Who’s afraid of Mitt Romney’s Mormonism?
Gerson brings up the question of which creation myth is true in the eyes of the American voting pool. The answer may well be a determining factor in the 2012 election.
He emphasizes the reluctant willingness in the religious right leadership to ally with non-evangelicals in the interest of consolidating a numbers coalition among the various faiths. He cites Falwell’s alliances with Catholics, Jews, and others he felt to be non-Christian to obtain numerical power.
His position in this article is that the quest for reality and science over mythology may well prevent many liberals from voting for a Mormon. The perception of the LDS church as little different from any other creation fairy tale may work to force an LDS-teavangelist coalition.
I personally do not want any religious coalitions involved in American politics. The 1st Amendment to our Constitution is one of the most significant and necessary items of government ever penned.
The founding myths of Mormonism include a supernatural overlord much like any supreme being postulated by any religion. This being lives on another planet, which eliminates the question of “where are heaven and hell. The founding physical artifact, magical golden plates inscribed with a secret holy language, pointed out by a holy angel messenger vanish as translated. There is then, no possibility of transcription error correction.
Match this alien visitor from outer space – arriving at a period when other planets are known to exist to the sudden conversion of Avram to monotheism. Plates of gold vs. tablets of stone. Single person original contact with the celestial overlord, Moses vs Joseph Smith. Invisible afterlife colonies – Christian, not Jewish - vs. distant planets. Hereditary priesthood vs. gender based priesthood. Polygamy as a cultural tenet of either faith.
Balance either of these concepts of creation and civilization against the universe science is still discovering today. I can no more believe in angelic messengers, golden plates and magic underwear than I can rams appearing in bushes to terminate human sacrifice, burning bushes, 6-day creation, and miraculous resurrection.
Creation myths are part of every culture. They come into existence to explain the natural world to people who lack the underlying knowledge of sciences; physics, geology, chemistry, biology, medicine, and other disciplines to interpret the world’s origins and functions at any level beyond the intercession of divine beings. Whether they believe in technologically superior space invaders, giant human analogs living on mountaintops or invisible beings that wipe out the world with floods then establish an afterlife R&R camp for the children who eat their vegetables and pray loudly enough; the myths should be allowed to fade away as we learn more about the physical world.
Take your pick if you must believe in a creation myth. There is as little point in praying to an invisible sky god as to a primitive life forms ranger from Alpha-Centauri. Just practice your faith privately, please, and keep them all out of politics. I’d much rather ally with rational voters than with those who believe George Bush, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Bachmann are in direct communication with an invisible sky being who will cause them to be elected because they pray loudly and publically while suppressing political freedom in the electorate.
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