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The Book on Mormons (Cartoon)
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
25 Responses to “The Book on Mormons (Cartoon)”
The Mitt and Jon show could prove to be entertaining. Obama was smart to appoint Huntsman ambassador to China.
Um am I the only one that thinks this is a bit bigoted? Maybe bigoted is a harsh word for it but I do not feel comfortable mocking them because of their religion.
Well, since Bagley is LDS himself, I suspect it blurs the charge.
Good point CO, I think I am just being hyper sensitive since I fear a good deal of Mormon cracks coming this political season and I really am not looking forward to it.
As a Mormon I’ll officially declare that this is not offensive (I’m kidding, of course I don’t speak for all Mormons).
Many Mormons have a healthy sense of humor about the peculiar aspects of our culture. I think it is perhaps a coping mechanism, since there are so many peculiar aspects to poke fun at, it would be exhausting to take offense in every instance.
What I would find offensive is the mocking of what we consider to be sacred. I’m sure there will be some of that and I’m not looking forward to it, but it comes with the territory.
I’d love for Jon Huntsman to throw his hat in. At least for VP maybe. (ETA: Not with Romney though, that would just be weird.)
After the last primary fight with Mitt I found myself suffering from a form of Baptist Guilt from what I witnessed that was done to him.
AD…I am reminded of the First Sermon..no emnity against anyone.
I will let your ward bishop know you practice it well every day you are here.
I certainly don’t have any problem with the sacred mythology portion of Mormonism, although as adelinesdad mentions, it seems most Mormons have a much better sense of humor about the Mormon story than, say, Catholics or Evangelicals do about their own story.
My concerns about having a Mormon president fall into an entirely different category, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Thanks, but that’s just likely to get me a bigger (unpaid) calling. I’d prefer you just tell my wives—I mean wife, my firs–I mean only wife.
“My concerns about having a Mormon president”
Now, there’s an example of actual bigotry for you, TMSF.
How so, casual? Please, do tell. I wait with bated breath.
Roro-I assume that is due to him being possibly a social con but Mitt at least was about as social con as Bush I. Sure he has now changed his stance but I tend to believe the first stance of a candidate not the second one.
No, casual is calling on you to recognize me as a bigot. I’m asking him to explain.
Oh c’mon you two would-be deflection artists.
Let me clarify my point with these small rephrasings…My concerns about having a black President……My concerns about having a woman President….my concerns with having a gay President.
Referring to a President’s race, gender, sexual orientation….or religious preference……is the soft bigotry of inserting seemingly innocuous perjorative adjectives. You don’t get to slam a religion on the way to complaining about abortion rights..or whatever you did have in mind.
It’s not the religious part that I worry about, casual, and you know it. It’s the policy positions pushed — pushed hard, and with huge amounts of money, and enforced lifestyle-wise among their followers — that I have a problem with. If they get their money and their noses out of the genitalia of the rest of the country, they can believe any made-up God story they want. I couldn’t care less.
And likening a huge distaste for the policy positions pushed by a particular church to disliking someone because they are black or a woman or gay…well I really shouldn’t have to point out to you why that’s actually not at all anything close to the same thing. “Soft bigotry” pffftt. It’s ridiculous, and you know it. Cute little game you’re trying to play though.
Roro-on this one you sound like you are one of the group that tried to keep out JFK since he would be “getting his orders” from the vatican. Every major religion has its nose in our bedroom in this country and none are totally immune, why single out Mormons?
This is just so typical. The only racism is the distrust people of color rightfully feel toward white people. The only sexism is when a woman doesn’t cede bodily autonomy to a man. The same rights straight people already have and have always had are suddenly “special rights” for gay people. And thinking that the official position of the LDS on just about every social issue is harmful and bigoted and not something I want anywhere near the leadership of my country makes me a bigot. Effing typical.
I don’t single out Mormons. Evangelicals are easily as bad. Catholics — well, it’s just so easy to be a semi-Catholic these days; those that are all about pushing their anti-choice guilty dogma onto others are just as much in my target. General Christianity is too broad, can mean too many things, so it’s hard to say. Again — believe what you want, get your nose outta my ladybits.
But really, there is some difference between Mormons and many of the other dominant religions here — they are a group that is more than commonly involved in the personal lives of their members, and are very much working every day to change public policy in ways that I think are extraordinarily harmful.
I agree that the church, many of them as you noted, has made some bigoted statements and decisions and continues to but I do not see why that must mean every follower does as well. If anything Mitt seems to follow the mainstream of what group he wants to vote for him. Nixon was a Quaker and he expanded Nam, religion means little other than where you meet your group/clan on sundays/saturdays.
The Mormons kick out the members that publically disagree with them on certain issues, and the church actually keeps up with what their members think and say about those issues. It’s not like a Catholic who uses birth control, for example (of which roughly 98% do in the US, per a recent Guttmacher study).
And you know what? Maybe Mitt will publically renounce the positions of the church. Good on him, if he does.
I do think that given the rise of the new religious right, and how God is and always has been extraordinarily political, it’s a little odd to see you saying that it’s just a place to meet. I don’t like the CPAC members because when they meet their “clan”, they discuss how they’re going to do things that I think are extremely harmful. Sorry, but that’s what goes on in a lot of churches too. Not all, by any means, but a lot.
Yes, guilty until he proves himself innocent. You’re finally getting into the right-wing spirit.
You’re making a statistical argument that most Mormons do live the values of the church, which might be true. But statistical arguments about, say, African-Americans’ credit-default rates are still off-limits, right?
Roro, it sounds to me like it’s individuals and their policies that you have a problem with. If you are saying Mormons are more likely to have policies that you disagree with, you are correct and you are right to be skeptical of Mormon politicians in general (as well as other politicians from conservative faiths and pretty much anyone with an R after their name). However, once you understand the positions of a particular individual, I’d hope you would evaluate that person as an individual, and not as a member of a group that you don’t like. Do you agree with that? If so, that’s not bigotry.
I don’t wish to participate in a lengthy debate about my faith on a message board. But I would like to address the claim that the church excommunicates members based on their political views. I’d direct you to http://newsroom.lds.org/official-statement/political-neutrality
Of course, you may be skeptical that this is actually followed in practice. I can only say that in my experience it is. Obviously, challenging the church leadership over doctrinal issues or serious violations of the rules of personal conduct are a different matter.
Ad, yes, I agree with what you’re saying.
Unfortunately, my experience doesn’t match yours. I guess “excommunicate” would be an incorrect word, more like “so much pressure from church leaders and the congregation that remaining a member is untenable”.
Dr J- right, because there’s just no way to know what these two candidates might think, and where they come down on the issues that are important to me, and whether or not they line up with issues Mormons support overwhelmingly. What a shame that I’ve got nothing but their religion to base my opinions on. Bummer.
Ad, I also want to tell you that I appreciate your interaction with me. I do understand that criticizing someone’s religion is fightin’ words.