Is it his Wealth, his Religion, or Both?

The Mormon church in Wolfeboro, NH,

 which Mitt Romney attended on Sunday,

August 19, 2012.

CENTER HARBOR, NH – Try as I might, I’ve simply not been able to understand the latent but palpable dislike of Mitt Romney for who he is and for what he stands for.

 
First: His Wealth.  The man is rich.  By now, that has been well established:  Romney is worth upwards of $250 million.  He owns a townhouse in prestigious Belmont, Massachusetts, in a state where he was once its governor.  He also enjoys a waterfront home on Lake Winnipesaukee in the resort town of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, on 12 acres of secluded land worth $10 million.  No small change.
 
Therefore, if anyone is inclined to strongly dislike another person for his wealth, there is plenty of material to work on here.

This Week’s Friday is not a “Rockin’” One

On Monday, March 17, the Courier News published a front-page story about Good Friday. I’m sure that the newspaper had good intentions. I also suspect that someone there must have been embarrassed. At least I hope someone was embarrassed. On the front page, picture and all, was a lead story describing how churches were planning to add an “entertainment value during Holy Week.”

The primary headline in bold letters, just above that lead-in, read, “Have a rockin’ Good Friday.” Now I don’t know your thoughts on this matter, but I think I can safely say that Jesus had anything but a “rockin’ Good Friday.” Even the non-religious would probably agree that hanging on a cross for endless hours is not conducive to the best of times. The Romans themselves thought this form of punishment to be so extreme and cruel that it was outlawed for all Roman citizens.

I’m not a prude, and I’m well aware of the statistics which show that most traditional, mainline Christian churches have lost millions of members in the last few decades. I support the notion that Christian denominations should do all they reasonably can to attract new membership. But reducing the description of one of the most sacred days in the Christian calendar to a “rockin’ Good Friday” is not the way to get there.

Despite that, I think that some prudent editor must have caught this awkwardness, because the online edition of the same story did not carry the print edition’s designation. Thank goodness for good sense.

Let’s reserve the rockin’ celebration for Easter.

Bill Maher’s View of Mormons and Evangelicals

Did you watch the Larry King Show last night? If you did, you were treated to an hour of humor by Bill Maher, a sharp wit and a good comedian. But much of his humor yesterday was disparaging and witless.

Several times, Maher could not help but to get off on a tangent. When Larry King asked him what he thought of Mitt Romney, Maher’s response was that, “Mormons have always been shape shifters.” King had not asked him what he thought about Mormons, but what he thought about Romney. The question was politically oriented – nothing else.

Maher could not resist the temptation to twist the answer into a broadside aimed at all Mormons. Shape shifter is a derogatory term meaning that a person does not stay put on solid ground, but moves about constantly, hoping to present an illusive, unsteady appearance.

Maher’s prejudice was not reserved only for Mormons. When asked by King to comment about Mike Huckabee, Maher wasn’t too enthusiastic about him either, indicating that anyone who believes in “The old book of Jewish fairy tales” doesn’t suit his fancy either.

Maher offered his philosophy that, “I think all religions are cuckoo, but I’m not a bigot.” He went on to say, “You can’t shut me up by using the word ‘faith’ because I think it’s dumb.”

During that entire hour, King did not once ask Maher his opinion of the candidates’ faith. I don’t know why Maher thinks that someone is trying to shut him up by using the word faith. Certainly it didn’t happen during last night’s interview. Larry King needs to get a grip, control the format of his show, and not act like such a wimpy host when one of his guests gets so far out of line.

Note: 06 July 2006 Photo by Jesse Grant - © WireImage.com - Image courtesy WireImage.com