It’s still vacation time for Article VI Blog, but we will offer a few thoughts about the possibility (which some consider quite likely) that John McCain will select Governor Romney as his running mate.

If Romney were still in the race as an active presidential candidate, what impact would the Texas controversies over the polygamous FLDS movement had?  A poll conducted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Church”) revealed some interesting possibilities:

• More than a third of those surveyed (36 percent) erroneously thought that the Texas compound was part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or “Mormon Church” based in Salt Lake City
• 6 percent said the two groups were partly related.
• 29 percent correctly said the two groups were not connected at all
• 29 percent were not sure.

In addition, when asked specifically which religious organization members of the polygamous group belonged to:

• 30 percent said “Mormon,” “LDS” or “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”
• 14 percent said “FLDS”
• 6 percent said “Mormon fundamentalists”
• Nearly  half (44 percent) were unsure

As John might say, had Romney still been in the race, it would have gotten ugly.

Now ask yourself:  In the general election, what would Democrats do with this opportunity to obfuscate and smear?  That might be uglier still.  Would they do those things even against Romney as a vice presidential nominee?

On the brighter side, it appears unlikely that the MSM would be willing particiapants in such confusion-mongering.  Elder Lance Wickman, one of the Church’s general authorities and an attorney who is the Church’s General Counsel, issued a letter to the news media that included these significant paragraphs:

1. As reflected in the AP Style Guide, we ask that you and your organization refrain from referring to members of that polygamous sect as “fundamentalist Mormons” or “fundamentalist” members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
2. We ask that, when reporting about this Texas-based polygamous sect or any other polygamous group, you avoid either explicitly or implicitly any inference that these groups are affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
3. On those occasions when it may be necessary in your reporting to refer to the historical practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that you make very clear that the Church does not condone the practice of polygamy and that it has been forbidden in the Church for over one hundred years.  Moreover, we absolutely condemn arranged or forced “marriages” of underage girls to anyone under any circumstances.   

Stated simply, we would like to be known and recognized for who we are and what we believe, and not be inaccurately associated with beliefs and practices that we condemn in the strongest terms. We would be grateful if you could circulate or copy this letter to your editorial staff and to your legal counsel.

It is significant, I think, that the letter came from legal counsel and not simply from the Church’s Public Affairs department, which has been issuing similar requests for years.  Also notable is the request that the letter be distributed not just to the media’s editorial staff, but also to their legal counsel.  The Church does not threaten legal action often, and the tone of Elder Wickman’s letter could not be kinder or more respectful; but the implicit threat of legal action seems quite remarkable to me.

Sadly, my crystal ball is still not working as well as I would like it to.  But I am sure that somewhere within Team McCain, these issues are being discussed.  My guess is that in the end, the decision will be made on other grounds, and that if Romney is McCain’s choice, any new media organization that actually uses editors will do its best to avoid smearing Romney by association with the FLDS or any other such organization.

Time will tell.  That’s the great thing about political prognosticating - eventually, we find out who was right and who was wrong.

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John is on a cruise, and I am headed out on vacation myself within the next hour.  So for today’s post I’ve chosen one of John’s finest and most important past efforts.  As I read this this morning, I ask myself:  Has John’s message been accepted yet?

_________________________________________

A Letter To Some of My Fellow Evangelicals

Posted by John Schroeder on April 17th, 2007      

In talking to my evangelical friends, both personally and in some emails I receive about this blog, there are some themes or statements that come up again and again. I thought I would address a few of them.

How can I, in good conscience, vote for someone whose beliefs are very different than mine?

Why would your conscience be troubled? You are voting for someone to do the job of president, not pastor. You are voting for the individual, not his beliefs. Can he do the job? Will he do the job in a way that aligns with my principles and values? Those are the questions that matter. When hiring someone for my business, those are the question I ask. Of course, I would prefer someone that believes as I do, but often I find candidates much better qualified for the job with other, or more frequently simply without, beliefs. I frankly would be foolish to hire a lesser qualified candidate to operate a soil sampling drill rig simply because the best candidate was a Jehovah’s Witness instead of a Presbyterian.

People’s beliefs really matter in their lives, and Mormons believe so differently.

Indeed Mormon belief is quite different, but how precisely does that matter? It is my opinion that Mormon belief is grossly misunderstood. It is not orthodox by any stretch of the imagination, but it is not so far off as the common perception might suggest. Consider the Godhead, to use the LDS term. Mormons are decidedly non-Trinitarian, fair enough. But does that make a difference in how a Mormon would govern? I don’t think so. Are our values based on our Trinitarian views? - No. Our values are largely based on the Judaic law, which is in turn based on monotheism, but not Trinitarianism. Some try to paint Mormons as polytheists, and the strictest possible interpretation of their theology of the godhead would indicate they are, but I have read enough Mormon theologians to know they do not carry their views of the godhead that far. Ask any Mormon if they are polytheistic and they will deny it vociferously. At best we can accuse them of having lousy logic in their theological formulations, but in practice and life they are little different than us. Please remember they hold the same scripture we do, plus “The Lord your God is ONE God” is scripture for Mormons just as much as it is for us. The additional scripture of Mormonism does not to the best of my knowledge contradict a word of the Bible - they interpret it very differently, but that is not a critical matter in this instance.

So, my question to you - specifically what is it that Mormons believe, as cited by Mormons, not anti-Mormon activists, that will affect how they govern? My researches of the last year and 100 years of Utah history says that they govern just like we do.

If you are still concerned, consider:

How do you feel when atheists say you should not vote for X because he is a Christian? This is America; our freedom to practice our faith is highly dependent on the freedom to have religious diversity in all areas of society, including government. If we, even in the privacy of the voting booth, exclude someone of another faith, then we are giving permission to allow others to exclude us. And we are increasingly in the minority in this nation . . . .

Technorati Tags: Mormons, belief, difference, Evangelicals, Mitt Romney

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William McKenzie of the Dallas Morning News suggests Pentecostals might be an important demographic group this fall — particularly Hispanic Evangelicals, a very interesting conservative-religious segment:

What does all this mean for the fall election?

John McCain has the edge among Pentecostals, but this is not a done deal.

Mr. McCain’s strategists would be smart to emphasize to Pentecostals his belief in conservative social values and his dedication to finding a better set of immigration laws. The values part would reassure Pentecostals that he won’t unravel the social order. And his devotion to fairer immigration laws will show he’s not one of those Republicans who is out to demonize immigrants, some of whom worship in Pentecostal iglesias in cities like Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago.

As far as Barack Obama goes, he could play to the younger Pentecostals who have an interest in a fairer economy. And there are black Pentecostals he could win over in large cities.

Read the whole thing.

Elsewhere, this Religion News Service writer wonders if Evangelicals will turn to Barack Obama, who’d love to see them do that.  The article is not persuasive or even informative, because it’s simply a collection of “man/woman in the street” interviews.  Besides, I see no reason why Evangelicals won’t vote their political beliefs first.  Those who tend to have conservative political views will overwhelmingly vote for McCain; those who are more liberal (a minority within Evangelicalism, I believe) will vote for Obama.

Sigh. Simplistic stories about religious voters seem to be favorites f0r lazy reporters.

Finally,  on the political side of the fence, John, e-mailing from Rome, notes this story about a Romney becoming McCain’s Michigan campaign chair.  It’s Scott, Mitt’s brother.  Hmmm . . . .
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To say that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s National Press Club speech dominates Monday’s political news would be more than a gross understatement. It is hard to know what to add to roundups like this one. I’ll just offer a few observations:

1. The Wright controversy is not about religion and politics. It’s mostly about a pastor who rants the extreme, borderline crackpot views of MoveOn.org over his pulpit.

2. Adding to no. 1, the controversy over Wright is not about his theology, it’s about his political statements. The former is almost immune from political attack; the latter are 100% fair game.

3. Wright has established himself as a kook. I almost wonder if he has done so in order to allow Barack Obama to distance himself from Wright once and for all. Obama can now say, “Look, the guy was my pastor and I looked to him for spiritual leadership, but this stuff is beyond the pale and I reject it completely.” I wonder if he will, however.

4. Wright himself seems to be able to articulate the difference between being someone’s pastor and being a political adviser, as Power Line notes. And yet the Rev. Wright seems to have a hard time seeing the difference between preaching the Gospel and simply ranting about the same things one might expect to read on the Daily Kos, or hear on Keith Olbermann’s show (although Wright makes the moronic Olbermann seem almost thoughtful by comparison).

5. Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from Wright’s pratfalls is that he represents everything wrong about mixing politics and religion - and then some. As a conservative Republican, I’m just relieved that this episode was inflicted on a Democrat, and not on a GOP politician who got too cozy with a religious whacko who happens to be on our side of the aisle.

I just think Wright cannot be taken seriously and does not deserve all the attention he is getting.

John’s comments: I have to disagree with my friend Lowell. Jeremiah Wright certainly wants this to be about politics and religion. Says Eugene Robinson:

But his basic point — that any attack on him is an attack on the African-American church and its traditions…

Indeed, Wright seeks religious cover for political speech. Consider this from the transcript of the speech itself:

To say, I am a Christian, is not enough. Why? Because the Christianity of the slaveholder is not the Christianity of the slave. The God to whom the slaveholders pray, as they ride on the decks of the slave ship, is not the God to whom the enslaved are praying, as they ride beneath the decks on that same slave ship.

How we are seeing God, our theology, is not the same. And what we both mean when we say, I am a Christian, is not the same thing. The prophetic theology of the black church has always seen and still sees all of God ’s children as sisters and brothers, equals who need reconciliation, who need to be reconciled as equals, in order for us to walk together into the future whichGod has prepared for us.

First, it is amazing to note that here Wright is making exactly the same argument, the “different god” argument, that was made to EXCLUDE Mitt Romney from consideration, for the INCLUSION of his views, which he does in the name of diversity. Now that is an argument we have advanced on this blog time and time again. The problem is, he is using it to place his essentially political statements above the fray and outside the realm of political criticism.

Yet, during the Q&A Wright seeks to draw a definitive line between religion and politics:

So I started it off in prayer. When he went out into the public, that wasn’t about prayer; that wasn’t about pastor-member. Pastor- member took place downstairs. What took place upstairs was political.

But it seems a mighty convenient division., a division based only in action, but not in thought speech, or idea.

This, frankly, is a nightmare for our nation. By seeking religious cover, Wright has essentially invited in depth scrutiny by press and our government into what goes on in our churches. Wright’s formulation would here, for example, prevent government observation of what goes on in any mosque in this country, up until the point that someone is actually hurt. Terrorists could feel free to use mosques for planning and logistics because it is not political until it is action.

But worse, imagine court cases where churches are invaded and efforts are made to sort religious and political speech. Where churches are invaded by press and pundit seeking political ammunition when they should be worshiping. Yes, I know it happens now, but imagine it cut loose in the fashion that Wright here proscribes. Consider our interview with Hugh Hewitt when his book, “A Mormon in the White House?” came out:

JS: The next place I think we’ll go — you mention this in the book, Hugh, and it was something Lowell and I found out very, very early on when we started the blog, somewhat disappointingly. There appears to be a great dearth of case law related to Article 6, and I’m just wondering why, and what does that mean?

HH: It’s self-executing . That’s why. For the longest time everyone understood what it meant, that one did not ever suffer penalty for their religious faith in the public life of the United States. Much like the 14th Amendment removed disabilities to African Americans serving in the public life of the United States. However, the internalization of that ethic seems to have frayed, even after the 1960 campaign. And I was talking with Bill Bennett about this this morning. The bar is so low when it comes to attacks on Mormons vis a vis any other minority, that it is shocking. And I think that is because simply opinion leaders have not educated those who take their cues from them about what is and what is not acceptable concerning Mormon bashing. And unless and until they do, it is going to continue, until it becomes unacceptable, or — we internalize from public figures, how to act. And thus, many of us have watched the decline of Catholic bigotry. We have watched the decline of attacks on gays and lesbians. We have watched the decline of attacks on African Americans, on Muslims because of the public debate about those. That has not yet happened about Mormons. It has got to.

Wright here, by seeking to blur the line between religious speech and political speech, challenges the “self-executing” nature of Article VI. Were he successful, our nation would be a much worse place.

Now, having said all that, I do not, thankfully, think the good Reverend was successful in his arguments. But they are dangerous arguments nonetheless. as I pointed out, they are arguments that were used to exclude in the Republican primary, and frankly that is the effect I think they will have on the Democrat side as well, despite Wright’s intentions.

OH and by the way, having been to a few black churches in my life - I am pretty sure it is the same God.
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This story out of Washington, via the Salt Lake Tribune, will cause some buzz. It will especially excite those who, like Al Mohler, seemed very afraid that Mitt Romney’s success would put the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a positive light. In a public address, Elder Russell M. Ballard, of the Church’s Council of Twelve Apostles, commented on that subject:

“I’d much rather have people talking about us than ignoring us.” . . . The biggest problem we face is apathy. Still, we have learned a lot. One thing we have concluded is that even after 178 years, there is more misinformation out there than we had imagined.”

. . .

Ballard, one of the first LDS leaders to speak out about the race’s impact, says anxiety about Mormons primarily came from conservative Christians who are against the LDS Church’s doctrine and, from the other end of the spectrum, those who oppose the church’s position on moral issues such as abortion or same-sex marriage. . . .

“While we do speak authoritatively for the church,” Ballard said, according to prepared remarks, “we look to our responsible and faithful members to engage personally with blogs, to write thoughtful, online letters to news organizations, and to act in other ways to correct the record with their own opinions.”

Well, we’ve certainly seen plenty of that.

John adds some thoughts: While I cannot disagree with the basic analysis Ballard here presents, I would caution our LDS readers to not commit the same “sin” my evangelical brethren have. It is easy to paint with a broad brush. For some Evangelicals “flip-flop” meant flip-flop - they may not have done their homework on Romney’s record, but they did not commit religious bigotry.

So what to do? - and here I do disagree with Ballard. writing letters to the editor saying “Mormons are not like that,” even if they really are not, will tend to perpetuate the battle. I have simply had too many conversations with Evangelicals where they were arguing with the literary constructs of the LDS rather than with LDS people.

The only Mormon most Evangelicals know they have ever met is the missionary that has annoyingly knocked on their door - “annoyingly” because they feel guilty about their own lack of evangelical zeal when it happens.

My suggestion to my LDS friends can be wrapped up in one word - “Engage.” Find an Evangelical neighbor and invite them to dinner, let them know you are LDS (the Evangelicals will be frightened you are going to try to convert them, so once you identify, be quiet about it.) Try to start joint humanitarian projects with more mainline Christian organizations.  Yes, such will strip such activities of any “religious content,” but might it not be worth it for the relationship bridge that is built?

My point is simple, the best way to remove the Mormon “stigma” is to be a Mormon that “is not like that.” Most of you that I know are not, but then I KNOW YOU. See my point?

Lowell jumps back in:  John’s comments are excellent, and for Mormons who have been paying attention, they mirror what Elder Ballard himself has encouraged members to do.  Here’s Elder Ballard’s classic 2003 address about that very subject.

As for engaging, we are now faced with the challenge of engaging in the Internet.  I am sure that Elder Ballard’s recent exhortations have been in large part inspired by the way the LDS faith is protrayed in cyberspace.  If you Google “Mormon,” 90% of what you find will be anti-Mormon, some of it viciously and virulently so.  Engaging with neighbors, whom you can see and with whom you can converse, is hard enough; engaging with nameless folks in the Internet is even more difficult. 

But John’s right - both Mormons and Evangelicals need to do a better job of engaging in a constructive and Christ-emulating manner.  I see it as an opportunity for everyone.  With rare exceptions, neither side is going to convert the people with whom they engage on-line, but we all need more friendships with people of good will and similar values.
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This past weekend has seen two stories evolve that illustrate to me that the American people may be willful, sometimes bigoted, often prejudiced; they can be narrow minded and sometimes thoughtless, but they are not dumb.

The first story concerns Obama’s “small town” comments of last week. I was offended by the reflection of Karl Marx and the denigration of religion inherent in the comments. As the outrage has evolved through the weekend, it is more about the insult offered small town America than it is intellectual vapidity, but outrage has emerged nonetheless. America gets it when they are being played for dumb, and they do not like it.

The other story that reflects the general intelligence of the American public is the raiding of the Warren Jeff’s polygamous compound in Texas of several days ago and the ensuing coverage. That story is better than 10 days old now and this post from a very small blog is the first one I have seen that even attempted to make any Mitt Romney related political comment out of it. Of course it is in the negative, and wrongly so.

The press coverage of the Texas events has been uneven in terms of its identification of the compound as “Mormon,” “breakaway,” or simply labeling it “polygamous sect,” but it seems clear to me that most Americans have gotten the message that this bust has little to do with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and certainly that is has nothing to do with Mitt Romney.

Interestingly, anti-Mormon sentiment was an undeniable factor in the primary campaign. I have always thought the root of that sentiment was ignorance about what the modern CJCLDS looks like. There does appear to be more at play than that.
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