Romney's Cross to Bear
Religion and politics go together these days like oil and vinegar -- or something like that. I mean they really seem to go together (not like oil and water, which don't). Oh, so much for my attempt at humor.
For the most part we have gotten over a person's religion. There was a bit of excitement of Joe Lieberman's Jewishness -- but that didn't seem to be all that big a deal.
But, what about Mitt Romney's Mormonism. People on both the left and right are skittish about this prospect. Some 25% to 35% of voters say they can't vote for a Mormon. Now if you have that big of deficit to overcome, you're in trouble.
Sally Denton, author of American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857, takes up this question of what it is about Mormonism that has everyone uptight. She reminds us that Mitt's not the first Mormon to run -- Orrin Hatch, Mo Udall, and Mitt's father, George precede him in this quest, as does the church's founder, Joseph Smith, who ran on a distinctly theocratic platform, something none of the rest of the candidates have chosen to do.
Denton does a nice job in this LA Times op-ed piece to lay out the issues and make clear that as with Jack Kennedy, it's not what the church once taught, but what it teaches now and how he will relate to it. And as I've said before in previous blog posts, it's not his Mormonism that will keep me from voting for him, it's his stand on the important issues of the day. This is really a piece worth reading--so click here to do so.
For the most part we have gotten over a person's religion. There was a bit of excitement of Joe Lieberman's Jewishness -- but that didn't seem to be all that big a deal.
But, what about Mitt Romney's Mormonism. People on both the left and right are skittish about this prospect. Some 25% to 35% of voters say they can't vote for a Mormon. Now if you have that big of deficit to overcome, you're in trouble.
Sally Denton, author of American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857, takes up this question of what it is about Mormonism that has everyone uptight. She reminds us that Mitt's not the first Mormon to run -- Orrin Hatch, Mo Udall, and Mitt's father, George precede him in this quest, as does the church's founder, Joseph Smith, who ran on a distinctly theocratic platform, something none of the rest of the candidates have chosen to do.
Denton does a nice job in this LA Times op-ed piece to lay out the issues and make clear that as with Jack Kennedy, it's not what the church once taught, but what it teaches now and how he will relate to it. And as I've said before in previous blog posts, it's not his Mormonism that will keep me from voting for him, it's his stand on the important issues of the day. This is really a piece worth reading--so click here to do so.
Comments
Mountain Meadows is, of course, ancient history, and I think that the Mormon church has been good at rewriting its history when it serves its purposes (reversing itself on its views of African Americans, on polygamy, or even under what conditions it is acceptable to drink beverages with caffeine.) The LA Times column doesn't go into much detail about Joseph Smith's death, but it is worth pointing out that, as horrible and utterly wrong it was for him to have been killed by a vigilante mob, he was in jail after having suppressed the democratic rights of people in Nauvoo to publish a newspaper that criticized him. His theocratic vision did not include tolerating the right of criticism of himself. This is the scary side of theocracy.