91 - 100 of 136 Comments

1. Dorothy

   1 year ago

   The bottom line is that to refrain from voting for Romney because he's not an ideal candidate is to ensure that Obama will remain in the White Hose for another four years which would be more than detrimental to our great country. Vote for Romney and pray that our Lord will guide him and that he will listen. These last four years have shown that Obama is either a man who does not ask for God's guidance or that God is extending his direction and Obama is not paying attention. Let's pray that our Lord continue to lead this wonderful country of ours in ways that are life giving, that His will be done, that we may have the peace and joy He passionately wants for us.

2. Trent

   1 year ago

   I see that the claim that Mormons are not Christian or pro-life has already been addressed in comments above, but I figured I'd add my perspective in case anyone's interested :)
   
   In general, Catholics and Mormons have very amicable relations. As a child, my first Church service outside my own Mormon faith was to a Catholic Mass, which my parents encouraged and which I enjoyed. As I've grown older and realized the extent to which many Catholic and Mormon values are discarded these days, my respect for Catholics and their faith has only increased. As a committed Mormon, I view the Catholic church and faith very favorably and if I were asked to name a religion I consider most like or closest to my own, Catholicism would be near the top of the list. I deeply respect Catholicism's steadfast adherence to it's basic moral principles, and it's unwillingness to shift them for the sake of convenience or popularity in modern Western society. Along with Eastern Orthodox Christians and Orthodox Jews, Mormon believers join Catholics in that serious commitment to unchanging biblical concepts of humanity and morality, popular or not. Each group is only strengthened to have like-minded believers of other faiths, and we should foster increased cooperation and solidarity.
   
   I am aware and glad that Catholics don't consider Mormon baptism to be identical to Catholic baptism, and I think it's proper that neither group accept baptism into the other as a replacement for it's own baptism. I don't personally believe that has any connection to whether or not Mormons are Christian; for much of history protestant baptisms were not accepted by Catholicism either. Mormons certainly believe in Christ as Savior of the world and Son of God, born of immaculate conception to the virgin Mary. We don't claim to be an offshoot of Catholicism as do most Christian bodies, nor do we embrace an identical description of the mysterious and unfathomable concept of the Holy Trinity. Still emphasis on divine authority, papal organization, and Holy Sacraments make Mormons more similar to Catholics than many other Christian denominations. Were you to analyze the deep and subtle feelings Catholics and Mormons have to their respective Churches and to Christ, you would find them to be extremely similar, to the point of being difficult to distinguish, whereas most Protestant adherents would differ. Catholics and Mormons really have more in common than we often acknowledge, and much of Mormonism's uniqueness and separation from traditional Christianity in the minds of many has resulted from Mormons' emphasizing those aspects of the faith in order to adequately distinguish ourselves from Catholicism. When a Catholic says "the Church" and when a Mormon says "the Church", they express the same feeling, to the core. The street addresses and creeds are distinct, but the language to the human soul of Mormonism and Catholicism are very similar. I have no doubt that Christ would consider us all Brothers and Sisters in our faith in Him; we should too.
   
   As for whether creation begins at conception, or fertilization, it's unclear what Romney believes. Mormonism is vague on the embryonic specifics, allowing some personal interpretation (If a zygote never implants is it considered human life? If an embryo is conceived once but splits into twins, is it one instance of life beginning, or two? What then of cloning without any fertilization or conception (somatic cell nuclear transfer), is that new life beginning or not?). Still, Mormonism is very pro-life, condemning voluntary abortions and selfishness or recklessness in creating or destroying human life.
   
   I will probably vote for Obama and won't comment much on Romney, though I do know that he claims many of his positions were forced by the left-leaning legislature and population of his state. I believe he would appoint justices to the right of Obama's, and I'm nearly certain he is more passionate about religious protection than Obama; as a long-time minority Mormons are overwhelmingly so. My opinion is that abstaining from voting would not be seen by any politician as a pro-life vote, though if enough citizens wrote in David Jones' name, that potentially could be.
   
   Politics aside, all Catholics should know that Mormons are dependable allies on moral and social issues, and that Mormons certainly self-identify Christian, believe as Christians, and want to see all Christian causes succeed.

3. maria farber

   1 year ago

   To ROB
   to you I say AMEN you are sooo right!

4. Steven Lund

   1 year ago

   Let me see if I have this...I can vote for a man who is now a professed pro life, anti abortion Christian or I can abstain from the vote and guarantee the opposite?
   Brilliant argument...

5. Dan

   1 year ago

   Mitt Romney has always believed that abortion is wrong. The only thing that has changed is his opinion on whether we should allow personal freedom in the matter.

6. Vance

   1 year ago

   Romney's Mormonism beats the heck out of Obama's anti-Christianity, anti-Americanism, and anti-Catholicism.

7. Alexander

   1 year ago

   Mormons do not believe that the soul enters the body at birth. There is no official doctrine stating exactly when this occurs, but every Mormon I know considers it to be prior to birth.
   
   While some individual members may be Pro-Choice, the Church itself is staunchly Pro-Life, permitting abortions only in cases of rape, incest or endangerment to the mother's life.
   
   It is disingenuous to accuse the LDS of not being Pro-Life enough on the one hand while they are constantly lambasted on the other by the Left for their same Pro-Life position.

8. John Ross

   1 year ago

   Here are some counter-facts Catholics should know regarding Mitt Romney:
   
   1. Above all else, deeper than all else, Mitt Romney sees himself as a disciple of Jesus Christ. He is not offended by being called an “unorthodox Christian,” or a “non-traditional Christian,”
   and he is not offended that you don’t recognize his baptism, (after all, he doesn’t recognize your’s either). But do not be decieved, the Atonement of Christ is the heart of his faith, and all else is mere appendage.
   
   2. Mormon doctrine does not declare when the spirit enters the body, so members vary considerably in their beliefs. But the Chruch does teach the sacredness of procreation, and the importance of bringing children into this world. It also consider elective abortion to be a very grievious sin. Mitt’s roots are strong on the sanctity of life even if his policies as Governor were necessarily Massachusettsian.
   
   3. Obama will certainly appoint a pro-abortion justice. Mitt will undoubtedly appoint a more conservative justice. Most Mormons will join with you in praying for a courageous one such as Scalia..
   
   4. As a devout Mormon, Mitt Romney believes as an article of faith that preserving Freedom of Conscience is the first and foremost duty of government. Romney knows well the persecution that was once heaped upon his ancestors by both government and the lawless, and He will resist the heavy hand of government now being used to coerce the religious into violating their sacred beliefs even if he does not share them completely.
   

9. Terrie Lynn Bittner

   1 year ago

   I want to correct some serious errors in your discussion of Mormon doctrine. First, Mormons do not believe the soul enters the body at birth. We officially teach that we do not know when it enters. Mormons believe abortion is a sin except in a few rare cases--rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother, for instance. Even then, the family must ask God (not man) for permission and pray about it. The official Mormon position can be found here: http://www.lds.org/study/topics/abortion?lang=eng
   
   Next, a high priest is not the same as a Catholic bishop. It is, in fact, a priesthood level most men achieve by the age of 30 or 40. All male Mormons who are worthy receive the priesthood at age 12 and advance regularly until age 18, when they become elders. The next step is high priest. It is given when the man is chosen for a volunteer church job requiring that priesthood or simply because it's felt they are ready. It is not a paid position, as is the level of a Catholic bishop, nor is it one a person studies for, other than through regular attendance at church and through personal study such as is expected of any Mormon.
   
   At one time, Protestants (but not Mormons) considered Catholics to be non-Christian and some still do. I wonder if you were okay with them making that choice about you? Mormons believe people must be allowed to self-identify as Mormons because only God knows the content of our heart. The Bible does not give the definition of a Christian.
   
   May I also comment on your suggested sources? Jesus taught that we must treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. I wonder if you send people curious about Catholics to non-Catholic sources, perhaps even haters, for their information. If not, you should not send Catholics there for Mormon information. To learn about Mormons, go to LDS.org or Mormon.org--and if I want to learn about Catholics, I will check out appropriate sources by good Catholics as well.
   
   It is extremely difficult to understand another person's faith and to get it right. Despite the credentials you listed yourself as having, you still got essential elements of the faith wrong. This is why Mormons are taught not to teach anyone else's faith but our own. I personally believe a faith should have so much depth the believer has no time or desire to discuss anyone else's faith.

10. Terrie Lynn Bittner

    1 year ago

    I want to correct some serious errors in your discussion of Mormon doctrine. First, Mormons do not believe the soul enters the body at birth. We officially teach that we do not know when it enters. Mormons believe abortion is a sin except in a few rare cases--rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother. Even then, the family must ask God (not man) for permission and pray about it. The official Mormon position can be found here: http://www.lds.org/study/topics/abortion?lang=eng
    
    Next, a high priest is not the same as a Catholic bishop. It is, in fact, a priesthood level most men achieve by the age of 30 or so. All male Mormons who are worthy receive the priesthood at age 12 and advance regularly until age 18, when they become elders. The next step is high priest. It is given when the man is chosen for a volunteer church job requiring that priesthood or simply because it's felt they are ready. It is not a paid position, as is the level of a Catholic bishop, nor is it one a person studies for, other than through regular attendance at church and through personal study such as is expected of any Mormon.
    
    At one time, Protestants considered Catholics to be non-Christian and some still do. I wonder if you were okay with them making that choice about you? Mormons believe people must be allowed to self-identify as Mormons because only God knows the content of our heart. The Bible does not give the definition of a Christian.
    
    As for your recommended sources: Jesus taught that we must treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. I wonder if you send people curious about Catholics to non-Catholic sources, perhaps even haters, for their information. If not, you should not send Catholics there for Mormon information. To learn about Mormons, go to LDS.org or Mormon.org--and if I want to learn about Catholics, I will check out appropriate sources as well.
    
    It is extremely difficult to understand another person's faith and to get it right. Despite the crendentiials you listed, you still got essential elements of the faith wrong. This is why Mormons are taught not to teach anyone else's faith but our own. I personally believe a faith should have so much depth the believer has no time or desire to discuss anyone else's faith.

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