Mitt Romney’s Faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) is a dark cloud not over Romney as a candidate but our nation. Some argue he must address the issue, as did John F. Kennedy with his Catholicism. Let us be honest. We can reflect on how civil the media was in the past, not taking apart the personal lives of public figures in tabloid fashion, but did anyone really believe J.F.K. had any interest in anything the Pope said?
There is no reason to believe that Mitt Romney is not in good standing with his faith. A Newsweek poll suggests that 28% of the public refuse to vote for Romney based on his religion. To the point many consider the Mormons a cult. Christianity itself was considered a cult at its formation. Romans believed they sacrificed children and practiced cannibalism. God sacrificing His own son and the eating of the body and blood of Christ telling them all they needed to know. It is the same in depth analysis groups labeled as cults receive today.
As one local radio talk show host observed the derision strikes strongest against any group with a nontraditional view of Christ or one that relies on additional scripture, as does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Many apparently irreconcilable views of Christ existed among early Christians. The major division was between Christ as God or a man unlike us all. At the Council of Nicea the issue was resolved by labeling those who believed Christ’s beginning being His birth on earth as a man as heretics. Later advancing to putting heretics to death. The crusades in which it was ones Christian duty to destroy the infidel were followed by a series of Inquisitions for which Pope JohnPaul II apologized in 2000. Amidst this struggle for a correct faith came the Reformation and the Thirty Years War (or wars), a religious conflict that devastated the populations of Europe, leaving the victors, or those most efficient at destroying their opposition, to divide the spoils in the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648. By these standards of faith we should all convert to Islam, and most would have had the Moorish invasions of the past succeeded.
All good men, such as JohnPaul II, recognize that such struggles are not part of the true Christian vision but have we learned from the past? Unlike Europe the United States was founded under very different processes. We honor the Pilgrims, who landed in present day Massachusetts, on Thanksgiving Day to acknowledge the religious roots of our nation. Many also came for opportunistic reasons as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. In fact the Pilgrims and others were religious outcasts themselves, many having previously fled to Holland to escape religious and the corresponding financial oppression. They came to the New World to freely practice their faith. In the War for Independence they revolted not on religious grounds but in response to an unjust judiciary and suppressive taxation, being denied a voice in either. The history of the Mormons parallels that of the pioneers of this New World. They faced extreme persecution and fled to a new land for religious freedom under the threat of death.
To say the United States is founded on Christian principles is incorrect if you regard Christianity as Puritan, Protestant, Catholic, or Evangelical but not if you consider Christianity as a culture such as Hindu, Buddhist or Confucian. The diverse and often divided Christian communities came together under a common vision that went beyond denomination but which was purely Christ centered. Strong morals and ethics that nearly all religions unanimously agree on being prominent unlike the relativism some teach today. What is not part of this Christian culture envisioned by our founding fathers is the qualification for basic human rights or involvement in the federal government being based on ones religion.
Mitt Romney embodies such moral and ethical ideals. He also worked hard in his political career to keep true to his own faith but never forgetting that he had a duty to his constituents to represent their political opinions. Some may call his becoming Governor of Massachusetts political genius to overcome the obvious religious bigotry he must endure, others the promotion of a hidden agenda which seems to be the essence of all those labeled as part of a cult.
I am not a Mormon and myself find their beliefs unattractive and even strange but they are good upright citizens who contribute greatly to our society. They are not alone as targets of fear and hate. Many with wholesome upright beliefs who practice product lives for the larger society face even greater obstacles than current day Mormons who have met with great success in witnessing efforts over the last 100 years.
Oh, am I out of line? Fear? Hate? It’s not like we are massacring religious believers. ? So what about Waco? You are free to believe it was suicide or unintentional but what about the mass destruction of evidence after the fact that no one denies? Were not the rights of those who died and the survivors completely disregarded? And was anyone punished for the debacle and the obstruction of justice?
Many in society labeled a cult can attest to the dark reality in this nation. Books or magazines are burned. Can anyone honestly say they believe no copies of ‘The Book of Mormon’ were burned this year? Businesses or positions are targeted resulting in great financial hardship. A rumor use to circulate in the past that Reverend Moon bought Entemann’s Bakery. It wasn’t started to promote sales. (Reverend Moon never bought Entemann’s. He bought UPI.) The further stereotype for those in a cult is they are weak minded or have psychological problems many having been kidnapped by family members under the guise of being mentally incompetent. Whether it is the Pentecostals (Holy Rollers) or Jehovah’s Witness the experiences are not new or uncommon.
Does his religious background make Mitt Romney the best candidate for the Republican Party? It certainly puts him in a position to understand what this country represents, despite its faults, and the value of our Constitution. His personal morals and ethics are as good as you can get and he has shown himself extremely capable as Governor and in saving the Salt Lake City Olympics. There is absolutely no reason outside of outright religious bigotry that he would not be an exceptional choice.
Many argue Mitt Romney must address the controversy over his faith. I say he already has through his record as Governor. Religious people tend not to only turn the other cheek but treat their enemies with charity. It is not Mitt Romney who should be speaking out against those who would seek to disqualify him because of his faith. It is the job of our pundits, journalists, and people of a true faith to stand together against an obvious evil rather than side with or sit back and watch those whose tactics more resemble those of a stalker unjustly malign a man’s life. You cannot protect our inalienable rights by not protecting them for all. Yet most all standby and do nothing though knowledgeable of obvious bigotry and discrimination, fearing the fire.
Happy All Saints Day!
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