Today’s Reading List – November 2, 2006 | Article VI Blog

Late update by Lowell: This Scott Helman piece in the Boston Globe today is a must-read for anyone following the Article VI issue. In my opinion, Governor Romney is very smart to be having these meetings. We'll be posting more about this later.

The religious left continues to try and capture the religious vote. I hate the fact that they continue to set up a false dichotomy – social issues versus caring for the poor – the formulation makes no sense. First of all when it comes to social issues,we are fighting a defensive fight. Secondly, can't they be satisfied with what they have accomplished since the Great Depression? Thirdly, it's not an either/or proposition. This is so nakedly political, as opposed to born out of religious conviction, that it just makes me nauseous.

George Will considers the Republican '08 presidential field.

Dobson responds to Armey. Armey fires back. It sounds personal to this ear. It also strikes me as a battle over the fringes of the Republican party at this point in time.

A collection of essays on faith an politics. It's pretty left leaning, but I am a bit fond of the one entitled "Reaching the Liberal Next Door: Are conservative politics a barrier to the gospel?" as it makes a point that I have made many times. When we link our religion and politics too tightly by doing things like refusing to vote for someone of another faith, even when their stances on the issues are the same as ours, we close a door through which we can transmit the faith that we believe will bring the other to truth, life, and salvation. Doesn't sound very smart to me.

Yours truly has written a 4-part series on his Godblog about the word "cult" and how it relates to The CJCLDS:

Update from Lowell: I came across this provocative and relevant comment at GetReligion:

Wasn’t it Tom Wolfe who said “A ‘cult’ is a religion with no political power”? I think it’s against the law to call some religion a “cult” once its membership reaches one million (or two Senators, whichever happens first).

I agree, the word “cult” is unhelpful: whereas to Ev Prots it means “a religion that seems a form of Biblical Christianity but is not, by our definition”, to the average person it means “a religion that attracts and keeps adherents using force or fraud” (Kool-Aid, anyone?)

It is perfectly defensible for SoBapts to say, eg, “Paedobaptist Calvinism is within the same theological ballpark as we are, and Catholicism is in the adjoining ballpark, but Mormonism, despite its superficial similarities, is really a very different religion.” If they said that, rather than “LDS = a cult”, no one could really fault them.

Catholic politics in Michigan. A pro-abortion candidate is advertising in Catholic publications and sort of forgetting to mention the abortion stance. The post linked is pretty much a slam of the publication for taking the advertising. But what I want to know is where's the outrage that a candidate for political office would reach out and try to develop a network of supporters with a single religious affiliation? Where is the endless and breathless week-long series of articles in the Boston Globe?

Lowell adds: The penultimate and antepenultimate paragraphs of this Nation piece are moderately interesting. The article looks forward to the political demise of Senator Rick Santorum and suggests:

the movement that animated Santorum's ideology . . . is already looking beyond him for their next political host body. They are especially interested in outgoing Massachusetts governor and possible GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

"Political host body?" I'm afraid that's the sort of condescension and demonization that Romney can expect from the left as his campaign gains momentum. He has dared to take firm positions on moral-cultural issues, and the left will make him pay.

John comments: Actually, I think that kind of talk is a common view of the left towards any of the religious right – creedal or otherwise. Once again illustrating to this observer that we have more in common with Mormons in the political arena than separateness.

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