The American Spectator

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The Mormon Ticket

2.15.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 7)

See the truth is, even with all those handicaps, Romney had a real chance to win the nomination. A blatant anti-Mormon appeal to evangelicals knocked him off his stride in Iowa, but he recovered. The press only focused on the states he lost, not the states he won, but he kept winning more states. Anti-Mormonism was part of his being uncompetitive in the South, but he didn't lose it there, he lost it in Florida where the contest was close.

As a Mormon, I spent a lot of time looking to see if there were a better candidate than Romney. I liked Giuliani's fiscal, but not his social policies. Thompson was mostly conservative, but between blocking anti-tort legislation, supporting McCain-Feingold, hiding the fact he had conveniently converted to pro-life prior to his Senate run, missing the swell of interest, and giving the air of not really wanting the job, he lost me with many others. McCain had spent the past decade stabbing conservatives and Republicans in the back, thwarting half our legislation, and turning the rest more liberal. And Huckabee was pro-life, but he sold himself and his record as liberal in Iowa, and as conservative in S. Carolina, and like McCain, viciously attacked anyone who criticized him. After deliberately appealing to the anti-Mormons, Huckabee went on to attack everyone else as anti-Christian, all before anyone had voted.

Even after deciding he was the best out of a sorry lot of conservatives, I still hesitated before deciding to support him. You can't blame anti-Mormons for Romney's loss when even some Mormons are wishy-washy about supporting him. I think Reagan would have won Utah in a two man race against Romney. And if Romney spends the next few years in valiant and articulate support of conservative causes, should he choose to run again, he might even win the South, despite the anti-Mormon presence.

Let those who are proud of their anti-Mormon stance, stand up and claim credit. But give everyone else the benefit of the doubt before you label them as bigots. After all, if there is anyone who is at fault for Romney losing, it is Romney himself.

By the way. I grew up Presbyterian, but since converting to the LDS church in Ohio, I have lived in Texas, Alaska, Michigan, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and now I am back in Tennessee. I have seen anti-Mormonism out there, some in private, some that is organized by evangelicals, and some that is on TV, but most of it seems to be driven by ex-Mormons, and frankly there is not enough out there to blame for Romney's loss. Most people aren't interested enough to care one way or the other. And those who know Mormons tend to think well of them as mostly good people. It is pretty hard to think of that nice friendly family down the street or at work as part of some demonic cult. If lots of other people still have negative impressions, it usually has more to do with mostly knowing Mormons for their polygamous past. Some day we will eventually get it well known that it stopped long ago, but then there is a different type of anti-Mormon who thinks the Mormon Church has fallen into sin by stopping polygamy, and those people still practice it today.

I personally prefer to care about the anti-Mormon stuff only enough to overcome the false images they spread. But I have to stand up in defense of non Mormons when they are being tarred as anti-Mormon bigots. If a Reagan-like Mormon ran and lost that would be a different story, but for now, give everybody the benefit of the doubt.
-- James Bailey

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE SHARIA?
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s Sharia-ing Is Caring:

So the Archdruid* of Canterbury now wants to be the Archimam of Canterbury? One shudders to think of what heresies he will next unbosom himself. Making sacrifice to Zeus, Wotan, and/or Ra?
-- Gretchen L. Chellson
Alexandria, Virginia
*When Williams was Archbishop-designate he was inducted into the Druids.

Maybe the most important thing he said that we should remember is that he doesn't really know what he is talking about regarding Sharia Law. After all, he wanted that known.

The sad thing about this interview is that as a well-respected church leader, his statements whether well informed or not, carry weight that is not counterbalanced by his disclaimer. Why in the world would someone in his position be an advocate for instilling a conflicting belief in his constituency? It just doesn't make sense and makes me curious about the quality of the interview.
-- Rebecca Welton

The most beautiful sound I ever heard:
Sharia, Sharia, Sharia, Sharia.
All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word:
Sharia, Sharia, Sharia, Sharia, Sharia, Sharia.

Sharia, I just fell in love with Sharia,
and suddenly the Church will never be the same to me.
Sharia! I've just recommended Sharia.
And suddenly I've found how wonderful Islam can be.
Sharia, say it loud and there's music playing.
Say it soft and it's almost like praying,
Sharia, I never stop saying: "Sharia!"
-- by Archbishop Williams, with profound apologies to Sondheim and Bernstein
-- David Govett
Davis, California

Religious leaders of all stripes give me the willies. Catholic priests south of our border seem both now and in the past more interested in the benefits that Communism or Socialism can bestow on their flocks and deride the proven benefits that Capitalism has and can deliver. Muslim leaders seem more interested in death than life and in making the male the owner of the females in his life. And Protestant preachers in America tend toward an intense interest in living well themselves and the business of religion.

As for the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, I doubt we will see him submit his family to Sharia Law. Rather his message is "for thee, not for me."
-- Howard Lohmuller
Seabrook,Texas

The article about Sharia Law was excellent in that you call Dr. Williams a coward for not opposing his enemies.

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