A closer look at the religion of Mitt Romney

[editor5]

Is it a cult? You decide

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[madaboutharry]

1. A film like this can be made about any religion

and its rituals to make it look like a cult. I don't see this as particularly damning. Orthodox Jews, Catholics, Buddhist, any religion for that matter, have rituals and practices that would seem "cultish" to outsiders.

[BrainMann1]

4. All you are doing in a film

like this is answering some basic questions about a certain religion. All religions are cultist. It's when they are extreme that make them lets say dangerous.

[Plucketeer]

11. You've got that right!

The real difference between "Christians" and Mormons or Muslims is that Christians don't practice most of what their instruction manual (Good Book) tells them to. It's fairly easy to be a christian 'cause you can sin without worry with the comfort of knowing you'll be forgiven if you just ask. Jesus died for our sins??? Hah! The biggest "Get out of jail free" card there is.

[roguevalley]

13. and again, you have people lumping everyone together.

what does it say about people who have other opinions about religion that they can't separate the good folks from the shit heads. If I said there is no difference between Dems and Republicans, they're all money-grubbing rich people just playing their different angles for the same outcome- the advancement of the few over the many, I would get crucified.

THEY AREN'T THE SAME! SOME ARE DIFFERENT!

Either you can discriminate among the good and bad or you just discriminate. People with deep spiritual beliefs are religious without being bad, millions of them and thousands of them are on this fucking board. How about thinking before you blast everyone with the same scorn? The same can be said for any group that gathers together for their common interest.

Don't believe. Fine. Just don't lump those of us that do as cultists and shit heads. Sigh. It really is sad.

[Plucketeer]

16. Didn't I just say....

that Christians get a pass - because (for the most part) they've chosen to IGNORE most of the bat-shit crazy parts of their guide book??? If we really had a return to pure fundamentalist interpretations of the Good Book, we'd have to amend our civil laws to make exceptions for murder and rape and incest and such. Still - in conveniently overlooking these outdated rules, we also can feel comfortable about overlooking the rules regarding the dictates for caring for the less fortunate of our brethern.

[JDPriestly]

18. The New Testament has some stories like the virgin birth that seem crazy if you take them

literally. But many liberal forms of Christianity do not take those stories literally but rather take them as myths and metaphors that reflect inner reality.

The more liberal forms of Christianity have no rites comparable to that rigamarole. Many Methodists for example take communion to represent the body of Christ but do not claim transubstantiation -- a strictly Catholic belief. Also, for example, Methodist churches use grape juice rather than wine for the communion. It is in memory of Jesus, not believed to be the reality of Jesus.

It is Romney's right to follow the religion of his choosing. We should not apply a religious test for a government office. But it is good that this film is coming to YouTube so that we know more about Romney's religion. It won't make any difference to us on DU, but it might to a lot of fundamentalists.

And no, fundamentalists have some strange beliefs, but none of this hocus-pocus about curtains, and veils, etc.

[BlueMTexpat]

14. While I am certainly areligious now,

I was baptized and raised as a Catholic. I do not remember any Church ceremonies (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, funerals, etc.) that were then - or are now - closed to non-Catholics. I have also attended Jewish weddings as well as bar and bat mitzvahs, as well as ceremonies at all sorts of non-Catholic Christian denominations. In my experience, Muslim and Hindu wedding ceremonies do not take place in a specific place of worship and non-practitioners are allowed to attend.

In Mormonism, however, you MUST be an LDS member to attend any of the ceremonies. Ann Romney's parents, for example, were not allowed to attend her wedding ceremony because she was a convert and they were not.

Non-Catholics could even marry Catholics in a Catholic ceremony (my mother who was non-Catholic, for example, married my father in a Catholic ceremony) - and their non-Catholic family members could also attend - but there could not be a High Mass to celebrate the marriage, as least as I recall. Who knows, perhaps that has changed; I haven't really kept track.

But insofar as secrecy is concerned, I believe that you are making a false equivalence when you say that these things could apply to "any" religion. Based on the paranoid secrecy as well as cockamamie practices such as baptism after death - in addition to belief in an "actual" planet Kolob - I believe that Mormonism IS much more of a cult than any "mainstream" religion that I know of.

I would never hold their religion against any Mormon who is able to keep a realistic and pragmatic perspective, such as Harry Reid or many other Mormons I have known and know still who are decent, honorable and compassionate human beings. But I do hold it against Mitt Romney because his religion (remember he is not just an LDS member, but a high-ranking one at that) is just one of many things that make him the despicable human being that he is.

[xfundy]

20. A-MEN! n/t

.

[SamKnause]

2. Mormon religion

Yes.

All religions are.

[markbark]

3. Prime example of Pot, Kettle, Black.

Soooo... the difference between a "cult" and a "religion" must be a few million members, right?

This fellow seems to regard Mormonism as a "cult".
Must be new kid on the block syndrome.
I'm sure he's forgetting that 2000 years ago, Christianity was considered a cult.
The passage of time and the gaining of members has promoted it to a religion but their traditions are no more or less wacky than those promulgated by Joseph Smith.

The above breathlessly states "Never before seen videos of secret Mormon Temple rituals"
So it's an "exposé" of what exactly? Mormon opinion on metaphysics?

Sounds like he's whistling past the graveyard:
Look at all those silly Mormons!
Planet Kolob? Multiple wives? Christ partying with indigenous Americans?
How ridiculous! They don't have beliefs like us REAL Christians(tm)
(like talking snakes, virgin birth, water into wine, a guy reanimating three days after being nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if we were all just nice to each other for a change, etc.)

It's all just invented bullshit.
This guy has his panties in a twist because the Mormon fanfic doesn't gibe with the fanfic he was taught as a child.

[kellytore]

5. I was raised Catholic

and their ceremonies are very cult like. You have to be brainwashed to believe in any of this crap. Mormonism is not the main reason I'm against Romney,it's the harm he would do to America I'm worried about.

[Plucketeer]

12. Yes

And I'm forever grateful that my folks led me to ANY religious leanings whatsoever. My mind is free to look at everything objectively. SO liberating!

[NoMoreWarNow]

6. the cult-like aspect just seems more obvious because their rituals are more modern and

have not been part of our culture in the same way as Judaism, Catholicism and Christianity. We've seen so many movies with traditional religious rituals, but not these Mormon ones. I will say that some of the stuff in the video looks like something out of a nightmarish Disneyland. Maybe it's the old guy in the white suit and the space movie.

[Overseas]

7. Link from another DU thread helped me understand.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1587183

Testimonial from someone raised Mormon about his struggle and departure from the church.

http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon418.htm

[lumpy]

9. I was raised in a Christian Church. There were no secret hand shakes,ceremonies,

baptisms of deceased non-members, unknown planets and gods ruling the universe, separation of women in worship or church functions. Pratically all workings/rituals in my church are to be found in the Book of Common Prayer as is many other Christian Churches. No secrets. Perhaps that is the difference in Mormanism and some other Christian religions.
Although I no longer adher to many tenets/trappings of the Christian faith and have abandoned church attendance, I still believe in the idea of trying to exhibit the better part of human nature. I feel that the Christian teaching I received was of value; it led to my examination of other beliefs and thought. Certainly, I have come to no conclusions about "what IT is all about" and still can wonder with expectation.

[NoMoreWarNow]

10. very good points

[JackHughes]

15. Mormonism and Scientology

Joseph Smith was the L. Ron Hubbard of his day -- only hornier.

If a presidential candidate was a Scientologist I suspect it would be an issue.

[LiberalLovinLug]

17. Sure all religions are cults

But some are more cultist than others. Mormonism falls somewhere between Christianity and Heaven's Gate.

I think there is only room to grow for Mormonism in the US. One reason is that its so "USA USA USA USA!". With Jesus coming to America and blessing the country as his gosh darn favorite. It feeds into the American Exceptionalism meme. It makes it THE patriotic choice. Especially if Mitt the Mormon gets elected President. It will elevate this cult to respectability even further.

I'd be concerned about the taking vengeance on the United States for murdering Joseph Smith though. Sounds like a comic book. One day after being sworn in, The Mitt leans his giant head back and laughs maniacally. "At last......the Mormon Brotherhood will get its revenge!!! Round up all who cannot reveal our secret handshake......hahahahahahahahaha!!"

[LeNeveu]

19. Excellent!

It's folly to not consider all the evidence in judging whom you will vote for for president. Every religion has things each of us disagree with and things we can admire. We should know about these things, and how a candidate would let those things influence her. The First Amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion or impeding the free exercise of religion. It does not dictate what you should believe. Romney, moreover, is not just a member of a religion, but a bishop of it.

I put it on my website-- www.VersoVideo.net.