[hat tip to my uncle Tracy for providing a link to this article in an email]
In the United States, there are already a number of Mormons who have served and are currently serving in positions of political leadership. There is a general perspective that politicans, in general, cannot be trusted. But no one that I know of seems to be actively arguing that the Mormon politicians currently serving are less trustworthy because they are Mormon. Generally, they seem to be esteemed and respected as much as their non-Mormon political peers. If someone were to try to raise the question of whether a Mormon should be allowed to serve in the Senate or the House of Representatives, we could always point to the history books. This specific question was directly addressed (back in 1904) and largely settled by the Reed Smoot hearings. Consequently, Reed Smoot, also a Mormon apostle at the time, served as a U.S. Senator for about thirty years.
However, due to Mitt Romney’s presidential candidacy, some people are essentially revisiting this question by asking whether a Mormon can be trusted to serve in the nation’s most prominent political office.
Laura F. Miffly-Kipp’s article “A Mormon President?: The LDS Difference” is one of the most balanced and well-written pieces on the subject that I’ve seen so far.
The article does a good job of explaining how the LDS Church’s doctrinal teachings allow for it’s membership to possess a very diverse set of political views and points out: “One need only recall the vast territory separating Harry Reid and Orrin Hatch to glimpse the divergent ways that political life can be interpreted and expressed among coreligionists.”
She observes that George Romney (Mitt Romney’s father) was able to hold to his progressive views on civil rights and maintain his membership in the Church - even when a prominent LDS leader questioned and challenged his views.
In 1964 the elder Romney came under fire from the right wing of the Republican Party for his progressive views on race. He also bumped up against LDS Church officials: LDS apostle Delbert Stapley warned Romney that a civil rights bill he favored was “vicious legislation” that contradicted God’s “curse upon the negro.” Romney did not back down from his support of equal rights, despite obvious political and ecclesiastical pressure. The stance he took did not compromise his standing as a faithful Mormon. In keeping with Mormon commitment to individual discernment, Stapley included in his letter to Romney the acknowledgment that “I cannot deny you the right of your position if it represents your true belief and feelings.”
Miffly-Kipp also explains well how our Mormon history influences us to be loyal citizens while simultaneously maintaining serious reservations about the potential abuses of government power. She writes, I think accurately, that Mormons believe: “the nation is good and necessary, even worth fighting for, but it should never be confused with Zion or with the religious community.”
The article covers a lot of ground and I don’t want to quote the whole thing when a reader can simply click on the link and read it for himself/herself. In short, I think this article provides significant points that decisively demonstrate how it should be more than possible for evangelicals and others to trust (and even enthusiastically support) a Mormon political candidate.
1Roland on Sep 6, 2007 at 11:21 am:
FYI -
The last time that a presidential candidate’s religious upbringing was such a lightning rod for debate was in 1960. The candidate’s name - John F Kennedy - (Roman Catholic).
2Jill on Sep 7, 2007 at 9:15 pm:
very interesting!
3Candace E. Salima on Sep 10, 2007 at 6:57 pm:
Great post. Very interesting and I wonder if you would drop by my blog and join our LDS Blogs webring. I would love to have a blog of your quality included in our blogging community.
Thanks so much! Again, excellent post on Romney, religion in politics and differences and the freedom to have different opinions. I’m married to a man who used to be a Democrat and is now Republican. But he has held on to some pretty interesting ideas that I will never begin to understand. But I love him and he’s the best husband.
4Ken Howell on Sep 21, 2007 at 1:18 pm:
Okay, what’s the fuss over Romney and the Mormons? After a little research, this is what I found of their beliefs. Lions and tigers and Mormons - oh my! Oh, come on people. Heck, I would love to have neighbors like these.
The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.