Recently a Baptist pastor in Texas said that Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for President, is not a Christian. The assumption seems to be that if Romney is not a Christian, then he is not a good choice for president. So the media frenzy began, some saying he is a Christian, others that he is not. The question I’d like to see discussed is - “What difference does it make what faith our president is?” I was so proud of Colin Powel in the last election cycle. As he endorsed Obama he said:
“I'm … troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim; he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, ‘What if he is?’ Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, ‘He's a Muslim and he might be associated [with] terrorists.’ This is not the way we should be doing it in America.”
Thank you General Powell. But… before I get to the real question, let me address the presenting question: “Are Mormons Christian?” I would say that they are not traditional Christians. I believe that anyone who is baptized with water and in the name of the Holy Trinity is a Christian. But Mormons do not believe in the Holy Trinity. They believe that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three separate Gods. They may be right. But holding such a belief places them outside of traditional Christian faith and theology as affirmed by the Nicene Creed. Mormons believe they have restored the faith that Jesus originated and they base this belief on the Book of Mormon. I respectfully disagree that they have restored the faith. In my opinion the Mormon religion, while using elements of the traditional faith, is actually a new thing.
Now, what difference does faith make? I do not believe that faith is simply a private matter, that it applies only to personal morality. The faith we hold (or don’t hold) defines our outlook, public and private. The question to ask of candidates then is, how does your faith affect public policy? So, if you are Jewish it is fair to ask, “What is your view of Israel and of the United States’ support of Israel?” This, by the way, is also a fair question for evangelical Christians, whose theology dictates support for Israel. Also, if you are a conservative Christian, it is fair to ask you about your opinion on abortion and on women’s rights. This is a fair question for Roman Catholics too. If you are a liberal Christian I might wonder about your opinion on capital punishment or gun control. I might probe your opinions about capitalism, the wealthy and taxes. And on it goes.
Where Mormons are concerned I wonder about their understanding of the United State’s place in the world. Mormons believe that at the end times, Jesus will come again to this world and he will come to North America. (The traditional Christian view as expounded eloquently by Tom Wright, is that the entire creation will be renewed. Follow this link to read more. ) At any rate, how does the Mormon view affect the foreign policy outlook?
Mormons did not allow African Americans to be priesthood holders until 1978. The reasons for this are varied and one explanation is that people of color sided with Satan in the war in heaven that took place prior to creation, so that they were born into this world with dark skin. Have Mormons repented of what might fairly be called racism? Do they consider their now abandoned theology to be racist? How does their faith affect public policy where race is concerned? (Let me hasten to add that the record of traditional Christianity is nothing to brag about where racism is concerned.)
To this day women are not allowed to be priesthood holders in the Mormon Church. So, questions about the place of women in society are fair game. (I garnered some of the information about Mormons from a Public Broadcasting website. Click here for a helpful FAQ.)
At any rate these are the kind of questions I’d like to see where faith is concerned. Instead we have a Baptist pastor talking about cults and then saying he rather have a cult member as president than Obama, because Obama doesn’t hold true Christian values. Yes…in case you are wondering…God died, and that Baptist pastor has taken over. We may all be in trouble! At least that is the view from here.
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