There's a saying in the Mormon church that largely holds true. It certainly does with this weird Michael Moody. "People can leave the (LDS) Church, but they can't leave it alone."

Anyone can make anyone's beliefs look funny or even evil. Michael Moody just sounds "moody"!

There are many misunderstandings about the Mormon faith, Mr. Moody has highlighted a few of the anti-Mormon favorites. This article is hardly enlightening, instead of giving good solid facts it only serves to perpetuate inaccuracies. Great timing, I am a Ron Paul fan and know the media is against him, but surely Mitt Romney is #2 on their list.

I totally agree with diligentdave. Moody is obsessed. I can make even more destructive assinuations against Huckabee and the Southern Baptists. Their religion can be made to look just as conspiring and their members made to look even more naive and deceived than the Mormons. Huckabee's propensity to use the "brothers and sisters" of his faith to sway election results was clearly demonstrated in the organized way in which they mobilized their churches in Iowa. The tax status of those churches should be brought down due to the repeated instances of using churches and church vehicles to campaign. If a faith will keep their church out of the fray, as the Mormons seem to be doing, why don't we leave this stuff alone?

If you want to write about the Mormons, get your info from a Mormon! And... BTW what's so wierd about Mormons? Not any wierder than the Baptists teaching for the cradle (they have all kinds of materials that they use) and they teach ANTI Jehovah Witness, Christian Science, LDS, Catholic -- you name it they are the Anti-Anti's.

Religious bigotry is live and well! Give me a break! This Moody sounds like an excommunicated mormon. His word has no credibility. This is like an ex-employee telling how bad the company was before he got fired.

If you want to find out what the mormons actually believe go to www.lds.org

Emmaline:
"anti-anti's" LOL!!! I'll have to remember that, especially since I've lived with some of these types of Baptists. It's a shame, the bigots make the other normal Baptists look bad.

For what its worth, Mr. Moody has it backwards regarding "convert" vs "cultural" believers of a religion. Converts do not have an excuse - they study the religion and join with "open-eyes",(Mr. Reid), whereas cultural believers(Mr. Romney) adopt their parents religion. Although a cultural believer could become like a convert, (othodox in their beliefs), I have not seen evidence in Mr. Romney. In fact, the opposite, i.e, Romney was previously pro-abortion, a capitalist (mormons teach a communist-socialism theoacracy, i.e, Mr. Reid), and works on Sunday. Ok, there are other things that could point the other way. The point is, your own fears will grow horns on any human being, i.e., black-slavery, muslims, scientology, christians-roman era, witchcraft-dark ages, believing the world is round prior to its discovery, should I go on? Someone needs to pull people like Mr. Moody outside-in or is it inside-out. You got it, your perceptions become you.

For what its worth, Mr. Moody has it backwards regarding "convert" vs "cultural" believers of a religion. Converts do not have an excuse - they study the religion and join with "open-eyes",(Mr. Reid), whereas cultural believers(Mr. Romney) adopt their parents religion. Although a cultural believer could become like a convert, (othodox in their beliefs), I have not seen evidence in Mr. Romney. In fact, the opposite, i.e, Romney was previously pro-abortion, a capitalist (mormons teach a communist-socialism theoacracy, i.e, Mr. Reid), and works on Sunday. Ok, there are other things that could point the other way. The point is, your own fears will grow horns on any human being, i.e., black-slavery, muslims, scientology, christians-roman era, witchcraft-dark ages, believing the world is round prior to its discovery, should I go on? Someone needs to pull people like Mr. Moody outside-in or is it inside-out. You got it, your perceptions become you.

The shamefulness about this article starts with the media. It's as if they are searching for controversy not fact. Why else would you interview one that is obviously a "lapsed Mormon"? Controversy. Stirring the pot. Why can't we just ignore people that have no agenda other then drawing attention on themselves?

Emmaline:

"If you want to write about the Mormons, get your info from a Mormon!"

Exactamundo!

And if you want to learn about Communism, go to the writings of Joseph Stalin - no point in wasting your time with ex-Communists & non-Communists. They will only confuse the issue ...

Clearly Mormons do not believe the traditional Christian dogma established by Jesus and his disciples and the Catholic and Protestant (as well as Orthodox) Churches. Americans tend to want a President that is Christan because after all this is a Christian country right? God Bless the USA!

There are many things the Mormons will not tell you, because they take strict secrecy oaths to protect what goes on in the temple. I found out the hard way when my daughter converted. Her own parents were not allowed to attend the wedding, because we are not Mormon. She was not allowed to know beforehand what the ritual would be like or to ever talk about it afterward.

To really know about the Mormons, go to ex Mormon websites such as Recovery from Mormonism and ask people who have been there and will talk about it.

There is a certain saying the in Scientology Church; "People can leave Scientology but they can't leave it alone."

jmr862003,

Christianity as taught by Jesus and His disciples and the Catholics and the Protestants. . . and the Orthodox Churces? LOL. That's funny. You don't get the joke but I'm sure others will.

I left the mormon church and they sure can't seem to leave me alone.

Missionaries, home teachers, visiting teachers for my wife, bishop and his counselors come a calling. Thats not to mention my family that just cannot accept that somebody could leave their religion.

Yes, if only they could leave us alone...

To clarify a point. The question about Jesus and Satan being brothers has never been answered directly. From Mormon magazines and teaching manuals, including a manual to teach the youngest children:

(ElRay L. Christiansen, "Q&A: Questions and Answers," New Era, July 1975, 48-50)
"Can Satan or his hosts read our thoughts, and do they still have a knowledge of our pre-earth life, which would and could aid them in tempting us?"

Answer
The account of Satan, or Lucifer as he came to be known, is a frightening example of rebellion against God and apostasy from that which is right and good.

All of us, including Lucifer, are sons and daughters of God. Before we were born into mortality, we lived in the premortal state as spirit children of our heavenly parents. We were taught there the plan of salvation.

(I Am a Child of God By Elder Robert D. Hales of the First Quorum of the Seventy (Liahona 1978 November) (Friend March 1978))
Lucifer was one of Heavenly Father's most brilliant spirit sons.

(Presidents of the Church Teachers manuel Lesson 1)
When Heavenly Father presented the plan of salvation, he said, "Whom shall I send?" Jesus said, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27). But another of Heavenly Father's spirit children, named Lucifer, said, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27).

(Lesson 4: I Chose to Follow Jesus Christ," Primary 2: Choose the Right A, 16)
Point out that another spirit son whose name was Lucifer also wanted to be sent to earth to help us. He told Heavenly Father that he would come to earth and force all of us to do what is right. He wouldn't let us choose for ourselves. Lucifer wanted Heavenly Father to give him all the honor and glory.

You want accurate info on mormons? www.mormon.org.

Mr Moody is a sad puppy! If'n he's an excommunicated Mormon, then he likely has a beef with his Bishop and any Bishop (such as Romney) who likely had a hand in his excommunication. Sad......

Re Baptist Bashing: "they have all kinds of materials that they use." Yeah, that whole Bible thing. Wow. You got us. Huckabee-too liberal for the Republican elite and too conservative for any Democrat. Let's ban religion. It's not good for the bottom line and status quo. That whole Jesus thing just freaks me out. You know. Peace. Love.

When Romney went through the secret LDS temple endowment ceremony he would have taken the oath to observe the Law of Obedience and promised before God, angels and witnesses to "accept the Law of Consecration as contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, in that you do consecrate yourselves, your time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion." If Romney should be elected, would he view the US Presidency as something the Lord has blessed him with? Would he keep his sworn oath to consecrate that blessing to the LDS Church?

Mormons claim that theirs is the "one true church". Missionaries spend two years repeating Joseph Smith's claim that God himself had declared all other churches to be false, all an "abomination" before God and those who professed those creeds are "corrupt". Mormons perform proxy baptisms for the dead (usually without the permission or knowledge of the person's living relatives) To make the posthumous Mormons. Mormons do not permit non-Mormon parents to be present at temple wedding ceremony of their own child; forcing couples into making the people who love them to wait outside with broken hearts. Prior to 1990, the temple ceremony included a portrayal of a Protestant minister as a servant of Satan. Mormon doctrine still teaches that black skin & features are a punishment from God - the Curse of Cain.

Mormons whine about prejudice when their doctrines and practices are scrutinized and yet are unwilling to examine how they discriminate against others.

It is telling that the most animosty toward the Mormon church is from former members and non-members who live the the theocracy that is Utah.

Who said he was excommunicated?

Many people quit the Mormon church when they find out they have been lied to their whole lives about it's real history.

The church practices a particularly vicious form of shunning and spreads nasty rumors about anyone who dares to leave it.

A great website for some Mormon beliefs and Temple ritual can be found at: http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/resurrectwife.htm

Mr. Moody may have seemed bitter but only those who leave the Mormon church know what the experience is like. Mormons in general, are very self-righteous and are quick to defend their faith, all the while claiming to be Christians who "don't judge" others. Unfortunately, they judge heavily and make it a point to criticize anyone who has a complaint with Mormonism, even when those complaints are legitimate.

satan isn't somebody that has so much power that he just flared himself into being. Of course he was "created" or he'd be more powerful then Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father is in control, even of what satan's limited power can do to us. If that makes one think that Jesus and satan are brothers, so be it.

It's nice to see that some 'good Christians' are intent on judging who is 'Christian enough' or who belongs to a 'cult'. (www.mormoncult.org has some answers on the cult aspect)

I think that the more interesting point is not the LDS church's influence over Romney, which I think is negligible, but rather that Romney was a representative of this organization when it practiced racial discrimination with the justifications that Blacks were cursed collectively as descendants of Cain and Ham and individually for their conduct relative to other races in some premortal existence.

Unless, Akers also believes that opposition to racism is a "dirty trick."

Oh, and someone should Romney about the temple ceremonies that he participated in prior to 1990 in which ministers from other Christian denominations who received pay for their work were portrayed as being in the direct employ of Satan.

I am really tired of the Mormon bashing that has surrounded Mitt Romney's Presidential bid.

Romney has not run his campaign as a Mormon attempting to be our next President.

Unlike Huckabee who has run on the basis of being a Christian Pastor, Romney has run his campaign as a conservative attempting to be our next President who just happens to be a Mormon.

In my view, no one has the right to condemn or persecute anyone else for their faith.

Isn't this America and wasn't our Country was founded upon the premise that all Americans have the God-given right to practice their faith according to the dictates of their own conscience.

Anyone who violates this fundamental right should pack up their bags and leave this Country -- I can recommended several Islamic countries where this level of bigotry is acceptable.

According to my extensive research and by biblical definition (as opposed to nicean definition) Mormons are every bit as Christian if not more so than any other protestant/evangelical religion, including: Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Lutherans, Wesleyans, etc.

Didn't the Savior spend much of his mortal ministry condemning the Pharisees and Hypocrites. Perhaps we should spend some time studying his example and message of inclusionism.

Isn't it far past time for us to put aside our religious bigotry and get on with the process of nominating our next President.

The main problem going to a Mormon source for correct information on Mormonism is that these sites misrepresent, falsify or cover-up unsavory doctrines and embarassing history items. Most Mormons are either unaware of these factors that are negative to their current beliefs, or consider them to be of little consequence and "anti-Mormon". Can the "one and only true church" be true even if just one item which the church promotes as true is known to be false?

God shines his sun and rains his rain on both the good and the evil, and told us to love our enemies, not just our friends.

As a Mormon, I think we should focus on following Christ, in this one thing at least if we can't agree further, and dispense with personal and institutional and petty theological attacks.

Let Jesus decide these details when he comes again. No need to judge for him if he hasn't given you that authority. If you disagree yourself, disagree for yourself, not for me.

This doesn't mean we should spend our lives in ignorance, but the scriptures teach us to ask God if we have a troubling question, not people who point the finger of scorn. He could have said ask your minister, but not all ministers are right, either, let alone do they disagree.

Also as a Mormon, I can tell you I was there as a spirit when the Council of Heaven happened, but I can't remember it, so I have no business FORCING my version of pre-Adam history on anyone or TAKING FLAK from others who also can't remember it. (Two sides of the same coin.)

The basics from a Mormon perspective are that Adam and Eve had to fall from the presence of God to become wise, but that a way back had to be prepared for them, and that was Jesus Christ, but the way back had to be voluntary or it would not mean anything. Jesus was chosen from the beginning, probably before the council ever happened. Nevertheless, the Father asked who he should send and two choices came up, one that would respect the freedom to of moral agency and one that would force us to go through life spotless, perhaps without even falling or maybe Lucifer imagined infinite abortions--who knows. But he would get all the glory whereas Jesus said he would give the glory to the Father. A war ensued, in which a third of the host of heaven followed Lucifer and were cast out of Heaven by the power of God, never to receive bodies. They had rejected their first estate and would not be given the opportunity to receive another. Lucifer became the fallen angel Satan, empowered to tempt man for the period of this life, if man would let him, but subject to the ultimate power of God.

You can present this story in its full glory, which undoubtedly reflects a great loss of detail, or you can present it in a mocking way, as some do. To me it glorifies God and helps complete my understanding of the meaning of life. If we "keep our second estate" by doing our part here, we can inherit "all that the Father has" as a joint heir with Christ. We will have done our part, and Jesus will have done the rest, opening the pathway back to the Father, bridging both sin and death as some put it, through his suffering and the power of the resurrection, by which we are brought back into the presence of God to be judged.

What people like Moody are really doing is questioning the authority of those who received or continue to teach these revelations, with insufficient evidence to prove one way or the other. If God doesn't confirm it to you, you have insufficient evidence to make an honest stand one way or the other.

Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, not blessed are the troublemakers. I kind of wish he had said blessed are those that listen to the peacemakers, but that should be implicit. Jesus of course, was the Great Peacemaker.

I am waiting for the first example of how Mitt Romney's interpretation of his obligations as a Mormon entered into his governance of Massachusetts and/or his business leadership career.

Anyone???????

Why is this news?

Perhaps they should ask this question: If Jesus was not part of a great, preordained plan, why was he prophesied of and looked forward to hundreds, even thousands of years before his coming? From a Mormon perspective, on two continents?

Ok, so now should we dispute and tear apart all of the other bloggers religions?

Should we start with the Baptists,
or the Jehovah Witnesses,
or the Pentacostals?

Where should we start?

Isn't this the way that Christ would handle things?

Didn't he try to find ways to hate? Try to divide?

If you are a Christian, isn't this what you are supposed to be doing?

So, which religion should we attack next?

All religions have issues, let's dissect, trash, and abuse the doctrine and the people --- for Jesus.

When we are done, let's remember that we are just acting like Christians. I mean, isn't that really why we do the things we do?

I have some comments to this Mormon's spiel:

Isn't this America and wasn't our Country was founded upon the premise that all Americans have the God-given right to practice their faith according to the dictates of their own conscience.

>No one has said that Mormons can't practice their religion. At least not since Joe Smith was booted out of Illinois, back in the 1800s. He and his followers were booted out because the men practiced polygamy (and pedophilia with some of the underage brides).

Anyone who violates this fundamental right should pack up their bags and leave this Country -- I can recommended several Islamic countries where this level of bigotry is acceptable.

>Its not 'bigotry' for a religion to define itself. Its telling the truth. Mormonism is counter to many important, basic, biblical doctrines. Mormonism is hinged on this: Was Joe Smith a prophet under inspiration or not? Was all of the church doctrine, from the carefully studied and parsed New Testament, wrong for 1700 years?
Were all who did not accept polygamy damned eternally? Last but most important, were Jesus Christ and the rest of the apostles lying when proclaiming His deity?

According to my extensive research and by biblical definition (as opposed to nicean definition)

> Ah, here is the caveat', the Nicean Creed (and every other creed from the early church!)

Mormons are every bit as Christian if not more so than any other protestant/evangelical religion, including: Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Lutherans, Wesleyans, etc.

>Uh, no. Mormons are Mormons. They use alternative scriptures, they use Christian words and alter their meanings, they teach polytheism, they have also repudiated the very foundation (polygamy) that old Joe Smith and Brigham Young said was essential for salvation, not to mention for populating your new planet in the universe!

Mr Mormon: is your church eternally damned for repudiating the prophet's teachings or was your prophet wrong (or a liar)? In Israel they stoned false prophets for one wrong prophecy!
Shysters like Smith and Charles Taze Russell founded churches with doctrines that were totally unique and opposed to Christianity...by its very definition!

I am a Mormon and a believer in Jesus Christ. I try to live the 10 commandments and the Beatitudes. I love my wife Pam of 25 years and my two sons very much. I also love my country with all my heart. I have been to Omaha Beach and have seen the tears in my young sons eyes when he realized the cost of freedom in our land. Mr. Moody is flat out WRONG.
1.Our Temples are not secret, they are sacred to us. Prior to their dedecation thousand and thousands of people from all religious backgrounds are invited to visit during the open houses. In Sacramento prior to the dedication of the Temple there some 175,000 people visited and tour the inside of the Temple.
2.Our 12th Article of Faith says "we believe in beign subjectt to our political leaders and in honoring and sustaining the law".
3 The Mormon Church is offically neutral on all political matters. The President of the Church never tells a member what to do politically. Look at the difference between Harry Reid and Mitt Romney, can you imagine two more politically differing opinions? Obviously these men are not are not getting marching orders from the same source because they totally oppose each other.
4. I go to the temple with my wife almost monhly. We worship God there and renew our marraige vows. There is no Blood Covenant.
5. Look at the Mormons you know. In general,are they not some of the best people you know? They love their families and they are Patriots for this Great Country.
6. First and formost Mormons believe in Freedom of choice or Agency. We believe that all men are endowed with this right from the creator. If God gave it to us in the begining, why would he ever take it away. Christian theology teaches about the struggle between God and Satan for the Agency of man. God want all men to have liberty or freedom while Satan wants to force and control all mankind. It is unconsciencable that such a lie could be told about my faith.

Jesus said "By their fruit ye shall know them".

Think of Mitt Romney, he has been faithful to his wife and his family. He love his country. He is a great Patriot who represented the country with honor during the Olympics.

Come on America lets unite on our common Christian faith not be full of venom and hatred for Mormons, Catholics, Baptists, and Protestants of all denominations. Lets focus on what unites us and remember that many have fought and died for this great land and its liberty including many of ALL of the religious of those churches I just mentioned. Please, I love this land I love and honor Jesus Christ, the true author to our liberty.

Tim Russert's interview with Mitt Romney reminded us that Romney has changed positions on major issues including abortion, same sex marriage and gun control when he found it expedient to his presidential bid, causing many of us to question the use of his statement, "Americans do not respect believers of convenience". The loyalty he expresses to the faith of his fathers seems appropriate in that this deity has also flip flopped on major issues. In 1890, the LDS god forbade the practice of plural marriage after decades of telling followers that the only way to celestial exaltation was via the doctrine of polygamy. He apparently changed his mind again in 1978 when he revealed to his prophet that Blacks would now be eligible to hold the priesthood. This revelation came after more than a century of doctrine that taught Negroes were cursed with a black skin because of their iniquities in the pre-existence, and could never hold the LDS priesthood.

Some voters may overlook a few of Mitt's foibles but with increasing disclosures about the LDS faith, it's easy to understand why, in recent polls, most of the nation would not vote for a Mormon president. Had his church opted to explain doctrinal flip flops as simply the correcting of human errors in church doctrine, then one might understand, but to claim divine revelation for these changes suggests that this Mormon god, like Romney, is terribly undecided and subject to philosophical change with every shift in the political winds.

Romney claims that he will be independent of his church's leadership.

He keeps telling us that the LDS leadership (including his now deceased cousin Marion Romney) respect the separation of Church and State and encourage independent thought on all matters spiritual and civil.

But there's a problem.

The LDS prophets have always taught that there is no separation between the 'spiritual' (i.e. religion) and the 'temporal' (everything else).

Ezra Taft Benson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Taft_Benson ) the leader of the Mormon church from 1985 to 1994 repeated these teaching in absolute clarity.

"FOURTEEN FUNDAMENTALS IN FOLLOWING THE PROPHET
BY
ELDER Ezra Taft Benson
February 26, 1980

...

Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter--temporal or spiritual.

Said Brigham Young:

Some of the leading men in Kirtland were much opposed to Joseph the Prophet, meddling with temporal affairs... .

In a public meeting of the Saints, I said, "Ye Elders of Israel.... will some of you draw the line of demarcation, between the spiritual and temporal in the Kingdom of God, so that I may understand it?" Not one of them could do it....

I defy any man on earth to point out the path a Prophet of God should walk in, or point out his duty, and just how far he must go, in dictating temporal or spiritual things. Temporal and spiritual things are inseparably connected, and ever will be. [Journal of Discourses, 10:363-364]

Tenth: The prophet may be involved in civic matters.

When a people are righteous they want the best to lead them in government. Alma was the head of the Church and of the government in the Book of Mormon,
Joseph Smith was mayor of Nauvoo, and Brigham Young was governor of Utah. Isaiah was deeply involved in giving counsel on political matters and of his words the Lord Himself said, "Great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 23:1). Those who would remove prophets from politics would take God out of government."

Benson goes on to say:

"Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency--the living prophet and the First Presidency--follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer."

As for the idea that Mormons are free to follow their own best reasoning in 'spiritual' matters, Benson quotes a previous LDS President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, N. Eldon Tanner,

"The Prophet spoke out clearly on Friday moming, telling us what our responsibilities are... .

A man said to me after that, "You know, there are people in our state who believe in following the Prophet in everything they think is right, but when it is something they think isn't right, and it doesn't appeal to them, then that's different." He said, "Then they become their own prophet. They decide what the Lord wants and what the Lord doesn't want."

I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow. When we decide that there are some of them that we will not keep or follow, we are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not to follow the Prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep. [In Conference Report, October 1966, p. 98]"

Full text of the speech is reproduced here -> http://www.lds-mormon.com/fourteen.shtml

In response to Ron Barker -

I'm quite sure that there will be members of the Mormon Church who will hear the Savior say depart from me I never knew you. I'm equally certain that there will be members of the Mormon Church who will hear their Savior plead their case unto the Father.

I'm quite sure that this will prove equally true for members of virtually all evangelical Churches. Some will be told to depart from the Savior's presence. Others will kneel at the feet of the Savior and will have the privilege of hearing him plead their case unto the Father.

I truly believe that one of the key differentiators will be the extent to which we pattern our lives after the teachings and examples of Christ.

Part of his example was one of inclusion. Inclusion for the jews and gentiles alike.

Didn't the Pharisees also believe that they were the only ones whose beliefs and traditions were correct. The Savior offered stern warnings unto the "Scribes and Pharisees" calling them hypocrites. Perhaps a careful, prayerful study of Matthew 23 would be appropriate.

Flipper:
Are you a Mormon? I am. We separate politics from forced religion (unlike some other running candidate(s).

We do not encourage a candidate to preach from the pulpit, and we honor the taxfree laws. Mitt Romney told the world how he would conduct himself and serve America, and that is just what he will do. You don't know what you are talking about, and you put comments on blogs that are out of context.

Being an American President requires that you represent all faiths, and that is what Romney said he would do, and that is what my church encourages. Romney is running for the office of President, not as your Preacher -- look to Mike Huckabee for that.

AND, you should be concerned about Huckabee for he continues to muddy the water between his candidacy and his religion. Have you seen Romney touring Mormon churches and telling the crowds that they are God's army and that they need to do this for God? No. And before you make a snide comment that we don't follow God (NOT!, we do: www.mormon.org) you need to remember that this is not the forum for running for President.

We need someone who represents more than our values (which are important), we need someone who can lead, accomplish what they say, grow our economy, correct health care and education, tackle illegal immigration, etc.

There are too many faiths in America to be exclusive to one, and that is basically how Mormons feel a Mormon President should act. Reread Mitt's address on Faith in America.

What a sorry piece of journalism coming from one of the nation's great newspapers.

Note: This comment comes from a 60 year male member of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" living in Salt Lake City.

This is from Rush Limbaugh:

Iowa is a caucus; it's a weird setup. New Hampshire allows independents to vote in the Republican primary, which is why McCain is doing as well as he is doing, and it's why the media want this to be a bellwether against Romney. I mean, Pat Buchanan came in second. He came in a very strong second in New Hampshire in 1992. Now, I'm not saying that these contests are not to be taken seriously here, and that they're not to be fought and to be won, but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. New Hampshire is no longer the conservative barometer it used to be. The state has changed, it is now quite liberal. A lot of people who used to live in Massachusetts have moved into New Hampshire to escape New Hampshire's high taxation and other problems. New England generally the northern states, states like Iowa, is not where the conservative base resides in large numbers. The Drive-By Media would love to destroy the conservative coalition. They would love to destroy the conservative base to the Republican Party. That's why they are promoting Huckabee; it is why they are promoting McCain.

160,000 hits a day on a site that illustrates for all the prevarications that are Mitt's life blood:

www.exmormon.org

I was there and it seems the reporter or her editor heard every other word. So much for accuracy in the media! For the real story, visit www.therevelationpress.com

I'm not interested in attacking anyone, but if you want to know what it is really like to grow up in the Mormon church, check out my blog: http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/?p=75

In my opinion, the faith and covenants of Mitt Romney is exactly a reason the American people should vote for him. Everyone seems to worry that Mitt Romney would take orders from the President of the church when in fact, it is the other way around. Joseph Smith himself wrote:

"We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men show respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker." Doctrine and Covenants 134: 5-6

President Hinckley and all of the members of the leadership of the LDS church made covenants to obey the commandments and uphold the law. If Mitt Romney is elected President of the United States, then these leaders would be responsible for upholding the law, under which President Romney would have leadership. President Romney would then be accountable to God for his actions and his alone.

President Hinckley and the church leadership have responsibility for the spiritual affairs of the church, not the running of any government, especially this one.

How many other candidates have made sacred covenants to uphold the law, to have honor and integrity, to be faithful to ones wife and family, and to be honest in their dealings with their fellow man? It is exactly those covenants that will ensure that President Romney will lead our country with fairness, honesty and integrity.

In response to Meso. First of all, the mormon religion never taught that those of African descent would never be able to hold the priesthood. In fact the opposite was true. Growing up I was taught that they would be allowed to hold the priesthood someday, and sure enough that happened. The early mormons in Missouri were driven out of the state in part because of their abolitionist views and their call to freed slaves to come and join them in Missouri. Why can't people just agree that they disagree when it comes to religion, why must we personally attack and demean. That's the kind of behavior that gives Christians throughout the country a bad name, and certainly is not representative of the Savior's teachings.

It's sad but many of these anti-Mormon and anti-Mitt comments are all hypocrites. There is too much ignorance here because many of you have your heads stuck where the sun don't shine. Mood should move on with his life and don't look back. Be a 'don't worry be happy guy.' How can you learn the truth by going to an anti-Mormon site? And if you don't trust the Mormon site, go to God and pray until you have an answer. Don't quit even if you continue to pray for 7 days. And if you don't get an answer, then give up all your possessions and live like a monk. The fact is that all relgions have issues in their past. So, instead of attacking another person or another religion, why don't you go and do something positive for others?

I am a lapsed Mormon. I can trace my ancestry back to the pioneers who came to Utah with Brigham Young. I went to college and never went back to the church. I left because the rules of the Church were not my cup of tea. The only affect it had on me is that I did not see my father remarry. I met him outside the temple for pictures. That did not bother me in the least.

This is the first time I have really looked back at it in over 20 years and I am sickened. Not by what the Mormon Church has done, but the attacks on it. I respect the people who are in this church, and find nothing that would make me wary of one of their members being President. After all, it is not Mitt Romney that campaigns from the pulpit of his church, it is Mike Huckabee. He is a member of a church that has published such works as "Mormonism Unmasked" that promised to "lift the veil from one of the greatest deceptions in the history of religion". http://www.slate.com/id/2180391

If these attacks were on Judaism or Catholicism, they would be denounced for being the anti-American bigotry that they are. Freedom of Religion and Assembly are 2 of the hallmarks of this county, if you do not like a religion, do not go, it is what I did.

One last point, I am very much a libertarian. I have voted Republican in every election since 1980. If the Republican Party wants to put up Mike Huckabee as it's standard bearer, I will vote for someone else just as I will vote for someone else when the primary comes to Maryland.

Are we still on the issue of Mitt Romney's Faith? Apparently if the Washington Post will keep fueling the fire by publishing articles about the moromn faith, then people will keep pushing the topic, way to go washington post, join the ranks with Moody in telling his bigoted story!

There probably is alot better coverage of the Presidential elections that can be found Mary Ann, seems to me that the article seems a little desperate just to find dirt on Romney and to keep the anti-mormon sensation running high. Tired of candidate mud-slinging, Akers clean the mud off of your own hands and quit perpetuating the religion issue, we are voting for a President not a pastor or mormon leader!

To find out about a cult, you do not ask current cult members. They are brainwashed. You need to ask an ex-cultist, right?

To find out what Mormons believe, do NOT ask a Mormon. they do not know. Go to exmormon.org. former bishops, stake residents, and others tell what it is really like.

Great idea Bonnie. If you want to know what people are really like, go to their enemies. No doubt you'd recommend that someone doing research on African-Americans go to the KKK for the best insights.

As to Mormons becoming gods--the term for this is "theosis" and it's actually an ancient part of Christianity. The Eastern Orthodox to this day believe it. Check out Wikipedia under "theosis." The article also has a more accurate statement of Mormon belief than anything you're likely to read on a born-again site.

If you read the article on Luther in the footnote, you'll also find that Luther preached Mormon doctrine: "In an early (1515) Christmas sermon, Luther notes:
As the Word became flesh, so it is certainly necessary that the flesh should also become Word. For just for this reason does the Word become flesh, in order that the flesh might become Word. In other
words: God becomes man, in order that man should become God."

Luther, by the way, also tried to introduce polygamy among the Germans, using exactly the same arguments for it that Joseph Smith used. Luther was able to perform one polygamous marriage before popular oposition made him back down.

Since I assume anti-Mormons consider themselves "good Christians," they believe in the "Golden Rule." Therefore, they want Mormons to discredit and ridicule their churches as they do the "Mormons."

Don't Baptists believe Mother Theresa was the spirit brother of Hitler?

Didn't the recent president of the Southern Baptist Convention have to leave his church position for adultery? (About the same time the Mormon president was at the White House receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award for years of disaster relief services given to America and the world.)

Don't Evangelicals believe that if a "saved" member murders a Mormon child, the Mormon child will automatically spend eternity in hell while the murderer will go directly to heaven?

Don't evangelicals and other "historical Christians" believe in the Jesus of the Nicene Creed and not the Biblical Jesus and his church: apostles, prophets, one lord one faith one baptism?

Don't evangelicals believe that you can't add to the Bible because it says so at the end of Revelation? Yet, when John's Revelation was written the Bible was not yet compiled for another 200 or so years.

Don't Evangelicals believe that only God should judge people? Apparently not, since they believe all "Mormons" automatically go to hell.

Aren't Evangelicals good Americans who support the Constitutional right to freedom of religion? Apparently not, since they are so quick to trash "Mormons."

Since I assume anti-Mormons consider themselves "good Christians," they believe in the "Golden Rule." Therefore, they want Mormons to discredit and ridicule their churches as they do the "Mormons."

Don't Baptists believe Mother Theresa was the spirit sister of Hitler?

Didn't the recent president of the Southern Baptist Convention have to leave his church position for adultery? (About the same time the Mormon president was at the White House receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award for years of disaster relief services given to America and the world.)

Don't Evangelicals believe that if a "saved" member murders a Mormon child, the Mormon child will automatically spend eternity in hell while the murderer will go directly to heaven?

Don't evangelicals and other "historical Christians" believe in the Jesus of the Nicene Creed and not the Biblical Jesus and his church: apostles, prophets, one lord one faith one baptism?

Don't evangelicals believe that you can't add to the Bible because it says so at the end of Revelation? Yet, when John's Revelation was written the Bible was not yet compiled for another 200 or so years.

Don't Evangelicals believe that only God should judge people? Apparently not, since they believe all "Mormons" automatically go to hell.

Aren't Evangelicals good Americans who support the Constitutional right to freedom of religion? Apparently not, since they are so quick to trash "Mormons."

Mitt Romney learned how to flip flop from the Grand Master of all flip-flopiest of flip floppers...the Mormon/LDS church.

Mitt and the church will tell you the church doesn't get involved in politics, however the LDS Church most certainly does get involved in politics (e.g., Prop 22 in California) even though they tell the media otherwise, because they don't want to lose their tax-exempt status.

Many LDS members have a persecution complex and cry how unfair that "intolerant bigots" make Mitt Romney's religion an issue in his candidacy, even though it was Mitt himself who made his religion an issue from the start and with his asinine comments like "Freedom requires religion". It's astounding these LDS people don't see the hypocrisy of their words when then church is intolerant of:
- Gays
- Other religions and churches. The LDS Church claims "We are the ONE TRUE CHURCH on the earth." History well documents the Mormon church claimed the Catholic church as "The wh*re of the Earth".
- Historians have been excommunicated by the church for publishing books based on actual events in Mormon history
- Black males, who the LDS Church has long said (and still says) were "descendents of Cain and less than valiant in the preexistance" as the reason for not getting priesthood until 1978
- Couples in interracial relationships. Current leaders in the LDS hierarchy have spoken out against interracial marriage. Brigham Young even preached such couples should be put to death.
- and on and on

It's ironic how the LDS Church wants others to be tolerant of their intolerant faith, yet they'll turn around and battle if you even question their history, believe in a different God (or no God), or have a different view of civil rights.

I can't believe so many people believe all these fairy stories about adman and eve and lucifer. (And I have to say it worries me that potential Presidents buy in to this. It shows a complete lack of intelligence and understanding about the history and development of humanity)

Mormans, Jews, Fundametalist Christians, Muslims etc who believ in the literal truth of their holy books are naive.
The strories contained in their holy books are the equivalent of a religion designed for kindergarden children.

I can understand uneducated people consuming it word for word but in the 21st Century it is surely time to grow up.

Do you not understand that these sort of stories are prevalent in all religions and cultures and that they are MYTHS not fact.

Myths are very powerful and the stories can help you understand certain universal truths but please try and get your head round the fact that tales of great floods and Noah's Ark etc are just apocryphal tales that are useful learning tools in the road of life.

As I said, grow up and get real.

Bby all means use the stories and parables to help you get closer to the truth of your own soul/spirit and its relationship to whatever God you believe in but please don't vote for people who believe that archetypal myths are actually real events.

It is too scary having the world's most powerful nation controlled by such crass and shallow sheep. You need a leader not a follower of fiction.

Romney bashes "secularism", even though it was secularism that has protected this great nation from becoming a theocratic backwater that stifles economic development, technology, medicine, human progress, and yes, even spirituality.

Anyone who believes Romney's statement of "Freedom requires religion" should ask a refugee from Afghanistan or Iran how they feel about that description?

To find out about something read both sides of the argument. In the case of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints they will not give an honest and open account of their church history, church doctrine or finances. They prefer the old adage: "Milk before meat" for "investigators"- those potential converts into the church. I found in my study of the church that the milk was sour and the meat rancid.

I've found the following sites very useful in gaining a realistic view of the church: http://www.exmormon.org/, http://home.teleport.com/~packham/ and www.i4m.com/think.

"If you want to write about the Mormons, get your info from a Mormon!"

So, if you want to know about Communism in Cuba make sure all your information comes from Fidel Castro?

I don't think so. It's best to get your information from all available sources to know what's really going on.

Underneath it's carefully micro-managed exterior Mormonism has a lot of beliefs that most find strange. Mormon foundational beliefs have huge problems in their historical accuracy. Mormons argue you need the milk before the meat - just another sign of the cult that it is. I understand Moody's frustration, however I don't know if he chose the best means of expressing it.

Here is my favorite Mitt video.It says everything you need to know about Romney.
http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=akyJYeBVbuM&rel=1&eurl=&iurl=http%3A//img.youtube.com/vi/akyJYeBVbuM/default.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskIIDoATJkAwkFe5JjnEPmYC&

if it is "one of the more questionable" "dirty tricks this season" why would you validate it by reporting on it? the media are shameful

Mr. Moody is an embittered excommunicated apostate of the LDS church. If anyone would like to really learn about what the church believes, please visit lds.org or mormon.org. (By the way, there are no "blood oaths" to the church).

http://nowscape.com/mormon/mormcr1b.htm
The blood oath is a part of the tradition. Here is a good link to the ceremony. Joseph Smiths brother was a mason and the rites were
"borrowed" by the LDS Church.

Bryce writes:
'By the way, there are no "blood oaths" to the church'

Perhaps not now, but Mitt Romney would have performed the appalling temple ritual summarized below:

"Each priesthood has two "tokens, signs and penalties" (only three penalties were actually stated, and in 1990 even those three were eliminated), which the patrons are given in sequence as part of their initiation. Each token also has a name which must be learned.
...
The execution of the Penalty was represented by placing the right thumb under the left ear, the palm of the hand down, and by drawing the thumb quickly across the throat to the right ear, and dropping the hand to the side."

http://home.teleport.com/~packham/temples.htm

Am I correct in assuming that if you're a "no-name," nothing you say has any value and you deserve to be ignored? I don't know who this guy is - neither do you, which I suppose is the point - but please! Are we so celebrity-obsessed that we can't admit that the little people might occasionally have a relevant point to make? And face it, while we're all so busy bending over backward to be culturally competent and religiously tolerant, we can admit that Mormonism has many way-out beliefs and a not-always-squeaky-clean history. Cult? I don't know. But are the Native Americans really the descendants of the evil tribe that made endless war against the righteous tribe, as described in the Book of Mormon? Hmmmm.

Wow! Well, bigotry is as bigotry does and this blog was never intended to educate anyone about Mitt Romney or Mormonism. It was clearly intended to inflame and give voice to religous bigotry and to serve as an appeal to demean a specific candidate - oh, and just coincidently to get the issue back out there just before the New Hampshire primary. The shame here is on the Washington Post and Mary Ann Akers. Had Ms. Akers printed a similar gnome from some idiot about whether a black american could properly serve as president, the Wash. Post would have rightfully and immediatly have taken her blog down - while Ms. Akers profusely apologized to the likes of the Rev. Sharpton. This blog is nothing more than a continuation of that not so innocent appeal to bigotry that began with Mike Huckabee. If that is the leadership you want, vote for Mike. I'm for Rudy -- the non-practicing Catholic.

I find the bitterness of born-agains towards Mormons very strange. It's not the sort of emotion that one would typically consider "Christian." I have talked to a lot of Catholics over the years and find that they don't get nearly as worked up (of the over 700 anti-Mormon groups in the US, only three are run by Catholics, the rest are born-again projects). The born-again eagerness to send 99 percent of humanity to Hell for eternity also strikes me as distinctly un-Christian. Mormons may not believe your religion is true, but we don't believe you'll go to Hell over it.

I also find the paranoia a bit strange. This weird claim that we are hiding something. All the fundamental documents that born-agains use to critisise the Church are freely available at either BYU or Deseret Bookstores.

Do you want a copy of the original text of The Book of Mormon? It's there. In fact, if you want to see every change made to the text since it was a manuscript, BYU even publishes a four-volume edition with all the changes listed in the apparatus. Do you want Juanita Brooks "Mountain Meadow Massacre"? It's there. Faun Brodie's scholarly attack on Joseph Smith ("No Man Knows My History")? It's there. A copy of any of the texts that Joseph Smith supposedly plagerized in writing The Book of Mormon? Check out BYU Bookstore. I was just home on leave from Iraq for a few weeks and stopped by BYU bookstore. They're still selling "Dialogue" and "Sunstone," two journals frequently very critical of the Church.

In other words, if you wanted to write a scholarly critique of the LDS church, you would come to us to get your basic materials. So what, exactly, is being hidden?

Granted, most Mormons know zip about their history or doctrine, but long experience tells me that is equally true of Catholics and Protestants. I've lived in Moslem countries for the last six years and I think I can also fairly say the average Moslem knows little or nothing about his own religion other than the commonplace hand me downs that form the religious background of most religious people.

That said, I have pretty much read most of what has been written on Mormon history and doubt that we have much more to be disturbed about than, say, Protestants or Catholics, whose own histories are not altogether an unmitigated example of Christian living. Nor do you secularists get off. The secular governments of the last century (Nazi Germany, communist Russia and China) don't really support your argument that man without religion is a vast improvement over homo christianus.

Yeah, we wold be in big trouble if we ever elected a "non-"christian" as president of the United States...Oh wait, we already did that with Thomas Jefferson, and that turned out okay, I guess.

Poor Melanie. If you'd actually read The Book of Mormon, you'd find that the two major groups are both portrayed as at times noble and other times wicked, rather like people in real life. Those American Indians who descend from the Lamanites have nothing to be ashamed of. The Book of Mormon provides them a proud history.

That's what bothers me about the born-again posts I read. They're a mixture of profound ignorance and active imagination about a religion that has almost no resemblance to what I as a Mormon believe and practice.

Yes, I'm aware of our history, probably more so than anybody who has posted on this site. I wish born-agains would at least take the time for a little research beyond the perfervid shelves of their local "Christian" bookstore before they make statements accusing millions of people of deception. If the Church were the kind of weird conspiracy your paranoid minds have cooked up, it would have collapsed long ago.

Lacrima you said "Those American Indians who descend from the Lamanites have nothing to be ashamed of. The Book of Mormon provides them a proud history."

It's amazing that there are people in the 21st Century who believe that the American Indian descended from Israel...as the Book of Mormon points out.

Despite extensive DNA research that clearly shows no Semitic DNA whatsoever...and that native Americans are the decendents of people who migrated to North America from Siberia via the Bering Land Bridge approx. 10,000 years ago.

Now the LDS Church is changing what the Book of Mormon says about this, because it doesn't jive with science...despite their claim for 180 years (and yours in this post) that Native Americans are "Lamanites" decended from Israel.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oYAiKTHoxVI

The Prophet Joseph Smith went through many great trials in his life. One time, you may recall that, when he was in Kirtland, Brother Behunin came to him and said, "Brother Joseph, many of the brethren have left the Church, and not only have they left the Church, but they have turned against the Church and become some of our most bitter persecutors. I will never leave the Church, but if I do, I will move out in the country and buy a little farm somewhere, and I promise you that I will never turn against the Church."

Joseph said something that was very prophetic. He said, "Brother Behunin, you do not know what you will do. When you join the Church of Jesus Christ, you leave neutral ground forever behind."

Before you says "You need to read the Book of Mormon"...let me state that I have. As a student of LDS Seminary, missionary of the LDS Church who served a 2-year mission, and a graduate of Brigham Young University I know what the Mormon Church's stance is.

After years of study and thoughtful deliberation, it pained me to come to the stark realization that the LDS Church is not what it claims. It's dogmatic claims fall apart in the face of objective scientific scrutiny. I also feel the Mormon leadership is disingenuous and extremely judgemental and harsh not only with other faiths and lifestyles, but also with it's own members. For these reasons, last year I resigned from the LDS Church along with my wife.

Lacrima, It is you who needs to do a little study on Mormonism. The church is now telling it's people that the American Indians aren't necessarily descended from the "Lamanites" of old...DNA testing has proved that idea false. The recent change in the introduction to the Book of Mormon now reads - among the ancestors of American Indians - instead of the principal ancestors of the American Indians. Yet another flip flop from your church. You are not so aware of your church history as you proclaim to be.

I hesitate to talk about the temple, but Bryce's comments are another example of that born-again ignorance that has been demonstrated so often in this series. The ritual he refers to has never been known as a "blood oath," but is rather a simple promise to put our duty to God above our own lives, something along the line of the early Christian martyrs. It's a promise that Bryce and Melanie's spiritual ancestors gave mine several opportunities to live up to.

The term "blood oath" is not really tightly defined, but probably refers to a promise made by many members in the first few generations after Joseph Smith to take vengeance on his murderers. That bit of anti-sociality is long gone and I doubt that any Mormon now living has direct experience of it. In fact, the Church has long ago reconciled itself with Illinois and Missouri, where many of the early persecutions took place.

So, it is correct to say that there is no blood oath in modern Mormonism.

Those who really want to know what Mormons believe about the temple as opposed to what born agains believe we believe can get a copy of Boyd K. Packer's book on the temple--lots of pictures and a surprisingly detailed statement on the ceremony. You can also go through any temple before it is dedicated. Enough are being built these days that the opportunity should not be hard to come by.

Some lunatic came into a news room ranting and raving and this made the Washington Post? Why is this news?

BTW Meso, you are ignorant of the Book of Mormon. There are several tribe's stories in the Book of Mormon, not just one from Jerusalem. The DNA stuff you use as your "proof" of your point is just silly to those who know the book.

As for trying to stir the pot on a campaign about blood oaths, Romney trying to make everyone Mormon, etc. Yeah, that makes lots of sense. Last time I checked, everyone that came to the Olympics in 2002 and the state of Massachusetts during Romney's term became Mormon. Yes, that's how it all happened. It's all a conspiracy. And yes Romney used the focus of all of the media during his faith in America speech to convert everyone too. Yes, that is his secret plan. Get real!

The Washington Post really does a diservice to it's readers when it publishes things like this as newsworthy. It's like reading the National Enquirer.

Ah, Meso. I have read all those things. Early members of the Church believed that history of The Book of Mormon encompassed all of North and South America. Most modern Mormons believe that its history is confined to a small part of Central America. That change was brought about by scholarly analysis, not by any official action of the Church and hardly counts as a flip flop. I doubt if you believe all the things about the Bible that your born-again ancestors once did.

As to DNA, it hasn't proved anything. DNA testing is rather more complex than you think. If you have the intelligence to follow up on it, go over to Dieneke's Anthropology Blog (http://dienekes.blogspot.com) which publishes abstracts of a lot of DNA studies. You'll see that for a number of reasons it will take a fairly substantial effort to say anything about your subject.

Keep in mind also that, although born agains say that the ancestors of The Book of Mormon peoples were Jewish, the book itself states quite clearly they were not. We have no real idea what they were, except Middle Eastern with probably an admixture of Egyptian blood. Likewise, the original stock of settlers consisted of around 30 people whose DNA would quickly have been diluted by intermarriage with locals, whose existance, despite the early rhetoric of the text, is also demonstrated in The Book of Mormon.

As a born again, you're used to popping off with the first thing that comes into your head. Do a little study and you'll see that DNA studies will bring you little solace and don't offer much of a challenge to Mormonism.

Isn't it strange that so many people in America are so critical of religions except Islam which is totally foreign to religions in America and believes anyone who is not a believer or convert of Islam, is an infidel? And I would imagine all those so critical of religion and concerned about Mitt Romney being Mormon would probably have no problem with a Muslim president. I can't believe all this hoopla about his religion when we have another evangelical christian like Huckabee, using religion the same as Bush has done,and the media is calling him sincere, touching, moving and in touch with people.

What political discourse of any value is provided by this article and the ensuing comments?

Mr. Moody's criticism clearly has no basis in, nor association with policy or the issues of the campaign. Further, this list of 75 comments is only evidence of deep-seated animosity by those who are opposed to Mormonism and rabid defensiveness by those who favor it.

Linking this religious side show to the political process does our country no favors. It only obscures the issues and distracts normally clear-thinking Americans from the factors that are most important in choosing the candidate they will support.

It is a shame that there is a double standard with regards to a public official's personal life. The media and the public accepted President Clinton's claim that his personal life was his own business when he was unfaithful to his wife and dishonest to the nation regarding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Yet, we can't leave alone Governor Romney's personal religious convictions which are equally personal, yet more predictive of honesty and fidelity than President Clinton's actions. Let's give Governor Romney's personal life the same respect we gave President Clinton's.

For the good of the future of our country, please let us spend our valuable time investigating and understanding the issues that face our next president, and who will provide the best solutions.

I watched a PBS documentary the other night which highlighted life in a 2000 yr old Monestary...I thought THAT was wierd. ;-) Pretty much every religion has it's own unique 'wierdness'. Anti mormons who have been raised as orthodox Christian just can't 'get' the fact that their religion is based on years of political discussions. (ie Nicean Creed) If that's the requirement for a true Christian religion, then Christianity may not be for me!
:-P If I recall, Jesus left the 'mainstream' religion and dogmatic practices of his time & created a new law. And if I recall, he didn't form a government commitee to clarify his doctrine.

I prefer the quote "organized religion is for the weak minded" as evident by the above ramblings (blogs) of the insane. Can't you see the divisiveness that religion has created?

Elder George! Aren't you a fine one--a burnt out Mormon taking out his frustrations on those of us who are still quite happy in the Church. The fact that you still refer to yourself as Elder suggests just how troubled you really are.

I, along with many other Mormons, believe that relatively few modern Indians are descended from the Nephites. That belief was not brought about by anything the Church said. It's the result of a close analysis of the text. I fail to see how better understanding a document suggests that the document is false, although maybe that works from a born-again point of view.

You guys sure don't seem to put much thought into anything. I remember a few years ago "First Things" reviewed a book called "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind." Turns out there is no evangelical mind, something the reviewer couldn't deny, although he seemed to think it impolite to say out loud.

As to your years of study. do you think you're the only one who has studied? I spent, I'm embarrassed to say, 14 years in college studying literature, history, law and languages. And I still believe Mormonism is true, as do many others who have deeply studied it. We are not quite the ignorant sheep you born agains like to claim.

You claim that Mormonism falls apart in the face of scientific scrutiny. Every secularist on this site would say the same thing about religion in general. What's your point? That I should give up my own thoughts and studies and blindly accept yours? That would be sheepish, wouldn't it?

I've met plenty of burnt out and bitter Baptists, but the Baptist Church thrives just fine without them. Likewise for the Catholics. You and your ilk who hang around the anti-Mormon sites really prove nothing except that life is full of shipwrecks. I'm sorry for you.

Mormonism has given me a wonderful life. A great wife, a good and loving family, friends everywhere I go and doctrines that lift my mind out of the muck of modern life.

I have attended Church for a month or more in 40 different LDS congregations in a dozen different countries. Everywhere I go, I see happy, loving people whose lives are being changed for the better, who have a deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ and a determination to live by the principles He taught.

That's the Mormonism I know and love. If I were to give it up, what do you have to offer in return except for the bitterness and paranoia that seems so typical of the born again postings I see.? That's not much of a trade, my friend. I think you were cheated.

Mary Ann...

I guess we can all be accused of not remembering the high aspirations of the educational institutions which provided us so much opportunity in this world. I'll be the first to admit that I probably also fit in that group.

However...

You state that you graduated from Guilford College on your personal link.

http://www.guilford.edu/about_guilford/

At the above link it states:

"Guilford College draws on Quaker and liberal arts traditions to prepare men and women for a lifetime of learning, work and constructive action dedicated to the betterment of the world."

One of the listed traditions included:

"a values-rich education that explores the ethical dimension of knowledge and promotes honesty, compassion, integrity, courage and respect for the individual"

However this tragic piece of journalism on your part strikes me as quite sad. Not only does it provide a inappropriate outlet for the subject of your article, but it also leads to "yellow journalism" on the part of the Washington Post.

I would suggest that "constructive action"
was not served to either party...the subject of your article or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Silver Fox 801-947-0818

This guys is a joke. The BYU Cougar Club isn't some tight nit religious organization, it supports the sports programs at BYU...and even that many years ago, could've had hundreds/thousands of members. The school itself currently enrolls 30,000 students and even back when Mitt was there...had to have been around 15-20,000...and he knows him because he was the valedictorian? Ugh...what joke.

I think that was the whole point of the article don't you? - To cause devisivness during the campaign and keep people focused on the things that divide us and not recognize that those differences are really our Nation's unique strength. Of all the freedoms we enjoy, freedom to have differing views when it comes to religion is among one of our Nation's great strengths especially to be able to have those differing religious views among our nation's political candidates and public officials.

TM, if organized religion were for the weak minded, you'd have a hard time explaining why so many great minds have participated in organized religion.

Secularists somehow think they can foist all of mankind's sins onto religion and then bask in the innocence of thier own atheism. I would think that recent history would embarrass them somewhat. We've had several devoutely secular governments that have produce more blood and devestation than religion ever managed.

Years ago when I lived in the Congo, I worked awhile with chimpanzees, our putative closest relatives in the animal world with whom we seem to share over 98 percent of our genes. Turns out they are violent, bloody savage animals (but cute). I'd suggest that the violence of humanity is inherent in our genes and that religion has little to do with it.

So watch out my secular friend. Despite your cockiness, your genes are little different from mine.

Debrar,

That's total BS and you know it.

When the Bish stands up and says, there's an election coming, these are our values, this is what we believe, Candidate #1 agrees with those values and Candidate #2 doesn't; that's an endorsement from the pulpit -- plain and simple.

The Prophets tell us that no one can draw a line between Church and State.

The Prophets tell us that we must never substitute our judgment for theirs.

What part your own Prophets words don't you understand?

>There are too many faiths in America to be exclusive to one, and that is basically how Mormons feel a Mormon President should act. Reread Mitt's address on Faith in America.

Have you no shame?

You know that Mormonism teaches that they are the ONE TRUE CHURCH.

You know that Mormonism teaches that all other churches are in apostacy.

Milk before meat -- that's the way to get your message out.

I've participated in the lessions. Don't bother telling your lies to people who know the truth.

Does Romney have a rapid response team of Mormons ready to attack anyone who questions his religion? Mormons statistically are not a large percentage of the population but they sure pop up in a lot of comments. Just wondering...

My concern is due to friends I know who have been shunned by the Mormons. One was the descendant of the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. If you don't tow the line, you're shunned. This can be a very powerful tool, as Mormons are extremely family oriented. Who would risk being shunned by their family? It's a concern about Romney. I see far more politions willing to buck their church leaders (Catholics, for example, on abortion) than I see Mormons doing it.

All I read in the story is a violation of the US Constitution. There IS NOT supposed to be a religious test. All I hear about Romney and his candidacy is an ongoing RELIGIOUS TEST.

You just got to love all those "strict constructionist" evangelicals VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION!

I'd suggest that anyone with questions about the origins of the LDS church to read Fawn Brodie's excellent biography of Joseph Smith. This book is old, but still in print and it posits that Smith was a real snake-oil salesman and charlatan. Brodie was raised a Mormon, I believe, and also left the church.

Meso,

You misrepresent why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has changed positions on Polygamy and giving the priesthood to people of black ancestry.

First, polygamy was given up by the LDS Church because the United States declared war on our church and officially made polygamy illegal in the United States. The United States then began confiscating LDS property, imprisoning our leaders, and taking away our political rights.

The LDS Church was given a choice, either continue to practice polygamy and have everything confiscated by the United States or submit to the laws of the United States and give up polygamy.

The prophet at that time, explained the choice our church faced in a General Conference that is a meeting for all members of our church. I quote:

"The question is this: Which is the wisest course for the Latter-day Saints to pursue--to continue to attempt to practice plural marriage, with the laws of the nation against it and the opposition of sixty millions of people, and at the cost of the confiscation and loss of all the Temples, and the stopping of all the ordinances therein, both for the living and the dead, and the imprisonment of the First Presidency and Twelve and the heads of families in the Church, and the confiscation of personal property of the people (all of which of themselves would stop the practice); or, after doing and suffering what we have through our adherence to this principle to cease the practice and submit to the law, and through doing so leave the Prophets, Apostles and fathers at home, so that they can instruct the people and attend to the duties of the Church, and also leave the Temples in the hands of the Saints, so that they can attend to the ordinances of the Gospel, both for the living and the dead?"

We may still believe that polygamy has a place somewhere in some circumstances as the prophets in the Bible who practiced polygamy indicates, but the LDS Church chose to ban polygamy because the practice was declared illegal by the United States and one of the principles of our faith as espoused by Joseph Smith in the 1830s is that we will obey the laws of the land. As a Mormon, I simply accept that God will reveal at some point, in this life or the next, how polygamy fits in with His plans. I will then be left with a choice of whether to obey His plans or not.

It is fine if you don't agree with the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But, if you study Christianity or religion very deeply, I believe you will find that our beliefs offer the best explanation for our existence, God's plan for us, and what has occurred since Christ's resurrection.

If you don't agree with my faith, that is fine. We can all still work together to promote healthy families, remove discrimination, and elect the best possible public servants even if we don't go to the same church.

Some would have you believe that to learn about the Mormon faith you only need to hear from within this church alone. There are still a few practicing Branch Dividians in Texas and others who escaped and left this Religion. Who would you wish to get your information from if wanting to join this particular group?

This article makes me laugh, the real issue here is not Mitt it is not the Mormon faith it is Michael Moody and his personal choices.

There are really one two ways that people leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One is to request it, the second is to break the rules that are clearly spelled out.

It is no different from a person who chooses to drink and drive. By this point in our country every one knows drinking and driving is wrong yet people still do it. Likewise in the LDS church a you have to make a choice to act in a certin way.

It was Mikes choice and he is mad becasue someone set a rule that he did not like and he choice not to live by. Keep that in mind the next time you listen to an angry person who was once a member of the LDS church. Oh did he even both to mention why he is not a member, no because it would show what type of person he is.

Meso,

Regarding giving the Priesthood to people with black ancestry, the best explanation I have been able to find is that we adopted the practice of other "white" churches at the time. Joseph Smith actually gave the priesthood to some blacks and gave them more rights than most "white" churches at that time. However, while he was working on translating the Book of Abraham, he had some questions about the descendants of Ham who married Egytpus and were seemingly denied the priesthood by Noah. After this time, the church seemed to no longer give the priesthood to members of our church that had black ancestry and it became policy at some point. In the 1800s and 1900s, this was consistent with most churches. There is no formal revelation or explanation in our scriptures that explain why this change occurred.

The only official statement I can find regarding this subject is when the Apostles of our church fasted and were united in prayer to God about whether the policy should be discontinued in 1976.

Our leaders indicate they all felt inspired by God that the practice should be discontinued. Our Church then changed the policy in 1976 and again began giving the priesthood to members of our church that had black skin or black ancestry as Joseph Smith did initially in the beginning.

I also don't agree with the practice of discimination regarding who can hold the priesthood or not based on the color of their skin. But, even in the Bible, God only allowed some people to have the priesthood. Only the tribe of Levi were able to hold the Levitical or Aaronic Priesthood of all the descendants of Abraham. I don't understand why this is nor do I know if my church not giving the priesthood to blacks was correct. But, I'm glad the Apostles of my church were willing to fast and pray and change the policy of my church based on the answer they received. Whether the policy was incorrect to begin with or whether my church took too long to change the policy, I will ask God when I die to find out.

I am just glad that the United States of America has been setup to empower people to use the power of democracy to erode the evils of discrimination against anyone that has a just cause.

It is fine if you don't agree with the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But, if you study Christianity or religion very deeply, I believe you will find that our beliefs offer the best explanation for our existence, God's plan for us, and what has occurred since Christ's resurrection.

If you don't agree with my faith, that is fine. We can all still work together to promote healthy families, remove discrimination, and elect the best possible public servants even if we don't go to the same church.

I'm a Mormon church member. I think its time for my church to get over our last iota of racism. Its time for us to denounce the Book of Mormon. Its racism teachings are disgusting. The idea that God would give dark skin to people for being wicked is absurd. So is absurd the idea that God would give white skin to people for repenting. Its also quite bigoted to associate dark skin with loathsomeness and white skin with delightsomeness. Its time to speak out against those shameful phrases in the Book of Mormon. I just hope that those who are offended for this continued racism will forgive us for this shameful arrogant racism history.

Religious controversy has no place in a political campaign, but I would like to point out that Webster's Dictionary simply defines Christian "as a person who believes in Jesus Christ and follows his teachings". That commonly accepted definition is entirely consistent with "Mormonism" as shown by even the most superficial examination of Mormon doctrine, including that taught in the Book of Mormon, which Mormons accept as another testament of Christ along with the Bible. Mitt Romney certainly qualifies, if anyone does, based on his stated beliefs, and demonstrated good character and lifestyle. Certain bigots have for years spread the big lie that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not believe in Jesus Christ. That's like saying the Pope is not Catholic. But if you repeat a lie often enough, apparently some ignorent people will believe it. The undeniable truth is that the LDS Church has always worshiped Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and Savior of the world. Every prayer, sermon and ordinance in the LDS Church is offered in the name of Jesus Christ. In fact, Mormons go so far as to try to emulate the Savior, and actually live their lives (imperfect as they may be) in accordance with His example and teachings. Mormons don't preach for money either. (Maybe that's what peeves greedy televangelists and back-biteing "evangelicals" so much.)
No self-appointed "expert" has the right to arbitrarily redefine Christianity according to his own wisdom, so as to exclude the vast majority of those who humbly believe in Christ and seek to follow Him. Let God judge what's in our heart, not man. And let the voters judge a candidate on character, courage, competence and judgment, not private religious beliefs.

What's shameful about this re-hash of months-old pseudocontroversy is that the WaPo warmed it over on the morning of the New Hampshire primary. Shame on the WaPo for printing this!

It seems to me that there are a lot more glaring defects to Romney than his religion. His espousal of torture as an 'effective means of information gathering' is inexcusable. His appointment of Blackwater's Cofer Black to his advisory staff is one more disqualifier. If Romney were elected, Black's presence would be a glaring conflict of interest. Blackwater's chairman Prince has shown a strong desire to attach himself to the federal government. (And its shown incredible benefits on the balance sheets so far.) We must not let this happen. We cannot allow the US which is already overrun (if not completely controlled) by the military industrial complex to also fund private mercenary armies. A Romney administration will simply become act II of the Haliburton /Cheney story, only the cast of characters will include Cofer Black and Blackwater. I think this whole religion thing is a dodge. It will distract the public using a rather innocuous issue in order to prevent Blackwater from getting any press. Wake up. Blackwater has no motivation to end the war. Romney thinks we should double Gitmo. Should someone with such a disregard for 'self evident' truths be allowed to take the presidential oath of office?

Flipper and TM,

Just how deep does the paranoia go? I've been an active Mormon for 56 years and have never had a bishop even suggest how I should vote. Can you name one that has pushed his congregation in a certain direction? I doubt it.

Even back in the days when Church leaders got more involved in politics, they were often on opposite sides. The most famous case was the debate whether or not to join the UN. The then-president of the Church was on one side of the question and his first counselor, JR Clark, on the other.
Prophets are not slavemasters and I'm not sure what evidence you can come up with to suggest they are.

As to your dismay that we believe we are the true church, you certainly believe we are false, so you must believe something else is true. Having discovered that, should I now react to you with disgust and paranoia? I sometimes think you people need to be on meds.

As to milk before meat, that's how most teachers work, unless you were one of those geniuses who walked into kindergarten and sat down to a calculus text. Somehow I doubt it.

And dear TM, exactly how is the descendent of a director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir supposed to act in order not to be shunned? Should he walk the streets humming hymns and waving his arms? I want to know so that if I ever find someone musical in my past I'll know what to do in order not to get kicked out of my congregation.

My wife and I both come from large LDS families, some of whom have gone inactive. They come to our homes and they don't smoke or drink. We go to theirs and don't sing hymns or leave religious tracts on the kitchen table. It works out quite well. Suggest it to your friend.

As to your suspicion about the Mormon response team, there aren't so many born agains in the US either, but you guys seem to hang around any site that offers a chance to bash Mormonism like so many blow flies around a new born calf. Should I befrightened? Will I be safe leaving my room tonight? Give me a break. What kind of mental world do you people live in?

The only reason I'm here is that I'm stuck in a hotel in Jordan waiting for a C-130 to take me back to Iraq. I'm bored, so I thought it might be fun to enter the world of born again paranoia, the Twilight Zone of Christianity.

Akers,

Thank you for perpetuating bigotry and ignorance in our society. Perhaps writing for a tabloid would suit you better. Hopefully, intelligent people will see this story and Moody's opinion for what it is--trash. Perhaps next week you can post lies about the Jews, and then the following week perhaps you could do the same for Islam, or Buddhism etc.

Utah seems to lead the nation in depression and young adult suicides. I believe that much of this might be related to people finding out about the history and truth of the Mormon religion.

Those who are devoted adherents of the faith are more likely to break off relations with any family or community member who decides not to continue to believe.

This lead me to believe that there are plenty of Mormons who might not believe in the faith but continue to follow because of the negative consequences of leaving such a tight knit group.

I have often wondered if this defense of the faith is similar to those with Stockholm Syndrome as these people might not really believe in what this religion believs but certainly are going to defend it on behalf of the one's they love.

Alex,

You're living proof that not all the idiots on this blog are born agains. The color divide in The Book of Mormon has nothing to do with race. If you've actually read the book, you'll be aware that both parties are descended from a common father and constantly refer to each other as brother throughout the book.

The situation is analogous to 19th century England, when the pale upper classes despised the sunburnt lower classes, who spent all their time in the fields