Jerry and Me
A recent Time Magazine editorial (May 28, 2007, p. 72) on Jerry Falwell stated: ” . . . Falwell founded the Moral Majority on the argument that fundamentalist Christians, Orthodox Jews, conservative Roman Catholics and Mormons had so much in common politically that they should overlook their theological differences.” This seems an odd coalition and one I’m certainly not confortable with. Not because I necessarilly disapprove of the non-Mormon members, but because I’m a bit of Libertarian when it comes to social issues.
I’m also uncomfortable with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as allies. After all, isn’t it Jerry who railed against purple, purse-carrying Teletubby Tinky Winky and who preached that God had withdrawn his shield from America on 9/11 because we had deviated from the gospel according to Falwell. “When he (Falwell ) talked of AIDS in Africa, it was about God’s punishment on homosexuals.” All leaders stub their toes (certainly Joseph Smith did), but still. . .
But the bigger issue with me is: We originally henotheisitic Mormons are trying too hard to score points with conservative Christians, thereby proving to them we are real “Christians.” We seem to be backing away from some of the doctrines preached by Joseph Smith in his King Follett discourse. According to Harold Bloom in Sunstone (March 2007, p. 18): “If there is any spiritual continuity between Smith and Gordon B. Hinkley, I am unable to see it.”
I’m personally opposed to abortion (except under certain circumstances), but I’m not for enforcing my beliefs on others. I’m also pro-euthanasia, anti-school prayer, pro-gay marriage and gay rights, and pro-stem cell research. And perhaps most important of all, I personally don’t believe that God is in the heavens “stirring the pot.” 7/11, Katrina, and AIDS are not God’s punishment on America, New Orleans, or Africa. But, more importantly, I personally believe that God is very interested in how we react to these disasters. He is probably observing how we treat our fellowmen, including children, gays, lesbians, the elderly, the downtrodden, minorities, etc.
I’m not sure my “hands off” view of God is shared by many other Mormons. In church on Sunday, the First Councilor”s wife stated that her family had received direct rewards from paying their tithing. Our Bishop prayed for help during a dangerous automobile situation, and was granted a positive outcome to his crisis. Last year, in a Sunday School lesson, the teacher stated that praying for divine assistance helped her repair her bike. And these are just three examples I can remember. Clearly, I’m probably in the minority on this issue, and the majority of Mormons are closer to Jerry.
I don’t believe that Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or John Taylor would be confortable with an alliance with the Moral Majority. And that’s not just my opinion. Bloom wonders if “the Mormons are not in danger of becoming just another American mainline Protestant denomination.”