...there is something about Mitt Romney's religion that I find deeply troubling, particularly in light of the possibility that he could become the next president of this nation. What concerns me is this: the Book of Mormon, the book that Mitt Romney and all Mormons embrace as divinely revealed scripture ... declares that black people are cursed. That's right. Cursed. And not only accursed, but lazy and aesthetically ugly to boot....the Book of Morman says it explicitly and in numerous passages: black people are cursed by God and our dark skin is the evidence of our accursedness. Here are a few examples:
And the Lord had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them (2 Nephi 5:21).
And I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark and loathsome and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations (1 Nephi 12:23).
O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God. (Jacob 3:8).
And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men (Alma 3: 6).
...at no time has Mitt Romney ever publicly indicated that he seriously questioned the divine inspiration of the Book of Mormon's teachings about race, much less that he has repudiated them. It is true that in a 2008 Meet the Press interview with the late Tim Russert, Romney did vigorously assert his belief in equal rights for all Americans in every facet of life. As part of that narrative, he cited his parents' "tireless" advocacy for blacks' civil rights, including the dramatic exit of his father, Michigan Governor George Romney, from the 1964 Republican convention as a protest against nominee Barry Goldwater's racial politics. He also shared that he wept when he learned of Spencer Kimball's aforementioned revelation. Yet from Romney's remarks it is not clear whether he wept for joy because Mormonism was eschewing its segregationist policies or if he wept from relief that the announcement promised to quiet the public outrage that those policies were causing. And significantly, while he recited his parents' efforts to confront racial injustice, Mitt Romney pointed to no such activities of his own.
...Mitt Romney himself owes it to America to address the issue. Why? Because Romney was tutored into adulthood by a holy book that declares that all Americans like me are cursed by God. And he is not only a believer; he has served as a leader in his faith.
That is why, Mr. Romney, as an American citizen whose president you seek to become, I must insist that you honestly and forthrightly attest to me and all Americans of goodwill that you actually can be my president, too, fully and completely. You can accomplish this by publicly disavowing the portions of your holy book that so sorely denigrate the humanity of me, my loved ones and all people of black African descent.
It is incumbent that you do this, candidate Romney, for the sake of all Americans.
No one should vote for Mitt Romney unless he does exactly that.
9 comments:
Thanks for linking to this. It's ridiculous that Romney has gotten as far as he has in the election as it is. It disgusts me actually.
Wait, so he's part of a cult-like organization which does all kinds of conditioning and psychological manipulation to its members, has a history of misogyny, violence, and homophobia, but you're okay with all that as long as he doesn't really believe in the racist bits? Is that seriously what you're saying? If you're going to start saying Mitt Romney has to repudiate this or that before he'll get your vote, then the only intelligent phrase is "Mitt Romney has to repudiate Mormonism".
"... then the only intelligent phrase is "Mitt Romney has to repudiate Mormonism". "
No, the the only intelligent phrase is, "The LDS has to repudiate Joseph Smith, Brigham Young AND Mormonism". None can be reclaimed or 'fixed'. The LDS has to cover up the truth about all three and warn their followers away from their real history to maintain belief in this cult.
@Analyst:
Not if it is followed, as my comment suggested, "...before anyone will vote for him". Distasteful though the Mormons are to anyone who knows much about their history, insofar as Romney's religious preferences are concerned, the only thing that matters is what he personally sticks to.
GOP - from Lincoln to Romney
:(
While it may be true that Mitt needs to answer for what the BofM says based on the fact that he espouses belief in its veracity as a "holy book", it would make perfect sense then too, that he need to answer for the all of the misogynist and racist babblings in the Bible as well...since he espouses a belief in that "holy book" too. As a matter of fact, all of the candidates would need to do that, and so it should all cancel out in the end as then the whole matter becomes moot.
As far as that goes, they are all nut jobs...and if we are going on a sliding scale of nutjob-ness...then at the very least we ought to give the nod to the only hoy book apologist who doesn't believe the earth is only 6,000 years old...that being Mitt Romney. If Romney can believe in an old earth despite his belief in the Bible as scripture, then it makes sense that he can sincerely synchronize a non-racist modern belief with a made-up story about the evils of dark skin.
Me? It doesn't matter to me. I won't be voting for him and he doesn't stand a chance anyway.
Every person who claims to be religious is a nit-picking idiot or liar, because all those 'holy' books are full of nonsense and bigotry and, best of all, they are true from cover to cover. Mr Romney and his ilk have two options: repudiate everything, no half measures there, and become at least an agnostic or hang on to their book and be unfit for public office.
Half of my family are Mormons. The other half is ashamed to admit that they once were Mormons. Religion is divisive and is simply the manifestation of ignorance and superstition.
How can any intelligent person vote for ignorance and superstition?
"How can any intelligent person vote for ignorance and superstition?"
The intelligent don't. However that excludes almost everyone - and all politicians.
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