "a great deal" or "somewhat." Click EXIT POLLS: South Carolina for polling data. Only 40 percent of South Carolina GOP voters said that the "Religious Beliefs of Candidates Matter... Not Much/Not at All" Two-fifths of the "Not Much/Not at All" Crowd voted pro-Romney -- compared to... ...less than one-third of them voting for Gingrich... ...less than...

An author who grew up in the Mormon Church says she isn't surprised that a recent survey of Latter-day Saints (LDS) shows that they overwhelmingly consider themselves to be Christians. The survey, "Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society," was conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. It shows that 97 percent of Mormons consider themselves Christians. But an earlier Pew survey of the general public found that only 51 percent of Americans agree. Tricia Erickson is the author of Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters? The Mormon Church Versus the...

Most Christians across the world believe Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. Mormons believe that Jesus did come again already… to America. And that, to me, is what’s interesting about Romney as a candidate. A Mormon’s account of North American history is fundamentally different from most Christians, but virtually every other faith and anyone else. In Mormon history, North America was the site of an appearance of Jesus Christ, which is no small thing. It differs from historians’ and archeologists’ own research. Jesus came here to create his church and it was restored by, as...

<p>GREER, S.C. — The second time around, the shock has worn off.</p> <p>The prospect of a Mormon president appears to be less alien to South Carolina Republicans who are giving Mitt Romney a second look after his failed White House bid in 2008.</p>

For a hundred and fifty years the question has been repeatedly asked worldwide, "Are Mormons Christian?" We have struggled through the semantic tangles to answer that with an unqualified "yes." In his heart every Mormon knows that this question is much like asking, "Is Hamlet Shakespearian?" It might be said, "After all, Hamlet is a manifestation of Shakespeare. In fact, Hamlet is Shakespeare." Precisely. And so, the Mormon knows that Mormonism is the most vital twentieth century manifestation of Christ. Unlike Hamlet, it is alive. If it is less than that it is nothing. Here the plan is to reverse the question...

Mitt Romney has realized that he can't avoid the issue of his Mormon religion, so he might as well embrace it. The Republican frontrunner's new South Carolina mail campaign emphasizes Romney's deep religious beliefs and 42-year marriage, in an effort to win over 60 percent of the state's Republicans that are evangelical or "born again" Christians. The ad, however, doesn't dive head first into touting Romney's Mormonism, but instead refers heavily to his "faith" and how it will influence him as president, also assuring South Carolina voters that the White House contender is "pro-life, pro-marriage, and pro-family."

A crusade (of sorts) is moving across Facebook. It is targeting pages that are critical of Mormonism. Who the crusaders are is unknown, but it seems reasonable to suggest that they may be Latter-day Saints. The crusade is aimed at silencing those who disagree with Mormonism. In a broad sense (and from the perspective of many Mormons), this has some biblical support: “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” (1 Peter 2:15) The Facebook crusader’s strategy, however, does not involve “doing good,” nor does it seek...

Trolling a bit admittedly, but it appears that even if Romney secures the nomination, he is destined to lose due to good, old-fashioned religious bigotry.

"When the family organization was revealed from heaven—the patriarchal order of God, and Joseph began, on the right and the left, to add to his family, what a quaking there was in Israel. Says one brother to another, "Joseph says all covenants [previous marriages] are done away, and none are binding but the new covenants [marriage by priesthood sealing power]; now suppose Joseph should come and say he wanted your wife, what would you say to that?" "I would tell him to go to hell." This was the spirit of many in the early days of this Church. . ....

One day in heaven (mormon heaven of course), a bunch of the main players from the book of mormon got down to reminisce about their adventures over a nice bottle of wine (in heaven the WOW is still merely a suggestion, not a commandment ;-)). I went a little like this: Nephi: Who would have thought, thirty hundred years ago, we'd all be sitting here in mormon heaven drinking Chateau de Chaselet, eh? All: Aye, aye. Jared: Them book of mormon days we were glad to have the price of a cup of tea. Moroni: Right! A cup of cold...

n Utah, the issue of polygamy is a very sensitive topic. Should the topic of one man marrying more than one wife somehow come up in a conversation, watch the eyes roll and folks run away from the conversation. So, needless to say, this is not an issue generally dealt with over the picket fence. However, when a Mormon is willing to discuss the issue, it’s amazing how many folktales are used. For one, it is commonly asserted that polygamy was necessary back in the pioneer days of Brigham Young because there were not enough men for the women. (Note:...

Iowa's leader in talk radio and the conservative movement, Steve Deace, has joined the crusade against Mormonism that we see in other 'conservative' media, like Fox News, Free Republic, and Salem Communications. He recently devoted a few hours of his show to calling Mormons un-Christian and "revealing" the "ugly truths" of Mormonism. Deace broadcasts on Clear Channel Radio. "We are no longer a Christian nation," Deace plays Obama saying, before switching to Romney talking about supporting gun laws, a woman's right to choose, and the Boy Scouts being open to people of all sexual orientations. The implication is clear: Romney...

SNIP Less than 60 years after forming "student" wards at BYU, the church decided to eliminate student congregations in June, now forming "young single adult" wards and stakes throughout Utah for single members ages 18-30...

"It is astonishing that the beliefs of this devout Mormon, Mitt Romney, have not come in to play now that the tables have turned. Before I go in to just one of the scores of outrageous and alarming historical Mormon doctrines and beliefs, it is important for Americans to know that Mitt is no casual Mormon. He is a temple recommend card carrying Mormon, whose positions and activities in the church leave no doubt that he is a devout follower of Mormon doctrine" http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,342868,342868 http://andrewlongman.com/?p=836 http://www.reddingnewsreview.com/newspages/2011newspages/author_says_mitt_romney_led_raci_11_10000056.htm

Its that time of year again. The media will soon start reviewing the important news stories of the year, Time will soon select its Person of the Year; so we should get busy selecting the Mormon of the Year. For those who don’t remember, T&S selected Mitt Romney as the Mormon of the Year for 2008, Harry Reid for 2009, and Elizabeth Smart for 2010. SNIP Here are my own nominations: SNIP Stephenie Meyer – Like or hate her books, she is certainly the face of Mormonism among many people around the world, especially this year, with the success of...

The Rev. Donald E. Wildmon is urging Christian voters in Iowa to vote for Newt Gingrich in their caucuses on Tuesday in what he describes as the "most critical" election in American history. Wildmon also warns that voting for other "good" conservative candidates will ensure Mitt Romney's victory. Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, is one of the nation's most respected Christian leaders and has been at the forefront for decades in fighting for traditional values against a rising tide of secularism. In an exclusive interview Thursday with Newsmax, Wildmon said other candidates in the Republican race, including Rick...

"It's not Mike Huckabee or Fred Thompson forcing Mitt Romney into a make or break speech about his faith. The candidate forcing Romney's hand today was a Presidential Candidate who ran for the White House 164 years ago." Adam Christing is referring to Joseph Smith, the controversial Mormon Prophet who ran for President in 1844. Christing is helming a 60-minute TV program now in post production that explores Mitt Romney, Joseph Smith, and the Mormon quest for the White House. "Millions of Evangelical Christians are nervous about a Mormon in the White House because of Joseph Smith's unusual Mormon teachings...