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Mitt Romney's candidacy for the presidency
has put Mormonism back under the public spotlight in ways that Latter-day
Saints find sometimes insulting, sometimes probing, and often laced
with misconceptions. Comments in the press have ranged from Slate
editor, Jacob Weisberg, saying that Joseph Smith was a con man
and if Mitt Romney believes in such a hoax “I don't want him running
the country” to charges that if Romney were elected, he would take
orders from the prophet.
Some of the nation's leading journalists gathered in Key West,
Fla, in May 2007 for the Pew Forum's biannual Faith Angle Conference
on religion, politics and public life where Richard Bushman, emeritus
professor at Columbia University and author of several books about
Mormon history, discussed the topic “Mormonism and Democratic Politics,
Are They Compatible?”
He addressed Mormonism's shift from being 19th century radicals
to 20th century conservatives, and then addressed a lively and spirited
set of questions from the nation's top journalists, including John
Fund from The Wall Street Journal, Ken Woodward from Newsweek,
Sally Quinn from The Washington Post and other representatives
from NPR, Beliefnet, The New Republic, ABC
News, The Chicago Sun-Times, U.S. News and World Report and
The Boston Globe.
Bushman's answers are enlightening, intelligent and a model for
how to field even difficult questions with aplomb. They are an excellent
example of how Latter-day Saints can define our culture and religion
in a world where others are often thrusting their own definitions
upon us.
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© 2007 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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