Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters?

This evening on CNN's "In the Arena" Tricia Erickson stridently argued that Mitt Romney was unfit to be President of the United States because of the covenants he had made in the Mormon Temple.

Ms. Erickson, a former Mormon, has written a book entitled Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters, and argues that Romney's Mormon beliefs are an issue far more serious and threatening than Kennedy's Catholic beliefs when he ran and became president. As a former member of the LDS Church, she claims to understand the indoctrination to which members are subjected, and the extreme loyalty to the Church they promise to maintain.

As of this writing, the video of her interview on "In the Arena" was not yet posted on CNN, however, CNN blog posting with essentially the same discussion is available on CNN.

To read the CNN blog posting, click here.

The Mormon Question

CNN's Religion blog has posted a story entitled "Explain it to me: Mormonism." The post is by Dan Gilgoff, CNN's Belief Blog Co-Editor.

The post lists 10 facts about Mormonism, including its official name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the persecution the Church endured in its early years, including the murder of its founder Joseph Smith.

Apparently this persecution continues to some degree even today.

As of this posting, some 12 hours after CNN posted its story, over 1,200 comments have been made to the story. One commenter, drjaz, noted:

The hate and vitrol towards the mormons is nothing short of amazing. I haven't seen anything else compare. You'd think the mormons were jews and this was the inquisition. . . . When Joseph Smith was just a poor young backwoods no name kid with no prospects for the future he said that the angel told him his name would be had for good and evil all across the world. That's one prophecy these mormon haters have ensured has been absolutely and undeniably fulfilled.

Beyond reading the original CNN posting, viewing the reader posts provides a glimpse into public attitudes toward Mormons.

To read the CNN post, click here.

Continuing Misperceptions of the Mormon Church

On April 30th, Timothy Egan, a writer for the New York Times, posted to his blog comments comparing the current practices of the FLDS church with the practices of the founders of the Mormonism, specifically Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and John Taylor. He asserted that what was being uncovered in Texas currently was to some degree like looking at the behavior of the founding fathers of Mormonism. Mr. Egan cites as sources for his information on Mormonism Fawn Brodie (No Man Knows My History), and Jon Krakauer (Under the Banner of Heaven).

Although Mr. Egan's blog posting could be considered phenomenally uninformed, it is nevertheless very educational. It is educational in the sense that:

1. it clearly demonstrates how old biases regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints persist, in spite of the LDS Church's efforts, even among those who might be considered highly educated, and
2. it would seem to illustrate that whereas broad based media efforts might raise someone's awareness of a particular group or issue, it may likely be that personal contacts will be more effective in changing long held, albeit incorrect perceptions or beliefs.
   

Timothy Egan's blog

Elder Marlin K. Jensen's response