Article VI Blog

Sure was a lot of Romney talk on The Corner yesterday. Of course that could have to do with the fact that NRO published a lengthy sit-down Q&A between K-Lo and the man. Almost no mention of religion other than Mormons celebrate Christmas just like the rest of us. I can attest to that, since I went to a Christmas party at Lowell's place last weekend. Right out of Norman Rockwell.

Lowell: I loved this exchange from that interview:

LOPEZ: Will an exposé on Mormon Christmas celebrations hurt you in the primaries?

GOV. ROMNEY: This may sound strange to some, but my grandchildren will be eagerly awaiting presents to be delivered to their homes by a bearded man in a red suit led by a pack of flying reindeer. The lead reindeer, by the way, has a red light bulb for a nose — certainly a YouTube scandal waiting to happen.

The K-Lo interview is highly recommended. I think it is the first response by Romney to the gay rights and abortion politics "flip-flop" questions that arose while he was in Asia.

By the way, I am occasionally asked by friends and colleagues whether Mormons celebrate Christmas. Suffice it to say, the question always takes me by surprise; Mormons are very big on Christmas– and from a religious standpoint. Anyone who knows anything about our faith knows this.

Anyway, in the conversation that followed, Rich Lowry thinks all the hub-bub on gay marriage, Log Cabin Republicans, etc, will pass without too much effect. Can I just say, I find it extraordinarily refreshing that the discussion is on issues, NOT religion? This is where it belongs. As Rich noted earlier in the day, all most people know about Romney is that he is Mormon. We certainly should know more than that about our candidates.

John Miller wonders points to polling that says McCain's age is as big a deal as Romney's religion. Which allows K-Lo to make a very funny joke.

Elsewhere, some guy in Utah tries to parallel Romney and Keith Ellison. This is where the idea of a "civil religion" and shared ethos matter. Keith Ellison seems to be a good guy, but there are a lot of people killing a lot of other people in the name of his faith - that is definitely NOT a part of the civil religion and shared ethos. I don't see that happening with Mormons, so the comparison breaks down pretty quickly.

Some staffing info.

Prominent Evangelical Richard Land joins the "On Faith" discussion on "Is America a religious nation?"

It is both inaccurate historically and inappropriate theologically to describe America as a “Christian nation.”

Historically, America was an attempt to establish a nation based broadly on Judeo-Christian values (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”) and Enlightenment ideas of self-government. In 1798, John Adams, the nation’s second president, said, “Our Constitution was made for a moral and a religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”

"Judeo-Christian values" is another excellent, if sometimes misused, term for the civil religion we have discussed here. Adams was no evangelical as we mean the term today, but he was, at least publicly adherent to the civil religion. [Lowell interjects: Like many of the Founders, Adams' religious views defy easy description. He was a religious man, according to his biographer David McCullough, and began life as a devout Congregationalist. He later became a Unitarian, a faith that in the 18th century seems to have been practiced quite differently than it is now. Adams also said: "The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity, let the Blackguard Paine say what he will."] It is those shared values that matter in matters of politics and government, not, as Land observes, matters of theology, liturgy, or sacramental practice. I have yet to find anything in modern Mormonism that does not comport with those values.

Brief Commentary Update: Since last weekend the Romney "flip-flop" meme has been run ragged. It's not really in the purview of this blog, but I just have to comment there is one heck of a difference between trying to hold two positions simultaneously (I was for the…, before I voted…) and changing one's mind. We should hope all leaders progress and refine consistently in their views. "Flip-flopping" is about trying to please everybody and having no actual position.

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