I'm already wishing that Mitt Romney just wouldn't run for the presidency. Not like I'd vote for him, since I'm a Democrat and I didn't like the things he did while governor of Massachusetts so I would hate to see what he'd do with the whole country. But I don't want him to run for really selfish reasons: it's going to make it very uncomfortable for the rest of us.
The bloggernacle has been all abuzz with commentaries on Andrew Sullivan and the showing of the g's on his website. Ever since there started being inklings that Mitt might run for president, I could see this coming. Not only would we see the things that we consider sacred paraded out in front of the world, but old and often uncomfortable histories would be dragged out into the light and the scrutiny of the media and the blogworld.
Today at work there was a conversation going on behind me that I elected not to be involved in, but that was spoken loudly enough for me to overhear. Some people here know that I'm Mormon, but I doubt those people do, or else they would have spoken more quietly. They were all people who I have chatted with before and have been friendly with, they just don't happen to know I'm Mormon.
The topic of the conversation: Mormons are so crazy! Basically, one guy started talking about everything he had ever heard about the crazy Mormon theology (true and untrue), the shady history of Joseph Smith, and current tales of what we can and can't do. Of note:
- We don't drink coffee, but we can drink Coke because the church owns part of Coke
- Joseph Smith was arrested for swindling people prior to The First Vision
- The Virgin Mary was Eve
One girl regaled the group with stories of playing tennis on courts shared with a couple of Mormon girls and how they were 17 and already married. Plus, they used these crazy words rather than swearing (probably stuff like "oh my heck" and "fetch," I'm betting). Another talked about this guy he knew at another job who had 10 kids. Their tones and their words emphasized how odd they believe Mormons are in general, and the stories just served to emphasize that supposition.
I don't know how the conversation got started, but I would bet Mitt Romney was a jumping-off point.
As someone who has a hard enough time dealing with some of the more strange and contradictory elements of our church history, I'm really not up to defending the religion to all who read the latest article on "Weird Moments in Mormon Theology" and come to me, their local neighborhood Mormon, to confirm or deny the latest tale.
So for the sake of us all, please, stop the campaign now, Mitt.
Plus, you know, I don't really want you to be my president anyway.
6 comments:
I'm wondering what sacred things do you see him parading?
Wait, I always thought y'all owned Pepsi. . . .
My bold prediction for 2008 is that the primaries for both parties will be a contast over what prejudices are still strongest (race? gender? "strange" religions [which, in this country, constitutes anything other than mainstream Protestantism or half crazed Evangelicals]?). And in the end, it'll be another contest between two older white guys with Ivy League degrees.
He's not personally talking about sacred things. In fact, he's being pretty quiet and respectful about it, which is how it should be. But other people outside the religion are latching onto some of the more esoteric elements of the religion that are best understood with the help of the Spirit and sound pretty freakish out of context. And sometimes in context too. If you do a search for Andrew Sullivan anywhere in the Mormon blogworld, you'll see what I mean.
Jordan, very astute
maybe Mitt will just all those ridiculous rumors and stories out in the open so people can see them for what they are. half-truths and rumors. and then they can also see that most of the time they wouldn't be able to pick a mormon out of a lineup at the neighborhood party and that will be that. the mystique will be over and we can take our places with the Jews and the Catholics as religions it's boring to make fun of.
i am impressed that you didn't say anything to those folks at your office. my big mouth would have dragged me over to try to embarrass them by making some crack about being a mormon.
Jef, how did Texas improve dramatically with GWB as Governor? According to what I have read, the opposite is true...namely I have read things regarding education and the environment.
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