Anti-Mormonism

The following is a post by a commentor on the Salt Lake Tribune's website (coltakashi: 2/13/2008 1:54:00 PM) which I thought did an excellent job at confronting the anti-Mormon contention in America. Unedited, it appears below:

Anti-Mormonism is not simply disagreeing with Mormon doctrine or beliefs. By definition, anyone who is not a Mormon disagrees, as do even some Mormons. Anti-Mormonism is rather an active dedication to preventing the growth of the Mormon Church and the advancement of its programs. It involves publishing information critical of the Church and its members.

Obviously there is a spectrum of activity in that area. However, the program that is carried on by the Southern Baptist Convention North American Missions Board is motivated by their understanding to 40% of Mormon converts in the US come from at least nominally Baptist members. That would be on the order of some 40,000 people each year. The SBC for several decades has been engaged in telling its members that Mormons are not Christian, and that Mormons are ignorant of the Bible and Christian doctrine or in some cases actively deceptive to both the members of the Mormon Church and to Christians. Thus, a statement by a Mormon, such as was made by Mitt Romney, that he believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Davior of Mankind is held by the SBC to be false and deceptive. The SBC thus labels Romney as a liar, and Mormons generally are classified as either ignroant dupes or intelligent liars. During 2007, the SBC was actively putting out anti-Mormon messages to its churches every month, climaxing in a direct attack on Romney because the election of a Mormon to the presidentcy would give the Mormon "cult" a legitimacy in society that it did not deserve. Clearly, Baptists would for the same reason oppose the election of any Mormon to any public office, and it manifested itself in the campaign of Representative Istook of Oklahoma for governor of that state. Even in Idaho, where Mormons are the plurality religion in the eastern part of the state, Larry Echohawk's campaign for governor was derailed to a great extent because of his identification as a Mormon who held a fund-raising event in one of the rented reception rooms at the former Hotel Utah.

Huckabee did not need to publish anti-Mormon propaganda himself, because Evange;lical churches were already carrying his water for him. Just as they gave him forums to speak, and used church resourcves and membership lists to call for donations and votes, they also distributed anti-Mormon propaganda to ensure that Romney would not be accepted as credible and would be rejected as not really Christian.

A survey done by political scientists at a non-Mormon university in the East found that many of the people who criticized Romney as a "flip-flopper" really were using that term simply to express their religious enmity and distrust toward him. They had been indoctrinated for years that Mormons are liars, especially on religious matters.

Now imagine if those churches were teaching the same thing about Jews and Catholics. A due and cry of criticism would arise in the national new media that would not cease until the church involved stopped the action and apologized profusely. But the national news media do not care when Mormons are getting beat up.

Mormons do not publish pamphlets and books and videos attacking Baptists. They do not picket Baptist churches, yelling at people who have just been married. Mormons do not insist that Baptists be relegated to second class citizenship, where they cannot be elected to any office because it would give their religion prestige. Mormons believe specifically that a Baptist who lives a good life will spend eternity in the presence of Christ (in what Mormons call the Terrestrial Kingdom). As noted, a good many Mormons WERE Baptists. Former Mormons who are now Baptists are much fewer in number, but can trade on that fact for notoriety. Mormons do not claim that Baptists are inveterate liars or unthinking dullards.

The resentment that is professionally taught by the SBC to its members is no different than the anti-Semitism that the Nazis promoted in Germany. It treats peope of a specific religion as if they are a unique ethnic strain, who deserve to be discriminated against, and kept out of leading roles in society. If anti-Semitism is bad, if anti-Catholicism is unacceptable, then why is anti-Mormonism given a pass by the larger American society?

To a certain extent, it is because many non-religious people in America also hate Mormons. A Survey done by a Jewish organization of religious prejudice in academia found that college professors disliked and distrusted Evangelicals the most, with Mormons coming in second, even though Mormons were overrepresented in academic positions nationally. The screeds written in Slate and other left wing journals have attacked Mormonism for the intensity of its belief in the reality of God and Christ. So a Democratic Mormon would have just as much trouble with the left wing of his party as Romney had with the right wing of his.

What this points to is the need for the creation of a party of the Center, that will exclude the extreme antagonisms of both the Left and the Right. Such a center is a majority of Americans. It would take wrenching change to create a Center party, but once established, the extremes in the current two parties would be minorities that could not win power nationally.

Romney Suspends His Campaign

What a sad day for Romney supporters and conservatives around the nation. Romney evalutated his position in the race (GOP and DEM), his chances, and the status of the world, and made a hard decision to suspend his candidacy. Ironically, this is probably Romney's most presidential moment (along with the "Faith in America" speech). He truly loves the country more than himself and his campaign. I wish him well and hope to see him in 2012.

McCain Considers Setting Benchmarks for Iraqis

McCain continually claims that Mitt Romney wanted some sort of timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. Every major newssource in the nation, after reading Romney's statement about goals, not "timetables", agrees that McCain is blatantly distorting Romney's quote and record. In fact, McCain, himself wanted to set benchmarks. Read the following article.



McCain considers setting benchmarks for Iraqis
By Margaret Talev

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., one of the most stalwart supporters of the war in Iraq, said Thursday that he might propose that the Iraqi government meet certain benchmarks for the United States to continue its engagement.

Fellow senators and independent political scientists said McCain's thinking reflected growing concerns within the Republican Party about the course of the war, and also might mark a turning point for the likely 2008 presidential contender, whose previous unconditional backing of the war may have hurt his prospects.

McCain said Thursday that he hadn't yet decided on precise benchmarks. "They'd have to be specific, and they (Iraqi government officials) would have to meet them," he said.

Asked what penalty would be imposed if Iraq failed to meet his benchmarks, he said: "I think everybody knows the consequences. Haven't met the benchmarks? Obviously, then, we're not able to complete the mission. Then you have to examine your options."

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., a McCain ally, said many Republicans might back a resolution of the sort McCain is suggesting. He noted that earlier this week, Republicans in the House of Representatives proposed establishing a set of benchmarks and asking the Bush administration to report monthly on progress.

"Everybody wants the situation to change," Lott said. "Everybody wants to lay down some markers. We need to see some results here. A lot of people would like to be on record on something or for something."

Andrew E. Smith, a political science professor and the director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, said: "I think it certainly could be politically significant." New Hampshire will hold the first presidential primary of 2008.

"This seems to me like he's trimming his sails a little on the issue," Smith said, adding: "He has a lot of company with this. He's not out on a limb. I think there is probably a deep sense of frustration among Republicans."

McCain in no way is withdrawing his backing for the war or President Bush's plan to add 21,500 troops. It was unclear what consequences or timetables McCain would spell out, or whether he believes that Congress has the authority to enforce them.
Still, several Senate Demo-crats who oppose the troop buildup and also may seek the presidency said they were struck by McCain's comments.

"We Catholics call that an epiphany," said Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., who is sponsoring the main Democratic resolution opposing the troop buildup.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said: "I called for that . . . several weeks ago. I'm glad that John McCain agrees with me.

"He's somebody who has enormous influence with the White House. He's been one of the key champions of this escalation of troops."

Church and State: The Contrasting Views of Huckabee and Romney

As I continually am appalled at the religious comments coming out of the Huckabee campaign, I see Romney becoming the true religious conservative in the race. More and more Evangelicals are leaving the Huckabee campaign, many going to the Romney campaign. Why? Huckabee's views of church and state are oppressive rather than progressive. Huckabee would change the Constitution to fit his dogma. Meanwhile, Romney champions the diversity of religious thought in America and swears to uphold the Constitution above his religious beliefs.


Here are the candidate's positions, from their own mouths, concerning the matter.

Flip-Flopping Huckabee

• Mike Huckabee, over the course of ONE DAY, decided that he was against the 14th ammendment (which grants citizenship to all children born on US soil) and then decided that he was for it in a press release later that day.
  http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/NATION/311698216/1001
  http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTUxZjNkYmIxYTAyNzJiZTEzNjJmNzI2OTMyOWNmMzI

• Mike Huckabee scheduled a big press conference in which he was going to release a negative ad about Mitt Romney. When the press conference started, he announced that he was not going to air any negative ads. Then he proceeded to show the ad to the press anyway. They laughed at him. It later ran on Iowa television and was aired during news broadcasts nationwide.
  http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/huckabees-remarkable-play/

• *Mike Huckabee was asked "If you are president in 2009 and Congress brings you a bill to outlaw smoking nationwide in public places, would you sign it?" To which he responded "I would, certainly would. In fact, I would, just like I did as governor of Arkansas, I think there should be no smoking in any indoor area where people have to work," To which his campaign LATER responded "...the governor believes that this issue is best addressed at the local and state levels."
  http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/huckabee-about-face-on-smoking-2008-01-16.html

• Mike Huckabee, as governor, was among a bi-partisan group of politicians who were calling for the end of the US trade embargo with Cuba. Recently, while campaigning at a Cuban restaurant in Florida, he decided that the embargo was a good thing and promised to do more than George W Bush to economically strangle Castro.
  http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-huckabee11dec11,1,4449705.story?coll=la-politics-campaign

• Mike Huckabee accused his opponent in his 1998 senate race of mischaractarizing his record when he was "accused" of supporting school vouchers, saying that they were impractical for Arkansas. But in November, 2007, he decided that he now supports school vouchers, apparently unbenownst to the New Hampshire teacher's union which endorsed him.
  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2007/12/should_huckabee_be_wearing_fli.html

• Mike Huckabee was asked how he felt about about overturning Roe v Wade. He said "it should be left to the states," Then, in a presidential debate, he said it was preposterous to leave such a deep moral issue to the states.
  http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/huckabee.php
  http://www.arkansasleader.com/2007/11/editorialshuck-flip-flops.html

• Mike Huckabee, in the same interview noted above, was asked if he thought illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country on a pathway to citizenship. He said "Well, I'm not as sure that leaving and then coming back is as important as it is to acknowledge that what they've done is illegal, pay a fine, and then get in line behind the people that are going through the process of being here legally. But now he has completely ruled out a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants before they have returned to their countries of origin.
  http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/huckabee.php
  http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/huckabee-releases-immigration-plan/

• Mike Huckabee told The Guardian that he would NOT increase federal funding for music and art education, but then in a presidential debate, he said he"would make arts and music education tested curriculum and provide federal funds to do so."
  http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/usa/2007/12/huckabees_reverse_flipflop.html

• Mike Huckabee said "I am not sure that I support the troop surge if that surge has to come from our guard and reserve troops," which it did. Until yet another recent presidential debate, where he felt it appropriate to claim that he supported the surge when Mitt Romney did not. (Despite the fact that Romney came out in support of the surge on January 10 and Huckabee was unsure on January 24.)
  http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/front_page/huckabee_flip_flops_on_surge_w.php

Ann Coulter on Romney & Flip-Flopping

Ann Coulter wrote an article about Romney on Jan 16. Full Article Link. Here is an excerpt on the "flip-flopping" issue:


Liberals claim to be enraged at Romney for being a "flip-flopper." I've looked and looked, and the only issue I can find that Romney has "flipped" on is abortion. When running for office in Massachusetts -- or, for short, "the Soviet Union" -- Romney said that Massachusetts was a pro-choice state and that he would not seek to change laws on abortion.

Romney's first race was against Sen. Teddy Kennedy -- whom he came closer to beating than any Republican ever had. If Romney needed to quote "The Communist Manifesto" to take out that corpulent drunk, all men of good will would owe him a debt of gratitude.

Even when Romney was claiming to support Roe v. Wade, he won the endorsement of Massachusetts Citizens for Life -- a group I trust more than the editorial board of The New York Times. Romney's Democratic opponents always won the endorsements of the very same pro-choice groups now attacking him as a "flip-flopper."

After his term as governor, NARAL Pro-Choice America assailed Romney, saying: "(A)s governor he initially expressed pro-choice beliefs but had a generally anti-choice record. His position on choice has changed. His position is now anti-choice."

Pro-abortion groups like the Republican Majority for Choice -- the evil doppelganger to my own group, Democratic Majority for Life -- are now running videos attacking Romney for "flip-flopping" on abortion.

And People Call Romney A Flip-Flopper

• In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving "feedback" on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he now opposes the measure.

• McCain said before the war in Iraq, "We will win this conflict. We will win it easily." Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was "probably going to be long and hard and tough."

• McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

• McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn’t be allowed.

• McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as "an agent of intolerance" in 2002, but has since decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans "deserved" the 9/11 attacks. (Indeed, McCain has now hired Falwell’s debate coach.)

• McCain used to oppose Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.

• In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending "dirty money" to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

• McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June, he abandoned his own legislation.

• McCain used to think that Grover Norquist was a crook and a corrupt shill for dictators. Then McCain got serious about running for president and began to reconcile with Norquist.

• McCain took a firm line in opposition to torture, and then caved to White House demands.

• McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., before he supported it.
  

• McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

• McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.

• McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

• McCain decided in 2000 that he didn’t want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he "would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’" Kissinger is now the Honorary Co-Chair for his presidential campaign in New York.

• McCain is now both open and closed to redeployment in Iraq.

• And McCain claims to have "bitterly disagreed" with a "failed strategy" in Iraq for more than three years, despite having argued the need to "stay the course" just one year ago.

• McCain supported the Law of the Sea Treaty that Ronald Reagan defeated. In October, after having been a strong supporter of it for over decade, he told conservative bloggers that he would "probably vote against it."

• McCain, who has been a supporter and even a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, said during the conference call that he would have opposed it on the Senate floor last week if he had stuck around for the vote.