The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 3 of 13)

There isn't any real "moral equivalency" between Christianity and Mormonism, i.e., no basis for a tu quoque, as in "what about Christian beliefs?" Christians are usually right up front about what they believe, and seldom hide their beliefs, even though no doubt atheists like Christopher Hitchens wish they would.

For Christians, Mormon teaching is really quite strange, and even puzzling. From an "epistemological" point of view, evangelicals are right to fear that Mormons wear horns, pretty long ones too, bigger than those of a Yukon moose.

A Romney presidency would have the opposite effect from what Ms. Sheffield concludes. Rather than reassuring everyone about Mormonism, it would, in fact, invite an enormous amount of critical scrutiny, from conservatives and liberals alike. Mormons put a smiley-face on their religion when it's for public consumption, and have even been known to deny some of their more egregious teachings, but they would not be able to do this for long when the Democrat attack dogs are set loose on a Romney administration.

p>Are Mormons really prepared for a Romney presidency? I don't think so. br> -- C. V. Crisler br> Gilbert, Arizona /p>

Ms. Sheffield, like most apologists for the Mormon faith, likes to play the pity card, though she does so with a more deft touch than most. She writes: "Perhaps the only real worry for evangelicals is that, if elected, the former Massachusetts governor will demonstrate to Americans that Mormons don't have horns."

The truth of the matter is that Christians have legitimate theological concerns about Mormonism. Mormons, after all, consider Christianity -- what they refer to as "traditional Christianity" -- to be an apostate religion. In theological terms, it's hard to condemn a church more strongly than that. And it's not surprising they teach that, considering the very real theological gulf between the two faiths. Honest, I'm not offended. But it stands to reason that Mormons have lost the right to be taken seriously when they complain that "traditional Christians" say horrible things about their own religion. What, there is a huge difference, but only Mormons are allowed to see it?

p>So long as any criticism is aimed at theological issues, to me it seems fair. Religions are defined by their theology, after all. Maybe Christians do need to be a bit less harsh regarding our differences, but Mormons could be a bit more forthright about them. br> -- Lee Dise br> Virginia Beach, Virginia /p>

topics:
John McCain, Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Business, Religion, Islam, Abortion, Law, Supreme Court, Military, Iraq, NATO, Conservatism, Immigration, Oil, Unions