Please Don’t Illegitimatize My Hate!

Bill Keller is very afraid that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will gain legitimacy if Mitt Romney is elected President. What does this really mean though? If he’s truly afraid that a “Mormon” in a position of power or fame would drive millions into the LDS Church then he is way too late. A quick visit to famousmormons.net will show that there are lots of famous “Mormons”. In fact Harry Reid, US Senate Majority Leader is “Mormon”, so are Gladys Knight, Steve Young, Donny & Marie Osmond, not to mention Amy Freeze of Fox 12 News.

Why would we even expect a “Mormon” winning the White House to have such an effect? I don’t recall a rush of people to join the LDS church when Steve Young first won the super bowl. The fact is that becoming LDS is a huge commitment that most people shy away from. As a “Mormon” You can’t smoke, drink alcohol, drink coffee or have premarital sex. On top of those prohibitions there are things you have to do. You have to go to church for three hours every Sunday, attend other midweek functions, tithe 10 percent of your income, and commit to a church responsibility called a “calling”.

So what could Bill Keller really be worried about? Could it be that if Romney is elected and does a good job then it will be much harder to spout hatred towards the “Mormons”. Keller admits about Romney, “I realize that he has a great marriage, great kids, and says he will stand for family values. He actually might be one of the best men there is to be President and lead this nation.” If this isn’t about picking the best man to be President, what is it about? Bigotry, Keller says, “If I had a dime for every time I have been called a bigot in the past 72 hours (since his infamous comment) Liveprayer would be funded for the next 5 years!”

It’s interesting that his mind goes straight to funding Liveprayer because one of his tactics to gain listeners is to make inflammatory statements, then invite people to argue with him over the air. He’s the shock jock of evangelicalism! Rather than lovingly trying to persuade callers he rails against them, which gets the callers and his listeners riled up, then the money pours in as listeners feel that he is fighting for their side (in a fight he created). I’m sure he would argue that he is defending Christian values, but he wouldn’t have to defend them if he didn’t start the fight to begin with. Instead of baiting non-Christians into fights, wouldn’t his time be better spent using LOVE to persuade believers and non-believers alike to live more Christ-like lives?

As Evangelicals for Mitt shows, not all Evangelicals are against Mitt Romney. Jerry Faldwell, founder of Liberty University, the College from which Bill Keller received his degree while in prison, had this to say about Mitt Romney,

"I have no problem voting for a person who is not of my faith as long as he or she stands with me on the moral and social issues. Mitt Romney may be a candidate for president. He's a Mormon. If he's pro-life, pro-family, I don't think he'll have any problem getting the support of evangelical Christians."

David Dockery, president of Union University, an evangelical institution said the following,

"There are key doctrinal differences between Mormons and Baptists--and most other evangelicals. But I don't see that that would be an issue [in a presidential bid] because he would share many of the same views on political and cultural issues, especially related to life and family, the economy and the environment."

Keller is also critical of Christians who support Mitt Romney, “Why men of God, great groups like the Southern Baptist Convention are willing to support a man who is part of a satanic cult is beyond my ability to comprehend.” He would rather have his listeners vote for a “third party candidate” who “has virtually ZERO chance of ever being elected” then vote for Romney. Keller, let me help you out; other Evangelicals don’t feel the same way as you, not because they have all lost their way but because they are more interested in teaching their beliefs, and supporting a strong moral leader than they are in trying to stir up controversy to promote themselves.

Alan Colmes interviewed Bill Keller on his radio show along with a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Listen here and pay particular attention to who acts respectful, and Christian and who doesn’t.