Friday, November 2, 2012

Romney's Religion

My column for this week's Enterprise.  And another column from one of my favorite bloggers that's well-worth the read.


“My passion flows from the fact that I believe in God, and I believe we’re all children of the same God,” stated Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney in his closing remarks at the town-hall style debate held on October 16. 

My ears perked up at Romney’s statement.  The Republican Party’s nominee for President, and the man whose victory speech I hope to hear one week from today, is a devout fifth-generation member of the LDS Church.  Notably, Romney’s running for office at the tail end of a decade in which Mormons were the fastest growing religious group in 26 of the 50 United States.  A 2010 census revealed that a dwindling 49% of US citizens are religious adherents.  At the same time, the LDS church exploded by 45 percent between the years 2000 to 2010. 

The Mormon religion was founded in the late 1820s by a young man named Joseph Smith, who dictated the writing of the Book of Mormon, one of four books which comprise the LDS canon.   Mormons consider themselves to be the true church of Jesus Christ, which, they believe, no longer existed at the time that God re-established it through Smith.  Though they regard the Bible to be flawed, they still recognize the King James Version of Scripture as one of their inspired texts.  Consequently, Mormons often use Christian terminology, but terms that are familiar to us have very different meanings in the context of their religion.  Know that when Mitt Romney states that he believes in God, the god that he confesses is not the God of Christianity.

First, though, it is somewhat difficult to determine exactly what Mormons believe.  Although they acknowledge four standard written works as mentioned above, they also believe in and highly esteem continuing revelation, which they believe god makes known through the church’s living prophets – namely, the president of the LDS church and his two counselors.  However, the “inspired” declarations spoken by Mormon leaders throughout history often contradict the approved canon as well as the oracles of the prophets who preceded them.  “The key to Mormon truth,” writes Latayne Scott, a former member of the LDS church, “is found in its ultimate truth-giver; its god.”

The Mormon god as taught was once a mortal man who lived on another planet, died, was resurrected and attained godhood through “eternal progression” by adhering to the precepts of his god.  Mormons believe that their god organized this universe out of pre-existent matter, and that all humans existed in infinity as spirits before he granted them physical bodies and the opportunity to pass through mortality and progress to godhood just as he had done.  Mormons deny original sin.  They also believe that there are three levels of heaven and that hell does not exist.  According to LDS doctrine, Jesus Christ and Lucifer are both children of god, conceived by literal sexual intercourse, and they lived with god on the original earth.  Mormons believe that Jesus Christ died to make atonement available to all, but in the end that atonement (the highest level of heaven) must be attained by obedience to the laws of the gospel and the LDS Church.  Along with that idea, they consider baptism by immersion in the LDS Church and the laying on of hands – also in the LDS church – to be necessary for salvation.

Ultimately, Ms. Scott reasons: “Mormon truth is like its creator – constantly changing and ultimately human in origin.”  The Mormon god is not the personal, incorporeal, omnipotent, omnipresent, immutable, eternal, only Creator God of the Bible.  And in contrast to the Christian doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone, the Mormon religion emphasizes the necessity of good works and avoidance of external manifestations of sin. 

But do you know what’s even more astounding than the fact that millions adhere to Mormonism’s bizarre, unfounded, illogical, and often contradictory doctrine and history?  The reality that there are Mormons more motivated to spread the lie than we Christians are motivated to share the glorious Truth of the gospel.  

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