From Whence “The Question”

Monday, The Washington Times ran a piece on what role "The Mormon Question" will play in a potential Romney run. It was interesting in who it talked to. It talked to two academic Mormons in Utah, including Robert Millet, whom I cited Monday, Craig Bloomberg, a creedal seminary prof, cited here before, and the Communications Director of the California Republicans.

Interestingly, the creedal and political types said it might be a problem, the only ones that said it was a problem were the Mormons. This set me to wondering.

It is common for oppressed groups to fear oppression constantly, to watch for opression diligently, and to sometimes see oppression where it does not really exist. This is obvious in watching the politics of the Jews and Blacks. (Note this fascinating piece about a possible Black governor for Massachusetts - the state Romney currently serves). The fact that a group like the NAACP still exist and have power is testament to a fear of oppression where none exists anymore.

This does not mean that there are not anti-Semites or racists in the country, of course there are. However, these people have ceased to be influential in public discourse in any serious fashion.

Mormons surely share a history of oppression in the United States – their settlement in Utah was a flight from same. Which leads to what I am wondering. Could the certainty of Mormon scholars concerning "The Question" as compared to the simple acknowledgement of a possibility amongst others be a function of the natural response to a oppressive history?

I think this is an important question strategically. If Mormons want a Momon president, they should be positive and assured, and in my opinion, let "the other" raise "The Question." Otherwise, all they do is plant "The Question" in the minds of others that might not have asked it. Which would make Romney's current approach pretty smart.

Lowell responds: Yes, Mormons are sensitive to oppression. Here's the interesting part of that phenomenon: The sensitivity was on the downswing until about 1980, but has had a resurgence in the last 25 years. I don't remember any such sensitivity among Mormons when I was growing up in the late 50s and the 60s, and certainly not in the early 70s. When George Romney was the GOP front-runner in 1967 and 1968, his Mormonism was a mere footnote to his candidacy. Now, when his son is planning a run, that's all anyone talks about. In the 80s, when Reagan was president, his administration was full of Mormons. We found that we fit right into the conservative movement. Orrin Hatch even had a hand in the creation of Christian Voice.

What has happened since then? I can only report from my perspective. Also in the 80s Mormonism began to be subjected to attacks — from some quarters of creedal Christianity– that can only be described as vicious. This was surprising and painful to us. We did not know what to make of it or why other Christians would savage us that way. A movie, "The Godmakers," was one of the more painful examples of this resurgent persecution of Mormons. All of this prompted Richard Mouw of the Fuller Theological Seminary to say, on November 14, 2004:

"I am now convinced that we… have often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of the Mormon community. Indeed, let me state it bluntly to the LDS folks here this evening: we have sinned against you.The God of the Scriptures makes it clear that it is a terrible thing to bear false witness against our neighbors, and we have been guilty of that sort of transgression in things we have said about you. We have told you what you believe without making a sincere effort first of all to ask you what you believe…Indeed, we have even on occasion demonized you, weaving conspiracy theories about what the LDS community is 'really' trying to accomplish in the world."

Mouw has further comments here, in response to creedal Christians who were unhappy with his statements. A little more background is here.

I am not raising this as an attack on anyone or as a defense of Mormonism, but rather as an explanation of modern Mormon sensitivities. It got to the point that when many Mormons realized the Olympics would be in Salt Lake City, they worried that the intensity and visibility of the attacks on their faith would increase. Many have expressed to me the same worry about a Romney candidacy.

Observers of good will– creedal Christians or not– need to bear in mind this current hyper-sensitivity, and the reasons for it. John is probably right: Mormons tend to fear The Question will be a problem. Of course creedals tend to believe The Question will not be a problem. What else can they be expected to say? "Yes, I think creedal Christians will have a problem voting for a Mormon?" To make such a statement is to indict an entire class of committed Christians. No one wants that statement to be true; it's by no means clear that it is. I personally don't think it is.

My own view is that John is right: Mormons need to be positive and assured. We've been thorugh a bad time recently, but the overwhelming majority of people do not bear us ill will. As "The Question" attracts attention and discussion, its significance seems to melt away. But Mormons should not be the ones raising it. It is clear that Mitt Romney understands that.