Abbey-Roads2

Mitt Romney.

Yesterday I posted a piece concerning Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, asking why this should make any difference as regards his suitability for the White House.  I took it down after I received an informative email from a concerned Catholic, who happens to be a well educated, Catholic professional - not a conspiracy theorist by any means - who once lived under “Mormon rule” in Utah.  (I’m known to take posts down all the time, for a variety of reasons.  For a time, I used to do it deliberately, just to drive my previous employer nuts - one day the post would be there, the next day it was gone - only to return a week later.  It was fun.  But I digress.)

Mormonism: A cult?

I do believe many Catholics and Evangelical protestants already know that the Mormon religion is a cult - maybe even sharing a few similarities with Scientology.  For instance, my friend wrote;  “Men can become gods, and God started off as some guy living on another planet.  You may not get a straight answer from a Mormon about this.”  Doesn’t Scientology claim that we are all from another planet as well?  (Of course, everyone knows Tom Cruise is a god - LOL!)

Proselytizing on bikes.

Indeed, it is hard to get a straight answer from Mormons.  Once, shortly after my conversion in 1972, two young Mormon evangelists came to my apartment.  In those days I was a rare commodity in the local Church; that is, very few young people were interested in the the Catholic Church and Jesus.  I was friendless.  So when two young guys came to my door to talk about Jesus, I was thrilled to be able to talk to them about the Eucharist, the Trinity, etc.  When they seemed to agree - but with reservations, I tried to question them about the tenets of Mormonism, yet they were evasive and kept trying to present the Christian perspective - though skewed.

Gradually I realized what the Church of Jesus Christ Later-day Saints was about - hence,  I urged them to leave it immediately for their own salvation.  I then took out my Bible to cite passages defending the Catholic Church, and read passages from the letter of St. Peter about the last days. etc..  They were totally freaked out and left me as soon as they could.  (You know how intense we are soon after our conversion.)  I was sad when they left, feeling like the blind hermit when Frankenstein had left him - I was all alone again.

Flip-flops - they aren’t just footwear!

Having said that, as time went on, (and we’ve had Presidents who say they are Christian, although a few haven’t acted like it - Hi, Bill!) I began to believe a candidate’s religion doesn’t really matter - because they tend to compartmentalize, twist it, or not practice it anyway.   In Romney’s case, he’s pro-life now - a flip-flop from being pro-choice at one time.  Just so, George Bush is pro-life - to a point.  But politicians flip-flop for the sound-bites and photo-ops all the time.  Cynic that I have become, I think many politicians simply use the God thing and pro-life thing to get elected - depending from which side the money comes from.  (Again, I digress!)

Pretending to be Christian.

Most Mormon’s probably really do not pretend to be Christian - they really think they are - but they aren’t the garden variety type of Christian most WASP’s know and love.  They are a hybrid of false teachings and prophets, believing in an ongoing revelation.  True Christians know that Divine Revelation stopped with the Apostles, the fullness of Truth has been completely revealed - there can be no new doctrine.  Read the Catholic Church’s stance on Mormon Baptism- it will clear up any question a Catholic may have regarding the Later-day Saints.

No real Baptism - no real Christianity.

Which means Mormonism is closer to a cult, not so much a sect, but a cult that has worked itself up to a “Christian denomination” - yet with some marked differences.  “Difference of views: Mormons hold that there is no real Trinity, no original sin, that Christ did not institute baptism.”  - The document on Mormon Baptism.  Other oddities they accept include :  Jesus and Lucifer were brothers.  The Bible is corrupted and subject to the Book of Mormon and the interpretation of the “prophet” Joseph Smith and the Elders.  And as I mentioned earlier, public revelation is ongoing and therefore, flip-flops on the polygamy issue can certainly reoccur.  (Remember Romney’s pro-choice/pro-choice flipping around?  That was convenient, huh?)  If current marriage legislation is changed in the United States, regarding gay marriage, it’s not such a leap to believe polygamy can make a comeback.

Fraternal email correction - it’s a good thing!

In the email, my friend presented some valid considerations as to why the American people should be concerned about a Mormon President - not just Catholics, but all citizens:

“My friend, I can tell you have never lived in Utah or southern Idaho.  Please believe me when I tell you we do notwant Mormons in the White House.  I say “Mormons” because it would not stop with Mitt Romney, either during or after his administration.  The problem is not individual Mormons but the Mormon “church,” what it’s all about and how it operates.  Mormonism is a cult (nowhere is this more obvious than at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, whose most striking feature is that it is utterly devoid of crosses or any other Christian symbols — no doubt a Providential warning) and a religion of darkness.  It would be a disaster if Mormonism gained the prestige that it would acquire if a Mormon became president.

The problem is not merely what Mormons believe (about which, by the way, they are trained not to be entirely candid) but how they operate.  They basically view the world as being made up of two kinds of people: Mormons and potential Mormons.  They are out to convert as many people as they possibly can, and they are pretty aggressive.  They also treat non-Mormons like second-class citizens, particularly when said non-Mormons do not appear readily amenable to proselytizing.” - From an email.

Aside from the fact my friend once lived in Utah and experienced the “Mormon state” first hand - one only has to read the Book of Mormon, or the more concise and very interesting  Thirteen Articles of Faith  to recognize something is off with their religion - from a traditional Christian perspective.  Again, adherents may not even be fully aware of the distortion from traditional Christianity, simply because they do not know the difference - as my friend charitably explained.

Game Show host good looks and anchor-man delivery.

Mitt Romney has it going on in the image department; media refers to his Hollywood good looks - which is really more Game Show host savvy and good looks in my estimation.  He speaks well and is a charmer - he’d be great on the nightly news.  He says the right things to the right Republicans as well.  In a secularized, so-called “Christian country” a well-groomed, polished, debonair gentleman - with a lot of money, speaking against gay marriage and abortion is going to get a lot of attention from neoconservatives.

Hopefully we will all study the candidates thoroughly before we cast our vote in the next presidential election.  Their public record and personal beliefs really do matter.

(Thanks to my friend for the informative email, offering an interesting perspective on this issue.)