Tendency to distrust the unknown

Mormons will quote their "Articles of Faith" and other scriptures from their "Standard Works" in an attempt to convince you they are "mainstream" and Christian.

But we know from history that Mormons believe the word of their living leaders above scripture, and they are not above "lying for the Lord".

Case in point: The Mormon Church leader told all Mormons to "do all you can" to fight against same-sex marriage (Prop 8 in California). This despite the fact that LDS scriptures clearly state:

"It is NOT JUST for religions to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied" (D&C134).

Even polygamy was continued secretly for around 10 years after LDS Church leaders lied and swore to Congress that the practice had ceased in the Church (see Quinn).

So, please, stop the lies. Stop denying what your Church really is: a secretive, elitist, imperialistic cult aspiring to "put an end to all nations", and rule the world for a thousand years when "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess" that the Mormon Jesus is in charge!

The last thing this country needs is a cult-member in the White House!

Fear of Mormons in power is not unreasonable.

Faith is one thing. But oaths and loyalties that take priority above the United States of America and its Constitution are threats to the sovereignty of this nation.

When Mitt Romney went through the Mormon temple, he became "endowed". In order to become endowed, Mormons have to pass an interview (like a catechism for Catholics). The endowment ritual includes many things Mormons are not allowed to talk about outside of the Temples. These secret ("sacred") things include special promises and covenants Mormons make to the Church and to God. One of these "oaths" promises total and complete loyalty to the LDS Church and its leaders, including being willing to give all your possessions to the Church if needed.

The oath is something like this:

"Each of you bring your right arm to the square. You and each of you covenant and promise before God, angels, and these witnesses at this altar, ...that you do consecrate yourselves, your time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion."

They also promise:

"And as Jesus Christ has laid down his life for the redemption of mankind, so we should covenant to sacrifice all that we possess, even our own lives if necessary, in sustaining and defending the Kingdom of God (LDS Church)."

Mitt Romney has made this oath, and repeats this oath each time he returns to an LDS Temple.

For a POTUS to have made such a secret oath violates the oath of office of the POTUS. The POTUS must not have ANY higher loyalty than to the United States of America and Constitution.

"Endowed" Mormons should be automatically disqualified because of their secret oaths in their temples that place their loyalty to the LDS Church above their loyalty to the United States of America.

Back a few years ago when Mitt Romney became "endowed", Mormon temple oaths included "penalties" for breaking the oaths:

"We, and each of us, covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this, the first token of the Aaronic priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do so, we agree that our throats be cut from ear to ear and our tongues torn out by their roots."

"We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will not reveal the secrets of this, the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign, grip or penalty. Should we do so, we agree to have our breasts cut open and our hearts and vitals torn from our bodies and given to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field."

Mormons claim to be Christians. Read Matt7:21-23 to see what Jesus said about such claims.

Well, there's the xenophobia factor about it, which is unseemly, (But that's what you get for supporting the Religious Right: of course the Religious Right will use that Religious Right religious orthodoxy against you when you're not religiously-orthodox,)

...And then there's the Mormon political and social agendas. Look at how things actually are in Utah, for instance. It's not entirely people's imagination that the LDS Church wants, takes, and wields theocratic influence where it can.

The problem with Mormons appealing to pluralism is that inasmuch as they're trying to ingratiate themselves with bullies and bigots by joining in on their bigotry against everyone *else,* ...is that they've allied themselves with people and causes that *don't* value pluralism, while alienating those who *do* by ...their actual actions.

It's analagous to the problems of conservative Catholics: it was one thing for JFK to keep the Catholic affiliation separate, it's another thing when the Vatican's actually trying to use religion to enforce its conservative social and political agenda by supporting the Right with what wedge issues it chooses to endorse over.

And of course there's the Evangelical Right up to its usual intolerant hijinks.

This is what you get when people *make* religion the central focus of politics.

This is why we're supposed to have guarantees of *separation* in these regards.

Opposing that separation and then whining 'no fair' when the bigger bullies don't like you for joining in on the bullying, well, that's just silly.

I don't *care* how strange Mormon theology seems to other Christian Right types, or whoever. It's what that church *does* that is the problem.

Candidates who aren't *theocratic* get evaluated on that basis. Candidates who *make it an issue* will find that expecting me to ignore their religion is rather a lot to ask.