Editor and Publisher is reporting that Mike Huckabee–the Baptist candidate for President–is about to slam his rival, Mitt Romney, along with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with that tired old anti-Mormon question: Don’t Mormons believe Christ and the devil are brothers:
Published: December 11, 2007 9:15 PM ET
NEW YORK Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, asks in an upcoming article, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”
The article, to be published in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, says Huckabee asked the question after saying he believes Mormonism is a religion but doesn’t know much about it. His rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is a member of the Mormon church, which is known officially as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The authoritative Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published in 1992, does not refer to Jesus and Satan as brothers. It speaks of Jesus as the son of God and of Satan as a fallen angel, which is a Biblical account.
A spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Huckabee’s question is usually raised by those who wish to smear the Mormon faith rather than clarify doctrine.
“We believe, as other Christians believe and as Paul wrote, that God is the father of all,” said the spokeswoman, Kim Farah. “That means that all beings were created by God and are his spirit children. Christ, on the other hand, was the only begotten in the flesh and we worship him as the son of God and the savior of mankind. Satan is the exact opposite of who Christ is and what he stands for.”
So, watch this Sunday’s New York Times for Huckabee’s foray into anti-Mormonism in the midst of his race for the Republican Presidential nomination. How timely for the article slamming a fellow Christian and his religious beliefs to be published on a Sunday, a traditional day of worship throughout the Christian world. So much for Huckabee’s claims that he doesn’t evaluate others’ doctrines and that he respects anyone who practices their faith:
Earlier this month in Iowa, Huckabee wouldn’t say whether he thought Mormonism _ rival Romney’s religion _ was a cult.
“I’m just not going to go off into evaluating other people’s doctrines and faiths. I think that is absolutely not a role for a president,” the former Arkansas governor said.
While he said he respects “anybody who practices his faith,” Huckabee said that what other people believe _ he named Republican rivals Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton _ “is theirs to explain, not mine, and I’m not going to.”
This isn’t Huckabee’s only flirtation with anti-Mormon rhetoric. See here, here, here, and here. With such fellow Christian Brothers, who needs enemies spreading lies about cultism? Thanks Brother Mike.
Update 8:47 p.m. See Adam Greenwood’s related post over at Times and Seasons.
Other Bloggernacle posts:
Ronan’s: Sorry Michael, but you’re telling porkies
John C.’s: They aint’ heavy; They’re my brethren
Dan’s: Andy Kaufman and Mike Huckabee
December 12, 2007 at 1:09 am
Isn’t it correct that Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan (and all the rest of us) are brothers? That’s certainly what I was taught.
I guess the objection is to the biased, out-of-context way the issue is presented, rather than the doctrinal fact itself. On the other hand, I can think of instances where Mormons have presented the beliefs of other faiths in a biased, out-of-context way…in fact, such a thing used to be part of the temple ceremony.
December 12, 2007 at 1:18 am
[...] SBC proselytizing-fest in Salt Lake City in 1998, this ignorance is puzzling. Or better put, completely disingenuous. Questions like this suggest he’s been raised on a diet of the Godmakers and believes [...]
December 12, 2007 at 4:29 am
Evangelical Christians are not our friends. We may attempt to be theirs, but when push comes to shove, they would rather spend their money on anti-Mormon literature and to take us down.
December 12, 2007 at 9:54 am
There’s an editorial piece last week in the Post that came down hard on Huckabee punting on a question regarding religious tolerance.
You know, I think its harder being a Christian when others speak out against us, but someone once said “love our enemies.”
December 12, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Yeah, it’s pretty tacky. It’s interesting to note that Michael Novak endorsed Mitt Romney today largely because of this Huckabee attack.
Here are my own thoughts on the matter (written largely for non-LDS readers). ..bruce..
December 13, 2007 at 3:14 pm
In the political sense, I suppose it matters less what Romney and Huckabee spar over than the outcome — what people think of them after they shouting is done. Apparently Huckabee understood this, and took his best shot.
Now it looks to me like Romney will finish as a nice guy also-ran.
February 8, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Now that Romney is out, see what other supporters are saying about the 2008 presidential race.
http://3DW.net/letter
February 8, 2008 at 11:29 pm
[...] the bigotry was not limited only to the ilk of Rocky Hulse. Not to be out done, Mike Huckabee in with his aw shucks ma’am demeanor innocently posited the question about whether Mormons [...]
September 16, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Mike Huckabee has never been shy regarding his disdain for any Christian denomination other than his. Heck, he’s a Baptist Minister for Pete’s sake! When it comes to Mormonism, however, he’s not only indifferent but likewise as intollerant. The proof is in the pudding and one would only need to take a look at his supporters in Iowa. Huckabee teamed up with McCain to “beat the Mormon” for no other reason other than the fact that Romney is LDS. They certainly couldn’t go after anything else in Romney’s impecable past! It’s a shame and it was more than enough to tell me all I needed to know about what kind of a “minister” Mike Huckabee is.
September 19, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Looks like “the pot calling the kettle black” to me!
He who calls someone a bigot, is likewise a bigot.