Friday, December 14, 2007

Mitt Romney Denies Church Doctrine

Mitt Responds to Huckabee’s Apology:

Voters will reject attacks on his Mormon faith, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday in response to a question raised about his beliefs by rival Mike Huckabee.

"I think attacking someone's religion is really going too far. It's just not the American way and I think people will reject that," Romney told NBC's "Today Show" about Huckabee's asking whether Mormons believe Jesus and the devil are brothers.

"That's been something that's leveled at our church over many, many years,"…

~ Mitt Romney

So, is this a canard? Or is it official Mormon doctrine? At a debate going on elsewhere on the WWW, Bill McKeever brought up an article by a Momron that calls for those persons (Mormons) to be truthful in all cases:

In an article that has been posted on mrm.org for quite some time (Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness), I mention an article written by BYU professor Robert J. Matthews for the October 1994 issue of Ensign. In that piece Dr. Matthews wrote that the ninth commandment is a “strong declaration against … gross understatements, fabrication, or the willful giving of any explanation not supported by the facts.” He went on to say, “Even sharing the truth can have the effect of lying when we tell only half-truths that do not give the full picture. We can also be guilty of bearing false witness and lying if we say nothing, particularly if we allow another to reach a wrong conclusion while we hold back information that would have led to a more accurate perception. In this case it is as though an actual lie were uttered” (pg.54).

A short while latter in the text Bill McKeever again asks this poignant question:

So Ralph and Dj, I take your responses to mean Mormons do believe Jesus and Lucifer are brothers. So the answer is simply, yes.

What was the answer… after lots of twists and turns, this finally came down the written turnpike:

…And Bill, the answer is Yes, they are brothers. I have no reservations about saying that on this site as most of you already know the answer and know about the other doctrine that goes with it.

So. The question remains… although I know the answer to it via Mormon sources, not anti-Mormon sources, for example:

"By definition exaltation includes the ability to procreate the family unit throughout eternity. This our Father in heaven has power to do. His marriage partner is our mother in heaven. We are their spirit children, born to them in the bonds of celestial marriage" (Achieving a Celestial Marriage, LDS Church manual, p.129).