The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The candidacy of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination brings the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - or Mormonism - into the spotlight like it has not been in a while. I would like to hear what other folks think regarding this popular faith. It seems several years ago many fundamentalist Baptists went on a "convert Mormons" crusade in conjunction with the SBC's Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City.

I am no expert in LDS theology. I have a book of Mormon somewhere in the garage, and I have been looking for it and hoping to read it. Mormons have a strange relationship with Christianity - Mormonism:Christianity::Christianity:Judaism. Clearly, Mormons are not Christians in the orthodox sense although they purport to worship Jesus and Elohim, the name the E source uses for God in the Pentateuch. My professors indicated - and it makes sense - that Mormonism is a latter-day expression of Christian Gnosticism. All of its theology points to that ancient sect.

While Mormons' orthodoxy needs much to be desired, I admire their orthopraxy. Most Mormons are disciplined, faithful practitioners of their faith. They demonstrate remarkable control abstaining from caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, etc. Mainline Christianity could learn a great deal from the LDS regarding ecclessiology and evangelism. How many Christians in our pop-star megachurches would spend two years doing mission work? How many would tithe? How many would abstain from Starbucks?

I have had the pleasure to have three Mormon friends. All were nice, faithful people even if misguided in their religious beliefs. I worked for a Mormon gentleman a few years ago ... he was nuts. I do have three, strange unscientific anecdotes from my experience! All the Mormons I know are 1. wealthy and 2. attractive. Interesting.

The Romney candidacy is an interesting one. By all accounts, he is the perfect Religious Right candidate; but his religion is keeping many fundamentalist Christians from supporting him. Based on the little I know about all the candidates, he seems like the best.