Romney says Freedom requires Religion

Re: The Mormon's war
known commonly as Mountain Meadows. massacre.

The United States has a long tradition of separating church from state,
but an equally powerful inclination to mix religion and politics

Presidential Election in South Korea Highlights Influence of Christian Community


The upcoming presidential election in South Korea on Dec. 19 is drawing attention to the growing presence of Christianity in a country that as recently as 1960 had fewer than a million Christians. The odds-on favorite in the race, Lee Myung-bak of the conservative Grand National Party, is a leader in one of South Korea's largest churches, Somang Presbyterian Church. Lee, a former mayor of Seoul who once ran one of the country's largest construction companies, is strongly supported by South Korea's significant Protestant population.

http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=269

Evaluating Mitt Romney's Recent Speech
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20071213.html

Facts and Faith: Evaluating Mitt Romney's Recent Speech Regarding His Presidential Candidacy and His Religion, and the Press's Anemic Coverage of the Topic
By MARCI HAMILTON
Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney's recent speech entitled "Faith in America" supposedly was intended to address the issue of his Mormon faith. However, the speech was not at all about his faith, but rather about his decision to make his faith look like others' faiths. No one came away from that speech with more information, and the fault is not only Romney's. The press has not filled in the gaps, either.

It appears to be the general consensus that Romney decided to deliver his speech (and to deliver it at this moment in particular) in order to stall or halt the recent rise in the Iowa polls of his evangelical Christian opponent, Mike Huckabee. Setting aside its motivation and timing, however, the speech is a masterful dodge on the facts of Romney's faith.

The Speech's Reference to Christ as Savior: Misleading, But At Least Qualified

Here are the three most important sentences in the speech, for my purposes:

"There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths."

This is, of course, a curious set of statements for someone who wants to be President of the whole United States (not just the Christian parts). Some say that Romney was prompted to declare his belief to ease the concerns of evangelical Christians. Thus, he chose to highlight his belief in Jesus Christ in a bid to make his faith acceptable to them. That is troubling, however, as it would appear that the evangelicals are now demanding the very kind of religious test oath that the Constitution explicitly forbids. (It is worth noting, too that the Religious Test Oath Clause is the only provision of the main body of the Constitution that deals with religion in any way.) It is also troubling, because Romney seemed to be willing to shape his faith to others' demands and fell for their trap, by making his public declaration of his faith the mirror image of theirs.

One has to give Romney some small credit, though, for conceding in the very next sentence that his "beliefs . . . may not be the same as those of other faiths." Presumably, his hope was that his statement about Christ would satisfy evangelicals, who then would not dwell on the next sentence. But what about Romney's own beliefs? What, exactly, are they? You would have no idea from reading the speech.

The Vague Press Coverage of What, Precisely, Romney's Religious Beliefs Are

Press coverage and the punditry class have been all over the place on the speech itself. Some (basically, Republican radio talk show hosts) hail it as a magnificent speech. Others (basically, liberals) have sharply criticized both the speech's content and the decision to give it in the first place. But the American press has not provided a clear answer to the inevitable and crucial follow-up question: How do Mormon beliefs differ from those of evangelical Christians and others?

This lack of clarity and focus only provides further evidence of the compromised quality of much religion reporting, which so often worries about niceties long before it asks factual questions. As a result, instead of jumping onto that sentence and publishing factual accounts of the beliefs of the Mormon faith, the media focused on the abstractions - religion and politics, and church and state.

So what, exactly, is the difference between the Mormons and other Christians? At a conference on Mormonism and American Politics at Princeton University in November, Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, stated more than once that evangelicals are often hostile to Mormons, because Mormons compete with them in proselytization. Thus, one reason evangelical Christians may tend to distrust the Mormons is because of territoriality.

However, the two groups also simply believe very different things.

Why the Comparison to JFK Rings Very False

When John F. Kennedy delivered his historic speech, declaring that the Pope would not dictate public policy to him, he was responding to specific questions about whether his faith would hamper his ability to serve as President. There were those in the voting public who wanted to know whether the Pope would have any capacity to dictate to the President public policy. This was neither a stupid nor a bigoted question; it was a factual question.

The frequent, but misleadingly glib, analysis of the Kennedy era is that the impetus for the speech was simply anti-Catholicism. However, that reductive label dodges the much harder and very important question of whether a believer within a hierarchically-constructed religious organization can or will lead all Americans, independently of the commands or influence of that religious organization's demands or leadership. If the answer is "No," as it was with Kennedy, great. But that does not mean the question itself must be verboten.

In contrast, Romney's speech was not responding to specific questions like those that faced Kennedy. Rather, he was responding to a culture that knows very little about the facts of Mormonism, no thanks to the press. From the language of the speech, however, Romney has no intention of further educating the public - and many important questions remain.

This is not the place for an extended study of Mormonism, but let me just pose a few that have occurred to me, while noting that, like many other Americans, I am a rank amateur on the religion.

The Questions about Mormonism that Americans Are Entitled to Ask Mitt Romney

First, Mormon temples are open only to the proven faithful. Their doors are closed to outsiders, as I learned when, one day, I toured only the parts I was permitted to see of the tabernacle complex in Salt Lake City. Why is that? This is an unusual practice within the universe of faiths that believe in Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholics do not permit non-Catholics to receive Communion, but they do welcome all comers to their services, while Protestants usually permit anyone to attend, and anyone to take communion. Romney painted himself as though he was "one of the gang" in the Christian universe. Yet, his faith actively excludes all those who are not fellow believers. Would this signal the attitude Romney would exhibit toward other faiths as President? If not, why not?

Second, what about polygamy? It is a common misperception among Americans that Mormons either practice polygamy, or recently did. That is not so. The television show "Big Love" has done nothing to further understanding, as those who watch it often assume it is about the general church. In fact, it is about the Fundamentalist branch of Mormonism. (Indeed, "Big Love" is inaccurate in other important respects as well. It is the "Father Knows Best" of fundamental Mormonism, depicting often abusive relationships as though they are just like everyone else's, with a narrow range of ups and downs.) The Mormons did believe in polygamy at one point, but then their leaders rejected the practice on earth. The theology was not fully changed, though, meaning that the afterlife still features polygamy, or so I've been told. So what exactly do Mormons (and Romney, in particular) believe about polygamy, here on earth or elsewhere? Perhaps the point is utterly irrelevant to Romney's candidacy, but it would be nice to have enough facts for the American people to reach that conclusion with some confidence.

Third, why have lawyers representing or advising the Church of Latter Day Saints concentrated so heavily, to the point of obsession, upon obtaining the adoption of a so-called theory of "Church Autonomy"? Autonomy means that the entity or individual is free of the law. Where does Romney stand on the relationship between church and state when it comes to the laws that attempt to equally govern secular and religious entities? His talk played to the evangelicals by implying, like them, he thinks that the separation of church and state need not be very separate, but this question he did not address. And why does the Mormon Church need autonomy? Which laws does the Church want to avoid, and what is Romney's position on such avoidance? Surely, these are legitimate questions for any public servant.

Romney has made an issue of his faith. As he has opened the door, it is only fair for us to now ask two important questions: What are the facts of his faith? And, how do these facts relate to his presidential ambitions?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marci A. Hamilton is a Visiting Professor of Public Affairs and the Kathleen and Martin Crane Senior Research Fellow at the Program in Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University. An archive of her columns on church/state issues - as well as other topics -- can be found on this site. Professor Hamilton's most recent work is God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law (Cambridge University Press 2005), now available in paperback. Professor Hamilton's forthcoming book, which will be published this spring is entitled Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children(Cambridge 2008).

I think the problem Romney has is he chose to join the Republican Party. If he chosen the Democrat Party he wouldn't have had to flip-flop on issues or pander to the religious fanatics that supply a large portion of votes in the Republican Party.

I agree with Rommey's first quote, that religion requires freedom, freedom of mind, but how can religion produce freedom? Assuming that Rommey equates religion with belief, then religion would preclude freedom of the mind. However, religious experience can break one free of religious belief or literalism; in that sense religion produces freedom of mind, that is, freedom from identification with the intellect, i.e., ego.

Having said that I doubt that Rommey means that religious experience frees one from religious dogma or literalism. Mormonism seems to me to be fundamentalism, but is there such a thing as Mormon mysticism?

After all there are Christian mystics, eg, Meister Eckhart, who refuse to take religion literally but metaphorically or hermetically. But is Rommey that deep?

Some one said this.
"When evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve." "

Religion is nothing to do with freedom.

Ramafuchs


I agree. Most religions require that it's members give up thinking for themselves. It's dogma that causes religious people to lose their freedom in pursuit of spiritualism.

I see a lot of similarity between religion and the corporate model. Think about it.

Interesting to ask how dogma is created? All you have do is to study the origins and progress of cults. Religions are and always have been cults created by humans obsessed with control, leading to power and advantage over the controlled. Have you ever wondered why such controllers are almost always males seeking to dominate females? Is sex the driving force behind this? The cults are evolving into a new form with the growth of the mega-churches. These churches create riches for those clever enough to exploit people who gladly give them their money.

It always has been about sex, money and power. Always will be as long as people allow themselves to be duped and stop thinking critically and independently.

BBB

Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mormon_bd16dec16,1,7470059.story

chicagotribune.com

In election, spirited debateMitt Romney, a Mormon, has seen his religion drawn into the spotlight as the race for the presidency touches on sensitive issues
By Ron Grossman and Manya A. Brachear, Tribune staff reporters
December 16, 2007

A presidential campaign focused on war, immigration and health care took a theological turn last week, raising questions more often debated in seminaries.

"Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?" asked Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, in an interview to be published Sunday.

Huckabee quickly apologized, but he already had thrown the spotlight back on Republican Mitt Romney, a Mormon, who said Thursday, "I think attacking someone's religion is really going too far."

Typically Americans like their leaders to be people of faith, without concerning themselves much about the details.

But as they encounter a faith that is little understood, comparatively new and growing fast, voters have expressed a sustained curiosity about what Mormons really do believe.

A complex story

So what about the devil? According to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Huckabee's barb is a sound-bite reduction of a complex story.

Jesus and Satan do indeed have the same heavenly father, the church says. But during something of a family squabble, a spiritual war that took place before humanity came into existence, Satan rebelled -- and Jesus was chosen to be the savior, given life on Earth.

"Lucifer will never experience mortality. He surrendered that when he chose to be disobedient and was cast out," said Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the church's Council of the Twelve Apostles.

Still, Mormons believe the devil is very much with us -- especially in the first stage of our eternal journey. Mormons believe that humans are God's "spiritual children," creatures whose time on Earth is prefaced and followed by different stages in heavenly career described in great detail in Mormon scriptures.

Instead of the conventional Christian picture of heaven and hell, Mormons believe there will be three degrees of glory after the resurrection. Humans will inherit their place in one, depending on their level of devotion.

Christopher Kimball Bigelow, a Mormon and co-author of "Mormonism for Dummies," notes that those who reach the highest level will share in God's creative powers -- perhaps even creating other planets and life.

"God gives his children who pass the test with an A-plus all the power he has," Bigelow said. "He makes you a full partner in the family business."

That might sound strange to non-Mormon ears, but Kathleen Flake, a Mormon and associate professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt University, said some of the concepts of a spiritual life outside our earthly experience date back to early Christianity.

"Early church fathers taught of an early pre-mortal existence," Flake said. Joseph Smith's "revelation is catalyzed by his reading of the Bible in every instant."

Scholars note that Smith revised the King James version of the Bible -- crossing out some passages, expanding others. He also produced the Book of Mormon, covering 1,000 years of history.

Because Mormons believe God continues to reveal himself, new revelations are compiled in a volume titled "Doctrines and Covenants." Another book, "The Pearl of Great Price," is also considered part of the Mormon church's Holy Scripture.

Mormons believe in Jesus' resurrection, with a uniquely American twist: Smith taught that after Jesus' resurrection he had a mission in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. will be a focal point after the Second Coming.

"The city of Zion, spoken of by David in the 102nd Psalm, will be built upon the land of America," Smith wrote in 1833.

Temples draw curiosity

Mormons tried to build a temple in Independence, Mo. before they relocated to Nauvoo, Ill., the site of their first temple. After Smith was killed by a lynch mob, Brigham Young led the Mormons west, settling in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah, where the church is centered today.

It is the temples which spark so much curiosity, even fears, among non-Mormons. Once dedicated, temples are generally closed to all but worthy Mormons.

Even among themselves, Mormons try not to speak about temple ceremonies outside the building itself. Mormons do not consider this secrecy, but reverence.

"For Mormons there is no language to describe the experience they have in a temple," said Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, associate professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "Voices are kept very hushed in there -- certain ritual things said. An encounter with God that Mormons have in the temple that is beyond words, they leave it that way."

Mormons are grateful for their new visibility. But they wish it came through true conversation, not political banter.

"If you don't contextualize these one-liners they'll never make sense," Flake said of Huckabee's question. "People of goodwill generally assume that believers have a basic rationality to their religious convictions. Politics doesn't lend itself to that kind of goodwill."

A crash course in Mormon theology

Marriage: Bonds between men and women -- the only kind recognized -- are not just "until death do you part," but for eternity. Marriage and children are critical steps toward being united with God in the afterlife.

Polygamy: Ordained by the Prophet Joseph Smith, plural marriage was set aside in 1890.

Baptism: The washing away of sins is a rite not just for the living but also the dead. Because it can't be done in the afterlife, it is performed by proxy for the departed who didn't hear or understand the Gospel during their time on earth. Posthumous baptisms are done inside Mormon temples.

Gender roles: Women can preach from the pulpit and lead prayers, but only worthy men can be ordained priests, a part-time volunteer role. Women also take care of the home and children and run the charitable arm of the church.

Restoration: Mormons see themselves as neither Protestant or Catholic but having restored an original Christianity which got off-track after the Apostolic age.

Trinity: Mormons reject the traditional Christian concept. They believe God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are three separate divine entities sharing a common purpose.

Ex-Mormon Cartoonist Says Romney Not Telling Truth
Ex-Mormon Cartoonist Says Romney Not Telling Truth
By Dave Astor - E & P
Published: December 18, 2007

As an ex-Mormon, Arizona Republic editorial cartoonist Steve Benson has strong opinions about current Mormon Mitt Romney. He said the Republican candidate's recent speech on religion should not be trusted by media people and other Americans.

In his talk, Romney said "I believe in my Mormon faith" while also noting that the church's "teachings" would not influence his decisions if elected president.

"Yeah, right," responded Benson, adding that "Romney also believes in misrepresenting what his Mormon Church actually espouses."

Benson is the grandson of former Mormon leader Ezra Taft Benson.

He told E&P that, in his view, a Mormon believer is required by church doctrine (as dictated by the church's "living prophet") to "obey God's commands" over anything else. He said "Romney, like all 'temple Mormons,' made his secret vows using Masonic-derived handshakes, passwords, and symbolic death oaths that he promised in the temple never to reveal to the outside world" -- and that Romney also secretly vowed to devote his "time, talents" and more "to the building of the Mormon religion on earth."

So, said Benson, the only way Romney could be truly independent of the church as U.S. president would be to disavow Mormon doctrine. "He hasn't done that," said the Creators Syndicate-distributed cartoonist.

"When Mitt says he belongs to a church that doesn't tell him what to do, that's false; it's a 24/7, do-what-you're-told-to-do church," asserted Benson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1993.

That was the year Benson left what he calls the "Mormon cult." One reason for his decision was disgust with the way Mormon officials tried to fool church members and the general public into believing that Ezra Taft Benson -- Steve's then-94-year-old grandfather and church president -- was still capable of leading the church. "He was not mentally or physically in a place where he could make any meaningful decisions," recalled Benson. "I know it because I saw his condition with my own eyes."

Benson -- who was contacted by E&P for this story -- said journalists have basically given Romney a free pass on the "fundamental contradiction" between being an observant Mormon and a U.S. president. "Most journalists don't know about actual Mormon teachings and practices," noted the cartoonist, adding that they instead see the religion as perhaps "strange" but "rather benign."

Romney "needs to face an informed member of the media with 'cojones' who has a working and perhaps personal experience with Mormonism," said Benson. "It would be harder for Romney to do his well-practiced duck and dodge."

Benson himself drew a post-Romney speech cartoon that pictured John F. Kennedy saying "Ask not what your country can do for you..." followed by Romney saying "...do whatever it takes for me to win Iowa." (Many people believe Romney gave what he hoped would be a JFK-like speech on religion because he was losing support in Iowa.) But Benson said he hasn't heavily focused on Romney's Mormonism in other cartoons. "Religious issues are very touchy," he said. "I do what I can, but I pick my battles."

Another reason Benson distrusts the words in Romney's speech is because the candidate has changed his public positions on issues such as abortion and gay rights to woo conservative GOP voters in states like Iowa rather than the more liberal voters he once courted to become governor of Massachusetts. "He flips and flops like Jesus is coming tomorrow," said the cartoonist. "It's like Romney is reading from the Mormon Church playbook."

Benson explained his last comment by noting that the Mormon Church has also "publicly flipped 180 degrees when it feels it's necessary for its image, for its financial solvency, and for political expediency."

He mentioned, by way of example, that black Mormons weren't allowed into the priesthood until 1978. And while polygamy has been publicly disavowed by the Mormon Church, Benson said "the church still holds that it will be practiced as a matter of eternal doctrine in heaven. The church also currently performs polygamist marriage 'sealings' in its temples around the world."

Benson predicted that Romney will not win the Republican presidential nomination. If Romney is nominated, added the cartoonist, he will not defeat his Democratic opponent.

Voters, said Benson, "are not ready for someone in the Oval Office who has committed to absolute obedience to a religion they feel is extremely odd and not in the American mainstream. I trust the rational U.S. electorate, not the weird Mormon God."

So, Romney was Gov of Mass for 4 years. I wonder, during that time, how many times did he let his religion sway any decision he made?

Why is impossible to realize that a person is not their religion? Perhaps BBB can post yet another opinion C&P demonstrating Romney's many decisions that were influenced by his being Mormon?

"Voters, said Benson, "are not ready for someone in the Oval Office who has committed to absolute obedience to a religion they feel is extremely odd and not in the American mainstream. I trust the rational U.S. electorate, not the weird Mormon God"

WEIRD GOD??????

Someone care to explain what that means?

Does this same question apply to Muslim's McGentrix?

Why wouldn't it?

Well, because we all know that you are a mindless, xenophobic bigot.

Maporsche and so many others are able to send a rhetorical arrow straight to your heart, because you, as a conservative, are a dullard, and they, as a liberal, are intellectually annoited.

I am surprised that you haven't come to this realization yet.

Repeat after me:

It is bad to insult any religion on earth, unless it is christianity.

When will one of you "mindless" racists, answer a perfectly legitimate question?

Why is impossible to realize that a person is not their religion?

In the United States, it's "politically correct" (almost a necessity) to assail any group which is perceived to be "on top".

I think this is a social behavior which has its origins in the idea of a republic, in which minorities are protected from the "tyranny of the majority".

Christians claim to be on top, and are perceived to be on top by many, so they are open to the social reflex.

Once Islam grabs the high ground, then it'll become politically correct to assail them instead. It's the price you pay for being on top (in the US).

I'd like to hear okie's response to this question.

In another thread he pretty much said that opposite of what McG said here.

And please insult Islam as a religion any way you please. Here I'll get you started.

"Islam is an antiquated childish belief system that deserves to fade from existence. The Koran is not the true word of god and believe that it is has caused uneeded suffering throughout history."

and to be fair.....

"Christianity is an antiquated childish belief system that deserves to fade from existence. The Bible is not the true word of god and believe that it is has caused uneeded suffering throughout history."

"Judism is an antiquated childish belief system that deserves to fade from existence. The Torah is not the true word of god and believe that it is has caused uneeded suffering throughout history."

Finding Balance in Reporting About Mormons
The Mormon's history cannot be denied. I detest Mitt Romney because he is a flipfloping egotistic opportunist fraud who is trying to buy the presidency with his millions. ---BBB

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Finding Balance in Reporting About Mormons
As a professional journalist -- and a Mormon -- the level of negative rhetoric about my faith in the news media recently amazes me.
By Joel Campbell
December 21, 2007

As a professional journalist and a Mormon the level of negative rhetoric about my faith in the news media recently amazes me.

As I review the good, the bad and the ugly written about GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a truism seems to hold. Just like the public at large, the more reporters and pundits know Mormons (or have attempted to understand them) the less likely they are to use stereotypes, frame Mormons as "wacky" and turn to non-Mormons to answer questions about what Mormons believe.

Don't get me wrong, I am not writing to support Romney's campaign, I am just asking for more balance in reporting.

Unfortunately, a majority of American members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reside in the West and most of the national media is in the East. Many national pundits and reporters don't know Mormons very well. Howard Kurtz, Washington Post media critic, recognizes the problems and suggests that the lack of Mormon journalists could be a factor.

Even so, there are examples of both good and bad. When I say "good," I am talking here about professional standards of fairness, objectivity and going to Mormons or those who understand Mormons well as sources to provide balance and context. Even better, reporters draw upon first-hand experiences with Mormons. One Wisconsin newspaper reporter even attended church services, which are open to the public.

I don't expect puff pieces, but I do expect thorough reporting, good sourcing and fair play. Even in opinion columns, pundits shouldn't be content with lazy research on the Web or with convenient sources.

Unfortunately, much of what passes for journalism is just that. Cases in point: New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd's ugly portrait of Mormons is filled with stereotypes and relies on dubious expert John Krakauer. Lawrence O'Donnell's rant on national television and Christopher Hitchens' mocking harangue were offensive on many levels. Even, Editor & Publisher recently quoted Arizona Republic cartoonist and ex-Mormon Steve Benson with no balance from believers. Does our nation tolerate such denigration of Judaism or Catholicism?

Moreover, journalists draw distinctions in other subtle ways. Why is it that the adjectives used in covering the Romney campaign nearly always include "Republican, former Massachusetts governor and Mormon?" What is the justification for applying the religious label when, for other candidates, their religious affiliation is rarely mentioned? There is a double standard.

Romney's faith is often framed as a negative, while Hilary Clinton's rediscovery of her faith has hailed as a positive. A quick survey of recent articles shows a journalistic penchant for quoting Evangelicals to define Mormonism. Shouldn't Mormons be allowed to define themselves?

At the same time, headlines such as "Can a Mormon be President?" baffle Mormons, particularly when the faith and religious practice of others remains unmentioned in news reports, let alone headlines. While mainstream Christian practice and theology may be more familiar to journalists, it's not fair to use a measuring stick of traditional Christianity to rate Mormon beliefs. Unfortunately, journalists sometimes report less familiar theology with suspicion and as idiosyncratic. To me, that's bias.

That said, there are those that try to understand Mormons. Take David Broder's column after Mitt Romney's recent faith and politics speech. As one of the nation's most senior political reporters, Broder recalls the commitment of Romney's father, George, to civil rights in the face of questions about his faith and the integrity of the family. Broder wrote, "For me, with a lifetime of nothing but very positive relationships with Mormons, Romney's religion is as much of an asset as his family heritage. He was raised right by a couple I greatly admired, and the values they gave him are exactly those I would hope a leader would have."

It's also interesting how encounters between Latter-day Saints and reporters elicit similar reactions. Wall Street Journal reporter Naomi Schaefer Riley was on Brigham Young University's campus during the Sept. 11 tragedy at the World Trade Center as she was researching her book "God and the Quad." In a recent Journal column, Riley talks about the values of Latter-day Saints, particularly the BYU students she met. She wrote "a lot of what we call religious tolerance depends on social contact, not theological understanding." I'm grateful for the journalists such as Riley who seek to enlighten rather than inflame.

Furthermore, I've long been a fan of LDS Scholar Jan Shipps, a non-Mormon. I was impressed by her post-Romney speech column in the Christian Science Monitor pointing out the "Mormoness" of his speech. As a scholar, Shipps has long sought to understand both the theology and culture behind the religion. People like Shipps are the kind of sources needed to balance the polarizing vitriol from both the right and left.

Perhaps there is something to be learned from all of this. Maybe Mormons should encourage a reverse Mormon exodus to the East. Or some Mormons could take their journalistic critics to lunch. (They probably would decline. They wouldn't want to be seen breaking bread with a bunch of wackos.) For the rest of journalism, I invite you to avoid the stereotypes and negative labels, seek out knowledgeable sources to cut through the divisive rhetoric and think twice about whether it is even necessary to raise the "Mormon question" in the first place.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joel Campbell is a former newspaper reporter and editor and has served in leadership roles with the Society of Professional Journalists. He is an assistant journalism professor at Mormon church-owned Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He has begun a blog, Mormon Media Watch, at the (Salt Lake City) Deseret Morning News.