Lakhota
Diamond Member
By Sally Denton
The seeds of Romney's unique brand of conservatism were sown in the secretive, acquisitive, patriarchal, authoritarian religious empire.
When Mitt Romney received his patriarchal blessing as a Michigan teenager, he was told that the Lord expected great things from him. All young Mormon men the worthy males of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as it is officially known receive such a blessing as they embark on their requisite journeys as religious missionaries. But at 19 years of age, the youngest son of the most prominent Mormon in American politics a seventh-generation direct descendant of one of the faiths founding 12 apostlesMitt Romney had been singled out as a destined leader.
From the time of his birth March 13, 1947 through adolescence and into manhood, the meshing of religion and politics was paramount in Mitt Romneys life. Called my miracle baby by his mother, who had been told by her physician that it was impossible for her to bear a fourth child, Romney was christened Willard Mitt Romney in honor of close family friend and one of the richest Mormons in history, J. Willard Marriott.
Since his first campaign in 2008, Romney has attempted to keep debate about his religion out of the political discourse. The issue is not whether there is a religious test for political office; the Constitution prohibits it. Instead, the question is whether, past all of the flip-flops on virtually every policy, he has an underlying religious conception of the presidency and the American government. At the recent GOP presidential debate in Florida, Romney professed that the Declaration of Independence is a theological document, not specific to the rebellious 13 colonies, but establishing a covenant between God and man. Which would suggest that Mitt Romney views the American presidency as a theological office.
Much More: Is Mitt Romney's Candidacy Part of 'The Eternal Plan' of the Mormon Church? | News & Politics | AlterNet