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It’s been an interesting few weeks for the Church! With Mitt Romney going for President, there has been a spotlight on the Church and its members.
It looks like the Church released four videos touching on the subject of politics on YouTube. Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles appear in these videos and answer questions people may have on their mind.
What Does Church Political Neutrality Mean for Mormons?
“Be involved, but don’t look at the Church to direct you as to how to be involved.”
Why Should Mormons Participate in the Political Process?
“The very fundemental principal of freedom is absolutely essential for the gospel of Jesus Christ to propser.”
What is the Civic Duty of Mormons?
“The Civic Duty of any Latter Day Saint…is to be actively involved in the political process”
Are Mormon Politicians Directed By Church Leadership?
“We have a long record in the Church of not interferring with public officials…Politcal Candidates understand that. They don’t ever come to the Church and say ‘What Do I do?’”
You can see additional videos by visiting their profile on YouTube.
In my previous post, Romney to Explain the LDS Church in a Speech, I noted that Mitt Romney will be explaining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a campaign speech. It seems he did very little explaining and touched more on the subject of what this country was founded on: freedom. More importantly, religious freedom. Early on in his speech, Romney makes a great point that no one can deny:
Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.
I often thought about the commandments we follow, more specifically keeping the Sabbath holy. A president works twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. How can he follow keeping the Sabbath holy?
This is how.
From what I’ve been learning in Gospel Essentials class, our duty, loyalty and faith comes in the following order: God first…then everything else falls into place (family second, and career third, etc.) Think of the story of Abraham and Isaac and how he put the Lord first.
Romney clearly shows what he puts first:
When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.
He will put God first. He will put his promise to God above everything else.
Like I mentioned earlier, Romney also touched very little on explaining his faith and more about how the country is based on freedom of religion and the important role of religion in the United States. He says:
There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church’s distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.
He is right, no presidential candidate should describe and explain doctrine. That would be missing the entire point of electing someone to the presidential office. He is also right when he says that a president will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.
Mitt Romney also has the same opinion that I have: That most religions are some how derived from one source, which is God.
I believe that every faith I have encountered draws its adherents closer to God. And in every faith I have come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass, the approachability of God in the prayers of the evangelicals, the tenderness of spirit among the Pentecostals, the confident independence of the Lutherans, the ancient traditions of the Jews, unchanged through the ages, and the commitment to frequent prayer of the Muslims. As I travel across the country and see our towns and cities, I am always moved by the many houses of worship with their steeples, all pointing to heaven, reminding us of the source of life’s blessings.
Hearing Romney say these things confirmed to me that this country is built on blessings and faith in the Lord. I’m impressed with Romney – now it’s time to see what he politically stands for and what he can do for our country. 
Click Here for the text of Romney’s Speech.
You can watch the entire speech here:
Mitt Romney’s Speech (part 1 of 4)
Mitt Romney’s Speech (part 2 of 4)
Mitt Romney’s Speech (part 3 of 4)
Mitt Romney Speech (part 4 of 4)
It looks like Mitt Romney will be explaining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a campaign speech at 9:30 central time from the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station Texas on Thursday December 6, 2007. This was reported on Carl Cameron’s Blog.
The issues of Mitt Romney’s being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being paralleled to the issues of John F. Kennedy being a Catholic.
Catholicism was an issue during the United States presidential election back in 1960, former presidential candidate John F. Kennedy addressed fears that his Catholicism would impact his decision-making, he famously stated:
I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters — and the Church does not speak for me.
Kennedy also brought up the point of whether one-quarter of Americans were relegated to second-class citizenship just because they were Catholic. Kennedy later went on to become the 35th President of the United States.
I am excited to hear what Romney will say about the Church and how he will address the fears of the public. Hopefully America will realize that this situation with Mitt Romney is no different than the situation John F. Kennedy was in. Mitt Romney is not the Mormon candidate for President. He is the Republican Party candidate for President who also happens to be Mormon.
While browsing around last night I found an interesting website about Famous Mormons.
Here are a few celebrities that I already knew were active Latter-day Saints:
- Gladis Knight – Singer
- Harry Reid – Neveda US Senate Democrate Majority Leader
- Mitt Romney – Massachusetts Governor, Republican candidate in the 2008 United States presidential election.
- Katherine Heigl – Actress – Grey’s Anatomy, Roswell, Knocked-Up
- Glenn Beck – TV / Radio Host – CNN Headline News
- Jon Heder – Actor – Napoleon Dynamite
- Rick Schroder -Actor – Silver Spoons, NYPD Blue
- Rick Thomas – Magician
Here are a few celebrities that I didn’t know were Latter-day Saints and are Inactive:
- A.J. Cook – Actress – Final Destination 2, Tru Calling
- Eliza Dushku – Actress – Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Bring It On, Tru Calling
- Kelly Packard – Actress – California Dreams, Baywatch
- Paul Walker – Actress – Varsity Blues, Pleasantville, She’s All That, The Fast and the Furious
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