General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOkay, let's go there. Could you vote for a Mormon (or Catholic) bishop for President?
Under any circumstances?
I don't think I could.
bowens43
(16,064 posts)sweettater
(729 posts)I am surrounded by them.............fundi southern baptist. They are out of touch with reality.
Neoma
(10,039 posts)yellerpup
(12,253 posts)oswaldactedalone
(3,491 posts)They should tend to their flocks and otherwise keep their mouths shut.
global1
(25,247 posts)how is is that a Mormon bishop is running and we don't even hear a peep about it?
kooljerk666
(776 posts)or a Muslim, or a Buddhist or my Favorite a Taoist.
EDIT: Anyone call RMoneys mane shold call him BISHOP Rmoney every time, make hime tell you STOP IT, ITS HARD STOP IT!! edit end
Glorfindel
(9,729 posts)I guess this makes me a hypocrite.
Dem2TheCore
(220 posts)All politics being equal, the issue for me would boil down to whether the person could honestly and convincingly take the oath of office and uphold the Constitution above any vow they took to their church or their church's hierarchy. (You going to follow the Constitution or the Pope?)
I doubt it's possible, but I would have to reserve judgment until it happened.
Horse with no Name
(33,956 posts)But not this one. He is too secretive.
LiberalFighter
(50,928 posts)IrishEyes
(3,275 posts)I don't care much about someone's religion.
SubgeniusHasSlack
(276 posts)you probably should.
Progressive dog
(6,904 posts)SubgeniusHasSlack
(276 posts)to understand why this is a bad idea.
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)catholic I would not vote for any religious leaders for an government office.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)gollygee
(22,336 posts)My best friend when I was growing up was Mormon, and I did a lot of activities with her church, and the bishop was just a regular guy at the church really. He didn't seem parallel to a Catholic bishop, like not nearly as high up the ladder or something.
I guess I'm not really sure. I wouldn't vote for Romney, and he happens to be a Mormon bishop. But I don't know if I wouldn't be able to vote for ANY Mormon bishop. I don't know about Catholic bishops but I think they have taken vows that would make the point moot.
Firebirds01
(576 posts)would probably get told to step down because the church doesnt like their boys running for office. He could of course leave the clergy but it would be very unlikely for an ordained and practicing catholic bishop to get anywhere near public office without being told to shut the whole thing down, as it where. Protestant clergy will and have run
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)get the red out
(13,466 posts)So no, I do not vote for Republicans, I don't agree with them on any issue I've seen yet.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)There are Mormon and Catholic Democrats.
get the red out
(13,466 posts)I strongly doubt a "Bishop" would be running as a Democrat.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)But I agree it's at least less likely.
get the red out
(13,466 posts)The Catholic and Mormon Churches are so heavily Republican in their official stands on issues overall, I just can not imagine a religious leader in those organizations would be a democrat. In the Catholic Church especially, there are currently Catholic Clergy telling people they will go to hell if they vote for a democrat, in the church.
That being said, I have voted for lay people who were Catholic Democrats, and if I lived in Nevada I'm sure I would vote for Harry Reid.
Mz Pip
(27,445 posts)All the talk last election about Rev Wright and what his beliefs were and he wasn't even the candidate . That was okay and hammered to death.
Why not even a fraction of scrutiny about Romney being a bishop? It's somehow off limits? Why? Why isn't Romney's high position in his church worth discussing? He's not just a member, he's a bishop. Seems worth looking into if he wants to be POTUS.
It's like his taxes. He doesn't want to discuss so the media rolls over and complies
dawg
(10,624 posts)the power of the Presidency to impose their beliefs on others. Unfortunately for them, the things they would have to do to convince me would probably get them excommunicated long before election day.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...or a Scientologist.
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)While the Catholic Church heirarchy can be stupid, it isn't so stupid not to realize that one of their own running under a partisan banner could create some serious issues.
However, hypothetically speaking, if a Catholic bishop were to run for political office, I say it would be depend. If it were someone like the late Joseph Cardinal Bernadin, sure. If it was someone like some of the other fools they have installed, I'll pass.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)both are newly, made up "religions" that are nothing more than pyramid schemes
IdaBriggs
(10,559 posts)And I would be surprised if Harry Reid hadn't served in that capacity.
I would gladly vote for a man of Harry Reid's calibre.
Catholic Bishops are supposed to be devoting their lives to serving the church, and therefore should not be dealing with politics, in my opinion, so no, I wouldn't vote for a Catholic Priest or Catholic Bishop because they already have a job.
Mormon Bishops, on the other hand, are usually good men who serve voluntarily without pay (which means they need to have real jobs) for anywhere from four to seven years. It is, like many responsibilities, an honor to serve. It also involves getting to know everyone in your ward, and "being there" for them (with a concentration on spiritual stuff, of course). I also have great respect for the concept of the "Bishop's Storehouse" (where each local Bishop is supposed to make sure the members of his local church can go to get food in times of financial difficulty, also opened to the public, and used to send supplies to disaster areas in a fashion similar to the Southern Baptists Relief Effort, of which I have a good opinion based on Hurricane Katrina/American Red Cross service).
Snipped from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_(Latter_Day_Saints)
"bishops are called from among the members of a local congregation, known as a ward, and traditionally serve, without pay, for four to seven years (the actual length of service can vary)."
(snip)
"The Bishop is often called "the father of the ward"[1] as he is the priesthood leader who is most intimately involved with individual church members. The bishop is not paid for the time he devotes to serving his ward. All ward and stake level callings in the LDS Church operate as a lay ministry; members donate their time to perform the duties assigned with each calling."
(snip)
"His duties include presiding over and conducting meetings and worship services; serving as president of the ward's quorum of priests; acting as a "Judge in Israel" or "common judge"; providing temporary financial relief for ward members; serving as the presiding high priest of the ward; and organizing and managing the ward's auxiliary organizations."
(snip)
"Presiding over services Each Sunday, the bishop is responsible for organizing the primary worship services, called sacrament meeting. The bishop and his counselors select speakers from among the members of the ward, assigned high council speakers, and, on occasion, guest speakers. Infrequently, the bishop or his counselors also speak in sacrament meeting. A member of the bishopric conducts the meeting, introduces the speakers and occasionally concludes the meeting with a few remarks."
(snip)
"Additionally, the bishop also has the authority and duty to counsel members on spiritual matters, and sits as a common judge in the event of disputes between wardmembers. Bishops typically withdraw from involvement in matters which have been taken to the law."
(snip)
"Provide temporally for the members of the ward Bishops also have the responsibility to oversee the payment of tithes and offerings in a ward, including the duty to accurately account for all money donated within his ward. The bishop also has the authority to authorize financial assistance, specifically the disbursement of fast offerings donated to help the poor, and other assistance to wardmembers according to the guidelines of the church. The other assistance a bishop can provide is "in kind" assistance in the form of food and household goods from the bishop's storehouse (which is managed by the Presiding Bishop (see below). The bishop disburses funds, authorizes distribution of food from the bishop's storehouse, or provides other appropriate assistance after evaluating the needs of the family and the resources available in his ward."
Bishops step up, do their duty, and then step down. The ones I know are men of good character.
I am not voting for Romney because of his religion. I am not voting for Romney because I don't care for his policies.
ChoppinBroccoli
(3,784 posts)When choosing who best represents me, religion enters my thought process not one iota. Truth be told, I just wish everyone would keep their damn religion to themselves. I mean, WHO CARES, really? It's a personal choice and should remain personal. That would be like saying, "I could NEVER vote for a candidate whose favorite food isn't pizza."
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)Clerics are forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power. (Canon Law 285.3)
They are not to have an active part in political parties (Canon Law 287.2)
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PY.HTM
jsr
(7,712 posts)MrYikes
(720 posts)Zoeisright
(8,339 posts)Zoeisright
(8,339 posts)rainlillie
(1,095 posts)affiliation isn't one of them.
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)matters to me.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)nuff said.