Posted by
Phil E. on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 10:57:17 PM
Oh, boo hoo
Ya just got to feel sorry for poor Mitt Romney and Mormons everywhere. At least Hugh Hewitt, defender of the Mormon faith, does as he expressed outrage today on his radio show over a Mormon joke. (Ironically he just said on the radio that we Conservatives have to watch for abuse of power. That's exactly what I'm doing. Mr. Hewitt has his powerful radio show. I have this blog.)
We "anti-Mormons" — that would be most Americans — are laughing at a cute joke a Democrat strategist made about Rudy Giuliani. That Giuliani has had more wives than a Mormon.
As Rush Limbaugh says, we laugh because there's some truth to it.
Perverse Priorities
But, oh, the indignation of Hugh Hewitt. He's more worried about so-called "anti-Mormons" than he is about those who are "anti-Christ" who are on the road to hell. (That would be anyone who holds to the tenets of Mormonism.) He needs to get his priorities right.
First, on the same show where he labels anyone a "bigot" who laughs at the joke, he read a story about a Muslim textbook that labels Jews as apes. THAT is bigotry because it's patently false and the Muslims hate the Jews and want to see them dead. But polygamy IS a part of Mormonism and those of us who don't want a Mormon for President do not hate Mormons nor do we want them dead. In fact, we LOVE Mormons and are trying to save them, warning them about hell. (Whereas Mr. Hewitt seems content to let them go there. Or maybe he doesn't believe Mormons are on the road to hell? Maybe he thinks there are many paths to God?)
Second, there's a lot of truth to the joke, "more wives than a Mormon." Even Mitt Romney acknowledges the truth when he himself jokes that he believes that "marriage should be between a man and a woman, and a woman, and a woman."
How do we know for sure that Mitt Romney doesn't have a "spiritual wife" tucked away somewhere? Just because he says he doesn't? Like he would tell you?
The current practice is for Mormon men to own a few houses for their various wives and "make the rounds."
Now let's see... who is the quintessential Mormon? Why, Joseph Smith, the one who started the cult religion.
More wives than Joseph Smith?
So how many wives did Joseph Smith have? No one knows for sure.
Some estimate 48. Others, including
the church, acknowledge at least 33. (And then, in typical Liberal Mormon fashion,
a mysterious redaction.)
Worse, Joseph Smith took a few wives from their husbands,
as shown! While their husbands were alive! Uhhh... isn't that Adultery? We are presently condemning the child bride practice of the Fundamental LDS church denomination in Colorado City, but Joseph took them young too.
We don't practice that anymore. NOT
The Mormon church has never repudiated the practice of polygamy. They never said it was sin even though their own
Book of Mormon (even the current one) does:
"Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord:
For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and
concubines he shall have none; For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of
Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.(Jacob 2:27-29)
Rather,
it's still a requirement in their scripture to become a god someday. (How else do they hope to populate their planet in a reasonable time if they don't have plural wives?)
Modern Mormons, who are by definition Liberal and ignore their own "scripture," argue that polygamy isn't required to become a god. But Joseph Smith and the "prophets" (and General Authorities) to follow him believed it.
Read this well documented article, "Is plural marriage required for exaltation?"Some Mormons, truer to the faith, are holding to their teaching.
Here's a polygamist judge in Utah who's in trouble with the law. Quoting,
Judge Walter Steed, Polygamist: "If that's a law that has to be lived to
receive the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom [translation: to become a god someday], then it
ought to be legal."
Anyway, the leadership of the Mormon church simply issued an "order" - a "
Manifesto" - that God had changed his mind and that they weren't supposed to practice polygamy as long as it was against U.S.law. God had this revelation when Utah was leaving isolation and vying for Statehood. (But remember what the Apostles — the REAL Apostles — said, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God."
Acts 4:19)
Here is one of the
better treatise on polygamy, written by a former Mormon. (Now nothing.) Some excerpts:
If you ask most Mormons today whether or not they believe it's proper to practice polygamy, they'll tell you no. But if you ask them whether or not it's a correct principle, they'll say yes.
[Since Joseph Smith (and other leaders) practiced it, they're caught between a rock and a hard place. If they say it was wrong, then Smith is a lousy prophet. But these people venerate Smith the same way Muslims venerate Muhammad.]
...the practice of polygamy is an excommunicable offense, and has been for many decades. This has not always been the case, however—polygamy was once, deservedly (and still is, erroneously), the chief distinguishing characteristic of Mormonism in the minds of most Americans—and many Saints believe it may not always be the case in the future. They look forward to the day when the moral and political climate in the United States and other nations has cooled enough to permit the church to reinstitute the practice...
[Skip ahead to next thought]Aside: The treatise is by
William Shunn. If you have the time, he has written a very funny, fast moving story about his days as a Mormon missionary. His story shows the type of mindless devotion to the church I'm trying to warn you about. Specifically, when his missionary companion decided to leave the church, young Mr. Shunn
phoned in a bomb threat in an effort to delay his companion's departure! The story is called
Terror on Flight 789.
It even comes with a
Glossary to help you understand Mormonese. Here's an example, germane to this blog:
Higher Law, aThe authority to which Mormons appeal when the laws of the land inconvenience the fulfillment of their desires.
Nowhere mentioned in Joseph Smith's twelfth Article of Faith: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."
If you don't get it, he's saying
the Higher Law in Mormonism supersedes any other law.
The early history of Mormonism is fraught with violence. Mormons defended their doctrines and their rights to religious freedom against all who opposed them. They did this because they believed that they were living a higher law and were not bound by the laws of the state. Fundamentalists still believe in this concept of religious sovereignty and have used it universally in justifying their actions. Their claim that the laws of God are more important that the laws of the state gives them a religious basis for breaking laws they feel are unjust.
That is, it's okay to
lie for the Lord, or to NOT sustain the law if it conflicts with your
oath to the church.
From the previous link, one commentator says it right:
How seriously do you take an oath? An oath to God? An oath to your government? I think that's a fairly serious undertaking and agree that when you do so you hold your soul in you hand. How is Romney going to take the oath of office when he's promised FIRST allegiance not to God, but to the Mormon church. A man who has demonstrated such outstanding good sense as to swear to cut his own throat and tear out his own guts? Presidential material? Not in this dangerous age.
Eyes wide shut
As if this post wasn't long enough, now Mr. Hewitt is automatically rejecting the claim that a District Court judge would conspire with anyone. (Regarding the two Texas Border Agents and their trial.) Aside from the fact that that's naive - God warns in the Bible about judges and man warns that absolute power corrupts absolutely, doesn't he remember
Judge Anna Diggs Taylor?
Mr. Hewitt claims to know all about Mormonism. But he's blind. Not only to Mormonism but to evil. He doesn't see any conspiracy between, for example,
Mormon Judge Sam dismissing a federal case against his two Mormon brothers accused of bribery in the Mormon Olympics? Mitt Romeny does. He said,
WE ARE NOT REALLY SURPRISED BY THE RESPONSE. AS
I SAID, OUR LAWYERS SAID THIS FOUR MILLION DOLLARS AGO.
Isn't it great to have one of your brothers judging your case?
Do you think there could be a conspiracy between
Mormon Judge Ted Stewart who ruled and sat in two cases involving his church and was overruled in both cases? Nah.
It's okay to joke about Mormonism and polygamy. It's not bigoted to joke about the truth. But electing Mormon Mitt Romney for president is not funny. It's no joke. Don't do it. You'll never know when he'll kick into the Higher Law, doing what his church calls him to do.