Recently, a Florida pastor named Reverend O'Neal Dozier, who has endorsed Rick Santorum, will be holding a press conference to ask Mitt Romney "to openly
renounce his racist Mormon Religion."
Mitt Romney is the wrong person to go after with regards to allegations
of racism within the LDS Church because his father, George Romney, was a
life long advocate of civil rights for blacks in America. During the 1968 Presidential election, he ran on a platform
of racial equality. When Nixon became President in 1960, he invited
George Romney to become the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
and he served in that position from 1969 to 1973. While working in the
Nixon Administration, George Romney was the Secretary of HUD and advocated for better living conditions for African-Americans even when Richard Nixon opposed the idea.
You can view some pictures of George Romney advocating for equality for Blacks below:
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| Along with NAACP, Gov. George Romney leads demonstration against housing discrimination in 1963. |
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| President Richard Nixon & George Romney |
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| More than 100 angry white protesters balked at efforts by then-Housing Secretary George Romney, in car, to open their new neighborhoods to blacks. |
As for Mitt Romney's faith, the LDS Church is not a racist religion. Its important to understand the history of the Mormon Church and the statements made by early LDS Church leaders with regards to the issue of Blacks and the Priesthood and the Book of Mormon. In 1971, The LDS Church created the Genesis Group which created a place where Black LDS could associate and enjoy one another. Recently, the LDS Church published a press release stating that they do not tolerate racism in any form in the Church:
The Church’s position is clear—we believe all people are God’s children and are equal in His eyes and in the Church. We do not tolerate racism in any form.For a time in the Church there was a restriction on the priesthood for male members of African descent. It is not known precisely why, how, or when this restriction began in the Church but what is clear is that it ended decades ago. Some have attempted to explain the reason for this restriction but these attempts should be viewed as speculation and opinion, not doctrine. The Church is not bound by speculation or opinions given with limited understanding.We condemn racism, including any and all past racism by individuals both inside and outside the Church.
As a Christian I try not to judge others. I know my Black family members have always felt more at home among Mormons than anywhere.
ReplyDeleteBut, the good pastor doesn’t seem to share my belief, so I'm wondering if he is just warming up with Romney. Perhaps next he will call on Santorum to renounce his own racism (his Church reprimanded him for making racist statements on the campaign trail, but, oddly no one else has). Perhaps he is just getting started, maybe thinking there’s a mote in Mitt’s eye? Then after the warm up they’ll tackle that giant beam in the rest of the world's eye. I think they’ll probably go after Santorum now that they’re warmed up; I mean since the United Nations has determined that the racism in Santorum’s Church (including teachings about the wretched and cursed descendants of Ham, galleys full of slaves, etc) led to the enslavement and genocide of about a hundred million people.....so, I'm just saying that when the pastor is ready to pull some beams out of eyes that might be a good place to start. Then he can move on to the rest of mainstream Christianity, atheists, liberals, gays, etc
I will not vote for Romney if he renounces his religion. Reverend O'Neal Dozier has stepped out of line with this demand. I am sure Romney will ignore this type of harassment and he should. He rather looses the election than to renounce his belief. Why some evangelicals are so arrogant in thinking that everyone should discard their core belief and be on their knees bow to the evangelicals??? These evangelicals can vote for the hypocrite Christian if they want to. Go ahead, we'll see how far they can get.
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