The Mormon teaching.
A Spirit baby on his way to this "probation."

What's good for the goose...

I trust you heard the Right today analyze (and criticize) Nancy Pelosi's silly statements about the Roman Catholic church never having a clear position about murdering babies.


Rush Limbaugh did a particularly excellent job of refuting Nancy Pelosi, quoting early Christian church fathers and even quoting Psalm 51:5 from the Bible!

... is good for the Gander.

So if it's okay to challenge on Nancy Pelosi about her view about murdering babies, it's perfectly okay to challenge Mitt Romney on his view of same.

What would Mitt Romney say if Rick Warren (heretic) asked him when life begins? Could he answer as definitively—and, more important—as believably, as John McCain did? No. He cannot. (See the famous YouTube video.)

Even Rush Limbaugh acknowledged that Mitt Romney panders. Why is that? It's because Mitt Romney has no root. He changes positions when convenient.

That's ultimately because Mormonism has no root. It, too, changes positions when convenient. As when their god changed his mind about polygamy when it became a Statehood issue or when he changed his mind about blacks inheriting the priesthood, when it became a civil rights matter.

Proud of my faith?

Mitt Romney is constantly saying that he's proud of his faith. So what kind of deep conviction does Mitt Romney have about murdering the unborn? What does Mormonism teach about this, and is it the same as what the God of the Bible teaches?

To find the answer, we go to a Mormon friendly website, Ask Gramps. When asked "What is the Mormon Church's position on abortion?" Gramps gives this answer, quoting Mormon authorities, such as they are.

President Spencer W. Kimball [a former 'living prophet' of the Mormon church] has said,

Abortion is a serious sin. There is such a close relationship between the taking of a life and the taking of an embryonic child, between murder and abortion, that we would hope that mortal men would not presume to take the frightening responsibility (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.188). [Note he did not say it WAS murder. Just close.] We read the following specific information regarding abortion in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism: Abortion is one of the most revolting and sinful practices of this day. Members must not submit to, be a party to, or perform an abortion. The only exceptions are when:

1. Pregnancy has resulted from incest or rape;
2. The life or health of the woman is in jeopardy, in the opinion of competent medical authority;
3. The fetus is known, by competent medical authority, to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.3).

Do you notice anything strange about this? Aside from the fact that their "living prophet" consults an Encyclopedia for inspiration.

When is sin not sin?

Aside from parsing mormon church statements (remember what Mitt Romney said in the Jan Mikelson interview: "You got to read this like a lawyer"), you might not pick up on the deeper duplicity unless you know a lot about Mormonism and speak Mormonese. Which is why I'm here.

You see, in Mormonism, there are some sins so bad, so "grievous" (keyword), that you have to shed YOUR OWN blood to have any hope of being forgiven by the Mormon god.


Quoting, among others, a 'prophet' of the Mormon church, Joseph Fielding Smith,

Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous that man may commit, that they will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent. Therefore their only hope is to have their blood shed to atone, as far as possible, in their behalf. This is scriptural doctrine, and is taught in all the standard works of the Church. Doctrines of Salvation, v. 1, pp. 135-136, 1954

One of those grievous sins is murder. This is why the firing squad was still used in Utah as of 2003. (A Mormon child murderer convicted in Utah wanted to have his blood shed to make atonement.)

Here's the deep obfuscation: Ostensibly, the Mormon church teaching is that members must not "murder" their babies. That it's a "serious sin." But if it's really murder, then why doesn't it rise to the level of  "grievous sin," requiring your own blood be shed?

Science Fiction

Answer: Because, in Mormonism, it's not really murdering your baby. In Mormonism, according to their 'prophet' Brigham Young, the "baby" isn't really there until the fetus kicks.

When the body is prepared, at the proper time, the spirit enters the tabernacle, and all the world of mankind in their reflections and researches must come to this conclusion, for the fact is they can come to no other—that when the mother feels life there is an evidence that the spirit from heaven has entered the tabernacle. Journal of Discourses, Vol 18, p258

So, in Mormonism, if you were to "remove" the fetus before the "spirit baby" moved in, you didn't really murder anyone because no one was home. Some Mormons even argue that, even if you kill the baby before it's born, the Spirit baby will simply return to "heavenly father," where he/she waits in line for another earth body to become inhabitable again.

No bottom line

So there is NO depth of conviction in Mormonism about when life begins in the womb, and, consequently, no conviction in Mormonism about when extinguishing that life is murder! In fact, True Believing Mormons are forced to conclude, from their own church publications, that murdering your baby isn't murder!

It would be interesting to trace Mormon thought on the issue before Roe v. Wade. Before then abortions were mostly illegal and inaccessible. So there are not many references in say, the Journal of Discourses, that discuss abortion or as it was more commonly known then as feticide. We see George Q. Cannon and a young Joseph Fielding Smith basically equating abortion to murder. However these stronger statements appear in non-official publications. [i.e. for the Mormon, that means these are non-binding.] The 1973 ["official" church] statement [quoted below] approvingly cites David O. McKay’s acknowledgment that no definitive, revealed statement has put abortion in the same class of crime or sin as murder, yet cautions that this admission should not be 'be construed to minimize the seriousness of this revolting sin.'

Confused? Welcome to the Maze of Mormonism

They're saying there's little if anything, in any Mormon extra-biblical scripture (that is, their current Book of Mormon, their Pearl of Great Price and their current "Doctrines & Covenants") about abortion. (Not that it would matter, since Mormonism is Liberal. Like interpreting a "living and breathing" Constitution, "Progressive revelation" trumps whatever was written beforehand.) Naturally, they ignore what God has said in the Bible. Hopefully you Christians can site some proof texts from the Bible proving God considers the baby to be a human life, calling for the death penalty of a baby's killer.

Anti-Mormon literature?

So True Believing Mormons are forced to base their entire doctrine on this life and death issue on one paragraph from a book by from one of their former living 'prophets' and some lines from something called the "Encyclopedia of Mormonism." Neither are scripture and both are subject to change without notice. In desperation, some run to the church's website, apparently from where official doctrine is promulgated now in a Glossary of terms. (It used to be a mere FAQ!)

In 1973, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [in Mormonese, that means 'the living prophet'] released the following statement regarding abortion, which is still applicable today: "The Church opposes abortion and counsels its members not to submit to or perform an abortion except in the rare cases where, in the opinion of competent medical counsel, the life or good health of the mother is seriously endangered or where the pregnancy was caused by rape and produces serious emotional trauma in the mother. Even then it should be done only after counseling with the local presiding priesthood authority and after receiving divine confirmation through prayer."

Not very definitive, is it?

The Courage of your Convictions

Nor is it very convincing. "Just pray about it." The common Mormon answer to everything. If it feels right, it must be right. One Mormon could pray about it and conclude their god says it's okay to murder their baby. Another Mormon, in exactly the same circumstances, could pray about it and get the opposite answer.

It's as convincing as Mitt Romney's view on abortion. (NOT!) If, in fact, he has any convictions.

Contrast this with Senator McCain's solid answer on when life begins, given at the Saddleback forum. Words that have been backed up by action.

And then ask yourself: If you're really pro-life, do you really want a Mormon in the White House?

Pray that Senator McCain does NOT choose Mitt Romney for Vice President.

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