Vote for a Mormon?

Paul at Thoughts of a Regular Guy wrote a post about Mitt Romney where he said:

“Are Mormons Christians?…as a Catholic, I might say the same about Protestants.”

There are great differences between Mormons and Protestants. Mormons believe that God was once a man. Protestants (like Catholics) believe God was always God. Mormons deny the Trinity. Protestants believe in the Trinity(like Catholics). Mormons believe we can become gods. Protestants (like Catholics) believe it is sinful to try to become gods (see Gen 3:5). Mormons believe that God had physical relations with Mary, Protestants hold to the Virgin Birth (like Catholics).

I am conflicted about Romney. I don’t want to support the idea that that his religion is correct. At the same time, I would rather vote for a candidate who supports my values (e.g. the sanctity of marriage, pro-life) which is more than I can say for any Catholic candidate for office. How sad is that?

  • RJ

    A few quick thoughts: As you know the state of Mass. is predominately Catholic. I didn't see a mass conversion to the LDS Church while Romney was Gov. The LDS, of which I am one, do NOT believe God had physical relations with Mary. We too believe in the Virgin Birth. Some individual members and/or leaders in the past have expressed "personal opinions" that have been "interpreted" by some to mean that there was a physical relation."Official LDS Doctrine" Does NOT teach this. I have to laugh at 95% of what I read on the internet about what I "supposedly" believe–most of it is inacurrate! Please keep this in mind–always check and double check sources! I have not made up my mind yet about who to vote for, but I will be evaluating each candidate based on their merits! Thanks!

  • RJ

    A few quick thoughts:

    As you know the state of Mass. is predominately Catholic. I didn't see a mass conversion to the LDS Church while Romney was Gov.

    The LDS, of which I am one, do NOT believe God had physical relations with Mary.
    We too believe in the Virgin Birth.

    Some individual members and/or leaders in the past have expressed "personal opinions" that have been "interpreted" by some to mean that there was a physical relation.

    "Official LDS Doctrine" Does NOT teach this.

    I have to laugh at 95% of what I read on the internet about what I "supposedly" believe–most of it is inacurrate!
    Please keep this in mind–always check and double check sources!

    I have not made up my mind yet about who to vote for, but I will be evaluating each candidate based on their merits!

    Thanks!

  • Jason

    RJ, Thank you for replying. My source for the claim that LDS believe Mary had physical relations with God is Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses 8:115:"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood – was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers" . Now, my research shows that Mormons do claim a virgin birth by saying that as God was immortal, then she was still a virgin because she did not have sexual relations with a mortal – a weak rationalization in my view. In any case, Brigham Young (a credible source of Mormon doctrine) did claim that God had physical, sexual relations with Mary. Catholics (and Protestants) believe that Jesus was conceived as a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit and not as an act of physical sexual intercourse.

  • Jason

    RJ,
    Thank you for replying.
    My source for the claim that LDS believe Mary had physical relations with God is Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses 8:115:
    "The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood – was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers" .

    Now, my research shows that Mormons do claim a virgin birth by saying that as God was immortal, then she was still a virgin because she did not have sexual relations with a mortal – a weak rationalization in my view.

    In any case, Brigham Young (a credible source of Mormon doctrine) did claim that God had physical, sexual relations with Mary. Catholics (and Protestants) believe that Jesus was conceived as a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit and not as an act of physical sexual intercourse.

  • RJ

    A few quick thoughts:

    As you know the state of Mass. is predominately Catholic. I didn’t see a mass conversion to the LDS Church while Romney was Gov.

    The LDS, of which I am one, do NOT believe God had physical relations with Mary.
    We too believe in the Virgin Birth.

    Some individual members and/or leaders in the past have expressed “personal opinions” that have been “interpreted” by some to mean that there was a physical relation.

    “Official LDS Doctrine” Does NOT teach this.

    I have to laugh at 95% of what I read on the internet about what I “supposedly” believe–most of it is inacurrate!
    Please keep this in mind–always check and double check sources!

    I have not made up my mind yet about who to vote for, but I will be evaluating each candidate based on their merits!

    Thanks!

  • RJ

    A few quick thoughts:

    As you know the state of Mass. is predominately Catholic. I didn’t see a mass conversion to the LDS Church while Romney was Gov.

    The LDS, of which I am one, do NOT believe God had physical relations with Mary.
    We too believe in the Virgin Birth.

    Some individual members and/or leaders in the past have expressed “personal opinions” that have been “interpreted” by some to mean that there was a physical relation.

    “Official LDS Doctrine” Does NOT teach this.

    I have to laugh at 95% of what I read on the internet about what I “supposedly” believe–most of it is inacurrate!
    Please keep this in mind–always check and double check sources!

    I have not made up my mind yet about who to vote for, but I will be evaluating each candidate based on their merits!

    Thanks!

  • RJ,
    Thank you for replying.
    My source for the claim that LDS believe Mary had physical relations with God is Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses 8:115:
    “The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood – was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers” .

    Now, my research shows that Mormons do claim a virgin birth by saying that as God was immortal, then she was still a virgin because she did not have sexual relations with a mortal – a weak rationalization in my view.

    In any case, Brigham Young (a credible source of Mormon doctrine) did claim that God had physical, sexual relations with Mary. Catholics (and Protestants) believe that Jesus was conceived as a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit and not as an act of physical sexual intercourse.

  • RJ,
    Thank you for replying.
    My source for the claim that LDS believe Mary had physical relations with God is Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses 8:115:
    “The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood – was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers” .

    Now, my research shows that Mormons do claim a virgin birth by saying that as God was immortal, then she was still a virgin because she did not have sexual relations with a mortal – a weak rationalization in my view.

    In any case, Brigham Young (a credible source of Mormon doctrine) did claim that God had physical, sexual relations with Mary. Catholics (and Protestants) believe that Jesus was conceived as a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit and not as an act of physical sexual intercourse.

  • Tiffany

    Jason, what about the remainder of your "Catholic values"? Too often it seems that Catholics get stuck on two issues (abortion and homosexual marriage) as the barometer of whether or not a candidate's positions are in line with our values and somehow forget that our values also require love for the people who have already been born, works of mercy, etc. This single-issue focus becomes so extreme that someone like George Bush is considered "pro life" and has Christians flocking to his party without anyone noticing or mentioning the futile care bill he signed in Texas that reaches far beyond a case like Terry Schiavo's to allow a hospital to "pull the plug" on someone who is alive, conscious, and requesting continued care. Our responsibility as Catholics doesn't end with the few high-profile, high-controversy issues that happen to make headline news–it requires us to think about social justice, immigration, the death penalty, the Catechism's definition of a just war, and a host of other issues that impact our "neighbors" on a day-to-day basis.

  • Tiffany

    Jason, what about the remainder of your "Catholic values"? Too often it seems that Catholics get stuck on two issues (abortion and homosexual marriage) as the barometer of whether or not a candidate's positions are in line with our values and somehow forget that our values also require love for the people who have already been born, works of mercy, etc. This single-issue focus becomes so extreme that someone like George Bush is considered "pro life" and has Christians flocking to his party without anyone noticing or mentioning the futile care bill he signed in Texas that reaches far beyond a case like Terry Schiavo's to allow a hospital to "pull the plug" on someone who is alive, conscious, and requesting continued care. Our responsibility as Catholics doesn't end with the few high-profile, high-controversy issues that happen to make headline news–it requires us to think about social justice, immigration, the death penalty, the Catechism's definition of a just war, and a host of other issues that impact our "neighbors" on a day-to-day basis.

  • Jason, what about the remainder of your “Catholic values”? Too often it seems that Catholics get stuck on two issues (abortion and homosexual marriage) as the barometer of whether or not a candidate’s positions are in line with our values and somehow forget that our values also require love for the people who have already been born, works of mercy, etc. This single-issue focus becomes so extreme that someone like George Bush is considered “pro life” and has Christians flocking to his party without anyone noticing or mentioning the futile care bill he signed in Texas that reaches far beyond a case like Terry Schiavo’s to allow a hospital to “pull the plug” on someone who is alive, conscious, and requesting continued care. Our responsibility as Catholics doesn’t end with the few high-profile, high-controversy issues that happen to make headline news–it requires us to think about social justice, immigration, the death penalty, the Catechism’s definition of a just war, and a host of other issues that impact our “neighbors” on a day-to-day basis.

  • Jason, what about the remainder of your “Catholic values”? Too often it seems that Catholics get stuck on two issues (abortion and homosexual marriage) as the barometer of whether or not a candidate’s positions are in line with our values and somehow forget that our values also require love for the people who have already been born, works of mercy, etc. This single-issue focus becomes so extreme that someone like George Bush is considered “pro life” and has Christians flocking to his party without anyone noticing or mentioning the futile care bill he signed in Texas that reaches far beyond a case like Terry Schiavo’s to allow a hospital to “pull the plug” on someone who is alive, conscious, and requesting continued care. Our responsibility as Catholics doesn’t end with the few high-profile, high-controversy issues that happen to make headline news–it requires us to think about social justice, immigration, the death penalty, the Catechism’s definition of a just war, and a host of other issues that impact our “neighbors” on a day-to-day basis.