The Truth Comes Out
Mr. Big Tough On Religion Media Stud is, in fact, a coward
HH: Would you say the same things about Mohammed as you just said about Joseph Smith?
LO’D: Oh, well, I’m afraid of what the…that’s where I’m really afraid. I would like to criticize Islam much more than I do publicly, but I’m afraid for my life if I do.
HH: Well, that’s candid.
LO’D: Mormons are the nicest people in the world. They’re not going to ever…
HH: So you can be bigoted towards Mormons, because they’ll just send you a strudel.
LO’D: They’ll never take a shot at me. Those other people, I’m not going to say a word about them.
HH: They’ll send you a strudel. The Mormons will bake you a cake and be nice to you.
LO’D: I agree.
HH: Lawrence O’Donnell, I appreciate your candor.
And thanks, Hugh, for getting him to fess up.
Media | Mr. Bingley | 
December 11, 2007 2:27 pm
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I don’t understand how this whole issue has become so polarized in terms of politics. Why does examing some of the less-than-savory elements of Mormon history immediately have someone branded a bigoted leftist? But O’Donnell was right about one thing. Mormons are some of the nicest people in the world. He’s also lucky. Time was, they would answer to a critic like O’D by baking him a cake, smiling as they handed it to him, and then slitting his throat from ear to ear. Considering the early aims of the Mormon Church was to take over the US government and create a theocracy, I don’t think it’s very unreasonable to question Romney over the subject. Even though there has been a lot of change since the so-called “reformation” and things like blood atonement and polygamy don’t continue in practice or doctrine outside of fundamentalists, there’s still plenty the church leadership has to answer for in terms of the whitewashing of their history. I am not a religious bigot. I don’t care what Mormons believe. I care how they behave towards others, and it hasn’t exactly been very pleasant in the past.
You’d think that someone who puts down one religion (e.g., Mormonism) would be an equal opprotunity basher (e.g., Islam, of which there are people who equally nice as Mormons). So it’s a good demonstration of hypocrisy and cowardice on the part of O’Donnell, regardless of the religion involved.
But I think that the “selective bigotry” regarding Mormonism is another aspect of anti-Western attitudes.
Or maybe just a knee-jerk reaction to a Republican candidate. These days, who knows?
Oh, it’s pretty easy to see how this issue has become so polarized, Emily. When it seems as if the weightier part of the Left in the Media view the Right as a solid amalgam of Bible-thumping zealots who have established a theocracy here, well the temptation for one of the talking heads to attack one of the leading Republican candidates who actually belongs to a group that actually wanted to establish a theocracy is just too hard to resist. So out came the spittle and bile. Out came the implication that anyone who believed in this ‘christian’ religion is a racist, and by obvious extension all republicans, who are of course all christian, are racists.
This ignores the fact that Mormons are not christians; they are heretics (Oh, they may sputter that they are christian but they are not). Your points about the LDS’ history and actions are completely valid.
My point in this is not that he is a bigoted leftist but rather to agree with the person at HotAir who labeled him and his ilk the equivalent of schoolyard bullies: always willing to take those shots at folks who won’t hit back and completely terrified of those who might. Look at the transcript of him with HH; he out and out admits that he wouldn’t critically comment on Islam because he feared for his life. So we hear about Romney’s great-grandfather having a harem but not a word about Mo consummating his marriage to a 9 year old, and we never will from these people. That’s what disgusts me.
Don’t get me wrong, Mr. B. I know that a lot of people on the left pretty much object to Mormonism on the grounds that its members tend to be largely conservative. I just don’t understand how someone can bring up documented facts about some of the more unsavory aspects of that religion and be immediately branded as a bigot. Not everyone with issues regarding the Mormon Church is motivated by unthinking spite and hate. And I don’t get the schoolyard bully analogy. He’s not picking on Mormons because he knows they won’t fight back. He just knows that when they do, it will be with debate and discourse and a statement of official position, not a bullet through his head. I don’t blame anyone for being afraid of the latter. It’s not like this guy was advocating the outlawing of Mormonism or suggesting they be thrown in gulags or have their religious freedoms otherwise revoked. The fact of the matter is that Joseph Smith contended that people with dark skin were composed that way because they were cursed by God. If Romney believes it all, I kind of think the American people deserve a clarification.
Oh I’m not subscribing to the ‘bigot’ bit either; I think he’s an asshole and a (admitted) coward. He’s afraid to bring up the unsavory parts of Islam for precisely the reason you mention. The Mormon’s responding via debate isn’t “fighting back” as far as he is concerned; much like whenever someone brings up the rather unsavory bits of the Old Testament they do it so they can mentally masturbate and play ‘gotcha’ and feel all warm and smug inside because they fail to understand faith. Yes, I certainly agree that Romney should clarify what he believes. Would I ask this of a Baptist or a Methodist or a Catholic? No, I wouldn’t, as those are Christian mainstream religions and LDS most certainly is not and has too recent a history of horrid behavior to ignore. But it concerns me greatly that the cowards in the media, people who cloak themselves in the mantle of bold intrepid journalistic courage and ideals, act as if the greatest religious threat to America comes from some supposed golden tablets in upstate New York.
I dunno, Mr. Bingley, some members of the MSM seem to be threatened by a couple of tablets carved from rock in the Middle East a few thousand years ago. Maybe New York is too close to home for their comfort.
golden tablets in upstate New York
I thought it was a white salamander.
I can’t keep any of this straight.
On a lighter note, Mormon fundamentalists are a fun bunch, too.
Am I the only one who’s never heard of Lawrence O’Donnell? Who the heck is he and why would we care what he says?
Mormonosity is a very weird religion with holy underwear and family planets and all. As I understand it, everyone has their own planet and this one happens to be Jesus’ planet. If all your relatives are baptized they get to join you on your planet after you die, so they baptize all their dead relatives. That’s so they have someone to talk to when they get there, I suppose.
Whatever. I don’t pretend to understand any religion, mormonosity the least because they’e pretty secretive.
But I’ll say this. I’ve never met a mormon that wasn’t among the nicest people I’ve ever met. Without exception. Mormons are good people. I’ll take that any day over most religions.
Especially that vile Islam. That anyone can go around bad mouthing mormonosity and give the truly evil Islam a pass is absurd. I dont’ know who Larry is, but I’ll remember him now if I ever see his name again.
My post didn’t post, so I’ll try to write it again.
Am I the only one who doesn’t know who Lawrence O’Donnell is? Why should we care what he says? Is he well-known by everyone except me?
Mormonosity is a weird religion what with holy underwear and personal planets where your family settles after you die, which is why they baptize the dead. And something like, this planet belongs to Jesus, we all have our own planet out there.
Whatever. I think all religions are kooky, and mormonosity is a bit secretive so it’s hard to learn what they believe.
But I’ll say that I’ve never met a mormon who wasn’t the nicest of people. Without exception they are decent people in my experience. I’ll take that any day over other religions, especially that murdering group of Islam.
Hmmm, very odd on the delay in that showing up, Skyler. MT is getting flaky…again.
Sherlock Holmes’ first published adventure, A Study in Scarlet, involved a blood fued that spilled over to England from Utah; the Mormons come out looking pretty bloodthirsty. A fictive account, of course, but ACD would later write a lot of historical fiction as well; and the account from Study in Scarlet gains credence from the antics of that uber-cretin Warren Jeffs.