Hugh Hewitt delivers a well-deserved slap-down to a New York Times op-ed on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Mitt Romney. Among the reasons Americans distrust the Mormon church is Mormon clannishness. Because every worthy Mormon male is expected to be a lay priest in voluntary service to the church, the demands on his time often leave little opportunity to cultivate close friendships with non-Mormon neighbors. A good Mormon is a busy Mormon. Those - like Mr. Romney - who serve as bishops (pastors of congregations) often find it difficult to schedule evenings at home with their own families.
To many Americans, Mormonism is a church with the soul of a corporation. Successful Mormon males can expect to be called, at some time in their lives, to assume full-time duties in the church's missions, in its vast administrative offices in Salt Lake City or in one of many church-owned businesses. Mormons like to hire other Mormons, and those who lose their jobs can count on the church networks to find them openings elsewhere. Mr. Romney put those same networks to effective use in raising part of his $23 million in campaign contributions.
Moreover, Mormons are perceived to be unusually secretive.
Even though the op-ed closes with the thought that none of these reservations is a reason to vote against Romney, the damage is done. Hugh nails it, but frankly the comparison he makes of substituting "Jew" for "Mormon" is so basic one wonders how anyone at the NYT could have failed to immediately do the same comparison and think better of publishing such bigoted tripe.
While I am dismayed at the level of anti-Mormon bigotry alive in America, at least the bigots are flushing themselves out of the weeds. Nobody ever called the Times a spokesman for evangelical Christians, a group accused of harboring anti-Mormon animus over theological issues. Some of those who parade about as open-minded have revealed themselves to be worse than those they castigate as narrow-minded.
Hat tip: Ed Lasky
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