On her new religion blog (bookmark it!), Washington Times religion editor Julia Duin gets ready for the big Mitt speech tomorrow by asking readers what question they would ask Romney if given the chance:
My question: Assuming that Mr. Romney identifies himself as Christian, how would he define Jesus Christ? Mormon doctrine says, among other things, that Jesus was Lucifer's spirit brother. He is also the elder brother of all humans, all of whom are the offspring of a God, Who is married to a heavenly Mother. Does the candidate agree with these doctrines?
What would you ask Romney (religious/theological questions only, please). I wouldn't ask him what Julia asked him, simply because it's strikes me as both an honest query, but also something of a gotcha question. If he answers yes, he's just copped to believing in some incredibly strange doctrines. If he answers no, then he has to explain why he's a cafeteria Mormon.
I think the question I would ask him would go something like this:
Two decades ago, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo gave a famous speech in which he said he was personally opposed to abortion as a Roman Catholic, but would not pursue pro-life policies because he thought it inappropriate for his personal religious beliefs to influence public policy. Some faithful Catholics believe he sold out his professed religious faith on that issue, because the right to life is a key doctrine of Catholic social teaching. Some Catholics even regard co-religionists like Gov. Cuomo as "cafeteria Catholics," meaning they pick and choose what they want to believe based on what suits their preferences. Can you give an example of a key LDS moral teaching that you would hold in abeyance as president -- and why that doesn't make you a cafeteria Mormon?
Hmm. Doesn't seem concise. How about this:
The writer Tom Wolfe once quipped that a cult is a religion without political power. Discuss this observation in light of the controversy over your Mormon faith.
I'm not crazy about that one either. Maybe I just don't much care about Mormonism and politics. I'd have a hundred questions if we were doing comparative theology, but inasmuch as Romney's no theologian, I'm not interested.
If anyone can come up with a Mormon moral teaching that could directly and seriously affect Romney's governance, please let us know. I talked to my pal Jeff Jacoby at the Boston Globe the other day, and he said in Romney's term as governor of Massachusetts, he (Jeff) couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary Romney had done, policy-wise, related to Mormonism.
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The Church issues a statement:
http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2ced329706ca6110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=9ae411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD
Key paragraph:
Relationships With Government
Elected officials who are Latter-day Saints make their own decisions and may not necessarily be in agreement with one another or even with a publicly stated Church position. While the Church may communicate its views to them, as it may to any other elected official, it recognizes that these officials still must make their own choices based on their best judgment and with consideration of the constituencies whom they were elected to represent.
Sigalaris, If a Scott is wearing anything under his kilt, then its just a dress.
DJW:
Well, people like you managed to beat the "other" JFK on the same grounds, so bully for you for getting us four more years of Bush.
In Mormonism the sitting Prophet has the authority to contravene standing doctrine and practice--even those born directly from founding documents or Joseph Smith himself--via claims to new revelation. Given that such a view of authority and truth is central to your religious faith and given the very similar claims regarding the malleability of truth and the reach of executive authority made by the current president and by your party, why should we not fear that, as President, you would not hold yourself accountable to the Constitution.
An interesting question. As a Mormon, I think my answer would be two-fold. First, I'd reject the premise of the question.... Second, I'd point out that the Church is only one of four independent sources of authority that Mormons recognize.
My question does not concern a Mormon President's ability to be independent from the sitting Mormon prophet. That's likely not an issue. It concerns the Mormon religion's view of the power and authority of its high executive, a view which grants the power to contradict and contravene both tradition and founding documents and, a la Orwell's recdep, essentially rewrite history. Because the Republican Party is so enamored of a similar view of Presidential authority I would like to hear why Romney's religious views (deeply ingrained, we must assume, in a self-professed good Mormon) will not dove-tail and reinforce an already potentially disastrous development in the history of our republic.
Huh? A prophet derives his authority from God. A President derives his authority from the Constitution. A President who attacks the Constitution attacks the moral basis of his own authority. I'm not even sure what the point that you're trying to make is.
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