Mitt Romney's recent announcement that he will run for president has created quite a bit of controversy about his religion. Some of the remarks that were made by other politicians and so-called Christians are absurd. It is sad how little people know about this large and still-growing faith, especially since there are missionaries in almost every country teaching about it.
First and foremost, Mormons ARE Christians. The full name of their church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". They believe in Jesus Christ just like all other Christians. They believe that he is the son of God and that he died and was resurrected. They also believe in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. The Book of Mormon is believed to be a scripture supplementing the Bible and dealing with people living on the American continent before, during the after the time of Jesus. This includes a visit by Jesus to the people of this continent after his resurrection. This makes a lot of sense. Why would Jesus only visit one place on earth when there were people living elsewhere and there was no means of communication between them?
Mormons believe that God again speaks to His people through a prophet (the head of the church). This prophet directs the church and receives revelation just like the old testament prophets. I don't know about you but this makes perfect sense to me. Why would God no longer give revelation to his people, especially now when we seem to need it more than ever.
The practice of polygamy by the true Mormon church ended long ago. There are "splinter groups" that may practice it but they are not true Mormons. Once of the teachings of the church is that people are to obey the law of the land, and if that law prohibits polygamy, then polygamy shall not be practiced. I doubt that Mr Romney will try to change that law and besides I don't think that polygamy is any worse than the idea of same-sex marriage. (I'd rather have 2 wives than a husband, but I can barely afford one wife!)
Yes there are some secret ceremonies in this religion. These are conducted in the temples and are open only to highly worthy church members. But other societies also have secret ceremonies. What about the Masons? What about the Knights of Columbus?
My aim here was to educate the readers a little about the Mormon church and take away a little mystery. Do not discount Mitt Romney because he is Mormon anymore than you should have discounted Kennedy because he was Catholic.
So Sayeth The Shack
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1 comment:
Good post, John. Very true and good comparison to those who were against Kennedy back in the late 50's because of his faith. And - with respect to your other post on DST - you're probably right in your assertion there about it all being a beneficial thing for businesses. Changing the time doesn't automatically change the amount of sunshine in a day!
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