A Ron Paul supporter put Mittens in the hot seat on a religious question pertaining to an obscure treatise/add on to the Book of Mormon. Unsurprisingly, Romney punted, avoiding the issue by claiming — somewhat laughably considering he’s running for Pastor in Chief of the Fundamentalist Party — that he wasn’t going to have a discussion on religion:
(Politico) — “I guess a lot of people say that your Mormon faith cannot be a concern in the election. But I think, it might be, as well as I found these verses from the Mormon book. Moses 7:8 says,” said Bret Hatch, 28, of Green Bay, before he was cut off by a Romney aide. “Why don’t you give me a question,” Romney asked. But Hatch continued: “Ok, well, in the Mormon book it says there were a blight cast on all the children of Canaan.”
The actual passage appears to be taken from something called the Pearl of Great Price, a separate piece of Mormon text included in the Standard Works, which acts as a sort of adjunct to the official Book of Mormon.
Here’s Mitt Romney refusing to talk about the place of religion: “There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation’s founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adams’ words: ‘We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion… Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.’
Here he is defending the right of Catholic Bishops to call the shots in healthcare plans for non Cathlolics: “I don’t think we’ve seen in the history of this country the kind of attack on religious conscience, religious freedom, religious tolerance that we’ve seen under Barack Obama,” he said.”
Here is Mitt Romney yet again, refusing to talk about religion and certainly not claiming he knows what God-eh wants: “”This century must be an American century. In an American century, America has the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world,” Romney says. “God did not create this country to be a nation of followers. America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. America must lead the world, or someone else will.”
Of course Mitt Romney likes to talk about religion. He’ll happily lie about religion. He just doesn’t want to talk about his specific religion because most members of the religious right consider his religion to be a heretical abomination.
I totally agree that the Mormon issue will reduce fundie turnout. And turnout, rather than the undecideds is key.
But I don’t think Santorum’s Catholicism has a similar effect. Conservative Catholics and fundies have been close allies since the eighties.
I have been seriously thinking of voting for Santorum in the Texas primaries. The semi-open primaries + caucus system in Texas is quite complex. In 2008 I caucused for Obama and helped win Texas for Obama even though Clinton won the primary. Could I help do the same for Santorum? But Mr. Frothy doesn’t have that much an organization in Texas. Better than Virginia, but worse than Ohio. Still, I think I’m going to vote for Santorum and get the stamp that lets me into the Republican caucuses.
True.
But they are all hypocrites as well. It’s the Third Major Sacrament of fundieism.
I suspect most fundies will vote for a Mormon rather than a Kenyan born Moslem terrorist.
Which would be ironic. If Romney gets elected President, he would be the first nonXian president in a long time and he would be elected by the fundie xians.
Just wait until they unzip him…
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57408318-503544/ann-romney-well-have-to-unzip-the-real-mitt/
At every Ron Paul event I’ve been at, RP takes pains to stress his staid as born-again Christian. So Fuck this paultard. Mitt might be a hypocrite, but its always seemed that he’s a Mormon because he’s a Romney, not because he believes batshit crazy doctrine – a claim that is not at all clear for the other Republicans
Right – he’ll only pontificate about it.
I hired a guy in Salt Lake City once; he died. Before he died, he really wanted the job, mostly because he was an older guy and needed the freedom that my job would offer him. And I needed a Mormon. Well he told me a lot about the Mormon faith, more than he should have, probably because he wanted the job badly. I’m just a curious guy and had no ulterior motives. Well he told me a ton of shit that I consider to be just bat-shit crazy. Suffice it to say that any religion that only tells you so much until you “reach the next level”, is fucked in my book. Not to mention the fact that its founding principles are just fucking weird. Where’s the fucking golden tablet Mr. Smith?