# Is the Romney candidacy an LDS Mission Call? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 22, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544 "2012-10-22T17:05:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/61 "2012-10-31T16:10:54Z")
Not possible? How so? Crane ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/62 "2012-10-31T16:26:41Z")
Nice try, Crane. Not going to work. How is what you asserted possible? And, while you’re about that merry dance, you might even toss up why you think the LDS church is a secret organization. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/63 "2012-10-31T16:30:25Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Interesting timing by an organization whose founder sought the Presidency. What’s the significance of October 22? How does lowering the age for missionaries affect female voters or anything else? ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/64 "2012-10-31T16:36:07Z")
Monty, We went over that in the posts above. Mission Calls are part LDS activity. Historically they have encompassed economic and political Missions. Joseph Smith ran for President as an LDS function. It is possible that Romney is on a Mission Call. Temple oaths and rites are secret. The upper chambers of the LDS organization are secret. It is a privately held corporation. So, how is it **“not possible”** that Romney’s candidacy is a Mission Call? Crane ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/65 "2012-10-31T16:37:53Z")
MG, It counters the image that LDS oppresses women. Romney is the current face of LDS to gentiles. Crane ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/66 "2012-10-31T16:39:59Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Temple oaths and rites are secret. The upper chambers of the LDS organization are secret. It is a privately held corporation. And if the Pope ordered an American Catholic to run for president, that would be announced publicly? > [@Crane](#): > > It counters the image that LDS oppresses women. So the LDS would be oppressive if slightly less than half of the people applying for missions were women, but it’s progressive if that figure is slightly more than half? How does that work? Why do you think the public at large is aware of this and why would the public care? The people who would be most interested in this _are other Mormons_. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/67 "2012-10-31T16:47:05Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > From the link: > > ““Slightly more than half of the applicants are women,” LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said Monday in a news release” > > That’s a press release by an official LDS spokesman. In the October General Conference, the missionary age was reduced from 21 to 19 for the women, and from 19 to 18 for the men. I wouldn’t be surprised if they immediately got thousands of applications from 20- and 19-year-old women and from 18-year-old men. So the Missionary Training Center is going to be packed with fresh missionaries, and a significant number of them will be women. What does this have to do with the election? ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/68 "2012-10-31T16:58:12Z")
MG, I am not advocating the position. There is a public perception that LDS is Patriarchal and therefore not woman friendly. Ask any gentile. Historically, the Pope would give such a Mission to a member of the church political structure. It is possible and, in the present political environment, it would be secret. The Pope never ran for President. J. Smith did - at a time when the political environment did not require secrecy. Crane ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/69 "2012-10-31T16:58:56Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > So, how is it **“not possible”** that Romney’s candidacy is a Mission Call? I’d say it’s certainly possible. It’s also possible that Mitt decided on his own to run for president. I can’t find a link, but I recall reading an interview in 2007 where Mitt described disclosing his intentions to top LDS leadership. According to the interview, he had their approval but not their explicit support and not a “mission call”. The 2008 campaign brought a lot of publicity to the LDS church, and not all of it is good. I don’t doubt that the majority of LDS leadership will be voting for Mitt, but the last 5 years of media scrutiny has probably done more harm than good to the church’s missionary efforts and member retention rate. Anecdotally, I walked away from Mormonism in 2009 partly because of topics that I first heard about in 2008 threads about Mitt. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/70 "2012-10-31T16:59:30Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > It counters the image that LDS oppresses women. No, it doesn’t. And no one cares. > [@](#): > > Romney is the current face of LDS to gentiles. He’s certainly a prominent Mormon but it hasn’t been much of an issue this campaign. So, you have one non-sequitor and one irrelevancy. Would you like to try for strike three? ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/71 "2012-10-31T17:00:51Z")
Rhodes, Thanks for the interesting and informative post. Crane ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/72 "2012-10-31T17:03:00Z")
That’s one more informative post than you’ve made in this thread, Crane. You should thank him. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/73 "2012-10-31T17:11:22Z")
Monty, Posts that have addressed the topic at hand are interesting and productive. Those that contain personal attacks are irrelevant and reflect negatively on the poster. Crane ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/74 "2012-10-31T17:27:10Z")
How about posts that have absolutely no basis in reality? You’ve advanced nothing but that in this thread and have been asked repeatedly to provide some sort of proof. How about it? Got proof? ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/75 "2012-10-31T17:30:23Z")
Monty, Of course not. The OP poses a question. However, you are ignoring LDS history. Crane ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/76 "2012-10-31T17:31:03Z")
Like hell I am. And once again: you are flat out making stuff up. Nice of you to admit that you have no proof, though. Took two pages, though. ---
**Author:** ![mtomm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@mtomm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtomm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/77 "2012-10-31T18:00:07Z")
I always love it when non-LDS people tell LDS people how their church works. It makes perfect sense. Yep. Ignore the fact that LDS members and former members are saying that this is pretty much fantasy thinking. I’d also like to see some proof. If they want him to be president they are doing a piss poor job of helping him win. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/78 "2012-10-31T18:11:55Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And once again: you are flat out making stuff up. That’s enough. This is becoming more personal than necessary. Please stick to discussing the facts and the arguments. “You are making stuff up” is more an accusation of dishonesty than an argument. ---
**Author:** ![mtomm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@mtomm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtomm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/79 "2012-10-31T18:15:41Z")
How about this from some “experts”: > [@](#): > > But experts and even church officials say Mormon officials are being especially cautious this year because of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign and the danger of their strongly evangelical faith becoming too closely associated with one party. > > This year, for the first time in decades, church officials didn’t meet at the start of the legislative session with Utah state lawmakers. > > “It’s the political climate we’re in. There was just too much over-interpreting,” said Michael Otterson, church spokesman. The OP is overreaching just like they thought would happen. Conspiracy theories are annoying and distracting from real issues. The LDS Church is trying to grow into a world-wide religion and become less of an USA-only church. Having Romney as president doesn’t help their cause considering so many of those other countries consider him a putz. > [@](#): > > Mormonism is also spreading overseas, and leaders are concerned about taking positions on issues that may seem parochial. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544/80 "2012-10-31T18:16:41Z")
So we have an anonymous poster, who’s history here only started once Romney officially declared for the race in 2011, posting inflammatory and non-supported “questions” about a conspiracy to elect the US president. His posting history contains repeated, incorrect assertions about the candidate, his religion, and politics. Could **Crane** be an political operative, tasked with fomenting confusion and distrust on orders directly from high in the Obama administration? It would consistent with the machinations of the secretive campaign. My post poses a question. However, you are ignoring Obama history. * * * FTR, I don’t believe any of that if it’s not obvious. But it is on the level of what you’ve posted so far. You have no evidence at all, just a poorly strung together series of misunderstood historic data, poor grasp of politics, and some vague distrust of the LDS religion. People have refuted your allegations and you dismiss their logic without explanation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-romney-candidacy-an-lds-mission-call/638544.md?page=5)