Seems to me the Romneys believe Mormonism is a government, not a religion.

[kurt_cagle]

31. Understanding Romney's view of Mormonism

I've worked with Mormons before at a fairly high level, and I'm beginning to develop a theory that Mitt's ultimate goal is not to be head of the United States, but rather to be head of the Mormon Church.

The Mormon hierarchy is built around the idea of Bishops, Stake Presidents, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the First Presidency. A stake is a region that's usually larger than a county (it may encompass several) but typically smaller than a state. Bishops are in effect roughly analogous to Catholic Priests - they minister to a fairly large congregation. A Stake president is then analogous to a Catholic Bishop. The Quorum of the Twelve is in effect the Archbishops - each Quorum member has typically served as a Stake president, and usually has fairly broad ecclesiastical authority. The first presidency then consists of the First President and his two advisors.

I believe in Romney's mind, what he's hoping to eventually achieve is to become First President. Serving as Gov. of Massachusetts was not enough to make the leap to the quorum (with vacancies that are filled only by retirement or death) but that by become POTUS, it strengthens his case to become a Quorum member, and from there (if the timing is right) to become First President. In that respect, POTUS is a test for Romney - he knows that if he fails, he will not make it to the Quorum. POTUS is simply a stepping stone.

It also puts a lot Romney's giving in perspective. As a Bishop, his role is to act as a spiritual advisor to members in his stake. It's in effect his true vocation - Bain existed primarily as a means to get rich quick. Yet that role also colors his view with respect to others, because the only people in hard straits that he interacts with are Mormons, and his primary role with them is to help them move back to the path of Mormonism in times of crisis. This gives him a very skewed perspective of people in hardship, and it makes it easier for him to dismiss non-Mormons (and most especially non-rich non-Mormons) as "alien". They are not Mormon, so until they accept Mormonism they are not part of the tribe.

If that theory is right, it only strengthens my resolve to vote for Obama. To me POTUS is not a part time job, and by placing his faith above his secular duty, Romney could be very, very dangerous.