I was glad to see this post at Digby’s site;
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/mitts-mammonism-mormonism-and-mayanism.html
IMO the ramifications of Romney being a Mormon have not been analyzed enough. I believe it’s because people want to stay away from the ‘cult’ issue, and progressives have a tendency to go over board to avoid be accused of intolerance. Certainly LDS has many cult-like attributes, which are usually dismissed as not much different than catholicism or evangelical Protestants. But there is no putting aside that LDS is a very strange variation of Christianity. And Romney is/was a BISHOP in that church! So even if you equalize LDS cult like attributes with other mainstream churches, there is no getting past the fact that many Americans would be reluctant to elect a bishop of any church to POTUS. Yet why would Romney get a pass on that? Certainly at the least, the role of a bishop in LDS should be scrutinized. And there is no denying that LDS takes a more personal interest in it’s members than most churches do, up to, and beyond what clothes they are allowed to wear (which is pretty freaky all by itself).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_(Latter_Day_Saints)
Romney’s situation is constantly compared to Kennedy’s, yet they are completely different. Unlike Romney, Kennedy never was in the hierarchy of the Catholic church, he was only a member of a congregation. Romney deserves to be asked some point blank questions about his situation in LDS. He certainly served on disciplinary boards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciplinary_council
He almost certainly excommunicated people. LDS is a church that does not allow dissent. It is very authoritarian. In my opinion it is ridiculous to believe that a Romney administration would not be influenced by LDS leaders. What other church HAS IT’S OWN STATE?
Another dismissive explanation I have heard is that LDS would be so aware of what a Mormon POTUS would mean to them that they would never threaten that with interference. But think about that, if it is so important, then it is worth protecting. What would happen if the administration started doing badly? What would happen in the last year of a second term? All these questions should be wondered about.
In my honest opinion, he is a religious wacko who wears magic pants. Why not talk about it?
nalbar