Al Sharpton and Mormons Collide On Relgious Faith
May 15th, 2007 | 
Author: Like every other presidential election process over the past 20 years, not being politically correct is the quickest thing to kill a candidate’s campaign. Now that theory seems to apply to people who aren’t even running.
Last week, Reverend Al Sharpton made a remark in reference to Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, and his Mormon faith. In response to what Christopher Hitchens said about the Mormon faith’s past discrimination against Blacks, Sharpton said:
“…As for the one Mormon running for office, those that really believe in God will defeat him anyway, so don’t worry about that. That’s a temporary situation.” – (CNN)
Now a lot of people viewed this statement by Sharpton as discriminatory and a bigoted remark against Romney and the entire Mormon faith.
Which leads me to the question:
What the heck is wrong with the people?
Okay, yeah, maybe Al Sharpton wasn’t as politically correct as he should have been. But anybody who has seen Sharpton make any sort of television appearance knows that his dry witcisms, followed by a serene stare (as if he isn’t acknowledging that he just said something rather funny), are often and habitual. So for a man who is quick to stand against racist remarks, he is not always the most “PC” person out there.
But when Sharpton said that “those that really believe in God” will defeat Romney, there was nothing controversial about it at all. Afterall, you must remember that the statement was preceded by referencing the fact that the Mormon religion practiced the exclusion of the black race up until the 1960’s.
The day following his comment, Sharpton appeared on the Paula Zahn Show, and stated that his reference to those who really believe in God was justified by the fact that there is a great percentage of Mormons who prior to the 1960’s were a part of a religion that believed that those of the black race were inferior and not worthy of being members of the Mormon faith.
I see nothing wrong with that. Here you have a person running for President of the United States, and they belonged to a religious sect that did not allow Blacks to be members, and so Sharpton questions his faith and urges for religious people, who do treat all races equally, to defeat Romney’s campaign. Seems like a justified statement to me.
Look, I’m tired of the PC- bullsh**. Sharpton criticized Romney for his participation in a once racist religion. As a black man, I would think that he has the right to do so. If Romney and other Mormons don’t want to be criticized and don’t want to have their belief in God questioned, then they shouldn’t belong to a religious group that once treated Blacks as inferior, and still has members who upheld that treatment within their religion’s doors. Sorry, that’s just the way it is. I have nothing against Mormons personally, but when you ascribe to a religion and all of its practices on the basis of your faith in the religion, then you open yourself to the criticism on the basis of what your religion has practiced and upheld throughout its existence, especially its modern history.
So to all of those who want Sharpton to apologize for saying that Mormons did not really believe in God, hold your horses. He merely called out a faith for its racist past and current members who descend from that precedent. That’s a part of what the media, entertainment, politics and people do in today’s world. If people didn’t question questionable acts, then politicians, and all individuals, would slide on a lot of important issues.
But under that premise, I guess it’s okay to question Sharpton…?
Oh well!
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Okay, here’s the deal. Our church did have a priesthood restriction on men of African descent until the 1970’s. However, there was no doctrine on the “why”. There were people within the church that had theories that included racial inferiority, but it was never taught as gospel. There were also black men who were not only baptized but held the priesthood in the very beginnings of the Church. The one name I know is Elijah Abel.
You may still come to the conclusion that because there had been an exclusion, that there also had been hatred taught within the religion. But I certainly was not taught that way, and I was born into the church before the restriction was lifted.
Your knowledge of our church and it’s history is limited. I would suggest doing a little more research before justifying Mr. Sharpton’s thinly veiled bigotry.
There are many African-American and African men who are members in our church in full standing. And as time goes on we will have more in our higher leadership. I suggest going to visit the Genesis group page…I just googled it myself.
It is a dangerous thing to start justifying any kind of bigotry, you never know when it might be turned around on you.
Hey, ANONYMOUS, I never claimed to be defending Sharpton’s “bigotry.” In fact, I don’t think he said anything discriminatory. I believe he said something that questioned the religious practices of a Church that within modern history denied an entire ethnicity the ability to join there church. I don’t think he was bigoted, or wrong, in expressing that he felt as if Mormon’s did not “really believe in God,” based on the very fact that he believes God doesn’t discriminate. But if you think questioning that was wrong, well then I question you…