# Some fair questions for Mitt Romney about Mormonism **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 17, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419 "2010-04-17T00:45:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/381 "2010-05-10T04:08:23Z")
I am not demonizing anybody. I happen to think if a guy is a member of a church that believes in polygamy, and the mistreatment of blacks, women and gays, I have to wonder about his choice making. Like I posted earlier, Brigham Youngs great great grand daughter left the church because it failed analysis. In 1978 the leader of the Mormon church announced that god told him that it was time to admit blacks to the priesthood. The fact that the church was in danger of losing its tax exempt status of course is mere coincidence. Romney is a flip flopping ,self serving ambitious prick besides being a Mormon. I am from Michigan and had to put up with his dad. I served my time . If you are a Mormon I don’t care . It makes a difference., if you want to be president though. It makes a difference. Then I have to consider every thing I can find out about you. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/382 "2010-05-10T05:33:06Z")
The Mormon church was going to lose tax exemption over that? If so, why then does it, along with the Catholic and Orthodox churches, not face the same thing for not ordaining women? “Believes in polygamy”? Did you see the movie _Amazing Grace_? There was funny line in there uttered by the Speaker of the House when one MP used the term _Jacobite_. “Really, now. ‘Jacobites’? One would think you might update your invective.” Well, “Polygamy”? One might think you’d update your diatribes. After all, it’s just a _tad_ later than 1890, don’t you think? By the way, what about all those politicians who belong to churches that had no problem with their members holding slaves? ---
**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:** [May 10, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/383 "2010-05-10T15:10:03Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > By the way, what about all those politicians who belong to churches that had no problem with their members holding slaves? I’d be interested to see a quote from the past leaders of these churches. I’d like to see if racism was commanded by God in these “churches that had no problem with their members holding slaves?” And then I’d like to know how many followers of those religions in 2010 still venerate those past leaders as the Mouthpiece of God. Yes, we all understand that all of Christianity has an embarassing past. All religions probably have an embarassing past. Atheism probably has an embarassing past. What makes Mormons and a few others special in this argument is that they have not rejected the evil prophets of the past. Mormons today believe that Brigham Young led the LDS Church by revelation from God. He is as much a prophet as Joseph Smith. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/384 "2010-05-11T00:43:21Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Y’know, I tend to agree that there was a heavy tilt toard the Religious Right during Bush’s term, but if you aregoing to make accusations, it would help if you did not get all your facts wrong. > > Bush stuck his foot in his mouth by calling for a “crusade” against terrorists, thus irritating a great many Muslims who see the word as inappropriate for historical reasons, but Bush was quite clear from the first that there should never be a war on Islam or Muslims. You are twisting his typical lack of historical recognition and his tone deaf speechifying into something he never said. > > While Bush’s proposed Faith Based intitiatives were probably proposed with a naive hope that he could blur the separation of church and state, the actual Congressional authorizations that were passed were all written in keeping with the Constitution, (and really did not make much difference in the long run–Catholic Charities has been a significant government contractor, performing a lot of work at a cheaper cost than government agencies, for decades before GWB was elected). (I would agree that a number of the Faith Based outfits probably produced some harm with “abstinence only” counselling and such, but it never amounted to much more than a propaganda ploy that failed.) [George Bush's Global Crusade](http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivesep01/011016201.htm) The use of crusade was stupid. It caused an immediate and emotional reaction. It still has impact today. The fact that he was stupid enough to say it, gave many people around the world still more ammunition to claim America is trying to kill Islamic countries. You want to defend it on the basis he didn’t really intend to have a religious crusade, merely against Muslims from various nations. The fact that we attacked, Iraq, Afghansitan, and foray into Pakistan and Yemen is not being ignored. It added fuel to the fire. It has become part of the recruiting against us. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/385 "2010-05-11T01:05:20Z")
**Rhodes** and **gonzomax** , while I understand and somewhat agree with your concerns about religious believers as leaders of a secular nation in general, neither of you has demonstrated any reason to worry about Romney in particular. It’s not like he’s recently sprung full grown from the brow of the angel Moroni. He’s been around for a while. He has a history, in private business, as an organizer of amateur athletics, as the governor of one of the United States, and as a serious candidate for the nomination of his party for President. You’ve both been asked a number of times in this thread to define what precisely causes you to worry about him, and neither of you can do more than sputter, “He . . . he . . . he’s _Mormon_!” Is that all you got? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/386 "2010-05-11T04:00:53Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [George Bush's Global Crusade](http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivesep01/011016201.htm) The use of crusade was stupid. It caused an immediate and emotional reaction. It still has impact today. The fact that he was stupid enough to say it, gave many people around the world still more ammunition to claim America is trying to kill Islamic countries. You want to defend it on the basis he didn’t really intend to have a religious crusade, merely against Muslims from various nations. The fact that we attacked, Iraq, Afghansitan, and foray into Pakistan and Yemen is not being ignored. It added fuel to the fire. It has become part of the recruiting against us. I don’t defend it, at all. Nothing in my post can be construed as a defense of his “crusade” comment. I noted that it was the wrong thing to say and why. I was simply correcting your libel that > [@](#): > > Bush called for a crusade against Muslims. He did not. Your statement was wrong. I simply asked that you get your facts straight for a change. So now, you have misinterpreted what Bush said and you have misinterpreted what I said. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/387 "2010-05-13T17:18:56Z")
You are correct called for a crusade against terrorists. The terrorists come from where? What kind of countries was he referring to? You are correct that he did not specify Muslim countries. But they knew damn well who he was referring to. Ben Laden was pleased with the term, it fit into his recruiting mantra that the Christians are after them. Many middle east countries jumped on the gaffe. But did he reveal himself and his real beliefs with the use? That is what the Muslim countries had an easy sell of. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/388 "2010-05-13T17:36:20Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > By the way, what about all those politicians who belong to churches that had no problem with their members holding slaves? Did those religions exclude blacks from the priesthood into the late 1970s? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/389 "2010-05-13T23:02:20Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Did those religions exclude blacks from the priesthood into the late 1970s? And then only change because it was putting their tax exempt status in jeopardy. [http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic\_blacksandthepriesthood.html](http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic_blacksandthepriesthood.html) ---
**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:** [May 17, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/390 "2010-05-17T02:07:29Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > And then only change because it was putting their tax exempt status in jeopardy. > [http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic\_blacksandthepriesthood.html](http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic_blacksandthepriesthood.html) You love to say this but when queried about that comment you merely repeat it or, as in this case, toss up a blog instead of “getting your facts straight for a change.” So, would you happen to have something besides an “ex-Mormon” blog for that assertion of yours? Would you also happen to have an explanation of why the tax exemption status for the LDS, Roman Catholic, and the various Orthodox churches is not in danger for discriminating against women? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419/391 "2010-05-17T12:05:50Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > You love to say this but when queried about that comment you merely repeat it or, as in this case, toss up a blog instead of “getting your facts straight for a change.” So, would you happen to have something besides an “ex-Mormon” blog for that assertion of yours? Would you also happen to have an explanation of why the tax exemption status for the LDS, Roman Catholic, and the various Orthodox churches is not in danger for discriminating against women? The claim I always heard back in the day was that the 1978 Revelation was so that other colleges would play BYU’s basketball team. That was back when I was in high school, so we of course had a very clear perspective on the important issues of the day. _L_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-fair-questions-for-mitt-romney-about-mormonism/536419.md?page=19)