I ran into an article written by the LDS Church's Head of Public Affairs in the Washington Post responding the orignal article I've posted here on my blog ("A vote for Romney..."). Otterson's response on WP is worth reading--Here
But here's the original article on Patheos, a venue which claims "balanced views on religion and spirituality." Not only does the article present a shallow survey of christianity, religion and mormonism, it's an awkward collision between evangelical religion, government, and postmodern thought:
"Romney's Christian defenders often say that while the theology of Mormonism is very different from orthodox Christian theology, its social teachings on abortion, same-sex marriage, and a range of other issues are very similar. They sometimes cite Francis Schaeffer's concept of "co-belligerents." In pro-life battles and other battles, Schaeffer said, evangelicals should fight alongside Catholics, Mormons, and others who do not agree with us on theological particulars but do agree with us on social policy positions.
Weyrich ultimately repented of this view. Before Weyrich died in 2008, one of his last public appearances was to a small group of conservative leaders who were discussing whether to endorse John McCain for president after it became obvious that he would be the GOP nominee. Weyrich, though frail and bound to a wheelchair, said clearly and emphatically that he had made a grave mistake endorsing Romney, and essentially asked the social conservatives in the room to forgive him. For many of us, it was the last time we saw Weyrich alive."
The kicker:
"A Romney presidency would have the effect of actively promoting a false religion in the world. If you have any regard for the Gospel of Christ, you should care. A false religion should not prosper with the support of Christians."
What I posted: Not only does this call for political disenfranchisement smack sickeningly of Charles Lindbergh's infamous pre-WWII "Jew Problem" speech, the author somehow assumes he can appeal to a "Christian" community as if a unified Christian community even exists. Thousands of churches call Jesus a Savior and read his Book, but they can't come to terms on even the most basic tenets of his teachings, such as his corporeal nature, what he requires of people who want heaven, how to pray, who to pray to, who is "chosen" for the ministry, what sin is, when the Sabbath is, and so on. To exclude a sect such as Mormonism from the mainstream for being "demonstrably false" is to impossibly pit churches everywhere against each other in a competition of whose faith is the most "objectively true." What would the author say of a Buddhist candidate, or a Hindu, or Muslim, for that matter? He has painted himself into the lonely corner where he must reject all forms of worship and belief which do not fit into his own narrow theological framework, ultimately alienating himself from the Christians he wishes he could galvanize. In this article, the author "without charity" betrays his Christ; and with tyrannical slurs betrays democracy.
Patheos' (this venue) mantra: "Seek. Understand." Really?
A Vote for Romney Is a Vote for the LDS Church
