The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

An odd comment from a former Bishop and Stake President...

Mitt Romney is reported in the Salt Lake Tribune as having given a very strange answer in an interview with Boston's WCVB...

WASHINGTON - Presidential candidate Mitt Romney says in a videotaped interview that he doesn't know that God has spoken to anyone since the time of Moses.

The comment appears to conflict with his Mormon faith that believes God spoke to founder Joseph Smith and other church prophets subsequently. In the interview with Boston's WCVB, a reporter asks Romney several questions about his faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including how his faith would impact him if he is elected.

"Should God speak to you, and ask you to do something that might be in conflict with your duties as president, or should He speak to your prophet who would speak to you, how would you make that decision, how would you handle that?" reporter Natalie Jacobson asks.

Romney laughs and then replies, "Well, I don't recall God speaking to me. I, I don't recall God speaking to anyone since, uh, Moses and the [burning] bush, or perhaps some others, but, but I don't have that frequent of communication."

Compare that with official church dogma, from the Joseph Smith History in mormon scriptures...

—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

Well which is it, did God speak to anyone after Moses or not? For a mormon to say "perhaps some others" is like a Christian saying that "perhaps" Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again. That God the Father and Jesus Christ spoke directly and personally to Joseph Smith is THE defining moment in mormonism, the event upon which the entire church stands or falls. It isn't some minor doctrine like Jesus being conceived through a physical act. It is an absolute article of faith. If that didn't happen, Smith isn't the prophet of the restoration, the priesthood has not been restored and Gordon B. Hinckley is no more a prophet than Hulk Hogan (all of which by the way is true). "Perhaps others"? Please.

To deny ongoing revelation knocks the underpinnings out of mormonism, so again we are forced to ask the question: Is Mitt Romney unaware of his mormon beliefs (which seems odd since he was a Bishop and a Stake President), is he not paying attention to the questions or is he intentionally being evasive? Any one of the three raises some pretty serious questions. I wouldn't expect him to go into a diatribe about modern revelation and Joseph Smith in the sacred grove, but to answer in the way he did is pretty dishonest. Mitt is preferable to Hillary or Obama or Edwards for certain, but he is hardly the best choice for the GOP nomination.