Mormon Life - Politics & Religion tag

{LDSL Blog} Best of: Stories of the Week, Mar. 10-16

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:07:00 -0600

by LDS Living
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Check out which stories made up the best of LDS Living for the week of March 10 through March 16, 2012.

We all love a good story. And what better way to find out the best of the best than seeing what people found most interesting? For the week of March 10 to 16, 2012, these are LDS Living’s top online stories:

Top 5 LDS Living Stories:

1. {Lifetsyle} Vogue & Virtue: Modest Prom Dresses {Ashley Evanson}

2. LDS Living Interview with General Relief Society President Julie B. Beck {Jamie Lawson}

3. Commentary: To Mormons - Is shunning something we still do in 2012? {Chrisy Ross}

4. {LDS How-to} Keep Your Kids Reverent in Church {Mandy Slack}

5. FHE: Valuing Women {Shauna Gibby}

Top 5 Mormon Report Articles:

1. Florida pastor to Romney: Renounce 'racist' Mormonism {Salt Lake Tribune}

2. LDS church blocks abuse of proxy name submissions {Deseret News}

3. Mormon Media Observer: Enough with the Mormon stereotypes {Deseret News}

4. Is Mormonism a cult? {Huffington Post}

5. Mormons build giant mall designed to 'last for 100 years' {Wall Street Journal}

Top Video:

Mercy River: "Beautiful Life" Music Video {YouTube}

'Excommunicated' by GOP, Bob Bennett says Romney, religion, economy make 2012 election unique

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:30:00 -0700

source: MormonTimes.com

Sharing his "experiences of a practical politician, forcibly retired," former Sen. Robert Bennett told an interfaith conference of Mormons and Protestants in Washington, D.C., that the 2012 election is proving to be one unlike any in his lifetime, and Gov. Mitt Romney's religion is a key part of that.

Bennett presided over a discussion on religion and American political culture on the second and final day of a gathering of the Mormon Chapter of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy and the Wesley Theological Seminary, titled "At the Crossroads, Again: Mormon and Protestant Encounters in the 19th and 21st Centuries."

Mormon-Baiting Pastor's New Fame Should Help Him Sell Books

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:06:00 -0600

source: religiondispatches.org

Mormon Life says: Really, Pastor Jeffress? Is that what this is all about? When Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas’ First Baptist Church stormed into the Values Voter Summit on October 7 and announced to a scrum of reporters that Mormonism was a “cult” and that voting for Mitt Romney meant giving “credibility to a cult,” was he:

A. On a mission from God to defeat an unorthodox strand of Christianity?

B. On a mission from Rick Perry to defeat Mitt Romney?

C. On a mission to pump up his own media profile in advance of the publication of his new book?

Senator Lieberman talks religious freedom at BYU

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:01:00 -0600

source: Newsroom.lds.org

Mormon Life says: You can click on the forwarding link to watch his speech. Current United States senator, and former vice-presidential nominee, Joseph Lieberman delivered a speech today emphasizing the importance of religious liberty to an audience at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

“We are now at the start of a presidential campaign in which discussions and debates about the relationship between politics and religion, about the proper place of faith in the public square, have already begun to play a prominent role,” said the senator from Connecticut. “These are not new questions; they are very old. They go back to the founders of our country ... The remarkable documents that they wrote and embraced guaranteed religious freedom for everyone not just them that shared their faith.”

How much can Romney talk about his faith?

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:18:00 -0600

source: washingtonpost.com

When a supporter in Council Bluffs, Iowa, nudged Mitt Romney to defend his Mormon faith last week, the Republican frontrunner said he wasn’t planning to. Shouldn’t he be pushing back, she wanted to know, against those who, like his rival Rick Perry’s supporter the Rev. Robert Jeffress, call the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a cult and insist that Romney is not a Christian?

“I don’t think so,’’ the former Massachusetts governor said at a campaign stop in strongly evangelical western Iowa. “I think a great majority of American people want to select the person who is the most capable of getting our country going again with strong values, a strong economy and a strong military; a religious test shouldn’t be applied to people who are running for office,’’ he said to applause. “But,’’ he added, “I am shaped by the Judeo-Christian values which I have and hope that those will hold me in good stead as they have so far.”

Black Mormons weigh Romney-Obama match-up

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:25:00 -0600

source: thegrio.com

Mormon Life says: Another aspect of the LDS element to the upcoming presidential race . . . "Bull. One simple word. I'd put the other word behind it, but we don't talk that way."

That's how Don Harwell responded when asked if he felt compelled to support President Obama -- a fellow African-American -- in 2012.

The 'we' he referred to are the Latter-Day Saints, popularly known as "Mormons."

Harwell abandoned the Roman Catholic tradition he was raised in and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) in 1983.

He says he is proud of his African-American heritage and of the great strides the race has been able to achieve. He just doesn't quite see eye-to-eye with Obama when it comes to politics, labeling the 44th president a socialist.

Will Mitt Romney's 'Mormon moment' help his campaign?

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:49:00 -0600

source: csmonitor.com

Mormon Life says: I don't know if I agree that it helps Romney, but the author poses and interesting theory. Perhaps Robert Jeffress did Mitt Romney a favor.

When the Dallas pastor called Mr. Romney’s faith – Mormonism – a “cult” at a recent convention of Christian conservatives, he brought into the open a simmering issue: whether a leading Republican presidential candidate should be judged over religious beliefs some Americans see as outside the mainstream.

Romney’s “Mormon moment” was bound to happen sooner or later in this campaign. Four years ago, during his first presidential campaign, it happened when the chatter over Mormonism got loud enough that the former Massachusetts governor saw fit to deliver a major speech on faith. Most memorably, it was presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, who made headlines by wondering out loud if Mormons believe Jesus and the devil are brothers. He later apologized to Romney, but the damage may already have been done.

The Left's Mormon problem

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:05:00 -0600

source: spectator.org

Mormon Life says: According to Gallup, 27 percent of Democrats would not vote for a Mormon, compared with 18 percent of Republicans. Who is afraid of Mormonism? Virtually all of the commentary regarding it and the election has focused on the fact that a not-insubstantial part of the Christian evangelical right is hostile towards it.

That may be true but there is evidence that an even larger section of the secular Democrat left is even more hostile.

To recap an already-familiar story, the "Mormon issue" jumped back into the news this past weekend when a pastor introducing Texas Governor Rick Perry before a major gathering of religious conservatives said the nomination should go to a "genuine follower of Jesus Christ." The pastor later told several reporters that Mormonism was a "cult."

Mitt Romney, the current frontrunner and Perry's main rival, is a devout Mormon and he and his allies wasted no time in denouncing the remark as bigotry. Perry awkwardly distanced himself from the comments.

Columnist contrasts Elder Russell M. Nelson and Rev. Robert Jeffress

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:21:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon Life says: ...and Rev. Jeffress is found to be lacking. The Rev. Robert Jeffress of Dallas is taking some national heat for his comments last weekend about presidential candidate Mitt Romney and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, referring to the LDS Church as a "cult."

One columnist even went so far as to compare the Christian influence of Rev. Jeffress with Elder Russell M. Nelson of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — and found Rev. Jeffress to be lacking.

Daniel Ruth, a columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, had a lot to say about Rev. Jeffress, referring to him alternately as "the Torquemada of Texas (a reference to Tomás de Torquemada, an infamous leader of the Spanish Inquisition)," "the Simon Legree of Leviticus," a "scriptural snake oil salesman" and a "biblical bully."

The shameful bias against Mormons

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:13:00 -0600

source: washingtonpost.com

Mormon Life says: Best quote from the article: "Instead of wondering what’s up with Mormons, Americans should be asking: Whoa, what do they know that we don’t?"

Rather than worrying whether Mormons worship the right God in the right way, Republicans should insist that only Mormons run for president.

Only half-joking.

Anyone watching the Republican debates, especially Tuesday night’s on the economy, can’t be missing the obvious. The two smartest, coolest, most independent and least ideological — this is to say, most presidential and electable — candidates are the two Mormons, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.

Romney and the ‘Mormon Question’

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:59:00 -0600

source: wsj.com

Mormon Life says: This graphic shows the U.S. divided into types of communities. See who is more or less willing to vote for a Mormon.

In December of 2007, presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave what many called “the Mormon speech.” The 20-minute address by the former Massachusetts governor aimed at answering questions about his faith once and for all, allowing the campaign to move on to other topics. And, to some extant, it succeeded in tamping down the issue.

But now, it’s a new election cycle, and the “Mormon question” is back.

Washington Post: How do Mormons answer ‘not Christian’ claims?

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:34:00 -0600

source: washingtonpost.com

Mormon Life says: The author, Michael Otterson, is head of public affairs for the Church.

I had been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for just a few days when I encountered my first experience of anti-Mormon prejudice.

I was fresh out of a baptismal font where I had been fully immersed. The missionary who baptized me raised his right arm, called me by name and said: “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Then, I was buried in the water and brought out of it - a reflection of that magnificent New Testament symbolism that represents the burial and resurrection of Christ as well as a symbolic washing away of sins and spiritual rebirth.

Perry refuses Romney’s request to ‘repudiate’ pastor’s anti-Mormon comments

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:31:00 -0600

source: foxnews.com

Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign rejected a call Tuesday from Mitt Romney to “repudiate” the remarks of a pastor who described Romney’s Mormon faith as a “cult.”

The former Massachusetts governor made the demand during a news conference Tuesday afternoon in New Hampshire, where New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Romney’s presidential candidacy.

CNN: Who says Mormons aren't Christians?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:14:00 -0600

source: cnn.com

Mormon Life says: The author, Dean Obeidallah, is an award-winning comedian who happened to be in SLC during this whole "not Christian" ordeal. He has a lot of good things to say about the Church.

The Rev. Robert Jeffress, a leading evangelical minister, claimed last Friday that Mormons are not Christians. Jeffress went on to declare that Mormonism is "a cult," meaning it's not a "real" religion, and he implored his followers to reject Mitt Romney, a Mormon, as a candidate for president because as Jeffress sees it: "As Christians, we have the duty to prefer and select Christians as our leaders."

Jeffress is infamous for his past "Christian" comments such as: Jews, gays, Muslims and Mormons are all going to hell; Islam encourages pedophilia; and that gays should be banned from the military because 70% of the gay population has AIDS.

At the time of Jeffress' comments about Mormons, I happened to be in Utah, the state with the largest percentage of Mormons in the nation. I'm not Mormon, meaning I'm not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Anti-Mormonism: 'the prejudice of our age'

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:25:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon Life says: Polls show that prejudice against voting for black, female, Catholic, Jewish and Hispanic candidates has declined significantly during the past half-century, prejudice against voting for a Mormon candidate remains high. Referring to anti-Mormonism as "the prejudice of our age," columnist William Saletan of Slate.com uses an impressive collection of research data to make his point that "the prejudices you need to work on aren't the ones you recognize in your grandparents' generation. They're the ones you don't recognize in your own generation, and in yourself."

Saletan, who writes about science, technology and religion for Slate, contrasted the response of Republican presidential candidates to last week's story about a rock with a racist word written on it at Gov. Rick Perry's family hunting camp to the response of those same candidates to last weekend's attacks on Mitt Romney's membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Pastor Jeffress Speaks With CNN's Anderson Cooper

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:56:00 -0600

source: cnn.com

Mormon Life says: Watch Anderson Cooper put Pastor Jeffress in the hot seat about his cult comments.

News roundup: Media weighs in on Mormon cult comment

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:13:00 -0600

source: ldsliving.com

Mormon Life says: Here's another round of articles on Pastor Jeffress' cult comments.

Deseret News: Local clergy weigh in on LDS 'cult' claims, Christianity

A long-time Utah evangelical pastor is parting ways with some of his national colleagues when it comes to opinions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Reverend Myke Crowder, pastor of Christian Life Center in Layton, one of the largest evangelical congregations in Utah, took issue with Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the 10,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, for his remarks last week during the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., in which he said that the LDS Church is a non-Christian cult.

Washington Times: Anti-Mormon comments are ‘hate language’

Former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, who recently endorsed Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential race, said Tuesday that those who have said they can’t support a Mormon as president are guilty of “hate language.”

Wall Street Journal: The Cult of Anti-Mormonism

Here's some advice for Republican candidates appearing at Tuesday's presidential debate at Dartmouth College. When you are asked, as you will be asked, what you make of the Christian pastor who called the Mormon faith a "cult," there's only one appropriate answer.

CNN: Huntsman: Pastor is a 'moron'

GOP presidential hopeful and Mormon Jon Huntsman had some choice words on Monday for the Dallas pastor who's repeatedly described Mormonism as a "cult" and a "false religion" this weekend.

Huffington Post: Mitt Romney Silent On Mormon 'Cult' Controversy

Mitt Romney doesn't want to talk about religion. In New Hampshire on Monday, the Republican candidate studiously avoided reporters' questions about his Mormon faith, CNN reports. As reporters shouted questions, Romney remained silent as his aides responded with, "No questions."

NPR: A Look At Mormons And The GOP

On Friday, at the Values Voters Summit here in Washington, where many GOP candidates spoke, the pastor of a Dallas-based mega church called the Mormon faith a cult. Robert Jeffress introduced Texas Governor Rick Perry at the summit, and his comments were aimed at another GOP candidate, Mitt Romney, a Mormon, who has largely avoided talking about his faith in public.

Salt Lake Tribune: Mormon question

Jon Huntsman is right. The question of whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a cult or is Christian is a political sideshow. The race for the Republican presidential nomination should be about important policy issues, not about which candidate or which denomination is Christian.

Deseret News: Mormons beliefs once again under attack

When one of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's supporters publicly denounced the faith of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman as a non-Christian cult, he was just the latest in a long line of people who have damned Mormonism.

News roundup: 'Mormonism Is a Cult'

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:22:00 -0600

source: ldsliving.com

Mormon Life says: This weekend's incident with Pastor Jeffress' anti-Mormon comments have caused quite the raucous in the news media. Read all the stories here.

New York Times: Prominent pastor calls Romney’s church a cult

A Texas pastor introduced Rick Perry at a major conference of Christian conservatives here on Friday as “a genuine follower of Jesus Christ” and then walked outside and attacked Mitt Romney’s religion, calling the Mormon Church a cult and stating that Mr. Romney “is not a Christian.”

MSNBC: Romney denounces 'poisonous language' against Mormonism

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Saturday denounced "poisonous language" against faiths as he grappled with a flare-up over religion sparked by a prominent supporter of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, his rival. Perry steered well clear of that simmering issue and pushed another hot button instead: Social Security.

Fox News: Romney’s Mormon faith is thrust back into campaign spotlight

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who was questioned repeatedly about his Mormon faith during his 2008 presidential bid, finds his religion under attack again in the 2012 GOP race.

Deseret News: Romney, Fischer obscurely address 'big, anti-Mormon elephant' at Values Voter Summit

The anticipated back-to-back speaking appearances of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, who said recently that Latter-day Saints aren't Christian and are therefore not entitled to First Amendment protections, materialized Saturday morning at the annual Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.

Politico: Mitt Romney's Mormon issue returns

The Values Voter Summit in Washington this weekend left no doubt about it: The Mormon issue is back. A Texas pastor’s inflammatory remarks here — calling Mormonism a “cult” — thrust Mitt Romney’s faith into the center of a 2012 campaign overwhelmingly focused on the economy. It was a transparent attempt by Baptist minister Robert Jeffress, a Rick Perry supporter, to drive a wedge between Romney and evangelical voters.

USA Today: Will Romney, Perry race be Christian vs. Christian?

One could think so, given the news Friday coming out of the Values Voter Summit in Washingon, D.C. One of Rick Perry's retinue of pastor-backers, Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas, told media that evangelicals consider Mitt Romney "a good moral person" but ...not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity.

Huffington Post: The Mormon in the Room

Why is Mitt Romney so unloved by the Republican base? Even after Rick Perry's meteoric rise and fall in the polls, the main beneficiary of the Texas governor's stumbles has been Herman Cain, not Romney.

CBS News: Huntsman dismisses Mormon controversy as "ridiculous sideshow"

With all eyes on Mitt Romney as he fends off a recent wave of controversy over his Mormon faith, the other Mormon in the GOP presidential race -- Jon Huntsman -- says he's had enough.

USA Today: Republican candidates distance themselves from Mormon remark

Republican presidential candidates stayed away from a Southern Baptist pastor's dig that Mitt Romney is not a Christian and that his Mormon religion is a "cult." Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas, who supports Texas Gov. Rick Perry, told reporters at the weekend's Values Voter Summit that Romney is "a good moral person" but Mormonism "has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity."

CNN: This evangelical says Mormonism isn’t a cult

Some prominent evangelical pastors have been telling their constituents not to support Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidential nomination. Because Romney is Mormon, they say, to cast a vote for him is to promote the cause of a cult. I beg to differ.

Washington Post: Why evangelicals must stand up to anti-Mormon bigotry

As a boy from West Virginia, I disliked the negative stereotypes about my state. Nearly as bad was when you met a West Virginian determined to live up to them. Bigots are incorrigible enough, but encouraging them by playing to type empowers them.

Church responds to pastor's 'not Christian' statement

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:04:00 -0600

source: Newsroom.lds.org

Mormon Life says: Simple. Perfect. In response to media calls regarding comments made by a Baptist minister at a political event stating that Mormons are not Christians, the Church issued the following statement today: